Budget Compromise Hits Poor People

Photo by Larry Whitted

Affordable Housing and Homeless Will Face Cuts in FY 2011 budget The details of the compromise reached last Friday night were released on Tuesday. It is striking how disproportionate the cuts are on the low income households. There were no cuts to tax breaks that are enjoyed largely by the middle and upper income folks. There is no support for generating additional revenue. The burden will fall on vulnerable populations who are facing foreclosure, those living in public housing, and the elderly or disabled who may be seeking affordable housing. The House and Senate To Vote Tomorrow and Friday. Here is the Release and summary from the National Low Income Housing Coalition:
On Thursday, April 14, the House and Senate will vote on the FY11 appropriations “deal” that was struck late last Friday between the White House and House Republicans to prevent a government shutdown. They agreed to $38.5 billion in spending cuts. On Tuesday April 12, the details of the deal became public. They include deep cuts to many HUD and rural housing programs, as well as other safety net programs. Specific cuts are listed below. And all agencies will be required to take an additional .2% cut across the board. The total cuts to HUD will be 6.4% below HUD’s FY10 budget. If you do not agree with these cuts, NLIHC invites you to please contact your Senators and Representatives TODAY and urge them to vote against the budget deal. Tell them to send the negotiators back to do a better job of resolving the budget standoff. What has been billed as a compromise does too much harm to low income Americans and asks too little of people with means. While in reality it may be too late to stop this vote, it is crucial that you make your objections known to your elected representatives. To contact your members of Congress, call the congressional switchboard at 877-210-5351. You can also go to the NLIHC website to take action. Cuts to HUD programs include: Tenant Based Rental Assistance (housing vouchers) Admin Fees: $125 million cut FUP: $15 million cut (No funding) Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Vouchers: $25 million cut Tenant Protection vouchers: $10 million cut Public Housing Operation Fund (locally CMHA) -$149 million cut HOPE IV (Public Housing renovation and replacement fund)-$100 million cut Public Housing Capital Fund (public housing maintenance and building fund)-$456 million cut Native American Housing Block Grants -$50 million cut Community Development Fund -(funds city investment in housing, eviction help, safety, and poverty reduction) $942 million (CDBG reduced by $643 million) HOME Investment Partnerships (City, County and State funding to build housing)-$215 million cut Lead Hazard Reduction (Protection for low income residents from lead paint hazards)-$20 million cut Section 202 -(Affordable housing largely for seniors) $425 million cut Section 811 -(affordable housing largely for the disabled) $115 million cut Housing Counseling Assistance -(Pays for advocates to assist those facing foreclosure) $88 million cut (No funding) Brownfield Redevelopment -(Cleaning up abandoned industrial sites) $18 million cut (No funding) Energy Innovation Fund -$50 million cut (No funding) Cuts USDA housing programs include: Rental Assistance Program -$24 million cut Rural Housing Insurance Fund -$151 million cut Other safety net cuts LIHEAP (Heating assistance for lower income households) -$390 million cut WIC -(Women's Infant and Children food program) $504 million cut Community Health Centers (Care Alliance and Neighborhood Family Practices locally) -$600 million cut Brian Davis

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Peace Advocates Look at Budget Priorities

Forum at Trinity Cathedral April 16, 2011

Peace Action and the IRTF are holding a forum on budget priorities over the next year at Trinity Cathedral on April 16, 2011. Here is a link to sign up for the event. The group is looking at the cost of war, incarceration while the country is facing a serious crisis in housing. Here is a statement from the committee organizing the event:

“We call people from all walks of life to come together in “a process to align and strengthen our communities, weaving ourselves into a movement that transcends oppression and opposition, increasing our collective power and resilience” (from the US Social Forum held in Detroit, June 2010).We recognize that all people are leaders. Progress and peace require inclusion of all people. We want to make special effort to hear the voices of those who are often ignored. We want to create a safe space for dialogue where everyone’s voice is heard—a dialogue that continues beyond this forum. We strive to embrace our commonalities and not focus on our differences. We invite each other to transcend our group affiliations and mindsets to make connections with everyone. We want to engage in a spirit of collaboration and mutual respect to build rapport and trust with one another.”

