Homeless Prevention
Sub-Committee Roundatble Discussion
May 11, 1999

A large number of Homeless Services Network participants met at Operation Food Search in order to discuss progress that has been made and challenges that remain with regard to homeless conditions, especially homeless prevention.

The Last Five Years. Major changes that have occurred over the last five years include:

1. Collaboration. Agencies are generally in better communication and coordination with each other, than was previously the case.

2. Welfare Reform. The national legislation changes everything. Specific issues surrounding the implementation of Welfare Reform remain a source of anguish for both clients and agencies.

3. Fewer Shelter Beds. The interest in Transitional Housing has occurred at the expense of Shelters. In some cases (e.g. Christ Church Cathedral) shelters have closed. But in the absence of enough transitional housing, families increasingly have to move from one shelter to the next. Both shelters and transitional housing are key pieces of the "continuum."

4. Loss of Affordable Housing. The inventory has been reduced. More housing is getting condemned because of programs like lead paint. Public housing complexes are coming down. More condemned buildings are being abandoned and demolished rather than repaired. Removing people from sub-standard housing creates different, and for many, worse problems - namely doubling up or going to shelters.

5. Lack of large units. Families are getting broken up because of occupancy laws designed to prevent crowding.

6. Adolescent Boys. The challenge of finding housing and other relevant services for boys in the 15 to 21 age bracket is getting worse.

7. Landlord Interest in Section 8. Fewer landlords seem to be interested in participating in the Section program. Not clear if they just don't want the hassle of being inspected, or if it has to do with other concerns.

8. City-County Friction. It is better than it was because the County is providing more services. The debate about what a person's last address was should be discontinued.

9. Kids with Kids. The problem remains very difficult.

10. General Concern. More people in the overall community care about homelessness and substance abuse issues. There is less general denial. That is good.

1. Immigrants. St. Louis is going to have to wake up to the reality of more immigrants with homeless problems. Often they do not have extended families or work. This in addition to language and cultural differences will introduce new homeless prevention challenges.

2. Continued Movement of Jobs to West County. We need more creative ways to address the challenge of transportation to new jobs that are being developed in the western suburbs. EWGCC Regional Job Initiative and the St. Louis Work Connection have tried to address what is a big problem.

3. Empowerment Zone Potential. Can the City take advantage of the Empowerment Zone and other tax incentives to accelerate investment of job intensive businesses in the city?

4. Community Based Networking. In the coming years, networking based approaches such as that being initiated in Benton Park with help from the Children's Trust, will be more important. They emphasize communication and cooperation between community based organizations.

5. Loss of Title XX. As the congress runs up against domestic spending caps, there is a likelihood that social service block grant funds from the state will be reduced. This will have major implications for charities, philanthropic groups and state and local government. The Mckinney Act has been important also, especially in helping schools to wake up to their obligations to homeless kids.

6. ARCHS. Another major force that has the potential to shape the coming years is the St. Louis Community Partnership, now known as Area Resources for Human and Community Services. To the extent that State Departments want to work primarily through ARCHS, homeless service providerswill want to make sure that their concerns get worked into ARCH's annual plans and budget.

7. Importance of Extended Family. We have to face up to the fact that not everyone has the ability to succeed on their own. For many legitimate and not legitimate reasons, some can only survive with help from others. In that regard, the city and other authorities should appreciate the fragile nature of many extended families. and the ramifications that occur when, for example, a building is condemned and tenants forced to move.

8. Neighborhood Information. Both service providers and ordinary citizens need more information about their community - especially services and opportunities. The internet can help, but it must be distributed in lots of locations and be easy to use.

9. Housing Resource Center. There is no current reason to worry about the extent to which the last address was in the city or the county. That is an old battle that ought to be put to rest. The Resource Center has a challenge in deciding when preventive support ought to be provided to keep people from becoming homeless, while at the same time avoiding getting ripped off. The Center has numbers (contact Deb Little, MISI) which could be useful for the 5 Year strategy.

10. Housing Trust Fund. An initiative is needed. Missourians for Adequate Housing and Housing Comes First are working on a concept.

11. Nuisance Laws. There is danger of abuse of these laws by the Police and other city officials. The challenge is to know when an issue is simply a cultural matter as opposed to obviously uncivil/unreasonable behavior.

12. Transition Housing. The demand will grow. People need a place where they can learn how to take care of a house, with oversight and monitoring as necessary

13. Landlord Support. Ways have to be found to keep landlords interested in renting adequate housing to those in need. This is a topic that need investigation by people who do not have an initial bias regarding landlords and their motivation.

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