Yesterday I blogged about 8 rental units for people experiencing houselessness sitting vacant for the last 6 months.
Today’s units . . . 16 of them according to a former staff member . . . will be shuttered in the next few weeks. These units belong to Tellurian.
These units are commonly called the Willy St. SRO and the property also has the address 1053 Williamson St.
People have been a little tight lipped about this, no official announcements. I heard about it last week, that it was shutting down and the residents had 30 days to move. I asked around and talked to several people who I thought would be in the know and came to conclusion it was just a rumor. Much to my dismay, I was wrong. What I could piece together from multiple sources (being transparent that this may not be 100% correct) is this . . .
- Residents are being offered to move to other units, including the Enso (formerly Rethke Terrace) apartments. But that’s a bit of a joke cuz they can’t go through the triple application process (housing authority, Lutheran Social Services and the landlord) in 30 days. I know people who have been going back and forth with the triple application process for months now with the help of a case manager and still are not in housing.
- Seems like the shut down is in response to neighborhood complaints and police pressure. And maybe lack of funds to pay for security guards? Seriously, security guards?
- At least one resident appears to be back on the street, and possibly others. Not sure if this is a misunderstanding or miscommunication or they have been discharged to the streets.
These units are called “Permanent Supportive Housing” or PSH. These units are for people who are chronically homeless. Meaning they have to have a disability and be homeless for one full year without interruption OR be homeless 4 times in 3 years for at least 12 months total. The HUD definition of chronic homelessness is, of course, a little more involved. The folks at the top of this priority list are literally the people most likely to die on the streets with the highest barriers and needs based on several factors base on data and the much maligned VI-SPDAT. The VI-SPDAT happens to be racist and sexist, so much so even the creator is calling for an end to it (Our Dane County/Madison Continuum of Care – called the Homeless Services Consortium – will replace it when we can figure out how). Here is the current process to get into PSH housing in Dane County.
The units I blogged about yesterday are not PSH units, but **I beleive** were for people who qualified for “Rapid Rehousing” or RRH type units. It’s hard to tell with many of the programs having multiple funding sources in different buildings. I don’t believe that program is a true RRH program, but they take people who qualify for RRH. The system has changed a bit, but loosely, to qualify you wouldn’t have to have a disability and you would not have to be homeless for one full year or 12 months in 3 years on 4 separate occasions. You may meet the definition of chronically homeless for these units, but you are not required to. Typically, not always, these are people with a few less barriers.
I have several more posts planned, so start counting along with me
- 8 Porchlight units sitting empty for 6 months
- 16 Tellurian units to be emptied in the next 2-3 weeks
So far, that is 24 units . . . or 24 more people who will be on the streets as we close these buildings, but more on the way. Tune in Monday for the next installment. And Tuesday . . . and . . .