Keynote speaker is Bill Fletcher
Bill Fletcher is currently an editorial board member and columnist for BlackCommentator.com and a Senior Scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington D.C. He was the former Vice President for International Trade Union Development Programs for the AFL-CIO, and also served as Assistant to the President of that organization. In addition, Mr. Fletcher is the immediate past president of TransAfrica Forum and a founder of the Black Radical Congress.

We hope that you can make it. Please pre-register for the event using the Peace Action website or the IRTF site.

Brian
Posts reflect the opinion of those who sign the entry.

Local Reports from Around the US

National Coalition for the Homeless March 2011
Local Reports

Minnesota still has General Assistance and they may reform it.

Austin, Texas
The House the Homeless group could not get the city to agree to do away with the prohibition on sitting and lying on the public sidewalk, so instead they convinced City Council to provide an exemption for disabled homeless people. White Noise was introduced at the shelter to try to reduce noise and help people sleep.

New York City
All time record shelter population—40,000 people including 16,000 children—the agencies are struggling with recession and government policy changes that also has impacted services. 113,000 spent time in the shelters in 2010 in New York City. This does not include specialized populations (people with AIDS, Domestic Violence victims, etc. or those sleeping on the streets. There are some rough budget battles ahead in New York with historic levels of need. So far, there is not any proposed cuts to supportive housing because of budget shortfalls. The time limited rent subsidy program that advocates were not big supporters of is being cut because it is a revolving door back to homelessness, but the problem is that there is nothing to replace the program proposed. The rent regulations that put a cap on the local rental market is up for expiration in June 2011. 1 million apartment units fall under this law, which translates to 2.2 million people who could see a large rent increase this year.

Puerto Rico
Hate crimes legislation passed in December to include homeless people. HUD is trying to clean up the use of federal funds by the City of San Juan including problems with CDGB. Housing task force created but did not include homeless advocates. There is a great deal of fighting by many organizations over which group will oversee supportive housing projects.

Massachusetts
The Anti-Defamation League sponsored a forum on hate crimes for homeless people—five different police forces attended to learn more about the issue. Boston healthcare providers are trying to work on the issue of housing. They have selected the top 35 homeless users of the emergency room at Boston General, and they are working with other partners in the community to house those individuals. There is going to eventually be a showdown between the criminal justice system with the proximity housing limitations for sexually based offenders and the shelter community who are forced to housed people for long periods of time.

Indiana
Homeless Management Information System problems with the state demanding social security number as a requirement for getting a bed. HUD stepped in to stop this practice. HUD is going to visit Jeffersonville next week to look at a number of issues regarding homelessness, funding, and planning activities in rural communities. Criminalization efforts on the rise throughout the state of Indiana.

Atlanta, GA
8,000 people attended a rally at the capital around the anti-immigration bill that is making its way through the legislature. Lawsuits expanded to include Emory and United Way about the effort to shut down all services downtown to homeless people. Also, there is a pending HUD complaint that alleges that there is a pattern and practice of discrimination in Atlanta. HPRP is not working and anyone who comes back into the shelters are labeled “not compliant” and are denied any services.

Arkansas
Stimulus money was spent and did a lot of good. Housing Trust created but put no money in it. There is a law making its way through the legislature to demand identification in order to vote.

US. Congress
There is a budget proposal being proposed which will have a cap on welfare programs—including the student loan pell grants, Earned income tax credits, Medicaid, and others. The only thing that progressives are doing is playing defense, and trying to protect programs for the poor. Probably one more continuing resolution and there will be big cuts. Big cuts expected for 2012 budget. Emergency food cut for 2011 and VASH was cuts.

South Carolina
An attempt to cut to Medicare/Medicaid within the state to eliminate all non-essential services. Asked their federal representatives to not cut CDBG because it was so important to local communities, and they got almost the same letter back from both Senator and federal representatives. They basically said, that the deficit is such a threat to America it is worse than a terrorist attack. So brace for massive human services cuts—asking business community/religious community to pick up the slack. Businesses and religious groups are already tapped out and have no more money to help out poor people. The state is also proposing an voting ID provision.

Maryland
Eviction prevention dollars were cut, but advocates got it restored but were only able to get back 50% of the funding. There was an introduction of legislation to ban discrimination based on source of income/SSI/Section 8. There is also a movement to “Ban the box” provision to prevent employers from asking about criminal background and credit checks in order to get a job. Bill to propose zoning of shelters within Baltimore for any shelter with over 20 people (use regulations). There is a 10 year plan in Baltimore and the city is trying to increase the amount of money for services in order to accomplish these goals.

