Bruce Springsteen's latest gets at much of what we witness, engage and struggle with on a daily basis.
Showing posts with label families and poverty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label families and poverty. Show all posts
Friday, January 17, 2014
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Poverty, middle class and the cost of living. . .
This just in from The Huffington Post:
The Economic Policy Institute has just updated their cost-of-living budgets to reflect how much a family needs to earn to get by in 2013.
Looking at over 600 locations and estimating community-specific costs, EPI found that families need more than twice the amount of the federal poverty line to have a secure yet modest living standard.
"Our family budget calculations show that the real costs for families to live modest -- not even middle class -- lives are much higher than conventional estimates show and virtually impossible for families living on minimum-wage jobs," said Elise Gould, the Economic Policy Institute director of health policy research.
Read more here.
Monday, March 05, 2012
Child poverty growing. . .Texas a leading state
Child Poverty Jumps In Poor Areas By A Quarter Over Last Decade
by Saki Knafo
In the last decade, the number of children living in areas of concentrated poverty grew by 1.6 million, according to a new study released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
In 2000, 6.3 million children lived in high poverty areas in the United States, according to the report. By 2010, the number had climbed to 8 million, at a growth rate of about 25 percent.
The increase erases gains made in the 1990s, when the number of children living in high-poverty areas declined.
The study defined areas of concentrated poverty as census tracts where 30 percent of residents or more live below the government's poverty threshold, defined as an income of $22,000 or less for a family of four.
"We chose to look at this data because we know that regardless of the family's income, children who grow up in high-poverty communities are more likely to have their long-term outcomes be hampered by the community that they live in," said Laura Speer, the foundation's associate director for policy reform and data. "They have difficulty finding a good school, they're more like to struggle with getting access to good healthcare providers, they're more likely to be exposed to high levels of stress, and they're more likely to have social and behavioral problems because of that."
The study shows that certain children are more likely to live in areas of high poverty than others. They include children in cities or rural areas, as opposed to the suburbs, and children of color. African-American, American Indian and Latino children are six to nine times more likely than white children to live in high poverty areas.
The city with the highest rates of children living in areas of concentrated poverty is Detroit at 67 percent, followed by Cleveland and Miami. Mississippi, New Mexico, Louisiana, Texas and Arizona rank highest among states in this category.
The study also notes that three-quarters of children living in these neighborhoods have at least one employed parent.
As the federal government prepares a new budget for 2013, the report arguably has important implications for those deciding where to direct resources. Patricia Cole, the director of government relations for Zero To Three, an organization that advocates for policies that benefit young children and their families, said that neighborhood poverty is "of great concern" and could affect the country's future workforce.
"The developing brain is vulnerable to the damaging influences that you'd find in a poverty situation," she said. "The more deprived the neighborhood is, the less access to services, to parent health care, and to early childhood programs. Plus it's more likely to be a dangerous neighborhood, so there's more likely to be greater stress. Anything that increases the stress of young children and decrease their access to resources is going to be detrimental."
by Saki Knafo
In 2000, 6.3 million children lived in high poverty areas in the United States, according to the report. By 2010, the number had climbed to 8 million, at a growth rate of about 25 percent.
The increase erases gains made in the 1990s, when the number of children living in high-poverty areas declined.
The study defined areas of concentrated poverty as census tracts where 30 percent of residents or more live below the government's poverty threshold, defined as an income of $22,000 or less for a family of four.
"We chose to look at this data because we know that regardless of the family's income, children who grow up in high-poverty communities are more likely to have their long-term outcomes be hampered by the community that they live in," said Laura Speer, the foundation's associate director for policy reform and data. "They have difficulty finding a good school, they're more like to struggle with getting access to good healthcare providers, they're more likely to be exposed to high levels of stress, and they're more likely to have social and behavioral problems because of that."
The study shows that certain children are more likely to live in areas of high poverty than others. They include children in cities or rural areas, as opposed to the suburbs, and children of color. African-American, American Indian and Latino children are six to nine times more likely than white children to live in high poverty areas.
The city with the highest rates of children living in areas of concentrated poverty is Detroit at 67 percent, followed by Cleveland and Miami. Mississippi, New Mexico, Louisiana, Texas and Arizona rank highest among states in this category.
The study also notes that three-quarters of children living in these neighborhoods have at least one employed parent.
