Thread: Permanent Supportive Housing

Does anybody have any kind of experience with these? Maybe you've lived in one, near one, or worked with one. I'm looking for statistics like retention rates for different sized PSH units. The Dallas Housing Authority owns an old high rise called Cliff Manor next to my neighborhood that currently houses seniors and disabled. It has about 180 units and about 80 of them are in use.

The DHA is proposing to use the other 100 units as PSH for the chronically homeless who suffer from mental illnesses and/or substance abuse addictions related to drugs or alcohol. The prospective residents of this building will be transported from downtown Dallas at the Bridge, a homeless shelter, and will do nothing for the homeless problem in my area. This building is close to 2 schools and many in the neighborhood are concerned of relapses.

They are also concerned that this move will hinder re-development as it has already started doing that since many projects were proposed along the main strip but many investors are backing out now since news broke of the DHA's plan. Many residents are concerned that property values will go down.

I live in South Dallas and many are arguing that it's unfair that the rich folks of North Dallas won't contribute to programs such as these so we end up getting the bulk of low-income housing and permanent supportive housing.

When we had our town hall meeting with the DHA CEO, the Metro Dallas Housing Alliance CEO, our district Councilman, and the Mayor, residents argued every angle but the DHA CEO, Mary Ann Russ, argued that stats show property values will go up but I believe they are referring to the areas of which they are transporting the homeless "FROM."

Anyhow, I'm a little annoyed that nobody has seen a detailed plan for this program like the demographics (like age, sexual orientations, etc.) of who they plan to move into the building and such, number of staff they plan to have at the building medical and security related. The DHA CEO has already bent the rules since a sexual predator lives in the building so close to the school. All she can say is that he's old now so he's basically grandfathered in.

Anyways, if you've got any info please provide links. Thanks.

JMW

Sounds like a slum in the making unless there is significant community development in the surrounding area and programs or private/public partnerships to support the upkeep of the facilities. Honestly, how well do you expect the chronically homeless (and their friends/fellow homeless who will hang out in the area) to care for the place?

I'd be concerned and ask for community development benchmarks to gauge the success and impact of this decision if they choose to do it and hold them accountable.

I would NOT be fired up about this if I lived in the area.

As I see it you have two options PSH or on every other street corner, we all have to take a crap but no one want's the treatment plant near their home.

Originally Posted by deputyfestus

As I see it you have two options PSH or on every other street corner, we all have to take a crap but no one want's the treatment plant near their home.

Yeah, but they generally build treatment plans out of town on land away from the general population.

And when - say - 400 homeless people are scattered around a metro area, it is a little different than putting them all in one building.

I still think it's a bandaid solution.

Originally Posted by Consultant

Yeah, but they generally build treatment plans out of town on land away from the general population.

And when - say - 400 homeless people are scattered around a metro area, it is a little different than putting them all in one building.

I still think it's a bandaid solution.

Uh no! But that's irrelevant here's a few stat's to mull over. I personally find the first link bothersome. http://www.nchv.org/background.cfm http://www.solutionsforamerica.org/t...elessness.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeles..._United_States

NATIONAL ESTIMATES OF HOMELESSNESS

There are several national estimates of homelessness. Many are dated, or based on dated information. For all of the reasons discussed above, none of these estimates is the definitive representation of "how many people are homeless.” In a recent approximation USA Today estimated 1.6 million people unduplicated persons used transitional housing or emergency shelters. Of these people, approximately 1/3 are members of households with children, a nine percent increase since 2007. Another approximation is from a study done by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty which states that approximately 3.5 million people, 1.35 million of them children, are likely to experience homelessness in a given year (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2007).

These numbers, based on findings from the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, Urban Institute and specifically the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers, draw their estimates from a study of service providers across the country at two different times of the year in 1996. They found that, on a given night in October, 444,000 people (in 346,000 households) experienced homelessness – which translates to 6.3% of the population of people living in poverty. On a given night in February, 842,000 (in 637,000 households) experienced homelessness – which translates to almost 10% of the population of people living in poverty. Converting these estimates into an annual projection, the numbers that emerge are 2.3 million people (based on the October estimate) and 3.5 million people (based on the February estimate). This translates to approximately 1% of the U.S. population experiencing homelessness each year, 38% (October) to 39% (February) of them being children (Urban Institute 2000).

It is also important to note that this study was based on a national survey of service providers. Since not all people experiencing homelessness utilize service providers, the actual numbers of people experiencing homelessness are likely higher than those found in the study, Thus, we are estimating on the high end of the study’s numbers: 3.5 million people, 39% of which are children (Urban Institute 2000).

In early 2007, the National Alliance to End Homelessness reported a point-in-time estimate of 744,313 people experiencing homelessness in January 2005.

IS HOMELESSNESS INCREASING?

One limited measure of the growth in homelessness is the increase in the number of shelter beds over time. A 1991 study examined homelessness "rates" (the number of shelter beds in a city divided by the city's population) in 182 U.S. cities with populations over 100,000. The study found that homelessness rates tripled between 1981 and 1989 for the 182 cities as a group (Burt, 1997).

A 1997 review of research conducted over the past decade (1987-1997) in 11 communities and 4 states found that shelter capacity more than doubled in 9 communities and 3 states during that time period (National Coalition for the Homeless, 1997). In two communities and two states, shelter capacity tripled over the decade.

These numbers are useful for measuring the growth in demand for shelter beds (and the resources made available to respond to that growth) over time. They indicate a dramatic increase in homelessness in the United States over the past two decades. Additionally, in the U.S. Conference of Mayors report from 2008, 19 of the 25 cities reported an increase in homelessness from 2007. More specifically, 16 cities reported an increase in the number of homeless families.

Also, due to the recent foreclosures crisis, homelessness has been on the rise. In the U.S. Conference of Mayor’s 2008 Report, 12 of the 25 cities surveyed reported an increase in homelessness due to foreclosures and another 6 didn’t have enough data to be sure. Thirteen of these cities had adopted policies to deal with the recent increase in victims of the housing crisis, but 10 cities had not implemented new policies.

CONCLUSION

By its very nature, homelessness is impossible to measure with 100% accuracy. More important than knowing the precise number of people who experience homelessness is our progress in ending it. Recent studies suggest that the United States generates homelessness at a much higher rate than previously thought. Our task in ending homelessness is thus more important now than ever.

Although I can't pretend to speak for the homeless I will say that if I was homeless with no resources to survive I'd do whatever I had to in order to survive. Regrettably all the ill's that accompany the homeless is a fact of life, I guess they could all be rounded up and exterminated. I personally advocate this.



Edit: Sure sounds eerily similar to events of today.