Sacramento
State hate crimes bill proposed again. $9 billion dollar cut to human services expected because of budget deficit. Eliminated community re-development agency, which was a $1 billion dollar cut. Agencies are trying to scramble to figure out what to do. Safe Ground (Sacramento tent city) is still going strong. Second Chance Act to help those coming out of jail has been used to provide additional housing/services in Sacremento. Trying to create a re-entry center. 95% of the HPRP referrals are to unsubsidized housing. 111 SRO units are sitting empty. Lots of communication among the three big tents cities in the Northwest.

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Governor is cutting everything in Florida. ID is a growing problem. Problems with people storing their items without funding. HPRP is not working because the agency does not have any familiarity with working with homeless people. Lots of tension among advocates, and competition among the social service providers.

South Dakota
Government moved significantly to the right. There are budget woes at the state level with debt issues. Expected 10% cut across the board human services cut. There are big cuts to education including cuts at the local level. ID is a problem within the state. Pushing for a housing trust fund and the banks are supporting it and pushing for it to be created statewide ($10 million total, but only expected to get $1 to $2 million). Local groups are trying to creating community awareness about homelessness.

Montana
Legislature also move to the extreme right. They have proposed a nullification law that would allow the state to withdraw from federal programs like Medicaid and health care system. They are expected to have massive medicaid cuts, education cuts, senior cuts.

Colorado
Hate crimes bill passed the house. There is a $1 billion dollar state budget shortfall. Got $3 million restored to the budget for Healthcare for the Homeless in 2010 through federal funding. Colorado Coalition is opening a 98 unit development and a 102 unit apartment is in development (both are supportive housing project). Kreske Foundation has helped fund a Renaissance work program as part of the supportive works program. They will have a Pizza fusion program that employs formerly homeless people. HPRP only measures status after leave the program and not six months down the line, which is a problem with the program. Prevention requests overwhelming the system may not make a difference may only forestall homelessness for a couple of months.

Mississippi
HPRP is working well in the state and they are using it effectively for the mostly rural state.

Washington
Massive state budget cuts coming. In order to fund Homeless and Prevention at the same level they need a fee recordation fee increase. Landlords are supporting it the increase because it can help people stay in their apartments. Housing Trust fund unlikely to be funded—50% cut to the program because of the budget deficit. $100 million last year—typically only help other tax credits funded. Hate crimes measure introduced, but unlikely to get out of a committee. State is now helping out with funding the tent city in Seattle.

Brian Davis
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Prepare to Close Shelters

Image by Sabrina Otis of dark clouds descending on the Key Tower in Cleveland

Tough Times Ahead--Closing 1,000 Shelters

On January 25, 2011, the House of Representatives passed a symbolic resolution laying out the goal of reducing federal funding back to 2008 levels before the Obama administration took office and before the massive stimulus spending. What exactly does this mean locally especially for homelessness?

I was fortunate to be in Washington on Monday and met with senior Department of Housing and Urban Development staff. I posed this question to HUD officials, and they said that they had actually run the numbers for various scenarios for the federal budget. While they were clear that they did not expect this to take place, and they felt that there was bipartisan support for implementing new guidelines for funding the shelters in the United States, they did indicate that a return to 2008 funding levels would translate to the closing of 1,000 shelters in the United States. This would translate to one or two facilities in each community closing including in Cleveland.

The problem is that in an effort to get funds out to the community to address the unstable housing market in 2008-2009, there was a massive infusion of funds to the emergency shelter system. This allowed for basically a doubling of the funds that each community would receive in federal dollars to be allocated over 30 months. Many communities expanded or started new projects to prevent homelessness. In Cleveland, we hired new housing case managers in the shelters to screen individuals who became homeless and then help those individuals go out and find housing. We boosted our legal assistance, and provided huge support to provide rental assistance to individuals to keep them in their apartments. All of these programs are in jeopardy in 2012 especially if we roll back funding to 2008 levels. Each community will have to decide to either close existing shelters or end those new prevention programs.

