Editorial: USICHs "Home Together" - Homeless Strategy or Fashion Magazine?
The cover of USICH's Home Together: Strategic Plan to End Homelessness is quite the showcase. It is bewildering how the cover picture (below) should be selected. I have worked in homeless services for 20 years and I have never run into this type of couple with child before. I was working in shelters and on the streets. Where did they find these people? Believe staff (both men and women would have certainly informed me) I also didn't know that NYC places families into $3 million brownstones.
Not to be left out, we also have an African-American family straight out of the pages of Hollywood. A picture of a family receiving some mortgage assistance? Possibly. Homeless, I don't think so. Interestingly, all four parents are wearing denim. Is there a deal with Gap or Levi's we don't know about?
Looking through the 20 or so pictures there is one undeniable older black veteran, although having more with homeless veterans for 15 years - at best, this man appears to be the type asking for SSVF prevention money. Perhaps the worst is the picture below of - I guess - Transition Age Youth (TAY) - Transition from child-actor to adult star? I do believe it's the cast of "13 Questions: Season 2". But, even they showed tattoos and pierces in the preview. And those haircuts - definitely not Supercuts.
While there are 1 or 2 pictures of adults who could pass for someone in solid recovery of substance abuse, sorry, there are no pictures that depict someone remotely looking like they are dealing with serious and persistent mental illness. Yes, someone with SPMI can look like anyone, blah, blah! Even the President or the HUD Secretary. But gimme a break, if these are the pictures of homelessness in this report, then I guess the problem is solved.
Closure of Transitional reduced Virginia Beach count
The Virginia Beach Continuum was courteous enough to send their 2018 PIT report which showed a significant decline from 349 in 2017 to 251 in 2018. Nearly all of the decline was due to 92 fewer persons reported living in shelter caused by the closure of a transitional shelter. The unsheltered estimate dropped slightly by 78 to 71. VA Beach reported finding only 2 unsheltered families and 8 unsheltered teens under 18 years. PIT data over the last few years suggest that transitional housing closures do not increase "street" homelessness. A significant percentage of families entering transitional housing do not come in from off the streets. Intact and even single families still typically have support systems that can provide shelter. The NHIP understands this issue to be quite contentious especially among those who defined "doubled-up" as homeless.
Atlanta sees rise in veterans/unsheltered despite decrease in persons living in shelters
While not releasing a full report to the public, the United Way's Atlanta Regional Commission on Homelessness reported in late June that the overall one-day homeless estimate for Atlanta fell 14 percent to a little over 3,000. However, the Commission reported increases in veterans, unsheltered persons and families. Without the actual numbers, it is difficult to present any additional analysis. Perhaps someone from Atlanta will be kind enough to share these important data with the public.
Bias Reporting about SF? Whose fault?
In the past week, the FOX NEWS entertainment company has put out a number of media accounts on Sean Hannity and internet outlets about the massive spending per capita by San Francisco. The numbers: $275 million, 7,500 homeless (PIT count) = equals $37,000 per homeless person. Well, if you give out the information in this manner, what do you expect by Fox or really anybody else. SF does not spend $275 million on homeless services. About 2/3 of the budget is spent on permanent housing subsidies. This is not articulated correctly by the government and its media team. This is not the first time these numbers are been misinterpreted. The articulation of the problem of homelessness has never suffered from a lack of poor understanding by the public and unfortunately most of its practitioners.
Out of the remaining $75 to $100 million, much of these funds support shared-housing - which the government defines as homeless (the NHIP does not) and you know as shelters. The actual amount of money spent on the 4,400 people living on the streets by the SF homeless department is certainly less than $15 million, or say $3,500 per person. Sure, Hannity will twist numbers, but do you really have to lay it out so easily for him?
Florida Homeless and Housing Conference Registration
For those living in the Sunshine State and its perimeter, a reminder about the annual Florida Institute on Homelessness and Supportive Housing conference being held in Orlando from October 31st to Nov 2nd, 2018. CLICK HERE for the registration page sponsored by the Florida Coalition for the Homeless.
Have a Nice Day -
The NHIP
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