RezoneOKC

We throw around trendy cities like Seattle and Portland when discussing streetcar, but a very successful system is right next door in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 2004, Little Rock opened its River Rail service, a heritage trolley line. Functionally, heritage trolleys are the same as the modern streetcar we will be getting, but I think their vintage design seems to appeal more to the tourist crowd. No doubt the River Rail is used by residents as well.

Little Rock has 3.4 miles of streetcar, connecting hotels, tourist attractions, historic neighborhoods, a convention center, an arena, and the office district. The original 2.5 miles were built in 2004 for only $8 million per mile, which is cheap since $10-20 million per mile is a generally acceptable estimate. It has been doubling ridership expectations, with about 3,000 per day. They only charge $2 for a day pass on River Rail, so this low price may be a reason for the high ridership.

The layout of the track is basically two small loops connected by a single-track bridge over the Arkansas River, with an extension to the Clinton Library. Looks like the schedule generally offers 15-minute service.

I have finally gotten around to completing the series on Homelessness by looking at some innovative solutions being done by nonprofits and local governments in other cities.

East Main Place – Norman, OK

The main reason I became interested in solutions for homelessness was that I heard about Norman’s East Main Place. East Main Place is a transitional housing service that offers a furnished apartment sponsored by “dedicated room sponsors.” Clients are able to live at East Main Place for one year, while working with case workers who help them make lifestyle changes and learn skills so that they can enter the workforce and begin to save money.

Rent at East Main Place is capped at $150 per month, but it is determined on an individual basis. Residents must also save at least $50 per month from their job earnings. When they leave East Main Place, residents take the furniture from the apartment with them to their new housing.

The success rate at East Main Place is really good. According to their website, 91% of residents increase their income over the year, 56% leave with savings, and 74% go into permanent housing. Clearly, the program at East Main Place is working to help homeless people get back on their feet and become productive members of society.

The Mayor’s Homelessness Action Task Force recommended that 1,000 of these Housing First units similar to East Main Place be created in Oklahoma City.

The Bridge - Dallas, TX

The Bridge is a new $24 million facility funded by a public-private partnership. It opened in May 2008  in downtown Dallas and according to the website costs about $1.6 million to run every four months, or about $25 per person per day. The Bridge is similar to the proposed WestTown facility in Oklahoma City in that it combines homeless services into one collaborative effort at one location.

Some of the services offered at the Bridge include assistance in filing for benefits, mental healthcare, housing assistance, mail, job seeking assistance, storage, and even a kennel for pets. The key to the Bridge is that it provides for both emergency care and transitional care. That is, short-term and long-term solutions determined on an individual basis.

The good news is that as I researched what other cities are doing about homelessness, I found that most of the different approaches toward prevention and alleviation are already being implemented or planned in Oklahoma City. Several other cities have implemented programs similar to the Real Change Voucher- Columbus has “Put Your Change Where You Can Make One” and Philadelphia is known for “The More You Give Change, the More Things Stay the Same.”

The work of the Mayor’s Homelessness Action Task Force was thorough and well-reasoned, and hopefully the city and local nonprofits can stay on track toward meeting the suggestions and objectives made by that committee.

Homelessness and Downtown Series
Part 1: Current Initiatives
Part 2: Mayor’s Homelessness Action Task Force
Part 3: Homelessness Solutions Elsewhere

In 2007, Mayor Cornett set up the Mayor’s Homelessness Action Task Force, with members including (among others) Brett Hamm, Ann Simank, Chip Fudge, Greg Banta, Russel Claus, and Richard Tanenbaum. There was good representation from the city and from property owners.

The team was supposed to look into the problem basically in light of the billions of dollars of investments that have changed downtown. More people live, work, and spend time downtown- so more people are aware of homelessness in the city.

As Oklahoma City continues its emergence as a city with national visibility, the elimination of chronic homelessness is well within our capabilities.

Here are a few of the major recommendations that were made in the September 2007 report.

1. Coordinated System

The issue is that some resources are overwhelmed while others are underutilized. Most of the homeless service providers are independent entities without a coordinating body. The issue is being addressed by the development of WestTown (see Part 1) and, at the time of the report, a “dream team” that would coordinate efforts of service providers.

2. Develop 1000 Housing First Units

The “Housing First” model revolves around the idea that the home itself is the most central part of recovery for any homeless person, whether the problem is financial or substance abuse related. After placing the client in an apartment, further assistance is offered. The report said there were only 180 units already available. Ideally, the units are “scattered site,” meaning the clients are not all herded into the same place downtown, but spread around at locations around the metro.

Above all, the Housing First approach would mean we could switch from an “emergency shelter strategy” to a “rapid re-housing strategy” that would better serve people.

3. Sustainable Public Transportation for the Homeless

The Homeless Alliance offers the H.net Express, a privately funded bus that is free for homeless people that connects them to shelters and service providers. The task force hoped that MetroTransit would be able to help support the H.net Express.

4. Collaborate with Law Enforcement

A recommendation was to add more “Crisis Intervention Team” trained officers, who are able to deal with situations involving “mentally ill and intoxicated” people. Additionally, these CIT officers would connect the homeless individual involved to services rather than taking him to jail.

5. Relocate homeless services

Efforts should be directed at concentrating homeless services outside of the downtown core. Indirectly this would relocate the homeless population and divert negative behaviors, which tend to be prominent in areas where homeless services are abundant and where the primary needs of the homeless can be met.

The task force recommends that a day service center be located “outside of and sufficiently buffered from the downtown redevelopment area.” Probably they are referring to WestTown at 3rd and Virginia, about one and a half miles from the Arts District.

The task force also focused on other service providers in the area like the Salvation Army, which they noted is in the Core to Shore planning area. They note that the Salvation Army and other service providers in or near Core to Shore would be encouraged to relocate somewhere else.

The suggestions of the Mayor’s Homelessness Action Task Force are well thought out and generally rely on examples from other cities’ successful programs. They focus first on reducing homelessness, and second on putting homelessness a little bit more out of sight from our ritzy new downtown.

It is the latter that could cause controversy and I do think it sounds crass to suggest homeless people should just be pushed over to 3rd and Virginia where downtowners won’t be bothered by them. If this is the direction that the city elects to move toward, I would hope that it wouldn’t end up being a “swept under the rug” issue- maybe high visibility in a new downtown is the only way we can get enough popular awareness to fight against homelessness.

The following quote from the task force’s report assures me that priorities are in order:

Reducing homelessness, particularly street homelessness, will require serious, focused, ongoing collaboration between all service providers and funding sources. Any effort to reduce the negative impacts of homelessness should also recognize the value of preventive measures over short-term attempts to simply relocate the problem.

If you’d like to read the full text of the MHATF Report, I have put it on my server here (opens as PDF file).

Homelessness and Downtown Series
Part 1: Current Initiatives
Part 2: Mayor’s Homelessness Action Task Force
Part 3: Homelessness Solutions Elsewhere