No matter what they decide to do, social service workers will be laid off and there will be reduced rental assistance available to keep people in their housing if Congress roles back federal funding for homelessness back to 2008 levels. The big issue for HUD is that in 2007, there was a renewal of the rules for distributing federal dollars that made many assumptions. The first assumption was that there would be many more activities eligible for funding (prevention, capacity building, community planning, legal, services to young people, etc). In order to balance this new broader focus on preventing homelessness there would have to be an expansion in the number of dollars going to end homelessness. We also have a federal push to end homelessness among veterans with additional housing vouchers and expanded services. It will be difficult if not impossible to implement these new rules and new initiatives if funding levels return to 2008 levels. To all those living and working within the shelters, prepare for tough times ahead.

Brian
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The Dangers of Bad Statistics

County Paints a Distorted Picture of Homelessness

The County Office of Homeless Services has been circulating a three page summary of homelessness in Cuyahoga County. They have some nice photos of cute kids and faces of the broad spectrum of homeless people. The problem is the data contained in the document is extremely distorted and absolutely false. There is no qualifications about the data or even a citation for the source of the data.

The big issue is on the front page when it gives the total amount dollars raised by the office in public funding for homelessness of $31 million. Then right underneath that they list under "Who are the Homeless?" Setting aside the identification of a diverse group of people with the article "the homeless" problem, but then underneath they identify "6,066 persons were served by Cuyahoga County Homeless Service System in 2009." This is a smaller number then were identified as being homeless and served by the county in 1995 when I started at NEOCH (10,000 people). These numbers are based on the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) numbers, but that system is so flawed that it paints a distorted picture of homelessness. HMIS is the computer system that every shelter enters data for every single homeless person entering their facility. I just do not understand why they would release this information without any context, and without an explanation.

STATISTICS BREAKDOWN: Total dollars raised in Cuyahoga County: nearly $31 million in public funds.
Total homeless served in Cuyahoga County: 6,066 were served. FAIL!!

These documents were given to the new County Council and the new County Executive without any explanation or any qualifier. For the average person who has no familiarity with homelessness, they would read this document or glance at it and say, "Wow, we spend a lot of money on a small number of people." By dividing the number of people into the total raised would be $5,110 per person. So, to the average person or the person sleeping in the shelter they are saying if you just closed down all the shelters and services, you could eliminate homelessness by giving everyone a housing voucher for $5,000 per person for the year. This means the 900 children identified as homeless by Cuyahoga County each could be receiving $5,000 from the system. A family of three, Mom and two kids, would be able to get a voucher worth $15,000 a year. Every homeless person measured in Cuyahoga County should be able to find a place to rent for $426 per month for a single bedroom or $852 for a two bedroom apartment by just dividing the $31 million up as housing vouchers. This could thus end homelessness for the 6,000 homeless people measured in Cleveland/Cuyahoga County for the year.

I, as a policy wonk, understand that the $31 million also involves shelter plus care housing vouchers, and the building and upkeep of the shelters. I know that the numbers that they are using are so low that they are useless for the community. I know that there are about five people waiting for every shelter bed in Cleveland, but for many reasons they have decided not to use the shelters. I know that the OHS count for one day is 2,236 people in January 26, 2009 coordinated by the Office of Homeless Services, and we know that the majority of the population is using the shelters for less than 30 days. So, it does not make sense that on one day there is 2,236 people, but over a year there are only 3 times that number. We know that those numbers do not include anyone sleeping in abandoned buildings and it does not include those sleeping on the streets. I understand that the HMIS data collection system is so flawed that it paints a distorted picture of homelessness. I know that there are many people who are served by the various agencies and never get entered in HMIS so they never get counted. I know that the definition of homelessness used by Cuyahoga County leaves aside many people who sleep on couches or stay in motels, but the general public does not know these things. When they see this document they see huge dollars for a few people. It is reckless to present these statistics in this manner.

Our fear is that when the public sees these figures they will think, "Well, that is an area that could see cuts." The newly elected County Council may say, "Are we spending our money efficiently?" or "How have we not ended homelessness with $31 million annually and only 6,000 documented homeless people per year?" Other communities in Ohio and around the country are documenting huge numbers compared to Cleveland. In fact, the District of Columbia on one day in March 2009 measured 5,983 homeless people , and that is a city of around 591,000 total population (Half the population of Cuyahoga County). So, DC reports almost the same number of people for one day as Cuyahoga County reports for the entire year. At the same time, Cleveland is listed as second poorest city in the United States with Washington DC is the 67th poorest city according to the Census. It is impossible to think that with 35% of our total population within the city living below poverty that only 6,000 of those households will fall into homelessness in one year, while Washington DC has only 18.4% of their population living below the poverty level according to the US Census and 6,000 people fall into homelessness in one day.

