COVID 19 and homelessness, what’s the plan?

So, in this new world we are living in, everything is constantly changing and plans made are reworked as change occurs.  Focusing on the big picture and long term is hard when we don’t know what the long term will bring . . . but . . . . there is a train wreck coming.

I sit in meetings where we discuss short term plans for homelessness and worry about the future and housing for people who are homeless.  We can see where the system is failing, we can see what needs to happen, but people on the ground feel like they are powerless to make bigger change happen.  People put their heads down, do their little part in the huge system and hope someone else will solve the bigger problems.  But who, who is going to solve these problems?

PROBLEM ONE: MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ARE COMING BUT . . . .

Yesterday I posted this on facebook:

What happens when $5M comes to our community to house people without homes and agencies have staff and money to house people . . . and landlords will not rent to the people with rental subsidies we’re trying to house? Money doesn’t solve everything.

I posted it because and RFP (request for proposals) is about to come out.  It is federal money that comes through the state and to the Homeless Services Consortium (EHH) or federal money that comes directly to the city and county.  The county has their own process for the money.

What money is available and what can it be spent on?

The city portion has $1,472,134 in EHH funds and $1,704,446 in funds that went directly to the city.  Total the Homeless Services Consortium and City recieved $4,778,194. The EHH funds were originally $1,887,265 but some funds went towards existing contracts to help pay for immediate needs when COVID hit.  The city’s original amount was $2,890,929 but they have spend $1,252,019 on . . . I’m not sure.  The total amount available in this RFP is $3,176,600.  This is on top of what is normally spent on homeless services and the county paying $26M (I think that is the number) to have people stay in hotels and the county spending $10M on eviction prevention.

The $3,176,600 can only be spent on street outreach, emergency shelter operating costs, homelessness prevention (mediation, legal services, eviction prevention dollars and services) and rapid re-housing (funding for case managers and rent and a few other costs to get people into housing.  Rent can be paid short term (3 months) or medium term (up to 24 months) or for back rent (up to 6 months) with the goal of getting people income so they can eventually pay rent on their own, as soon as possible while keeping them stable in their housing.  There are a ton of other rules that come with these programs and normally, the agency getting the money has to match it 50/50 with other funds – this time around that is not the case.

Note:  this money cannot be used to purchase property.  Only specific operating costs.

What priorities have been set for this money?

Emphasis on Ending homelessness

In all the conversations I have been in, Ending Homelessness through Rapid Rehousing it the major focus.  We had enough Rapid Rehousing slots in Dane County to end family homelessness, but there are few providers on the singles side of things.  Only Tenant Resource Center and Lutheran Social Services provide these services.  I believe the goal is to bring in new providers willing to take this one and try out this very difficult program.  (I could go on with boring details, but I’ll spare you for now.)

What’s the problem?

This all sounds awesome doesn’t it?  Money to house homeless people, presuming we an get agencies to run the programs.   So what’s the problem?  Problem solved, no?

No.

Who will rent to these folks.  Vacancy rates are up, likely due to students going home, but they are returning in the fall.

A “good” vacancy rate for renters would be around 5 or 6%, less than that is considered a landlord’s market.  It’s still a landlord’s market.  So even is we have money for housing . . . will we find landlords that will rent to people?  The Madison ordinances still prevent landlords from discriminating based on homelessness or where their rent money comes from, but they can find many other reasons to not rent to people (eviction history, criminal background checks, etc)

So, what if we have a couple million dollars to house people, and no housing to house them in?

PROBLEM TWO: MOVING PEOPLE AROUND DOESN’T SOLVE HOMELESSNESS

I almost immediately after posted this on facebook:

Here we go again . . . due to neighbor and business complaints, homeless people are being “relocated” (car campers, Peace Park), electricity is being shut off, park shelters are being boarded up, police are starting to get more aggressive and doing “enforcement actions”, people are being threatened with tickets, there is only one sanctioned city camping spot they are recommending people go to . . . except for the last item, seems like things are “returning to normal” with no meaningful change. Between the last post and this one . . . it’s not looking good . . .

