The 2nd Time Around – IDHS Budget Cuts

Social service agencies who receive funding from the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) are facing a 52% budget cut that is bound to seriously impact the level of services that can be provided to people who are homeless. Fifteen (15) agencies in Chicago will be affected if cuts go through, but what will be the biggest impact is the loss of services for our most vulnerable populations.

North Side operates a 50-bed interim housing program for men who are homeless, acquired from an agency who could no longer serve anymore. Here are some examples of how cuts would affect us and our tax payers:

• Since December when we took over the interim housing program we have served 80 or so men. Out of the 80 served 52 have felony records. A funding loss of this magnitude could force all 52 back onto the streets, where the opportunity to re-offend is huge. Thus if this happens, it will cost $1,196.000 annually to incarcerate them, where it is costing approximately $6,365.00 dollars in temporary housing.
• Men who reside in our interim housing program use the emergency rooms less frequently as places of primary care because they have access to our nurse practitioner. Without this temporary housing, they will without fail go back to using the emergency room as places of primary care—driving health care costs up. Fifty-two men without health care will use the emergecy room at a rate of $3,000 per visit for a total cost of $156,000, where now they receive free medical services.
• At a point in time our interim housing program served 80 men, 44 who are dual diagnosed with a mental illness and substance use disorders. Without, at minimum, temporary housing, and in particular if they are forced back to the streets as a result of budget cuts,  44 men with a mental illness and substance use with no physical place to reside may seem like a small number—until you experience “spill-over effect” in your community.

Social service agencies such as North Side, deliver a myriad of programs that help keep our communities healthy and safe and are our most effective tools to lessen social and economic costs of homelessness, incarceration, mental illness and healthcare, among other social challenges. Therefore this type of budget cut should not be a consideration in Springfield.

North Side is dedicated to ending and preventing homelessness, a social issue that affects everyone. Historically, human services has been the line item that continuously receives the deepest of cuts and the impact always ushers in increased social issues in other areas such as crime, unemployment and the overall demise of our communities. At a time when Chicago is under siege by gang violence and crime (and it’s not even warm yet), it seems implausible to again look to human services as the line item to cut. The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability and Social IMPACT Research Center (2012) contend that, “Recent data makes a clear and compelling case that cutting expenditures on human services in this environment is counterproductive.

Governor Quinn, North Side Housing and Supportive Services urge you to rethink this cut to IDHS to balance your FY2013 budget. This seems unwise and promises to be detrimental to our city and communities in a number of ways.  Is Mayor Emmanual aware of the implications of such cuts to the city of Chicago?

Community Centered Economics

We know there are many buzz words floating around in society today. Lately, I think at least once most of us have heard the phrase, “stimulating the economy” and most often it is in the context of the global economy. Thus, with the focus on global rather than local, it may be a struggle to grasp how economics plays itself out in our everyday lives, unless you live in Cook County and just got your tax bill for 2011! But, most times it seems we are just bombarded on the nightly news with economists who sleep statistics, numbers and strange formulas (Burkett, 2009) and talk more about global economy then what is going on right next door.  Yet, as author Mike Greenberg suggests, “While ‘the economy’ of the economists inhabits an abstract number space, the economy of the real world happens in physical space, in the places where you and I and our neighbours interact”.  Burkett further explains that an understanding of our local economy should be on the front burner of everyone’s priorities. When we see social isolation, a lack of neighborhood businesses and other enterprises, a cultural of fear and dependency, and no sense of community, we should be deeply concerned. A way to draw people into being concerned about the local economy may rest in analysis that contain real life stories with real people..not abstract statistical equations or what could happen with out-of-this world probabilities!

Rather than economic change being the result of economists jumping into the arena Burkett contends that more community development workers or maybe community psychologists will agree to “jump into the good fight” and grapple with questions such as, ‘How can we truly address poverty in its many forms?’ This means that more folks engaging in community capacity building have to embrace it from an economical perspective. What follows below is especially poignant that Burkett shares:

“The roots of the word “economy” are interesting in themselves. Economy” comes from the greek oikos, the house, and ‘nomos’ or management…so essentially it means management of the household.  Of course the word “ecology” comes from the same root, finishing with logos, or knowledge, so meaning “knowing the home”.  The idea that economics is about considering our world and our communities as a ‘home’ provides us with a wonderful framework for understanding the principles and practices of community economic development: In a home we are concerned not just with the well-being of one or two people, but the well-being of all members of the household; We know, in a home, that if we pollute one room, then that will affect all other rooms of the home; We wouldn’t sit at the dining room table and prepare a feast for only one or two members of the household while the others starve. 