The damage that this kind of information could do is dramatic. It could lead to budget cuts, service reductions, and increased demand for scarce services. This is harmful to the community of social service providers and to homeless people.

Brian
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Save the Date

Rally for A Sane Budget for Ohio

There is a new collaboration of groups concerned about the future of Ohio schools, the Housing Trust Fund, social services, and state support for local government. The group is called OneOhio Now. The national economy is in recession, Ohio's revenues continue to fall below what's required to meet people's rising needs. In response, Ohio has over-relied on reducing services that assist communities and vulnerable families. In its next two-year budget, our state faces a record shortfall of up to $8 billion. Schools, police, hospitals, libraries, and local services are all endangered. It will take a balanced approach that includes revenues to minimize the impact on Ohioans and ensure our state emerges strong when prosperity returns. NEOCH has signed on as a supporter of this organization.

Their first major event is January 14, 2011 at 2 p.m. in Columbus at the Ohio Statehouse. You can RSVP for the event here. NEOCH can help with carpooling if you are interested in going, but do not want to drive. The group has been able to get three opinion pieces published in Cincinnati, Akron and Dayton. We hope that you can attend this first in a series of gatherings to come over the next six months. If you need any more information Andrea Fejes e-mail and telephone number are available on the One Ohio Now website.

While we prepare for massive state cuts, please get some rest and have a Happy New Year!! Homeless Advocates are going to need their energy over the next six months.
Brian
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Women Still Do Not Have Access to Showers

Cleveland can afford a stadium that is only used 10 times a year, and yet we can't afford a building to provide showers to 50 to 70 women?

NEOCH Board Members Invite City Chief of Public Affairs and the County Director of Homeless Services to Sleep in the Shelter They Fund

Press Release Issued by NEOCH 6/26/2010

The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless Board of Trustees are inviting Cleveland’s Chief of Public Affairs Natoya Walker-Minor and the Cuyahoga County’s Director of Homeless Services Ruth Gillett to spend at least two nights at the Community Women’s Shelter. The invitation is in response to the city and county officials moving homeless women to a temporary site with only one shower while their regular facility is undergoing renovations for six months. Board members are worried about the spread of infectious diseases due to lack of shower and hygiene problems in the hot summer months. “We have concerns about accessibility issues for those women with a disability sleeping in the shower this summer,” said Rosie Palfy who is leading the advocacy of the NEOCH Board on this issue. The invitation is an attempt to show the deplorable living conditions at the temporary site of the Community Women’s shelter with a hope of prompting a change. The site violates the Ohio Basic Emergency Shelter Standards as well as multiple building code regulations.

On May 3rd, residents of the Community Women’s Shelter moved to their current temporary facility on 1701 Payne Ave. and Walker was quoted in the Plain Dealer indicating “City and County officials spent years planning the renovation and looking for temporary sites.” In an e-mail to the Coalition after a tour of the temporary women’s shelter, Walker said, “While it is inconvenient for the women to walk less than 300 feet to a shower, it is doable.” The chosen site was without showers, forcing women to walk around the block to the nearby Cosgrove Center limited to only two hours a day or the inaccessible North Point Men’s Transitional Shelter to shower on the next block. The board is concerned that the limited shower schedule could interfere with women looking for housing and jobs.

The NEOCH Board is concerned that the message delivered to the women is that our county has enough money to build a medical mart, renovate the baseball stadium, and buy an asbestos building on East 9th and Euclid, but we do not have the money to house women in a safe, decent place while they struggle with their housing. According to CWS and City and County officials, installing showers at the new location was not cost effective, and there are no other buildings that they could find to house the women.

Residents have complained and filed grievances to NEOCH citing lack of proper facilities and expressing concern over feminine hygiene issues. More than 70 women are currently living at CWS and advocates are not satisfied with the current conditions. The NEOCH board is calling on city and county officials to live in the shelter for two nights to see if the current situation is “inconvenient” or intolerable. NEOCH is asking for city leaders to develop a better solution for our most fragile population under the care of the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. We asked for a response by Tuesday June 29, 2010. Many of these women are disabled and have mobility challenges, and they need regular access to a shower.

Contacts: Rosie Palfy and Marcia Bufford on behalf of NEOCH
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Budget Freezes??