As the federal government prepares a new budget for 2013, the report arguably has important implications for those deciding where to direct resources. Patricia Cole, the director of government relations for Zero To Three, an organization that advocates for policies that benefit young children and their families, said that neighborhood poverty is "of great concern" and could affect the country's future workforce.
"The developing brain is vulnerable to the damaging influences that you'd find in a poverty situation," she said. "The more deprived the neighborhood is, the less access to services, to parent health care, and to early childhood programs. Plus it's more likely to be a dangerous neighborhood, so there's more likely to be greater stress. Anything that increases the stress of young children and decrease their access to resources is going to be detrimental."
Thursday, September 15, 2011
AmericanPoverty.org
Will we wake up?
Monday, May 16, 2011
Family. . .generations
Over the weekend Brenda and I spent three days with two of our grandchildren while their parents got a away for some renewal time.
We had a blast!
More, we enjoyed some very special one-on-one time together with each of the kids, Gracie (9) and Wyatt (7). As they grow up, we find ourselves doing more of a "boy thing," "girl thing" division of time and activity.
The conversations, the questions, their delight at some old stories of our families, meals together, shopping, fishing, playing catch, working on art, styling hair, pretending to be secret agent type spys. . .what a time!
Working to ensure that as many children as possible make such vital connections to parents and grandparents is an important part of what we are about where I work. That said, I have my own responsibilities along these lines as a grandfather.
"What do you do, Granddad?' Wyatt asked me over an ice cream cone late on Sunday afternoon.
He really wanted to understand, so I told him.
I felt like I was conversing with a dear and trusted friend.
And, of course, I was.
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Pro Life?
Clearly the Texas legislature functions as a strongly "pro-life" elective body. . .up to a point.
The legislators' decisions during this session indicate that they are determined to take rather drastic measures to protect the unborn. However, once a child arrives in a low-income family, all bets are off!
The following story was reported by Christy Hoppe on the actions of our elected representatives appeared in The Dallas Morning News last Thursday, March 10.
The notion that non-profit organizations and churches can pick up the slack in the budget is simply ill-informed. Further, the costs associated with cuts in funding for the needed care typically are passed along by medical professionals to those with private insurance. The fact is, helping poor children helps us all.
But, you read the report and let me know your reactions.
Bill on pre-abortion sonograms comes as Texas legislators plan to slash contraceptive, OB-GYN care for poor
AUSTIN — The Legislature’s push to limit abortions by compelling women to see a sonogram of fetal development comes as the state is cutting back on medical services to low-income pregnant women.
Republican lawmakers are poised to slash $850 million from pregnancy care and family planning in the next two-year budget — a 29 percent cut from current spending.
That would shut down avenues for poor women to find contraception and choke off payments to OB-GYN doctors who might care for those who become pregnant, advocates say.
“There is a responsibility that comes with this desire to tell women what to do with their pregnancy. Clearly, we’re not meeting it,” said Rep. Mark Strama, D-Austin, who has sponsored a bill to extend women’s health services.
Abortion opponents say that although the budget crunch is real, the sonogram requirement isn’t connected to it.
“We can’t solve our problems by eliminating people,” said Kyleen Wright, president of Texans for Life and a strong supporter of the sonogram requirement that both the House and Senate have approved.
The solution, she said, is for private pregnancy crisis centers, adoption services, religious groups and communities to step up their help for poor women.
“We will pick up the pace. We will meet the need,” Wright said.
Fifty-five percent of Texas births are to women on Medicaid.
Payments to doctors
Most of the proposed budget cuts would come through reducing payments to doctors, who are reimbursed for the care they provide pregnant women on Medicaid. It means physicians will either turn away poor patients or lose money treating them.
Tom Banning, chief executive of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, outlined a grim reality: Medicaid reimburses doctors 70 percent for the cost of services. Most physicians make up the losses in their charges to privately insured patients, but the proposed cuts make that equation harder.
The state has cut reimbursements 2 percent this year and is proposing 10 percent cuts for next year. In addition, Congress is considering a Medicare reimbursement cut of 31 percent.
“It’s got the doctors completely spooked,” Banning said, and many plan to stop seeing patients who require federal help. That will drive more patients to emergency rooms, where their conditions are often worse and
more expensive to treat.
