An Alternative Plan for Brittingham

The Mayor released his plan for Brittingham Park last week. The Parks Commission “accepted” the plan, but was not allowed to modify it, in fact, they were told that their opinion didn’t matter as this was the Mayor and Alder Kerr’s plan and they were going to do it no matter what the opinion of the Parks Commission was. Turns out, the plan didn’t have as much buy-in as one might have been led to believe. Here’s an alternative plan, by those who are actually homeless and their supporters:

Proposal for Brittingham Park programs by Operation Welcome Home

Goals:
• To provide positive opportunities for building community, accessing services, and making self-improvement while respecting the right of people to use the park
• Create systems of accountability for people’s behavior at the park

Means:
Our basic proposal is to provide people who use and stay at Brittingham Park with a community organization to get involved in. In this capacity they can work on building interpersonal relationship skills, moving toward sobriety, obtaining housing and employment, and developing their leadership skills. People would become involved in the organization through accessing any of our 3 basic programs.

Program Proposals:

Housing First Initiative

• Provide housing with wrap-around services for people ready to make a commitment to participating in an AODA program, attending weekly organizational meetings, and participating in a weekly interpersonal relationship skills/group therapy program.
• Expand existing program to include 2 sides of a duplex.
• Hire case manager to work one-on-one with residents more intensively.

Day Labor Program

• Non-profit day labor program (not like Labor Ready) working out of a trailer at the park to provide people with short one-time jobs – based on the model of the San Francisco Day Labor Program
• To participate in job program, people must participate in weekly organizational meetings to develop their interpersonal relationship and leadership skills (thus increasing accountability)
• Program would receive calls for job requests in the morning, thus staff would be on-site at the park until noon, for example
• Such a program would be a positive influence on the park – providing people with an opportunity for self-improvement by meeting them where they are at, and hopefully keeping activities such as drug dealing outside the park
• Such a program would also boost people’s self confidence and, by putting a little money in their pockets, make resorting to petty thefts as a means to survive less likely
• For information on a similar program that works, see http://www.lrcl.org/daylabor/daylabor.asp

Deferred Prosecution Program for Park-Related Behavior

• Similar to the CCR-Prostitution’s John School, the idea is that people who receive tickets for park-related behavior such as drinking alcohol have the option of participating in a structured program to work on self-improvement and connect them with support and services through the organization
• Provides a way for people with no or little income to be held accountable for their behavior, since they have no means to pay a fine
• Opportunity for law enforcement and community organization to work together in different capacities toward common goal

Peer-led Afternoon Activities

• Over time as we develop a more structured presence in the park, we would like to provide positive activities such as meals, basketball and volleyball games, a dance group, and an exercise group
• These activities would be led by members of the community who often use the Brittingham Park pavilion – thus making other people more likely to engage in them

Contrast this with tome of the plan by the Mayor and Alder Kerr:

1. Cameras. Install wi-fi cameras in and around the park to enhance surveillance and improve deterrence.
2. Lighting. Improve and install lighting as necessary throughout the park.
3. Park Shelter. Consider modifications to the existing park shelter structure to improve general usability and decrease the likelihood of problematic behaviors.
4. Amenities & Environmental Design. Prevent the use of the electrical outlets in the park shelter except during a reserved use. Explore changes to the environmental design of the park (landscaping, children’s play equipment, etc.) to enhance the legitimate use of the park.
5. Outreach and Social Services. Utilize data collection and analysis to identify individuals with a pattern of police contact. Use this list as a jumping off point for outreach workers and social service providers. Help coordinate available resources with individuals in need. Sample resources include: AODA treatment, mental health treatment, employment counseling, housing counseling, financial education; general medical services; etc.
6. Police. Increase police presence through routine and directed patrols. Maintain high visibility and continue to enforce applicable laws, including the prohibition on the possession or consumption of alcohol. Utilize problem-solving techniques through the South District Community Policing Team to address issues at the park.
7. Investment in transitional and permanent housing. Continue the investment, primarily through our CDBG Office, in housing and homelessness prevention. In 2007 the City spent $425,000 on the capital costs for housing and homelessness prevention and $390,000 on related programming and services. This investment funded the creation of eight new housing units and major repairs to two shelter facilities.
8. Park Rangers. Utilize the additional Park Ranger resources in the 2008 budget in an effort to increase the legitimate use of Brittingham Park. Work in cooperation with service providers to appropriately train the Park Rangers before their deployment. Ensure that the Park Rangers have access to a clearinghouse of resources to address the needs of individuals they may contact.
9. Alcohol Retailers. Continue to work with alcohol retailers in the vicinity of the park to find effective means of employing best practices for alcohol licensees, including limiting access to individuals who habitually misuse or abuse alcohol.
10. Employment Training & Transportation. Work with employment service providers to coordinate access and transportation to training opportunities, short-term jobs, and permanent employment.
11. Vendors. Explore the presence of vendors in Brittingham Park.
12. Park Ban. Explore the creation of a “Park Ban” list for chronic offenders, similar to the State Street Ban that has proven so effective over time.
13. Prosecution Initiatives. Explore the use of prosecutorial tools like deferred prosecution agreements, hold-opens, and/or abeyances with regard to specific violations in and around Brittingham Park.
14. Partnership. Continue to work in partnership with advocacy groups, service providers, law enforcement, neighbors and other government agencies. Implement effective and efficient means to address homelessness, social service needs, and problematic behavior in a comprehensive effort to improve the quality of life in Brittingham Park and throughout our community.

The Mayor’s plan focuses on enforcement and punishment and dispersion. The other plan focuses on a hand up – not a a hand out. Which one do you prefer?