Did We Learn Nothing During the Depression?

Last week, the President announced that he was freezing discretionary funding except for defense, education and a bunch of other programs. First, I do not understand why the defense department is exempt, but second why do we need a freeze at this time? Didn't the current Fed Chair tell us that the Great Depression lasted longer than it needed to because government was not willing to take on debt in the early 1930s? We have only barely made it through this giant recession, and we are freezing the federal discretionary spending. It makes no sense.

The States all need help with massive budget deficits. Governor Strickland actually bragged that he has cut the state workforce by 5,000 in his State of the State address. How is this good? In a recession, we should not be cutting the public sector jobs. I get that it is an election year, and his opponents will run on small government and fiscal responsibility, but it does not make sense. The Republicans are always calling for a reduction in taxes and smaller taxes. This does not seem to be good fiscal policies right now. In good times, it makes sense to reduce taxes, but there have to be times to raise taxes or spend more money for government. Governor Strickland, there has to be times that we build roads and bridges or increase support for social services.

Now, the County transition group announced that they want a 15% reduction in spending to put more funds into economic development. This does not make any sense. How does cutting mental health services, treatment, human services by 15% in a time when there is increased demand make any sense? How much will economic development mean if families cannot find help with food or emergency assistance or help with a foreclosure? This whole push for a reduction in government at a time when our economy is so weak is cowardly and an ill advised course of action. It is like they are playing a game to win an election, while we slowly move away from the iceberg. They need to get together on a plan for the good of the country, and stop playing games. They need to come up with solutions to get us out of this mess together and stop thinking only about the next election.

Brian
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What Can I Do?

Photo by Pleasure Simmons--Photography Graduate from 2008. For ordering prints please contact the Coalition at 216/432-0540.

A Few Opportunities for Lobbying to End Homelessness

1. Cleveland Hearing on People's Budget Priorities
Epiphany Catholic Church at 11901 Oakfield Ave. will host a forum on Federal Budget priorities on Thursday night at 6 p.m.. Community groups and individuals can give testimony of up to three minutes. Testimony will be collected and given to Congressional and Senators from Ohio. This is sponsored by the Peoples Budget Priorities c/o Peace in the Hood. For more information call 216/283-4400 ext. 2266.

2. Lobby Day with COHHIO on Wednesday April 22 or Thursday April 23 with ABLE
The Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio will host a their lobby day on April 22 in Columbus. The focus this year will be the two foreclosure bills pending in the Ohio House at this time. Cathy Johnson at COHHIO is the contact and she can be reached at 614/280-1984. If you cannot make it down to Columbus, but are talking to your local representative make sure you mention how much you support HR 9 because it protects tenants from facing surprise homelessness when their landlord is foreclosed on. This is a critical bill to begin to end this foreclosure crisis.

Thursday April 23, 2009 the Advocates for Budget Legislation Equality (ABLE) will be going down to Columbus to assist legislators understand the importance of state funding for health care, child care, elder care, housing and food programs. They wll be leaving from Merrick House early in the morning and traveling down to Columbus as a group. The ABLE group wants to call attention to some of the rough decisions that are going to have to be made with the upcoming budget, and try to put a face on these decisions. For information call Larry or Tim at 216/651-2606 for more information.

3. Support the Development of a Local Housing Trust Fund
After a couple of years of work, the County Housing Trust Fund Implementation Task Force will report on their work to the County Commissioners on Thursday April 30, 2009 at sometime between 11:30 to Noon. If you have time, please show your support for a fund that would be dedicated to preserving or building affordable housing locally. There is a fund for the arts, for stadiums, and for conventions, but not for housing. We need the Commissioners to accept this report, and then work with the state of Ohio to get authority to put a fund in place. We could use some people in the seats to show support for the creation of a Housing Trust Fund April 30, 2009 at the Cuyahoga County Commissioners meeting on the fourth floor of the County Administration buildin--1219 Ontario Ave. We hope that you can make it or when talking to County Commissioners let them know that you support this housing trust fund.

Brian
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Local News

A Few Updates from the Homeless Community

Here are a few updates that did not fit in the last Homeless Grapevine #86, which is currently on the streets of Cleveland.