I posted it because I had just been in a meeting where the city was updating us on activities that were taking place to move people without homes from where they were to other desired locations.  I just had this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.  It was Occupy all over again.  We all know there is no legal place to sleep in Madison if you are homeless except for the area between the street and the sidewalk (that is why many people sleep around the square) – everything else bus stops (tickets), benches (have pars in the middle to prevent sleeping or have been removed), cars have to move every 48 hours, you can’t sleep in front of the city/county building, can’t sleep in parks after 10pm, there is literally, legally, no place to go.  None.  Remember, you can only stay in shelters (60?) 90 days of the year or if it is below 20 degrees or its a Weather Exception Night.

What about city sanctioned camping sites?

The mayor did issue emergency order #2 which was a month and a half after the pandemic started and is near useless.  Here’s all the rules that go with it:

1. The Operations Section Chief of the City’s Emergency Operations Center, or the Deputy Operations Section Chief, may designate specified areas within City parks and greenways where temporary permissible encampments (TPEs) will be allowed during the City’s declared COVID-19 public health emergency. Criteria for TPE approval shall include the following:

• • The proposed TPE site is located at least 500 feet from any residential property;
  • The proposed TPE site is not in a flood plain or other low lying area susceptible to flooding, or otherwise in a location that is deemed unsafe;
  • The proposed TPE is accessible via public property or right of way;
  • The proposed TPE is accessible for delivery, servicing and removal of portable toilets, hand washing stations, and trash containers;
  • The usable area of the site is sufficient to enable its users to practice recommended social distancing protocols (12 feet by 12 feet per person);
  • The presence of an encampment on or near City-owned land or associated facilities (e.g.. park shelters), or its use as a TPE will not prevent, disrupt or interfere with their intended public use;
  • The use of city-owned land as a TPE will not prevent City staff from performing normal maintenance or upkeep of the site and/or its facilities; and,
  • The site is not located in an environmentally sensitive area

2. In designated TPEs, during the City’s declared COVID-19 public health emergency, the following ordinances shall not be enforced:

• • Section 7.53: A campground license shall not be required for a TPE
  • Section 21:    Park closure hours shall not be enforced against occupants of an encampment or service providers.
  • Section 8.265: The prohibition on lodging in parks shall not be enforced against occupants of a permissible encampment
  • Section 8.40: The prohibition on camping in conservation parks shall not be enforced against occupants of a permissible encampment
  • Chapter 28: Any provision of the City’s zoning code which might otherwise prohibit the TPE shall not be enforced

3. The Mayor, in consultation with Public Health Madison and Dane County (PHMDC) and the Community Development Division, may revoke a TPE designation when any one of the following occurs:

• • The Director of PHMDC determines that a COVID-19 public health emergency no longer exists;
  • The continued use of the TPE no longer serves the health and safety of its users or the community;
  • The site is no longer suitable as a TPE;
  • The users of a TPE engage in illegal and/or unsafe behaviors or continued use of the TPE is deemed disruptive to neighboring residents or otherwise  makes the area unavailable or unsafe for its intended public uses; or,
  • Members of TPE have violated City of Madison Parks Behavioral Policy and have been removed from the TPE

4. Upon revocation of a TPE, occupants of a TPE shall have up to five (5) days to remove themselves and any items from the location, after which the City may enforce the above ordinances and proceed under Section 8.44, the City’s Lost and Abandoned Property ordinance

So far, I think there is only one site that they are trying to push people to – but its a little hard to get to.  One location they have has 22 people and they are getting lots of complaints.  They haven’t found any more locations to allow people to camp.

Car Camping

In other locations larger numbers of car campers are emerging again.  The city is looking for places to send people to where they can car camp – but . . . there are no ideal locations.  Meanwhile, there are other concerns (health, behavioral, street violations) etc.  While the city is not currently ticketing anyone (because its a stupid exercise since the tickets won’t get paid) they also need to solve some of the above issues and people could be ticketed if they don’t “comply” with whatever the city wants.  Here’s the tickets they could get

• 7.05 – Health nuisance: fine up to $1000; increasing citations of 250, 500, and $1000.
• 7.32 – Deposit of refuse on streets: fine up to $500 + cleanup costs; $200 citation.
• 7.321 – Deposit of human waste: fine of $10-200; $100 citation.
• 7.46 – Water pollution: fine of $50-2000; increasing citations of 250, 500 and $1000.
• Streets will ticket a car if it has not moved within 48 timeframe $20/per ticket (moving from one side of the street to another or down the road is not sufficient)
• After 24 hours and still not moved could call impound $80 abandonment fee, $65 tow fee and $45/day impound fee for storage

Again, I don’t think the city is wanting to ticket people, just stop problematic behaviors and potentially move to . . . where?

