Can New Haven end chronic homelessness in ten years? Gary Spinner (in picture) and other advocates, with the help of homeless people in New Haven, have put together a City Hall-solicited plan to do that. (Click here to read the report.) Melinda Tuhus was at the announcement of the plan and filed this report.
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Apparently a little wind and a few clouds were enough to chase the announcement Friday of New Haven’s 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness from the Green, where it had been scheduled, into the comfort of City Hall. So this event was clearly a cerebral, not an experiential, one when it came to the topic at hand.
Everyone agreed that the problem of homelessness can’t be solved by the city alone, and federal officials were on hand to drive the point home. But how much help will be forthcoming was a matter of some debate.
The plan focuses not on building more shelters but on providing permanent supportive housing for the one-quarter of the city’s homeless population of more than 1,100 that is deemed to be “chronically homeless”: individuals and families who have been continuously homeless for a year or more, or who have been homeless at least four times in the past three years, 45 percent of whom come from outside the city.
Poverty, mental illness and/or substance abuse are the primary culprits. The plan calls for integration of support services such as health care (including mental health and substance abuse) services, case management, and employment services; a public policy campaign to address the barriers that contribute to homelessness; and strengthening the planning and coordination that will help ensure implementation of the plan.
“This is the best coordinated approach to the problem I’ve seen,” said Khalid Lum, a member of the city’s Homeless Advisory Commission and of the steering committee that created the plan. But, he added, “Always remember that you can’t end homelessness in New Haven —-” the nation has to end homelessness.”
Speakers at the announcement —” from Mayor John DeStefano and Homeless Commission Chair Gary Spinner to a regional representative for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness —” all spoke of the need for cooperation at all levels of government to address the issue.
Philip Mangano, head of the Interagency Council, praised New Haven’s plan and predicted that those present would tell their grandchildren they were there when the city made its historic announcement. To back up his claim that the administration of George W. Bush takes ending homelessness seriously, Mangano said federal resources have increased every year for the past four years. “That’s over $4 billion targeted to homelessness,” he said, “including $80 million to Connecticut and $3.6 million to New Haven.”
DeStefano said that for many years, New Haven has contributed $1.6 million from its general fund to provide services for the homeless, more than any other city in the state.
In a conversation following the event, DeStefano —” who recently served as president of the National League of Cities —” was asked if he agreed with Mangano’s assessment of federal largesse. “The success of the homeless initiative must exist amid broad support for all housing initiatives,” said hizzoner, choosing his words carefully. He said federal funding for public housing “could be more robust, and in fact is diminishing.” Mangano said he supports more funding for those programs, but they aren’t within his mandate to address.
DeStefano said this plan differs from a comprehensive, long-range plan to address homelessness that he helped craft in 1988 as chief administrative officer of the city. “The 1988 plan was much more of a housing plan; this plan is far richer in recognizing the importance of support services” to reducing chronic homelessness, he said.
A broad cross-section of the community participated in devising the plan, including representatives from city government, the housing authority, the police, churches, hospitals, and other human service providers. Sixty homeless individuals also gave their input through focus groups held at shelters and soup kitchens and on the Green. Gary Spinner said the plan can succeed if officials muster the political will to carry it out.
A successful strategy would be both humane and cost-effective. As Spinner wrote in his letter presenting the plan to the mayor, “Homelessness drains scarce public and private resources, which could be significantly reduced and redirected” by implementing the plan.
Phyllis Moore, vice president of Mothers for Justice, a grassroots group representing low-income women in the city, attended the event and was cautiously optimistic. “It covers all the bases that I was concerned about. But,” she added, “I have a problem with some of the public housing units that are closed down —” they need to be rehabbed and made available to people. But I think this plan is worth giving a shot.”