North Point Transitional

North Point has moved to its second class of residents. This transitional shelter opened at the beginning of 2008, and featured a six month time limit to encourage individuals to find jobs, housing and move out quickly. The facility started out without a kitchen and place to serve a hot meal. The kitchen is in place and North Point is full as of mid November. As of October 1, 163 people were placed in a job or training program with an average wage of $9.00 per hour and 67% of the original residents securing a new job. Fifty to eighty found permanent housing with between 23 and 35 having returned to the entry shelter, 2100 Lakeside.

Overflow Needed

One of the hopes with the opening of North Point would be a decrease in the need for an overflow shelter in the community. The entry shelter, 2100 Lakeside, has struggled to keep down the numbers and shuffle beds throughout the night, but has remained full. The County was forced to open the basement of Volunteers of America again on November 17, 2008 with 35 people traveling across the river to sleep at the overflow shelter. On the Sunday before overflow opened there were 35 men sleeping in the hallways at Lakeside Shelter. Experts predict that without a huge infusion of jobs for Cuyahoga County, the overflow needs will only increase. The women’s shelter has also seen high numbers resulting in women sleeping on mats.

County Budget Cuts

As the major media outlets have documented, the County will face a huge budget deficit in 2009. This will have an impact on the homeless shelters in Cuyahoga County. The Disabled Men’s Shelter, 2100 Lakeside, and the Community Women’s Shelter will have to take a 5.5% cut next year. This could result in reduced staff or a reduction in the time the facilities are open. In addition, the transitional and permanent housing programs that serve homeless people will reach a milestone in 2009: they will use every dollar allocated by the federal government just to renew their budgets for one year. There will be no more room for new programs or any additional housing vouchers to serve homeless people with a disability. North Point will not have to face a budget cut until September 2009, and it is hoped that the economy will have improved by that time.

Homeless Death in Akron

The Akron Beacon Journal is reporting on the death of Wayne Anthony Tyler who was found hanging from a tree near the Ohio Erie Canal. His hands were bound, and his body was badly decomposed. He was tied to the tree by a noose. Tyler had struggled with a mental illness and homelessness. Police are investigating according to the Akron Beacon Journal.

Self Help Law Center Closes

The Cleveland Homeless Legal Assistance Program has had a pro se clinic at the May Dugan Center for the past year. The center allowed people to go in and print out legal proceedings and do legal research. The Center will close in December 2008, because only a few used the facility every week. The Legal Assistance program will maintain a weekly clinic at the May Dugan Center on Wednesday mornings to offer legal advice to homeless people and those in danger of homelessness along with nine other clinics in the community. The main Coalition office on Perkins will have computers available for use, and there is a hope that a new self help center will open closer to the courts next year.

Brian

Posts by Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless staff and Board.

PBS Program Look at Homelessness

Finally Someone Asks the Administration about Their Cuts

David Brancaccio of the great news program NOW finally asked the Bush Administration about their dramatic cuts to housing at the same time they are "solving" homelessness. I have waited for five years for the answer to this question. At least Mr. Brancaccio asked the question, but there was no answer; just spin. Brancaccio asks Philip Mangano, leading homeless car salesman for President Bush, about all the cuts proposed by the Administration in the face of claiming to "solve homelessness."

BRANCACCIO: Does it frustrate you when you see this administration, in its budgets, cutting back money for programs like that?

MANGANO: No one has an intent, whether in Congress or in this administration, to increase homelessness, but we're still wrestling with how to best apply housing resources to get a better effect. It's only as we've concentrated resources on people experiencing chronic homelessness, to create change where change was thought to be impossible. The promise of that, is that as the numbers of people on the streets go down, that will re-moralize us to invest more in the other populations.

The Coalition agrees that Housing First initiatives are great, and that it proves that mentally ill and drug addicted people can live in housing. These homeless individuals do not have to cure themselves before society offers them housing. The unspoken truths are that we are going to have a big price tag to sustain these operations, and it is a raindrop in an river of need. It is hypocritical to destroy public housing while putting millions into permanent supportive housing. The administration seems to be saying public housing is an experiment that America has tried since 1946 and we still not sure that it works so we choose to put one one thousandth of that money into the Housing First movement which we are sure will work because it is so successful over the last decade. Where does the rest of the money go that is cut from HUD and Dept of Agriculture? Iraq, defense, homeland security and drug companies are the places we have decided to put our federal tax dollars.

It was a good segment, which you can watch online. I wish more media would start challenging the spin in Washington DC.

Brian
Posts by Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless staff and Board.