And sadly, instead of social workers and housing, the police are dealing with this situation for the most part.

Kicking people without homes off State St.

Yeah, the electricity is being turned off, they are enforcing the 10pm curfew in Peace Park, the police told the business community that they were beginning “enforcement actions” in that location.  Things are “back to normal” it seems.

They moved the portapotty and hand washing station from State Street to library mall and asks social service providers to move their activities (food, supplies) to that location.  Which seems like a nightmare when the students return.

Parks

It’s entirely unclear to me which parks people can sleep in and get away with it and which ones they cannot.  I’ve seen tents get notices that they need to move their “abandoned” property, and one shelter is being boarded up.  Others are well known to be there and the city is putting portapotties and hand washing stations there.  So, I’m unclear what the rules are and which rules are being enforced.

PROBLEM THREE: LONG TERM PLANS FOR SHELTER?

And quickly thereafter, I posted this on facebook:

What happens when the COVID-19 money for hotels runs out in December? And Warner Park is no longer available to be a shelter? The men’s shelter can’t go back to church basements. What’s the plan? (Based on this post and the last two, see the train coming down the track headed in our direction?)

Hotels

What happens when the hotels run out in December or sooner?

I posted it because there are 351 people staying in hotels – 179 singles and 64 families (181 people).  That is great!  Until the end of December when the counties money runs out.  And . . . its costing $26M dollars.   Imagine what better uses of that money could be – can you say, permanent affordable housing units???

Additionally, people have been moved from hotel to hotel as the hotels re-opened to the public.  How much longer will these spaces be available?  (Honest question, don’t know which ones are under contract through the end of December and which are not.

Waiting lists

Also, there are 50-60 more families on a waiting list for shelter.  All families qualify for this list.

There are 50-80 singles who are on a waiting list for shelter.  Only people who are vulnerable or over 65 qualify.  This is why there are another 312 people (singles not families) not in shelters.  206 people still in shelter and 106 camping outdoors (that we have identified). Here’s what it takes to qualify:

People who are age 65 or older OR people with any of the following medication conditions:

• • •  Chronic kidney disease
    • COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
    • Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
    • Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 or higher)
    • Serious heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
    • Sickle cell disease
    • Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Warner Park PLUS shelters can’t go back to church basements

Eventually Warner Park which is serving as the men’s shelter is going to open up to its regular services.  When that happens, they can’t go back to the shelters, there is no way to safely physically distance people.  The capacity is significantly reduced because they were using bunk beds and they were very close together.  The spaces they had at Grace Epicopal and Saint Johns could probably hold a 12 – 20 people each.  Without a vaccine – they can’t go back there.  And they shouldn’t, it was inhumane to begin with.

WHAT IS DANE COUNTY AND MADISON DOING TO PLAN FOR THESE ISSUES?

Honest question.

What’s the plan?  Who’s talking about it?  What are the options?  Where is the discussion taking place?  Have you heard anything?

Of course, you can ask, but I’m not sure they have any answers:

• parisi@countyofdane.com
• mayor@cityofmadison.com
• County_Board_Recipients@countyofdane.com
• allalders@cityofmadison.com

I’m not sure anyone does . . . I know that staff are working on it and running into walls.  Lots of “no” to deal with. I think we need more political will to get to “yes”.  Except for the political nature of things, this isn’t that hard of a problem to solve.  Less than 1,000 housing units would solve the problem and we could stop spending all this money on homelessness.  We can build 1,000 units and staff them if we have the will.  Of course, we also have to stop the eviction tsunami that is coming.