In Athens in East Texas, a group of family doctors began offering prenatal screening for Medicaid patients three years ago. When they started, 120 newborns a year from the area were ending up in the neonatal intensive care unit of Dallas County’s Parkland Memorial Hospital, Banning said.
Last year, it was down to two infants. But if doctors’ payments are cut, “you’ll see a tidal wave hit the emergency room of women who haven’t gotten any prenatal care,” Banning said.
To read entire report click here.
The legislators' decisions during this session indicate that they are determined to take rather drastic measures to protect the unborn. However, once a child arrives in a low-income family, all bets are off!
The following story was reported by Christy Hoppe on the actions of our elected representatives appeared in The Dallas Morning News last Thursday, March 10.
The notion that non-profit organizations and churches can pick up the slack in the budget is simply ill-informed. Further, the costs associated with cuts in funding for the needed care typically are passed along by medical professionals to those with private insurance. The fact is, helping poor children helps us all.
But, you read the report and let me know your reactions.
Bill on pre-abortion sonograms comes as Texas legislators plan to slash contraceptive, OB-GYN care for poor
AUSTIN — The Legislature’s push to limit abortions by compelling women to see a sonogram of fetal development comes as the state is cutting back on medical services to low-income pregnant women.
Republican lawmakers are poised to slash $850 million from pregnancy care and family planning in the next two-year budget — a 29 percent cut from current spending.
That would shut down avenues for poor women to find contraception and choke off payments to OB-GYN doctors who might care for those who become pregnant, advocates say.
“There is a responsibility that comes with this desire to tell women what to do with their pregnancy. Clearly, we’re not meeting it,” said Rep. Mark Strama, D-Austin, who has sponsored a bill to extend women’s health services.
Abortion opponents say that although the budget crunch is real, the sonogram requirement isn’t connected to it.
“We can’t solve our problems by eliminating people,” said Kyleen Wright, president of Texans for Life and a strong supporter of the sonogram requirement that both the House and Senate have approved.
The solution, she said, is for private pregnancy crisis centers, adoption services, religious groups and communities to step up their help for poor women.
“We will pick up the pace. We will meet the need,” Wright said.
Fifty-five percent of Texas births are to women on Medicaid.
Payments to doctors
Most of the proposed budget cuts would come through reducing payments to doctors, who are reimbursed for the care they provide pregnant women on Medicaid. It means physicians will either turn away poor patients or lose money treating them.
Tom Banning, chief executive of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, outlined a grim reality: Medicaid reimburses doctors 70 percent for the cost of services. Most physicians make up the losses in their charges to privately insured patients, but the proposed cuts make that equation harder.
The state has cut reimbursements 2 percent this year and is proposing 10 percent cuts for next year. In addition, Congress is considering a Medicare reimbursement cut of 31 percent.
“It’s got the doctors completely spooked,” Banning said, and many plan to stop seeing patients who require federal help. That will drive more patients to emergency rooms, where their conditions are often worse and
more expensive to treat.
In Athens in East Texas, a group of family doctors began offering prenatal screening for Medicaid patients three years ago. When they started, 120 newborns a year from the area were ending up in the neonatal intensive care unit of Dallas County’s Parkland Memorial Hospital, Banning said.
Last year, it was down to two infants. But if doctors’ payments are cut, “you’ll see a tidal wave hit the emergency room of women who haven’t gotten any prenatal care,” Banning said.
To read entire report click here.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Private Screening of "Food Stamped"
CitySquare exists to fight the root causes of poverty by partnering with those in need. Working together as a community, we feed the hungry, heal the sick, house the homeless and renew hope in the heart of our city.
From the beginning, addressing the hunger needs of our neighbors has been at the heart of our work. In 1988, CitySquare began as a small store front food pantry. It is from this humble beginning that the work of CitySquare has grown.
Please join CitySquare for private screening of Food Stamped and find out exactly how tough it is to adequately nourish your family on food stamps.
When: Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Angelika Film Center & Cafe (5321 East Mockingbird Lane, Suite 230, Dallas, TX 75206)
Food Stamped is an informative and humorous documentary film following a couple as they attempt to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet on a food stamp budget.
Nutrition educator Shira Potash teaches nutrition-based cooking classes to elementary school students in low-income neighborhoods, most of whom are eligible for food stamps. In an attempt to walk a mile in their shoes, Shira and her documentary filmmaker husband embark on the “food stamp challenge” where they eat on roughly one dollar per meal.