As community development experts, community psychologists or nonprofit organizations serving the community, we have all signed on to “client-centered” services and agree that we need the full participation of all involved in development and research including the benefactors. Towards this end, as we have embraced this philosophy or framework for development, interventions and the like, we now have to create this same model for what Burkett calls community centered economics.

Very interesting because historically economics has favored corporations and not community households as its unit of analysis. Of course, this means that the interests of corporations have been at the forefront of economics and certainly not households.  In “community centered economics”  human community and its inter-related ecosystem is veiwed as a holistic unit of organization for the production and consumption of goods to meet the community’s current needs, and for the preservation and enhancement of the community’s present and future productive capacity. Economic development occurs when the community’s capacity for increased future economic output, including the sustainable output of its natural resources and ecological capital, is increased (Soxa, para, 9).

Well see there. It seems as one person put it, “Global economies have gone local, and local economies have gone global.” Believe it, or not.

Jobs-Housing Balance: Not to Be Overlooked

“Home is the place where a job goes to live, ” so said fomer Mayor and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Henry Cisneros (2006). Cisneros shared that as a nation we should not begin to embark upon the creation of jobs as a vehicle for economic development unless we are simultaneously addressing housing development.

Is there anything else we need to say on this matter or have Cisneros said it all?  Well, the answer most likely depends on who you talk to? For example, I was discussing this concept with a person who works in the public housing arena. She said, “In terms of needs, shelter/housing is a more important need to a person who has no stable home, only for a minute.” So, in planning perhaps the most beneficial model might be the jobs-housing balance. Weitz (2003) wrote that the jobs-housing balance is a viable tool for government and private housing providers to use as a method to achieve equal housing units and jobs. Ideally, Weitz explains, that jobs in the community should meet that community’s skills, and thus, housing should be of all types, sizes and costs. Yet, jobs-housing balances aren’t the norm and high-end housing developments consistently outnumber affordable housing developments. The market demand is in high-end developments and of course so is the high profit margins as well.

Consequences of a Jobs-Housing Imbalance

When evaluated, the spatial distance between jobs and housing has created much of the negative repercussions of traffic conditions including road rage and indirect impact such as a loss of worker productivity, family issues as people get home later and later, and poor air quality cannot be left out.

What to Do?

Communities are realizing that their land-use plans in efforts to spur economic development must take into consider the jobs-housing balance. This means taking a look at the types of jobs in an area and the types and cost of housing.  Cervero (1989), considered the leader in jobs-housing models suggests that “jobs-housing balance policies can help to reduce urban sprawl and lower energy consumption” both key to spurring economic development.

The jobs-housing model is not without opposition. Economists argue that over time the natural processes of the market will balance jobs and housing without government intervention. Others contend that there is no evidence that if people could live closer to their jobs they would opt to do so. Another perspective is that people choose homes for many other reasons besides proximity to work.

Creating an effective jobs-housing model is no easy task. Land-use planning is always prone to what the community wants, zoning, and the evaluation of individual proposals by local government entities. Perhaps a way to get better balance is re-zoning to allow for mixed-use of land and simply developing land and jobs at the same time. Is it something true about Cisneros’ point? Jobs go home. Wow.

Does Social Capital Create Economic Prosperity?

Robert Putnam (2000) put forward an interesting framework regarding reasons why some communities are healthy, regain and retain health. Putnam contends that the primary key is social capital: “features of social organization, such as networks, norms and trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit.” Social capital enhances benefits of investment in physical and human capital. Social capital is a necessary ingredient for successful economic development. Putnam’s theory has been so widely accepted, it is almost synonomous with community development.

