10-year plan on homelessness unveiled in Fort Worth
Date Published: April 23, 2008
Publisher:
Star-Telegram
Author: Alex Branch
Region: Texas
A one-stop shop where homeless people can find all the services they need to get off the streets.
More than 1,000 permanent supportive housing units with a voucher program and move-in fund to help with deposits and application fees.
A homeless court and more case managers for the shelters.
These are among the recommendations in the first draft of Fort Worth's 10-year plan to end homelessness, which was presented to the City Council on Tuesday at a pre-council meeting.
The plan's price tag could range from $700,000 to $3 million annually, depending on which initiatives city officials choose and to what level they decide to enact them. Some goals can be accomplished with existing resources, said Otis Thornton, city homeless coordinator.
Mayor Mike Moncrief and council members reacted enthusiastically to the plan, which will next be presented at public forums before returning to the council for a vote in June.
"It is important to put our money where our mouth is," said Councilwoman Kathleen Hicks, whose district includes East Lancaster Avenue, an area frequented by homeless people.
Moncrief told budget officials in the room Tuesday to put on their "creative uniforms" as they begin to craft next year's budget with the 10-year plan in mind. The plan comes as the city has had to tighten its purse strings, in part because of a slowing rise in property taxes.
Thornton told council members that the city is already spending an estimated $3 million annually on homelessness -- on police and fire response, code violations and other services.
"This plan offers a better return on investment," Thornton said. "Our neighborhoods are cleaner, our neighborhoods are safer, and we're providing the support and services that people need to better their lives."
In creating the plan, the Mayor's Advisory Commission on Homelessness drew from practices that have proved successful in other cities, said the Rev. Brooks Harrington, commission chairman. Fort Worth, he noted, is the largest city in the U.S. without a 10-year plan.
Finding more supportive housing and moving homeless people quickly into homes are the backbone of the plan, he said. The plan also calls for measures to help people avoid becoming homeless in the first place.
As he finished his presentation Tuesday, Harrington listed accomplishments that officials in Tarrant County have worked together to achieve. They revitalized downtown, survived a tornado, took in Hurricane Katrina evacuees, built a speedway track and a ballpark and, soon, will even reroute the Trinity River, he said.
"We can do this," Harrington said. "Fort Worth can get this done."
10-YEAR PLAN
1. Increase permanent supportive housing
The plan emphasizes moving homeless people quickly into permanent supportive housing before they become too dependent on the shelters. The city will require 544 "quality, affordable" housing units within six years and 1,088 within 10 years. The units should be dispersed throughout the city. The new residents would have access to supportive services -- mental-health care, addiction treatment, job training, counseling. The plan also proposes a locally funded voucher program for the units.
2. Link opportunities and services to accountability
To encourage participation in programs, bus passes and storage space will offered as incentives. Many homeless people don't have identification, so a critical-documents fund would help them obtain birth certificates, Social Security cards and other identification. Chambers of commerce would recruit businesses willing to hire people with certain criminal records.
3. Open a central resource facility
The commission envisions a one-stop shop where transitional assistance and reintegration services would be available under one roof. Currently, homeless people often have to travel from agency to agency. At this clearinghouse, case managers would identify and work on each person's specific needs. It would be publicly funded and contractor operated.
4. Expand homeless prevention
The commission notes that the recent rise in foreclosures has received heavy attention in the news media, but that evictions more often lead to homelessness. In Tarrant County, there were 24,454 evictions in 2006 and more than 30,000 in 2007. The plan calls for a mediation and referral program for tenants and landlords. It also proposes re-entry programs for prisoners being released from state and county jails.
5. Strengthen public, private and faith-based groups
The plan calls for a comprehensive analysis and funding plan for services already available to the homeless. Money is also needed for more caseworkers in homeless shelters. At the Presbyterian Night Shelter, the city's largest emergency shelter, there is only one caseworker for every 240 clients.
6. Mitigate negative community effect of homelessness
The city's Community Relations Department would facilitate good relationships between neighborhood groups and homeless housing agencies. The plan calls for increased police presence in areas with high concentrations of homeless people. A homeless court would allow some homeless people to settle old warrants and tickets through community services and self-improvement programs.
7. Educate and advocate for change
Create a review process to monitor progress and ensure that new housing is consistent with the plan's goals.
HOMELESS POPULATION IN TARRANT COUNTY
Of the 4,042 homeless people in Tarrant County:
16.5 percent are veterans
17.4 percent have a drinking problem
20.3 percent have a drug problem
25.9 percent have a mental illness
29 percent are children
39 percent are men
30 percent are women
30 percent are unemployed
Source: Tarrant County Homeless Coalition 2007 street count and survey