Along the way, they consult with food justice activists, nutrition experts, politicians, and ordinary people living on food stamps, all in order to take a deep look at the struggles low-income Americans face every day while trying to put three-square meals on the table.
To register for the showing click here.
Don't miss it!
[Brought to you by the Public Policy Department of CitySquare.]
Friday, December 17, 2010
Why I get up every morning. . .
The talented seminarian offers the little girls who live in our housing at CityWalk at Akard a dance class.
One day last week, during a break in the class, she overheard a 10-year-old girl tell another girl, "This Christmas will be much better than last year when we were in the shelter."
No need to say anything else.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Economy forces families to streets
Sunday, September 12, 2010, The New York Times reported on what we are seeing every day here in Dallas and across the nation. Times are tough for families. Central Dallas Ministries (CDM) has been involved in engaging an increasing number of families in danger of becoming homeless, more families this year than any year in our history.
The City of Dallas received funding from the federal stimulus program to bring the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program to the community. CDM, thanks to our effectiveness in getting the housing dollars out, recently received a second allocation of funds to help pay rent and utilities for families in distress.
Here's the Times report:
Number of Families in Shelters Rises
PROVI-
DENCE, R.I. — For a few hours at the mall here this month, Nick Griffith, his wife, Lacey Lennon, and their two young children got to feel like a regular family again.
Never mind that they were just killing time away from the homeless shelter where they are staying, or that they had to take two city buses to get to the shopping center because they pawned one car earlier this year and had another repossessed, or that the debit card Ms. Lennon inserted into the A.T.M. was courtesy of the state’s welfare program.
They ate lunch at the food court, browsed for clothes and just strolled, blending in with everyone else out on a scorching hot summer day. “It’s exactly why we come here,” Ms. Lennon said. “It reminds us of our old life.”
For millions who have lost jobs or faced eviction in the economic downturn, homelessness is perhaps the darkest fear of all. In the end, though, for all the devastation wrought by the recession, a vast majority of people who have faced the possibility have somehow managed to avoid it.
Nevertheless, from 2007 through 2009, the number of families in homeless shelters — households with at least one adult and one minor child — leapt to 170,000 from 131,000, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
With long-term unemployment ballooning, those numbers could easily climb this year. Late in 2009, however, states began distributing $1.5 billion that has been made available over three years by the federal government as part of the stimulus package for the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program, which provides financial assistance to keep people in their homes or get them back in one quickly if they lose them.
More than 550,000 people have received aid, including more than 1,800 in Rhode Island, with just over a quarter of the money for the program spent so far nationally, state and federal officials said.
To read the entire report click here.
The City of Dallas received funding from the federal stimulus program to bring the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program to the community. CDM, thanks to our effectiveness in getting the housing dollars out, recently received a second allocation of funds to help pay rent and utilities for families in distress.
Here's the Times report:
Number of Families in Shelters Rises
DENCE, R.I. — For a few hours at the mall here this month, Nick Griffith, his wife, Lacey Lennon, and their two young children got to feel like a regular family again.
Never mind that they were just killing time away from the homeless shelter where they are staying, or that they had to take two city buses to get to the shopping center because they pawned one car earlier this year and had another repossessed, or that the debit card Ms. Lennon inserted into the A.T.M. was courtesy of the state’s welfare program.
They ate lunch at the food court, browsed for clothes and just strolled, blending in with everyone else out on a scorching hot summer day. “It’s exactly why we come here,” Ms. Lennon said. “It reminds us of our old life.”
For millions who have lost jobs or faced eviction in the economic downturn, homelessness is perhaps the darkest fear of all. In the end, though, for all the devastation wrought by the recession, a vast majority of people who have faced the possibility have somehow managed to avoid it.
Nevertheless, from 2007 through 2009, the number of families in homeless shelters — households with at least one adult and one minor child — leapt to 170,000 from 131,000, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
With long-term unemployment ballooning, those numbers could easily climb this year. Late in 2009, however, states began distributing $1.5 billion that has been made available over three years by the federal government as part of the stimulus package for the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program, which provides financial assistance to keep people in their homes or get them back in one quickly if they lose them.
More than 550,000 people have received aid, including more than 1,800 in Rhode Island, with just over a quarter of the money for the program spent so far nationally, state and federal officials said.