     What is social capital? We hear the term all the time thrown here and there. In fact it could be classified as one of the latest ”buzz” words. Unfortunately social capital is one of those terms that has no universal definition similar to other terms like harm reduction and community development. Depending on who is doing the investigating and why, social capital can have a number of meanings. Several researchers define social as the value of social networks, bonding similar people and bridging between diverse people, with norms of reciprocity (Dekker and Uslaner 2001; Uslaner 2001). Sander (2002 p.213) stated that ‘the folk wisdom that more people get their jobs from whom they know, rather than what they know, turns out to be true’.

     Yet, DeFilippis says Putnam’s theory fails to take into consideration the challenges of power in producing communities and it is separated from economic development. DeFilippis explains that since people who live in affluent suburbs experience a significant level of social isolation, why are those interested in economic development in low-income communities stressing the use of social capital as a viable method for moving low income people and communities out of poverty?  Good question. Perhaps in low-income communities people really aren’t as socially isolated as it seems. In this case, a  fair subsequent assumption might be, “poor doesn’t equal lonely”. DeFilippis sort of agrees and argues that low-income communities are not disconnected and have plenty of social networks including nonprofit organizations. He says what they lack is “power” and the “capital” that creates that power.

     Okay, here’s my opinion, seems communities are in dire need of community psychologists who are being taught to not just study individuals and how they affect communities, but how communities impact individuals as well. However, DeFilippis says communities really aren’t living organisms and therefore can’t impact people. Does anyone agree? I’m not so sure communities aren’t living organisms—corporations are certainly set up to be a “person” per se, and the power they wield is beyond measure. How come communities can’t do the same thing?  I think some communities are already doing this—shouldn’t we spend more time studying these communities rather than spending more time studying poor communities and the people that comprise them?

Veteran Villages: Are They Sound Economics?

Community Hope, in partnership with private developer Peabody Properties in Parsippany, New Jersey has been awarded conditional approval by the Veterans Administration to develop Valley Brook Village. This “veterans village” will consist of 63 units of apartments and townhouses for homeless veterans and those at-risk of homelessness as a result of post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury and physical disabilities incurred in combat (Community Hope, 2011). The development is planned for 9 acres of land on the Lyons VA facility in New Jersey. There are also a number of cities around the nation who have plans for land use development of veteran villages around VA facilities including Edward Hines in Maywood, west of Chicago.

A reasonable question regarding housing developments such as Valley Brook and the one proposed at Hines is, what is the economic impact? One way to find out is by using an economic impact analysis. Economic impact analysis predicts how an initial change to to an economic event will impact the greater economy (Tuck, 2008). For example, say the current demand for affordable housing is at an all time high–which it is! Thus, the increase in the construction of affordable housing affects the demand and supply for materials to build the home, labor of contractors and architects, and electricians, among other needed labor and materials. This process continues and what is known as the “ripple” effect started by the increase in the construction of homes continue as well. Tuck further explains that the sum of the ripple effects related to an increased demand for supplies is called the “indirect” effect. Thus, the initial effect, plus the indirect and induced (sum of ripples associated with spending by the laborers building the house), added together produce the total economic effect. It is not hard to see that the total effect is positive even in its most simplest form.

So, another good question might be–then why are we not building more affordable housing for veterans and everyone else if they are economically sound? The reasons vary, but answers are rooted in high prices for land, impact fees, zoning requirements and pricy carrying costs. Pair this with community residents and groups who assume that affordable housing equals a myriad of negative impacts including increased traffic and subsequent demise of a community and continously, demand far exceeds supply. Low Income HousingTax Credits (LIHTC) offered to developers have been 90% successful in helping to increase the supply of affordable housing when used, however it’s become almost impossible to find willing developers who will use tax credits because they are complex and require inordinant amounts of time to acquire.

Yes, affordable housing is in huge demand for our veterans and low-income citizens alike, but building these units is not as easy as it might seem. Innovative approaches to getting the developments constructed include possibly blending affordable and market-rate units, combining rentals and homeownership in the same complex, using energy efficient features, creating opportunities for partnerships with nonprofit organizations and of course creative financing including using tax credits. It’s no easy task—but here’s to “villages” that can house folks while boosting our sagging economy at the same time!

