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Presentation for the Community Partnership for Homeless National Program Development Seminar (Friday, November 5, 2010) http://cphinational.org/
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Solving Street HomelessnessThe experience of Columbia, SC
Mac BennettPresident and CEO United Way of the Midlands
History of Columbia’s efforts to address downtown homelessness
Background to successful effort: Midlands Housing Alliance
Challenges Project Status Lessons Learned
Overview
The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year.
John Foster Dulles
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein
January 8, 1994 Co-locating for a Continuum of Care for the Homeless
December 1995 Community Steering Committee on Homelessness
April 3, 1997 Report to the Community Steering Committee on Homelessness
March 1, 1998Report to City Council: Columbia Committee in Conjunction with the Columbia Community Development Department and the Office of the Mayor
March 14, 2001Report and Recommendation of the Midlands Commission on
Homelessness Task force on Emergency Services
Homelessness in Columbia: Consensus on the Problem
September 200510 Year plan
Research Community engagement
◦ Community Forums◦ Stakeholder Meeting◦ Intergovernmental Summit on Homelessness
10 key strategies including comprehensive housing and service center for people on the street
September 2006: Site Selection Committee Report
Blueprint to Address HomelessnessConsensus on the Solution?
City withdraws from process; supports other strategies◦ NIMBY/Neighborhood resistance◦ Lack of political will◦ Breakdown of regional approach◦ Neighborhood and race divisions◦ Loss of public/private partnership
Homelessness in Columbia: Part Two
I couldn't wait for success, so I went ahead without it.
Jonathan Winters
Fall 2006 Provider-Business group begins meeting soon after Site Selection Committee proposal rejected.Summer 2007 Opportunity emerges for Salvation Army propertyFall 2007 through Spring 2008 Coalition led by MBLG, Chamber, UWM work on redevelopment plan for Salvation Army property
•Bring in new partners including faith community MIHAC), neighborhoods, more providers, more business.•Negotiations with Knight Foundation •Assessment and TA provided by Community Partnership for the Homeless
Private Initiative
June 2008 Midlands Housing Alliance announced Option to purchase Salvation Army property
$5 million Knight Foundation Grant
Homelessness in Columbia: Milestone
November 2008 MHA meets $5M Knight Foundation Challenge Grant
•$6.5M Local, primarily private dollars raised •$11.75M development budget
DDRC approves architectural plansBoard of Zoning Appeals approval; decision upheld in Circuit CourtProperty purchased January 2010Project $2M budget when fully operating
•$838,000 HUD Supportive Housing Grant•$625,000 from local governments•$500,000 Kresge Foundation grant
To open May 2011
MHA: Progress to Date
Community outreach workers Day Center – to serve 100-125 people
daily with light meal, showers, laundry, case workers, service providers
52 Emergency beds 26 Respite beds 72 Program beds 64 Transitional housing beds
Life must be understood backwards; but... it must be lived forward.
Soren Kierkegaard
NIMBY Neighborhood opposition
Expressed in neighborhood meetings, city council and zoning meetings, letters, lawsuits, FOIA requests to HUD.
Concerns regarding neighborhood traffic; criminal activity and sexual predators.
Responded with trip to Miami, engagement on board, Good Neighbor Policy.
City opposition Offered alternative site to appease neighborhoods. Considered but rejected as unfeasible and risking Knight
commitment.
Church opposition Expressed in meetings with MHA and conveyed to city council. Concerns focused on security issues and impact on new church
property. Responded with security risk assessment and adoption of
recommendations.
Challenges
Environmental/regulatory issues• Ground contamination. Designated Brownfield
site.• Licensing questions regarding level of care. Not
deemed a Community Residential Care Facility.• Asbestos. Removed.
Negotiation with Salvation Army• Challenges negotiating with distant decision
makers. Persisted.
Challenges
Politics• Neighborhood influence over city politics• Lack of regional cooperation• Poor financial situation, especially City of
Columbia
Challenges
$5M challenge grant coupled with local match
Identifying property zoned for the purpose Consistent media support for effort Close collaboration between business and
providers Inadequacy of previous public efforts Recent self organization of the homeless
Advantages
Invited experts from other communities for advice. Homeless centers in Atlanta, Savannah, Charlotte, Raleigh, Greenville & Miami participated.
Engagement of regional experts/investigation of other programs/support from Miami team
Broad coalition of business, providers and faith community
Leadership of strong intermediary in United Way
Passionate leadership must emerge
Good Ideas
What role will politics play? When should neighborhoods be engaged? How visible should effort be? How do you balance program goals while
addressing neighborhood concerns?
Good Questions