To read the entire report click here.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Push
Central Dallas Ministries now sponsors two editions of Urban Engagement Book Club each month at noon. On each first Thursday we gather at Highland Park United Methodist Church (located on the edge of the SMU campus) and, then, on each third Thursday we convene at 1st United Methodist Church located in Downtown Dallas. Randy Mayeux provides brilliant, creative synopses of the books we've selected. Each location presents a different book each month.
Here's what Randy wrote about the book we look into last week, Push:
As I have written often, I live in multiple worlds. Today for the Urban Engagement Book Club, sponsored by Central Dallas Ministries, I presented my synopsis of Push by Sapphire.
It was the toughest book to read – maybe the toughest I’ve ever read!
To read Randy's entire comment click here.
As I have written often, I live in multiple worlds. Today for the Urban Engagement Book Club, sponsored by Central Dallas Ministries, I presented my synopsis of Push by Sapphire.
It was the toughest book to read – maybe the toughest I’ve ever read!
To read Randy's entire comment click here.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Parents and progress
The following essay appeared in the Sunday, April 18, 2010 edition of The Dallas Morning News in the Points section of the paper.
The systemic forces at work that maintain deeply entrenched poverty in our community contribute to the challenges facing low-income parents and families. Still, the call to poor parents and children is to rise to the occasion to do everything possible to overcome the terrible obstacles in the way of their progress. I suspect that the success Mr. Robberson suggests in his essay must alos involve a strong community component.
What do you think?
Tod Robberson: Bridging the gap through better parenting
Principal Lucy Hakemack got a shocking response from her H. Grady Spruce High School students when they were told that their Pleasant Grove neighborhood ranks second in the nation in teen pregnancies.
They applauded.
It seems the students regarded their school and community as having accomplished something noteworthy. They just didn't get that a top national ranking for ruined futures is not a good thing.
To read the entire report click here.
The systemic forces at work that maintain deeply entrenched poverty in our community contribute to the challenges facing low-income parents and families. Still, the call to poor parents and children is to rise to the occasion to do everything possible to overcome the terrible obstacles in the way of their progress. I suspect that the success Mr. Robberson suggests in his essay must alos involve a strong community component.
What do you think?
Tod Robberson: Bridging the gap through better parenting
Principal Lucy Hakemack got a shocking response from her H. Grady Spruce High School students when they were told that their Pleasant Grove neighborhood ranks second in the nation in teen pregnancies.
They applauded.
It seems the students regarded their school and community as having accomplished something noteworthy. They just didn't get that a top national ranking for ruined futures is not a good thing.
To read the entire report click here.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Thanks to Emmitt Smith Family
Our AmeriCorps National Day of Service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. turned out to be extra special this year.
Dallas Cowboys legend and NFL super star, Emmitt Smith, along with his wife, Pat and their four children, showed up to work with a portion of our AmeriCorps team on Congo Street.
Here are a couple of photos with more to come along with a full report in days ahead.
Dallas Cowboys legend and NFL super star, Emmitt Smith, along with his wife, Pat and their four children, showed up to work with a portion of our AmeriCorps team on Congo Street.
Here are a couple of photos with more to come along with a full report in days ahead.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Property values and redevelopment
Anyone who has attempted inner city housing development containing a mixed-income component understands how resistant existing neighborhoods can be when faced with such plans. The almost universal, knee-jerk reaction: opposition.
People worry about the affect of such changes on their property values. Working out of stereotypical understandings of "the poor," people also worry about public and personal safety.
While I've reached other conclusion and have other concerns, I think I understand the reaction. Or, at least I'm trying. For sure, complexity and anxiety attend the issues surrounding any urban development that adopts an inclusive housing strategy. This just always seems to be the case.
Developers, especially non-profit developers, face the formidable challenge of fully informing neighborhoods and community residents of their plans, while maintaining some level of privacy during the period of property assemblage so as not to drive prices higher than necessary. Even more essential, and at times more difficult, is the challenge of building real trust based on honesty and openness.
At best, the process and its challenges remain very difficult. And, the realities of real estate development complicate the entire process.
I confess that I am conflicted here.
I want to see these kinds of projects move forward. In my view, our city needs many more of them for our "under-housed" neighbors, especially among those who have no place to call "home."
