CHILDREN AND YOUTH
ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
MAY 13, 1999
HOMELESS SERVICES NETWORK


These notes reflect a meeting of service providers working with homeless youth in order to help prepare a new five year consolidated plan strategy. The discussion was held at the Legal Services of Eastern Missouri offices. In attendance were Pat Akers, Bridgid Coleman, Jay Fisk. Demetrius Johnson, Deb Little, Dorris Magwood, Joan Nenninger, Karen Sprague, Rev. Everett Thomas, Janice Thorp, John Wilson, and Clarice Woodard.

1. What are the important changes that have shaped homelessness for better or worse over the last five years?

a) Less Affordable Housing. There has been a decline in the number of available units, especially those with three and four bedrooms. Existing buildings have deteriorated, and in some cases have been abandoned and demolished; few affordable units have been built. In other cases the conversion of 4 family units into 2 bedroom town-houses (in areas like the Garden district), has meant the loss of units.

b) Section 8 Preferences. The Public Housing Authority has changed its policy so that working poor, not those in homeless shelters, now receive preference for allocation of Section 8 certificates. The arguments for this policy shift are that before some people were actually moving into shelters in order to get to the head of the section 8 line, and some homeless families who got certificates were not ready for permanent housing. However, the overall impact has made it harder for shelter residents.

c) Demand by Youth. Over the past five years more teenage and other young mothers have wanted to, or had to, find a place separate from their families.

d) Discrimination Against Children. The amount of discrimination against families with children has increased in recent years.

e) Day Care Challenges. The Welfare to Work era is forcing people to find work. This is tough on mothers without access to day care, especially for those who work during a night shift.

f) Poverty. There is not a realistic definition of poverty. Those who make less than around $8 per hour have a terrible time making it. The "minimum wage" is in reality less than minimum. Not if you have to pay for a $300 a month apartment, utilities and try to eat.

g) Public Attitude Concerning Homelessness. There was some debate on this topic. Some feel that the public understands the dimensions of homelessness better. Others believe there is generally less sympathy on the part of the average citizen.

h) Importance of Prevention. More people understand the need to keep people from getting into shelters through the judicious use of intervention assistance (such as last minute help with rent or utilities). Not clear if more or less is going to prevention assistance in comparison with 5 years ago. The Housing Resource Center stopped providing this service.

i) Deinstitualization. The forces that promote removing people with mental health and substance abuse problems from institutions have been in the ascendency over the past five years. As a result some people are "on the street" who should not be. Some think that the pendulum has swung too far.

j) Emphasis on Very Young. There is more emphasis today on kids that are five or less. While understandable, this attention may mean that less resources are available for older children.

k) More Youth Programs. Part of the good news is that there are more programs for young people. Building Blocks.

l) Homeless - Board of Education Coordination. There is better cooperation between homeless service providers and the public school system than there was five years ago.

m) Employment. Understandably, in light of the Welfare to Work movement, there is more emphasis on education, training and job placement. Most agree that this is positive.

n) "One Stop" Shopping Model. Five years ago the concept of consolidating multiple services into a few central locations was popular. In fact St. Patricks intends to do this at its recently acquired Sverdrup building. However, some think that the approach can have problems. Prince Hall, for example, may not have succeeded as intended? Transportation issues can be troubling.

o) Initiatives begun over the past Five Years.


* Community Education Centers. They have moved from simply being Community Schools into being centers for social services (Department of Family Service Workers, etc.). There is debate about the tradeoffs between traditional education priorities anda broader community improvement mission.

* Caring Communities/ARCHS. This is a major change that is still trying to sort itself out. ARCHS is an important force to be reckoned with because of the half dozen state departments and the local civic community behind it.

* Enterprise Community/ Empowerment Zone. Some of the programs like the Employment Partnership and the Technology Collaboration are promoting increased collaboration between agencies. The EZ initiative is too new.

* SafeFutures. Some promise but many are not aware of its presence. Hence for some some it has limited impact?

* Curfew Centers. Some of these are making a difference.

* Automation. MISI has a contract with the Homeless Resource Center that will improve communications between shelters and enable the collection and analysis of data. This should be a big step forward from the previous attempts with the Sisters ofSt. Mary.

* St. Louis Neighborhood Network

* Independent Living Program

* 2004

a) Foster Care Demand. It is likely to grow, and there will be an increase in the loss of parental rights

b) Drugs. There is fear that the situation will get worse as it becomes more and more a multi-generational problem.

c) Violent Crime. It too may get worse as the "mean world" syndrome is fed by our media overkill culture. Television Advertising, Movies, Videos, Games, Internet collectively will continue to certain kids

d) Home Alone. The "latch key" kid situation will continue to challenge society as both two parent and one parent households need to work. It remains to be seen how much of a difference the 2004 initiative can make in this area.

e) Public Housing Redevelopment. The transformation of public housing into mixed income complexes like Murphy Park and Darst Webbe has the potential to seriously aggravate housing conditions for those who have the least resources.

f) Board of Education Changes. The end of the desegregation program may result in large scale additional pressure on the Board. Teacher salaries and morale may be a problem.

g) Spiritual Awakening. Some think that the city could experience a moral awakening that would encourage us to collectively address our community challenges.

h) Challenge of Part Time Work. As part time work, with no benefits, continues to replace traditional 8 hour a day jobs, you need to appreciate the impact on the family. It is not just about money, but the additional time that people take to travel between jobs and to undertake the work. That is time that will not be spent with the family.

i) Literacy Deficiencies. Eighty percent of homeless kids have no exposure to preschool activity. As a result they are behind right from the beginning in developing literacy skills.

a) Jobs. The city should institute a "WPA" like program for homeless and other unemployed people who have few other options.

b) Police. They should expand their community outreach programs

c) Vacant Buildings. The city should expand neighborhood based housing corporations who can renovate housing, and get on with the job of demolishing those beyond hope.

d) Shelters. The city should help promote a dispersed policy so that a few areas are not overly impacted

e) Retail Promotion. The city should do more to attract retail activity in "have not" neighborhoods- grocery stores, restaurants, etc. No one should have to take two or even three buses to buy food.

f) Office of Youth Development. The city should give it some resources. Jamala Rogers is great but she can't do it by herself.

g) Recreation Centers. The city should find ways to improve the environment of the centers - the attractiveness and the monitoring of recreation programs. Couldn't large corporations be convinced to adopt a recreation center with the idea of helping improve the operations with volunteers and cash.

h) Education in Shelters. The city should help with pre-school and after school care. Also in coordinating the Parents as Partners and Parents as Teachers programs.

a) Beautification. Don't overdue it to the exclusion of basic services.

b) Lighting. Don't overlight the parks and under light the neighborhoods.

c) Patronage. Stop hiring incompetent staff.

d) Health. Clarify the health care situation. It is overly confusing now.

e) Public Housing. Stop skimping on maintenance and renovation. It appears that some complexes are deliberately being neglected in order to convince decision makers that they have no future.

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