North Side – Moving Forward – Making the Call

On December 1st, North Side took over a 50-bed Interim Housing Program in Uptown that the REST agency previously operated. REST had been around for decades serving the Uptown community and city of Chicago. However, as it often does, the road turned and the agency was no longer able to manage the program. It’s ironic that North Side acquired the program, as the agency closed its own 30-bed Interim Housing program in December of 2010, the result of several variables. Now, almost a year-to-the day, the call was made to move forward with the 50-bed program in Uptown.

Taking over an existing 50-bed interim housing program for men homeless is no easy task. But, its what making the call looks like. After initial assessments, case managers reported that 10 of the 54 guys living in the space are veterans. North Side hopes to transition these guys and others who live there, into permanent housing in the very near future. With the war in Iraq ending, available transitional and permanent housing is critical–because unfortunately many veterans returning to America won’t be going to a home! Many times veterans make the initial decision to join the military due to broken family relationships and therefore really didn’t leave for war from a stable home environment, and therefore do not return to a stable home environment. At other times returning combat veterans who do have stable home environments do not return to those homes because at the end of war, they have become a stranger to themselves and their families (Dave Rogers, personal communication, 2011). What ever the case, available housing is desparately needed–and again, this is a huge challenge–but it’s what is needed for right now. We said we would make the call and are asking others to do the same. After all you never know whose life you might be saving…and people are worth saving.

HELP! TOO LATE..CRISIS!

by Geraldine L. Palmer

Brody (2010) in an article written for the Associated Content online network asked the question, “When will we demand that our political leaders think ahead, instead of simply reacting when there is a crisis? We need proactive, instead of reactive government!”  Ouch! Who thinks he has a point? Brody used the Katrina tragedy as an example of reacting rather than being proactive.  He argued that our government knew that there were serious structural defects in the levee system and that the “perfect storm” would cause devastation. However, instead of correcting the defect beforehand, the government took the, “hope, pray, wait and see approach, and unfortunately, the ”denial” method.  He doesn’t stop with Katrina but also discusses the Haiti earthquake tragedy as another example of “waiting to exhale” —sharing that our government also knew that Haiti is built on the Port of Prince fault lines–a disaster in the making. Mmmm, in the case of the epidemic of homelessness in our country, another ongoing tragedy of signicant proportion, it seems that our government has been in the reactive more than proactive stage. Otherwise how can we account for veteran homelessness being the massive issue that it is?  After all, the need for adequate veteran housing didn’t start yesterday.

By the summer of 1946, nearly 10-million men and women were released from the armed forces and faced a severe housing shortage. Many veterans “doubled-up” living with family and friends. Housing construction had come to a screeching halt during the war–which exacerbated the issue during this time.  Additionally the majority of existing housing was substandard and deemed “slum dwellings”.  The government looked to private housing developers who came through only to a certain degree. Developers did construct pre-fabricated housing in the suburbs–for as little as $7,000 per house (Lustren, 2011), but this action created another crisis—residential segregation (That’s another story).

In any case–certainly not enough housing of any kind was built and this factor still exists today. So, if we know that as far back as World War II, housing for veterans reached a crisis level—isn’t it reasonable to think after the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, housing is going to be needed?  Yet, the VA just decided in October of 2011 that a concerted effort needed to happen to end veteran homelessness?  Now, I’m not anti-VA. In fact I support the VA totally and have no problem becoming a soldier in “the good fight” to end veteran homelessness. I know it takes a community ( governmental agencies, community and faith-based organizations, individual leaders, etc.)  to solve social challenges. Yet, the “wait-see” approach does leaves me perplexed and an inclination to agree with Brody about being reactive versus proactive. We couldn’t think that homelessness is going away without intervention–that somehow housing is going to magically appear–or do we?

I don’t know, but back when I was a young girl, growing up in those created south suburbs of Chicago–my mother had an old saying that I carry in my arsenal and use to this day. She did a fine job of teaching me to be proactive. She simply said, “It’s better to be safe, than sorry.”

Does It Matter Why There is Veteran Homelessness?

 by Geraldine Palmer

Have you ever wondered why there is veteran homelessness? Todd DePastino professor and author of “Citizen Hobo: How a Century of Homelessness Shaped America” in an interview with Michelle Norris of NPR news stated that,”The reason veterans become homeless has little to do with their military service but a lot to do with their background. The military draws disproportionately from poor and working-class communities, which are the very communities most susceptible to homelessness.” 