At the same time as I say, I'm working personally to understand and to put myself in the shoes of those who resist mixed-income and affordable housing development. I'm thinking of my own street just here, the block on which I reside.
At one end of my street, just five dwellings away, sits a very ill-maintained, dilapidated apartment complex of about 20 units. Frankly, the building is an over-crowded wreck of a place. Several working families with lots of children occupy the facility. I am sure it is what they can afford. But, it needs serious modifications/improvements.
In my view the best solution would be to tear it down and start over. Problem is, thanks to the current zoning laws, anything built to replace it would have to be a single-family home or homes. Yes, the planned development rules at the end of my street cut against the interests of poor families. This is true in many areas of our city.
But, back to the property in question.
What about new development in the form of renovation? What would improve the situation short of simply eliminating it and the families who depend on the housing for their well-being? What would improve rather than erode area property values? What would make things more secure and livable for everyone?
Would a new facade be a plus or a minus? I'd say a real plus. A new look and fresh paint and entrance amenities often work wonders.
Would a new parking configuration with a plan for increased security be a plus or a minus? Next question.
Would a plan to reach out and include the residents in this building in the larger neighborhood be a positive or a negative?
Depends on who you talk to.
A few years back some of my neighbors wanted to close the street at the apartment house end to curtail the flow of thru traffic and to intentionally cut the unsightly building off from the rest of us. Still, I vote it would be a good move to reach out.
Would increased involvement by the owner/developer who'd put some new capital in the property be a plus or a minus? Certainly.
Clearly, whole the conversation hinges on how one regards real community and physical improvements when compared to staying with the status quo.
At times people choose the negative that they already know, rather than the proposed improvements about which they remain unconvinced or suspicious.
This brings us back to building trust among at least some of the stakeholders.
Some will never support such a redevelopment because it implies that low-income people would be encouraged to stay in the neighborhood. These folks support an agenda that removes the poor from their community.
But for others, I continue to believe there is an opportunity to convince them that housing development and re-development is a good move for everyone involved.
More to come. . .
People worry about the affect of such changes on their property values. Working out of stereotypical understandings of "the poor," people also worry about public and personal safety.
While I've reached other conclusion and have other concerns, I think I understand the reaction. Or, at least I'm trying. For sure, complexity and anxiety attend the issues surrounding any urban development that adopts an inclusive housing strategy. This just always seems to be the case.
Developers, especially non-profit developers, face the formidable challenge of fully informing neighborhoods and community residents of their plans, while maintaining some level of privacy during the period of property assemblage so as not to drive prices higher than necessary. Even more essential, and at times more difficult, is the challenge of building real trust based on honesty and openness.
At best, the process and its challenges remain very difficult. And, the realities of real estate development complicate the entire process.
I confess that I am conflicted here.
I want to see these kinds of projects move forward. In my view, our city needs many more of them for our "under-housed" neighbors, especially among those who have no place to call "home."
At the same time as I say, I'm working personally to understand and to put myself in the shoes of those who resist mixed-income and affordable housing development. I'm thinking of my own street just here, the block on which I reside.
At one end of my street, just five dwellings away, sits a very ill-maintained, dilapidated apartment complex of about 20 units. Frankly, the building is an over-crowded wreck of a place. Several working families with lots of children occupy the facility. I am sure it is what they can afford. But, it needs serious modifications/improvements.
In my view the best solution would be to tear it down and start over. Problem is, thanks to the current zoning laws, anything built to replace it would have to be a single-family home or homes. Yes, the planned development rules at the end of my street cut against the interests of poor families. This is true in many areas of our city.
But, back to the property in question.
What about new development in the form of renovation? What would improve the situation short of simply eliminating it and the families who depend on the housing for their well-being? What would improve rather than erode area property values? What would make things more secure and livable for everyone?
Would a new facade be a plus or a minus? I'd say a real plus. A new look and fresh paint and entrance amenities often work wonders.
Would a new parking configuration with a plan for increased security be a plus or a minus? Next question.
Would a plan to reach out and include the residents in this building in the larger neighborhood be a positive or a negative?
Depends on who you talk to.
A few years back some of my neighbors wanted to close the street at the apartment house end to curtail the flow of thru traffic and to intentionally cut the unsightly building off from the rest of us. Still, I vote it would be a good move to reach out.
