Posted by
Arnie on Tuesday, June 19, 2007 3:31:52 PM
First the Tulsa plan.
“Tulsa is on the cusp of eliminating chronic homelessness with Mayor Kathy Taylor backing a unique nonprofit and philanthropic project. The strategy involves putting a homeless person into a basic housing unit with no strings attached. The person is then surrounded with services to help work on personal issues.” Locations are being sought to develop the housing units. The type of housing would be small units for single-room occupancy and would be a mix of subsidized and fair-market value units. "We want it to be part of the community," said mayoral aide Dwain Midget. "We don't want anyone to walk down the street and see this as homeless housing.” The Zarrow Families Foundation started the effort last year by contacting the Mental Health Association of Tulsa and the Tulsa Housing Authority to provide social service and housing expertise.
Read more of it.
The New York Plan.
“In New York, the two-year pilot program with about 14,000 participants will use private funds Bloomberg has raised because he did not want to spend government money on something that is highly experimental. More than $43 million has been raised toward the $53 million goal, Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs said. Poor residents will be rewarded for good behavior - like $300 for doing well on school tests, $150 for holding a job and $200 for visiting the doctor - under an experimental anti-poverty program that city officials detailed Monday.” Also, $25 for attending parent-teacher conferences, $25 per month for a child who maintains a 95 percent school attendance record, $400 for graduating high school, $100 for each family member who sees the dentist every six months and $150 a month for adults who work full time."
Read more of it.
I am a metropolitan Tulsan, so I will make a few personal observations about this project. Even though the Zarrow foundation initiated the project with the city, from the mayor’s standpoint, the important issue is getting the homeless off the streets in front of the brand new convention center when it opens next year. In her own words:
"If we develop downtown, we also have to develop a perception of safety," Taylor said.
"But with substandard housing and homelessness, we have to address it in a much broader housing plan. Get the homeless away from the BOK center. The mayor wants the housing to be incorporated into communities. That means away form the downtown area.
The unanswered questions. How will they be fed? Will they be expected to cook their own meals? Will they then be granted food stamps to buy the food to cook, or will the public/private cooperative effort supply the food? How do they get to the stores to buy these basics? Or, will they be bused downtown to the food kitchens, like the Salvation Army center located just a few blocks from that new convention center? How often? Who pays the drivers? Who buys the vans? Will they be segregated in their housing units by any criteria, and Whose? Will there be nurses available at each unit, or a group of roaming nurses to oversee their medical needs? Will they provide these people with TV’s for entertainment? Will there be home visits to inspect housekeeping practices? How often? Who will pay them? Then are brooms, mops, and the just basic housekeeping materials being provided? Who pays for that stuff? Will there be inspections to oversee their own personal hygiene practices? Will they be allowed to smoke in these units? Will they be supplied with telephones for emergencies? A land phone or cell phone? Surely they will want cable TV. Clothing. How much and what kind? Who will see that they wear adequate clothing during the winter months? Who buys all of that? The mayor wants the homes to be part of the communities. What communities? Hers? or Mine? Who takes care of the lanscaping practices, mowing and all that stuff? What if they become a nuisance in the community? What if they would rather sleep in the front yards on nice evenings? On and on.
But no answers yet.
And just wait for the word to get out that Tulsa is providing free housing and all the benefits to go along with it.
Is this just another dumb idea about to be hatched without thought of the unintended consequences that always arise a few years into the “problem solved” legislation? The problem with the poor and the homeless will never be solved. Never. Never Ever. It can only be made to look better, and it will only make one "feel" better to have done
something, anything.
I rather think the New York plan has a better chance. New York is trying to change the behavior through positive behavior modification, rather than encouraging more irresponsible behavior through free give always. If the convention center was not the most important issue on mayor Taylors mind right now, I rather doubt the homeless would be considered anything more than just a nuisance.