DePastino went on to say, ” It’s  a very old story that goes back hundreds of years, at least to Elizabethan times, when demobilized soldiers and sailors really contributed mightily to the first modern crisis of homelessness in history. This phenomenon was so novel that Elizabethans came up with new terms to describe it. They called them vagrants and vagabonds.  The soldiers and sailors tended to travel in great gangs and eventually they became politicized. Additionally, they contributed enormously to the English Revolution of the 1640s, which overthrew a monarch and set up a republic. So, it’s not an exaggeration to say that–our modern ideas of citizenship really come from the experience of coming home from war and placing unique demands on the polity in the state.” Mmmm, very interesting. As Pastino concludes the interview he shared that a solution for reducing the disproportionate number of veterans homeless to the general population of persons homeless is to recruit from a cross-section of America. However,  he does not leave out, that instead of working to reduce the disproportionate number of veterans homeless to the general population, how about we work to end homelessness in general through anti-poverty efforts similar to the G.I. Bill? Something for us to think about.

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans says, that in addition to the complex causal factors of homelessness such as a lack of affordable housing and access to health care, veterans become homeless when they do not get treated for the challenging issue of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse. Furthermore, the struggle with PTSD is compounded by a lack of family and social supports. Speaking of PTSD,  it’s only been recognized as a formal diagnosis since the 1980s. Sadly, some doctors and medical personnel regarded veterans suffering from PTSD as a personal weakness of the soldier or behavior unbecoming to a soldier. This makes me think that while the struggle was taking place to identify this as a formal chronic illness and find appropriate treatments, veterans were becoming homeless by the droves.  Fortunately, the Viet Nam War brought much light to PTSD and doctors sometimes dubbed the disorder as “post-Vietnam syndrome”.  Viet Nam veterans pushed forward the notion that PTSD was a serious disorder and both the military and medical communities took note.

While less than 10% of the general populations will suffer from PTSD, it is expected that 1 in 6 soldiers returning from the Iraq war will struggle with it. And, as a factor that leads to homelessness—I expect we should be prepared. So, in conclusion does the reason why there is veteran homelessness matter? I say, “Yes, it matters.  How can we fix a problem if we don’t know where the heck it comes from?” I know right now as I write this I am feeling a bit sick. How can I fix it?  Well, I know I have eaten way too many Tootsie Rolls and Smarties—so it seems reasonable I can solve this problem because I know why I am feeling ill. Therefore, if I really want to end this problem, I won’t eat anymore. We know some reasons why veterans are homeless: their backgrounds, politics, a lack of affordable housing and health care, and struggles with PTSD. Okay, so that tells me we can fix this too—but wait, that’s if we really want to.

Home to Homeless?

by Geraldine Palmer

President Obama declared in a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room on October 20, “Today, I can report that, as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year. The war in Iraq will be over.” Good for President Obama to keep his promise to American families! I do understand and agree that the end of the Iraq war is a huge turning point for the U.S. While I do not have family members that I know of in Iraq, I do have a son and therefore can imagine the anguish and sleepless nights many families are experiencing as they anxiously await the return of their loved ones. Yet, and this opinion is certainly not meant to take away from the forthcoming joyous occasion of our troops returning home, I can’t help but think about the gigantic task looming in front of housing providers. Today, one in five persons homeless in the U.S. is a veteran. Therefore, I am mighty afraid that when record numbers of veterans returning from the Iraq war hit U.S. soil—many will need combat skills they haven’t been trained for—skills to live on the streets. Sad, yes. True, yes.

