END CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS BY 2012
Can we end chronic homelessness by 2012 as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has urged localities to do? Possibly. Local homeless service providers are working to drastically reduce the number of chronically homeless people.
First, it is important to know who is chronically homeless. HUD defines a chronically homeless person as an individual (not a member of a family group) who has been homeless for at least one year, or four times in three years. In addition, they must be disabled or dealing with alcohol or drug abuse. Both nationally and locally, we estimate that about half of the homeless population meets those stringent criteria. Using the homeless census done in 2001, that means at least 880 individuals in Sonoma County meet the definition. We know there are families who are chronically homeless, and we are willing to develop specific strategies to meet HUD’s goals while we continue to work with everyone who needs help finding and maintaining their own living space.
People who are disabled frequently qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance payments of about $800 per month. That’s not enough money to meet basic needs, so many find themselves without a place to live. How far do you think you could stretch $800?
Many of us have researched what works to end the homelessness of those who are disabled. (You can visit www.naeh.org or enter chronic homelessness in your search engine to learn more.) Basically they need subsidized housing with regular visits by a person who can provide a bit of help. Often clients need emotional support and help with basic life skills like shopping, cleaning, budgeting, and maintaining a schedule of taking their medicines. This is called “permanent supportive housing”. It provides a win-win situation because people who might be challenged by living alone can do it with support.
Here in Sonoma County, such housing is being subsidized by the Sonoma County Housing Authority, the CA Department of Mental Health and others, with supportive services provided by Community Resources for Independence, Community Support Network, Buckelew Programs, and Face to Face. Those organizations not only help their clients, but they are available to help neighbors if conflicts develop.
The success rate in keeping formerly homeless people in housing and functioning well enough to live independently is very high. Service providers report that between 80% and 100% of their clients have been able to remain housed for at least one year with their support services. This reduces the costs to society generated when chronically homeless people become so ill they need to use emergency rooms or when they are jailed for trespass or sleeping in cars. We need more permanent supportive housing!
Home Sweet Home
Units at Stony Point Commons
Sixteen formerly homeless individuals have recently moved into Stony Point Commons. These 16 single room occupancy (SRO) units, developed by Community Housing Development Corporation of Santa Rosa and Burbank Housing Development Corporation, are located in southwest Santa Rosa. Ownership of the property was recently transferred to Community Support Network.
CSN has on-site staff to provide direct supportive services, property management and referrals to other services in the community. Each of the new, formerly homeless tenants has a mental health diagnosis, and pays 30% of their adjusted income for rent and utilities. They live in a safe, attractive, comfortable building that looks like a big yellow farmhouse. They enjoy extensive lawn and garden areas, with large trees, which give the property a country feeling. Stony Point Commons is on Santa Rosa city bus routes. Some homeless people do find a home sweet home. For more information you may call Monica Savon at 543-7087.
Welcome to the Board!
The Task Force Board welcomes Jan DeWald as its newest member. Jan works at Russian River Counselors, is active in developing assistance for homeless people in the River Area, and has an extensive background in criminal justice and mental health issues. Her energy and skills will certainly enrich our work. Welcome, Jan!
It had been twenty years . . .
It had been twenty years since I was last in Healdsburg. I had left in the early 80’s for San Diego, with memories of work accomplished.
California Human Development Corporation, CHDC, had been providing help for the farmworkers, many of whom left the fields and pursued other careers. Children were given access to education. Families of farmworkers were instrumental in the development of the Alliance Medical Center (I remember it as Clinica de Alianza.) providing access to health care. Farmworkers’ rights were represented with the support of California Rural Legal Assistance. Cesar Chavez and the United Farmworkers Union assisted in making major gains for these workers.
One problem we did not resolve was securing decent affordable housing for those who come to the area to work in the bountiful grape vineyards. I had hoped, returning, 20 years might have changed the plight of homeless farmworkers. I was saddened to find little had changed. Attitudes, including racism, have continued the process of discrimination and exclusion for people who work the fields.
Today, farmworkers and their families cannot find decent affordable housing. Their labor continues to be in demand, primarily because of the low wages they receive for the work performed. Rents continue to be high, and when there is a unit available, rental agents use a competitive process to determine who receives it. When applications come from doctors as well as farmworkers, the doctor wins.
Farmworkers are left with few choices. Many of them live in a home owned or rented by someone they know. Coming from Mexico, many men know someone from the town they came from. Often, there are two or three families living in units designed for three or four people. For others, the options include sleeping in their cars or finding lodging under trees or bushes.
