Housing First. . .and Human Rights (Part IV)

As promised, I've been sharing, in bits and pieces, a message that I recently delivered to a group of people who wanted to talk about housing for our homeless neighbors.  What follows is the next "bite-sized piece" of that conversation.    And, as always, I invite comments.  

Efforts to end homelessness in Dallas face a number of obstacles, most of which appear in the form of what I call "unsatisfying half measures."  Here's another of those:

When it comes to homelessness and solutions, we continue to go out "on the cheap."

Oh, we talk about all that we're doing, all that we've done, all that we plan to do.  We populate endless PowerPoint presentations with full-color photos and lots of number-laden charts and graphs, supposedly mapping our "progress."

The fact is we need more money, hard cash to really cut into the problems we face in overcoming homelessness in Dallas.

We need more funding for the development of much-needed, additional permanent supportive housing units--new construction and creative renovations.

We need additional funding for leasing existing apartments out in the private housing market of our community.

We need funding for adequate case management.  On this one, I believe if we employ Housing First models that include focused case management services (read "concierge" just here) we can have great impact with fewer workers than some social work professionals believe. Our problem is we haven't really given this approach a fair chance as a community.  

We need funding to beef up our city's housing department.  Virtually all of the revenue currently received for our housing department comes to us from Washington, DC.  Our city's annual, general revenue budget contains almost nothing for housing development and services, certainly not enough to really attack homelessness at scale.

We need funding to communicate the challenges to our entire community.  And, we need funds to authorize a modest amount of research to demonstrate the amazing impact of permanent supportive housing on the overall crisis and relief of homelessness.

On the funding side in terms of sources, I believe we need to include funding for the city's Housing Trust Fund in our next bond issue/election.  Before the "crash of 2008," Mayor Leppert was thinking in terms of a $50 million bond fund for this purpose.  That would have been a good start.  The idea is smart.

We need advocates from our city to press on the state of Texas to begin to develop special new, tax credit financial "products" for developers wanting the deliver permanent housing units to cities like Dallas. Permanent supportive housing units for homeless persons should not be lumped together with other affordable housing finance decisions, but deserve a special, new category all their own.

Finally, when it comes to innovation, I've thought for a long time that real estate closing transactions across the state should include a $.50 or $1.00 filing fee that could fund a state housing trust fund for developers of permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless persons. Real estate folks don't like the idea, seeing it as a "slippery slope" to more and more fees for causes.  But the legislation could be styled to restrict such fund development policy to only this purpose.

In general, what's called for is a new community commitment.

People should not be living on our streets or in emergency shelters for years.

We can solve this problem.

But to do so, we must give up on "unsatisfying half measures."

Nice job, President Bush!

The Daily Beast reports some good news about national progress in ending homelessness for those trapped in the most extreme poverty.  Very encouraging report that highlights the vital nature of permanent housing.

Fewer Homeless, a Bush Legacy

by David Frum Apr 29, 2013 4:00 PM EDT

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

My CNN column focuses on a major domestic policy achievement by George W. Bush: combating homelessness.

Have you noticed that homelessness isn't worse? Here we are, living through the most protracted joblessness crisis since the Great Depression -- and surprisingly, fewer people are living on the street.

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that the number of the chronically homeless declined by 30% between 2005 and 2007. You might have expected the numbers to spike again when the financial crisis hit but no. Since 2007, the number of chronic homeless has dropped another 19%.

A broader measure of the number of homeless counts the number of people living out of doors on one randomly chosen night. That broader measure has also improved through the economic crisis. Between January 2011 and January 2012, homelessness among veterans dropped by 7%.

To what or whom do we owe this good news?

In very large part, we owe it to the president whose library opened in Dallas last week: George W. Bush.

For three decades, we have debated what causes homelessness and how to deal with it. Is homelessness a mental health problem? A substance abuse problem? A problem caused by gentrification and urban redevelopment? Or something else again?

The Bush administration substituted a much simpler idea -- an idea that happened to work. Whatever the cause of homelessness, the solution is ... a home.

Read the entire report here. 

Hassled

Last Thursday a Dallas Marshall harassed me as I sat on the steps of Billy Merendino's old, abandoned house at the corner of Dawson and Malcolm X.

Nathan Rivers, Wendy and I were just sitting on the porch talking.  Nathan was finishing up his lunch, an entire rotisserie chicken!

During the course of his meal, Nathan shared a great one liner on his approach to the streets:  "Yeah Larry, I walk softly and carry a big thought," he declared.  "I look a long time before I leap!"  

As we discussed Nathan's attempt to get off the streets and out of "the walk in," a Marshall's car passed by very slowly with the two officers giving the three of us a careful once over.

As the squad car pulled away, Nathan remarked, "Larry, they would have stopped if you hadn't been sitting here."  

"Really?" I replied.

"You don't believe me?"  Nathan asked.  "The only reason they didn't stop is because you were sitting here."

"Because I'm white?" I pressed him.

"Yes sir, that's right," he answered.

Our conversation changed gears a bit as we discussed racism, profiling and how homeless persons are constantly hassled and shoved away from almost everywhere.

"Lots of patrol cars out here today," Nathan observed.  "They must be doing a 'sweep' or something." 

About 15 minutes later the same two marshals pulled slowly toward us.  This time the car stopped and the officer lowered his window.  Neither officer said a word.  The driver simply pointed his finger at me and motioned for me to come over to the car.

I suppose I was a bit surprised.

"Me?" I asked.

He simply shook his head and nodded yes.

He also pointed to Nathan, skipping over Wendy, and motioned for him to come over as well.

We did as he instructed, moving over to the side of the car.

He asked for ID, which we both produced.

"Do you own this house?" he asked me, the first words he had spoken.

"No, my friend Billy at the gas station here owns the house," I answered, pointing to the station next door.

"Do you have permission to sit here," he went on.

"Yes, I do," I replied, as I turned toward the old service station and called out to Billy for his assistance.

As Billy walked over, the marshal turned to Nathan and asked, "What about you?" 

As he attempted to explain Billy's hospitality, Billy leaned into the car and confirmed that the three of us were all his guests.

The officer handed back our identification documents, rolled up the window and drove away without a word.

Nathan spun out a calm, sad commentary on what had just happened.

"They drove around the corner and got their nerve up and came back and confronted you, Larry.  It happens to us every day.  There just ain't no place for us to go" he said.

Nathan had been to court that very morning to clear up a warrant for a "crime" he committed 7 years ago.

"What was the offense, " I asked him.

"'Sleeping in a public place'" he informed me.

"I'm such a criminal, Larry!"  he joked as I noted his eyes filling with tears.  "I'm as harmless as a teddy bear, Larry, really."

For his offense the judge directed that he do several hours of public service.  He plans to volunteer at the CitySquare Food Pantry.  He will be welcomed gladly.

As I've reflected on the day, our conversation, the marshals and the sadness, my emotions  ranged from anger, to disgust, to sadness, to shame, to resignation.

One thing I know for certain:  most of us have no clue as to how hard it is to be extremely poor and alone on the streets of a city like Dallas, Texas.

We simply must do better than this.