Would increased involvement by the owner/developer who'd put some new capital in the property be a plus or a minus? Certainly.
Clearly, whole the conversation hinges on how one regards real community and physical improvements when compared to staying with the status quo.
At times people choose the negative that they already know, rather than the proposed improvements about which they remain unconvinced or suspicious.
This brings us back to building trust among at least some of the stakeholders.
Some will never support such a redevelopment because it implies that low-income people would be encouraged to stay in the neighborhood. These folks support an agenda that removes the poor from their community.
But for others, I continue to believe there is an opportunity to convince them that housing development and re-development is a good move for everyone involved.
More to come. . .
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Monday, June 08, 2009
Retro message for these times: The Grapes of Wrath
Quote without comment:
The decay spreads over the state, and the sweet smell is a great sorrow on the land. Men who can graft the trees and make the seed fertile and big can find no way to let the hungry people eat their produce. Men who have created new fruits in the world cannot create a system whereby their fruits may be eaten. And the failure hangs over the State like a great sorrow.
The works of the roots of the vines, of the trees, must be destroyed to keep up the price, and this is the saddest, bitterest thing of all. Carloads of oranges dumped on the ground. The people come from miles to take the fruit, but this could not be… And men with hoses squirt kerosene on the oranges, and they are angry at the crime, angry at the people who have come to take the fruit. A million people hungry, needing the fruit – and kerosene sprayed over the golden mountains.
And the smell of rot fills the country.
…Dump potatoes in the rivers and place guards along the banks to keep the hungry people from fishing them out.
There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation. There is a sorrow here that weeping cannot symbolize. There is a failure here that topples all our success. The fertile earth, the straight tree rows, the sturdy trunks, and the ripe fruit. And children dying of pellagra must die because a profit cannot be taken from an orange. And coroners must fill in the certificates – died of malnutrition – because the food must rot, must be forced to rot.
The people come with nets to fish for potatoes in the river, and the guards hold them back; they come in rattling cars to get the dumped oranges, but the kerosene is sprayed. And they stand still and watch the potatoes float by, listen to the screaming pigs being killed in a ditch and covered with quicklime, watch the mountains of oranges slop down to a putrefying ooze; and in the eyes of the people there is a growing wrath. In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.
The decay spreads over the state, and the sweet smell is a great sorrow on the land. Men who can graft the trees and make the seed fertile and big can find no way to let the hungry people eat their produce. Men who have created new fruits in the world cannot create a system whereby their fruits may be eaten. And the failure hangs over the State like a great sorrow.
The works of the roots of the vines, of the trees, must be destroyed to keep up the price, and this is the saddest, bitterest thing of all. Carloads of oranges dumped on the ground. The people come from miles to take the fruit, but this could not be… And men with hoses squirt kerosene on the oranges, and they are angry at the crime, angry at the people who have come to take the fruit. A million people hungry, needing the fruit – and kerosene sprayed over the golden mountains.
And the smell of rot fills the country.
…Dump potatoes in the rivers and place guards along the banks to keep the hungry people from fishing them out.
There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation. There is a sorrow here that weeping cannot symbolize. There is a failure here that topples all our success. The fertile earth, the straight tree rows, the sturdy trunks, and the ripe fruit. And children dying of pellagra must die because a profit cannot be taken from an orange. And coroners must fill in the certificates – died of malnutrition – because the food must rot, must be forced to rot.
The people come with nets to fish for potatoes in the river, and the guards hold them back; they come in rattling cars to get the dumped oranges, but the kerosene is sprayed. And they stand still and watch the potatoes float by, listen to the screaming pigs being killed in a ditch and covered with quicklime, watch the mountains of oranges slop down to a putrefying ooze; and in the eyes of the people there is a growing wrath. In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.
(John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, pp. 362-363).
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Friday, May 15, 2009
Short term gain vs. long term return
Read this note on Friday, May 8, 2009, in The Dallas Morning News. I post it, not because I want to discuss birth control, family planning or related issues, but because of what the facts behind the report illustrate.
Read it and then I'll get back to you:
Under the Dome
12:00 AM CDT on Friday, May 8, 2009
The Associated Press
Birth control pill funds targeted
A powerful Republican senator is blocking an increase in state funding for birth control pills, saying Texas can't afford the expenditure in such tough economic times.