So what has been done in the past twenty years? There is great interest in solving the problems of homelessness for farmworkers. Burbank Housing, accessing limited resources, has developed quality housing for farmworkers. This has had a major impact for those families fortunate to live in one of their units. However, as is well documented, homelessness among Sonoma County’s farmworkers continues to be a major issue.
Individuals are working to resolve these issues. Efforts are being made to secure land in various parts of the County for farmworker housing. Creative ideas continue to be pursued for solutions. A fund has been developed with the Community Foundation to provide needed capital for future projects.
Reality — until we deal with the attitudes that exist towards people who are farmworkers, the issue of the quality of their lives will not be dealt with seriously. With changed attitudes, a difference can and will be made. Maybe we can eliminate the issue of homelessness for farmworkers and do it now. Let’s not wait another twenty years. For more information please call Nathan Acuña at 433-1992.
A Shelter Tour
February 17th Shelter Tour Discussion
Have you ever gone to visit a homeless shelter? Are you curious about how they operate?
The Task Force on the Homeless recently sponsored a tour of the Family Support Center and New Beginnings in Novato. We invited policy makers and neighborhood groups to join us so they could see service enriched emergency shelters. The Family Support Center in Santa Rosa is operated by Catholic Charities, and New Beginnings serves individuals in Marin County.
Despite rainy February weather, fourteen people joined us for coffee and pastries prepared by clients at New Beginnings. Mary Kay Sweeney and Purvis proudly described the employment programs and life skills assistance provided, and conducted a tour through the facility. It provides separate dormitory space for men and women, with a cozy community room for social time. Each client has a case manager who assists them in working towards self-sufficiency. Clients pay a small fee from the work they obtain and save approximately 75% of their income for a housing deposit when they graduate from the facility.
Ten additional people joined the tour group when it returned to the Family Support Center in Santa Rosa, the largest family shelter between San Francisco and Southern Oregon. There we heard from two clients who are working with Catholic Charities or The Family Connection to re-enter the mainstream. One woman told of her battle with drug addiction, which caused her to recycle through a number of shelters as she learned to find other ways to support and comfort herself. A second woman praised the volunteer mentoring team providing non-financial help for a year with friendship, child care, transportation and furnishings. We then toured the family shelter, which serves up to 35 families. We were saddened to see the empty child care center, closed due to lack of funding.
Are you interested in touring local shelters? The Task Force will arrange additional tours as requests are received. Contact the office at 575-4494 or sctaskforce@aol.com to leave your name and contact information. We will invite you to join us when we have enough people to organize another tour.
October in Paradise Tenth Anniversary
Please reserve October 14th, 2004 for the Tenth Anniversary of “October in Paradise”. This wonderful and special event held at the beautiful Paradise Ridge Winery, is the annual fundraiser for the Sonoma County Task Force on the Homeless. The festive fundraiser supports the Task Force in its mission of advocacy, education and funding, plus development and coordination of services on homeless issues.
The Tenth Anniversary of “October in Paradise” promises to be an extra special evening with music, dining and dancing, live and silent auction and “The Most Beautiful View in Sonoma County”. The Task Force will honor very special persons for their “Spirit of Community” and “Spirit of Service”. Much has been accomplished over the years but more needs to be done.
We would like to see the support of our whole community to help the Task Force in its valuable and important work, by making this 10th “October in Paradise” the best fundraiser yet. To become a volunteer, a sponsor, or contribute an auction item, contact the Task Force at 575-4494 or sctaskforce@aol.com
Upcoming Meetings
Task Force General Meetings
Mondays: May 3, June 7, and July 5
9:30 to 11:15 AM
First United Methodist Church
1551 Montgomery Drive
Santa Rosa
Continuum of Care Planning Group
Thursdays April 22 and July 22,
1:00 to 4:00 PM
County Community Development Commission
1440 Guerneville Road
Santa Rosa
TASK FORCE WORK IN PROGRESS:
Committee and Project Updates
THE ADVOCACY and FUNDING COMMITTEES has continued supporting development of an adult shelter and services program at Samuel Jones Hall. The Santa Rosa City Council will be deciding on the conditional use permit for this program at a public hearing on May 18. Please attend. We supported Buckelew Programs’ new permanent supported housing project for the mentally ill in Petaluma, now approved, and are encouraging other such projects. We are also very concerned about a possible decline in true emergency shelter beds next winter, especially for chronically homeless adults, and are working to address this. We advocated with the Federal Employment Commission to allow the continued employment of volunteers to assist in serving homeless people. We developed and submitted a unified response from providers to the final Draft 2004 Federal Emergency Shelter Grant Funding Process. Nearly all of our input was incorporated into the new process by the State. We’re active with the Continuum of Care as it develops its Plan and proposals for next year’s HUD allocation. We’ve testified on other city and county funding processes, housing policies and plans. We’re continuing to work on cost reduction strategies for agencies, such as sharing of operational services. We are helping to secure funding for our collaborative projects (see below) and we coordinate advocacy with many related organizations. Contact Gale Brownell at galephil@pacbell.net, or through the Task Force office, 575-4494.
THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE develops plans and materials, gathers stories and evaluation data to demonstrate program successes, and is mapping services. It solicits newsletter input, is helping to design a new Task Force website, and encourages media coverage, speaking engagements, and dialogue on housing and homelessness. We have made several presentations in the last few months. To offer a personal story (client, staff, or volunteer), or to get involved, contact the Task Force office at 575-4494 or sctaskforce@aol.com, or Nancy Lisk at sanctuaryproject@hotmail.com.
THE FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE is developing a comprehensive strategy for Task Force support through donations, memberships, grants, and special events (See article on October in Paradise on p. 5). Don Nowacki chairs. To help, leave a message for Georgia Berland at 575-4494, or e-mail gberland@aol.com. THANK YOU to the many donors who responded to our recent annual request for funds. We’re still receiving gifts and calculating results, but it looks like you have been even more generous than last year. We’ll thank you more personally by mail and in a future issue.
COMMITTEE ON THE VEHICULARLY HOUSED: This new ad hoc group is working with our Advocacy Committee to develop safe alternatives for homeless people who live in their vehicles but currently have no legal or safe place to park. Contact Ralph Fata at the Family Support Center, at fscref@callatg.com.
COORDINATION PROJECTS
The Task Force either facilitates these projects or we are active participants. We also work to integrate them with each other to strengthen them all and provide more effective and efficient services.
COURT HOMELESS PROTOCOL PROJECT: Initiated by Superior Court Judge Gary Nadler, this is a collaboration between courts, law enforcement, prosecutors, public defenders, and mental health, substance abuse, and homeless service agencies, churches, businesses, and individuals. The project includes an advocacy and discharge planning function to serve the courts as well as pre-arrest diversion to alternative services, and aims to reduce recidivism for homeless defendants and stabilize their situations. We hope as well to increase treatment and housing options for homeless defendants. We have found several potential funding sources, and the collaborative has chosen Sonoma County Legal Services Foundation to be the lead agency. The Task Force will continue to serve as facilitator of the collaborative, at least until the program is implemented, and is supporting the grant search and development process. Contact Georgia Berland at gberland@aol.com or 575-4494
FREQUENT USERS OF HEALTH SERVICES INITIATIVE: The Task Force is participating with health, substance abuse, disability, and mental health providers in a cooperative planning grant to offer more cost-effective services for frequent users of Sonoma County emergency departments (ED’s) many of whom are homeless. We are currently drafting a grant proposal for up to $900,000 over three years to integrate case management and service strategies. Letters of Intent are due in February. For information contact Georgia Berland at gberland@aol.com or 575-4494.
HEALTH CARE FOR THE HOMELESS: We’ve identified an exciting new opportunity to apply for substantial funding (up to $650,000 per year) to establish a new Federally Certified clinic to serve local homeless people, and are working with the funder and coordinating with agencies to develop a proposal due May 17. Either Community Action Partnership Sonoma or Catholic Charities will be the lead agency, and the plan is to develop a full-service health clinic for the homeless at the current part time clinic facility at the Family Support Center in Santa Rosa. Outreach will be a part of the project, to make health services accessible for homeless people in outlying areas and encampments, and substance abuse and mental health services will be available through partnerships with local agencies and clinics. For more information contact Georgia Berland at gberland@aol.com or 575-4494.
PUBLICATIONS
REPORTER NEWSLETTER: You may have noticed we’ve become a quarterly publication rather than our former bi-monthly newsletter, and grown to 8 pages from 6. This is due both to establishing our new web site for information sharing and as a way save precious staff time and money for our action projects. Let us know your thoughts on our new format at gberland@aol.com, or 575-4494!