Veterans have recently been dubbed the “new face of homelessness” and The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates that approximately 75,000 to 100,000 American veterans are homeless on any typical night. A fair question to ask is why are veterans homeless? More specifically, why are they homeless in America? The answer does not rest in one single variable, but several. Of course there is a lack of affordable housing in urban cities across our nation, while at the same time equitable and fair living wages for all is still a distant dream. And then a lack of access to quality health care is a contributing and causal factor of homelessness at the same time. For veterans, becoming homeless can be attributed to the factors mentioned, but also to a persistent struggle with substance use and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I have a friend, Dave Rogers, who is a veteran and the executive director of VetNet, who says, “When the vet comes home from war, he is a stranger to himself and his family.” You may say, “Doesn’t the VA care?” Yes, they do, but with all social problems, the government can’t solve social problems alone.  I went to the veteran summit the VA held last week in Chicago. The summit’s purpose indicated a concerted effort by the VA to end veteran homelessness by 2015. This will be no small feat. One of the representatives at the Chicago summit shared that I believe either Chicago or maybe just the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center received only 75 HUD VASH rent subsidies for veterans who are homeless!  So, if you care…call your legislative representatives, support your local VA centers and join in the “good fight” to help end veteran homelessness by 2015!

Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric K. Shinseki said it best when he remarked, “Those who have served this nation as veterans should never find themselves on the streets, living without care and without hope.” I concur without reserve.

A Bull, a Blackhawk and a Sox are joining fight to end veteran homelessness

A Bull, a Blackhawk and a Sox

by: Arthur Touchot

“One team!”

The cheer echoed three times in the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center conference room, uniting a group of men and women under the same jersey logo dedicated to a single cause.

Chicago sports legends Sidney Green, Denis Savard and Minnie Minoso were sitting on the same bench. But they won’t be competing for a championship. This time, they say, their goal will be much more important.

“The words ‘homeless’ and ‘veteran’ should never be in the same sentence,” said former Chicago Bull Sidney Green.

Green, who was with the Bulls in the mid-1980s, was brought together with Savard, who played with the Blackhawks in the 1980s and mid-1990s, and Minoso, a White Sox star leftfielder five different times, starting in the 1950s for the effort. They are teaming with more than 70 community, government and faith-based organizations to help the Edward Hines VA Hospital and Brown in launching the One Team Chicago campaign.

The goal? To end homelessness among Veterans in the Chicago area by 2015.

“Is it a lofty goal? Yes. Is it an achievable goal? Yes, also,” said Michael Anaya, director of the Brown center.

Two former homeless veterans were invited to share their stories and explain how they were able to get off the streets.

Donald Hendrick, 63, said he was homeless for nearly one year before he reached out to Hines.

“No one wanted to talk to me when they learned I was coming back from Vietnam,” Hendrick said. “They hated me, and I didn’t understand why, but it didn’t help me love myself.”

After sleeping on concrete throughout the city for 12 months, Hendrick turned to Hines and got a trainee job, which was enough to get him under a roof. But he would soon face another challenge when he applied for a job at the center.

“The last question was: Have you been convicted of a felony in the past 10 years and I just rolled up that paper into a ball and threw it on the floor,” Hendrick said.

“But then my estranged wife turned on the calculator in her head and counted it down and it turned out I was good by only a couple of weeks, so I picked up the ball, smoothed it out and sent it.”

Hendrick got the job and has never spent another night sleeping in the streets.

Others, like Barbara Wonsley, 46, found it more difficult to reach out for help. It took Wonsley nearly 20 years to make the phone call that changed her life.

“First it was fun, but then the next thing you know, I was selling drugs,” Wonsley said. “That got me in jail and then I knew one thing I wanted to do was not go back.”

Hendrick and Wonsley say the greatest problem is the loss of pride and respect that comes with living on the streets. Their challenge to Chicago is to engage with the homeless community and listen to what these people have to say.

According to HUD and VA’s last assessment, nearly 76,000 veterans nationally were homeless on a given night in 2009. One Team’s goal is to bring that figure down to 60,000 by June.

The VA expects to spend $3.4 billion to provide health care to homeless veterans and $800 million in specialized homeless programs this year. The campaign took on a special meaning for one of the athletes involved.

“I am proud to say that I got my US citizenship six months ago,” Savard said. “I am so, so proud to be able to give back to those who risked their lives for my new country.”

Savard surprised everyone at One Team when he announced that the Savard Foundation was pledging to donate $5,000 to the cause.

The VA is urging those who know homeless or at-risk veterans to call their toll-free service at 877-4AID-VET (or 877-424-3838).