The $7 million expenditure for the pills has become a sticking point between House and Senate negotiators trying to reach agreement on the budget. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said Texas women could purchase their own birth control pills.
Family planning advocates say the money would go to a subsidy program that a patchwork of clinics, such as Planned Parenthood, uses to help low-income women get birth control bills. The reimbursement rate of $2.80 hasn't been raised since the 1970s, they say.
____________________________________
Read it and then I'll get back to you:
Under the Dome
12:00 AM CDT on Friday, May 8, 2009
The Associated Press
Birth control pill funds targeted
A powerful Republican senator is blocking an increase in state funding for birth control pills, saying Texas can't afford the expenditure in such tough economic times.
The $7 million expenditure for the pills has become a sticking point between House and Senate negotiators trying to reach agreement on the budget. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said Texas women could purchase their own birth control pills.
Family planning advocates say the money would go to a subsidy program that a patchwork of clinics, such as Planned Parenthood, uses to help low-income women get birth control bills. The reimbursement rate of $2.80 hasn't been raised since the 1970s, they say.
____________________________________
Okay. Let me see if I understand. We opt today to save a reported $7 million by not funding this health benefit for low-income women. Funds are needed because the reimbursement rate for the benefit via Medicaid has not been increased over the past 3-4 decades.
So, we choose to let these women, all mothers and potential mothers, "go it alone" when it comes to their reproductive health and welfare because we need to save money during these hard times.
You gotta be kidding me!
Does Senator Ogden know what it costs to raise a child? Does he understand the cost to the State of Texas to protect, educate and provide for the child of a low-income woman or family? I don't even need to mention the cost and dilemma's associated with "unwanted" children.
Here we have a classic example of penny wise and pound foolish. Surely, surely, saner heads will prevail here. Tell me this is a joke, please tell me.
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Friday, April 17, 2009
Urban Connection--San Antonio Part 1
In 2002, Central Dallas Ministries "planted a sister organization" in San Antonio, Texas.
We began with a very strong leader, Leslie Kelsie-Grubbs and a challenging location--the Lincoln Heights Courts public housing development located on the tough west side of the city.
Since the beginning days, growth, progress and real change has occurred, thanks to the work of Leslie and her very capable team.
We began with a very strong leader, Leslie Kelsie-Grubbs and a challenging location--the Lincoln Heights Courts public housing development located on the tough west side of the city.
Since the beginning days, growth, progress and real change has occurred, thanks to the work of Leslie and her very capable team.
As you'll hear Les say here when speaking of the community's improvement, that our presence "gives people permission to do something different."
I'll be posting video updates so that you can appreciate what has been accomplished with much more one the way!
Community development at its best!
To learn more and/or to become a partner, go to the website.
I'll be posting video updates so that you can appreciate what has been accomplished with much more one the way!
Community development at its best!
To learn more and/or to become a partner, go to the website.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
In the shoes of another
Here is a great example of attempting to place oneself in the shoes of another. Take a look.
So, what do you think?
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So, what do you think?
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Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Hunger moving closer to us all
Did you see the CNN story on last Monday about the growing number of Americans signing up for the Food Stamp program?
Here's a taste of the report, "Touigh Choices for America's Hungry":
As Walter Thomas knows, it's hard to look for a job when your stomach is rumbling. The 52-year-old from Washington, D.C., started skipping meals in early January when his savings account was running dry and his kitchen cabinets were almost empty.
Thomas at first didn't want to turn to the United States' food safety net, the food stamp program, for help.
But after being laid off in July from what seemed like a steady job in sales at a furniture store, Thomas swallowed his pride and applied for the monthly food aid.
"It lets me think, 'OK, well, tomorrow I'll be able to eat. If nothing else, I'll be able to eat,' " he said.
With the national economy in meltdown, more Americans than ever are relying on the federal aid program to keep from going hungry. In October, more than one in 10 people -- about 31 million -- were using the food stamp program to get by, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
More recent numbers are not available, but advocates for the poor say the number of those in need of aid probably has increased since then.
Read the entire report here.
The report contains the photo above of little Samirah, 2, who asked her mom to take her picture to show that hungry people "are like everyone else."
Mounting an effective national response to the growing numbers of our fellow citizens who falling into poverty will be a challenge.
What do you think?
Are we up for the challenge?
What about your church or other faith community?
Is your group ready to get involved?
What do you intend to do personally?
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