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Housing for 2,000 is foundation of new plan
Delaware is proposing an all-out, 10-year war on the chronic homeless problem.
The chronic homeless comprise only 15 percent of the total number of homeless, but they require a large number of services and consume 50 percent of the resources allotted for all homeless services in the state.
On Friday, Feb. 23, the Delaware Interagency Council on Homelessness unveiled its 10-year plan in a report, “Breaking the Cycle: Delaware’s 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness and Reduce Long-Term Homelessness,” which was quickly endorsed by Gov. Ruth Ann Minner.
The ambitious plan has as its goal to end chronic homelessness in the state in 10 years, said Christina Hardin-Dirksen, chief of public relations for the Delaware State Housing Authority, one of the agencies involved in writing the report and plan.
On any given night, there are nearly 2,000 homeless people in Delaware, with about 300 categorized as chronically homeless. The report revealed that nearly three quarters of chronically homeless are in New Castle County with 16 percent in Sussex County. Nearly 25 percent of chronic homeless live in abandoned homes or cars, in the woods or on the street.
Hardin-Dirksen said chronic homeless are defined as homeless for a year or more or homeless four times over the past three years and having a defined disability.
Housing is foundation
To end chronic homelessness, the council is proposing a multipronged approach involving several agencies and organizations. “This is a first of its kind ever in Delaware,” Hardin-Dirksen said. The process to compile information and formulate the plan and write the report took two years.
“We are looking at the bigger picture and not just the short term,” she said.
The foundation of the plan is construction of 648 housing units and provisions for 1,000 rental subsidies.
The units and rentals will be dispersed throughout the state. In all, about 2,000 people who are chronically homeless or at risk of long-term homelessness will be served. The units will serve persons with very low incomes who have diagnosable mental health conditions, substance-use conditions, disabilities and/or developmental disabilities, who have been homeless or pay more than 50 percent of their income for rent.
Plans call for existing houses to be utilized for the most part in Kent and New Castle counties with new construction in Sussex County.
Cara Robinson, executive director of the Homeless Planning Council of Delaware, said housing is the linchpin of the plan. “Without that as the main focus, nothing else happens,” she said.
The key to the housing recommendation in the plan is the tie to supportive services such as addiction treatment, said Hardin-Dirksen. “Everyone who needs them will receive support services,” she said.
Shay Lipshitz, director of Sussex County services for Brandywine Counseling’s office in Georgetown and a member of the interagency council, said the plan is a step in the right direction. She should know - she spent three years on the streets as a homeless person.
She has been at ground zero of the homeless problem working with Project Renewal since 2003. The program provides a safety net and recovery process for homeless substance abusers in Sussex County.
Housing is critical to help people make the transition off the streets, Lipshitz said.
“Homeless people are so transient and we are mandated by law to only offer them 30 days in a shelter. That is not enough,” she said. “Just as we are beginning to build a rapport with the client, they move on, and start all over.
“Their priority is food, clothing and shelter, and unless that is satisfied, nothing else will happen.”
She works with clients at a halfway house in another recovery program who can live there for six months to a year. “They need at least that long,” she said.
She also said it’s critical to attach supportive services to housing. “The ideal situation would be for every low-income housing project to have a case manager attached to it to help people move forward in their lives,” she said.
“People need hope. Our biggest job is to give people hope,” she said.
Cost of the plan
The total cost of the housing and rental component of the plan is estimated at $42 million for capital, $17 million for operating costs and $5 million for support services.
Hardin-Dirksen said research shows that once chronic and at-risk homeless are in a somewhat stable environment and receiving services such as medical care, they do not impact other systems such as hospital emergency rooms and the criminal justice system.
In addition, removing the chronic homeless from shelters and other programs that are already overcrowded will free up space. “This will free up beds and services for others who need temporary help and that is what the programs were intended for in the first place,” she said.
It’s a pay now or pay later issue, she said.
Robinson said some critics say the plan’s focus on the chronic homeless is too narrow. “But this is the population using the most resources. By moving the chronic homeless into permanent housing, they will be using 85 percent less shelter space, which in turn frees up shelter space. We target the chronic homeless and more options for all homeless become available.”
Another key part of the plan is to improve supportive services for the homeless including better transportation and employment services as well as walk-in mental health and substance abuse services.
The plan outlines a detailed funding plan to cover costs, including a shift from institutional services to community-based services.
The report revealed that it costs more than $170,000 a year to keep a person in the Delaware Psychiatric Center. In comparison, it cost $72,000 per year for a licensed group home bed and $34,000 per year for a bed in a supervised apartment program.
One of the first steps already under way is a request by the Delaware Homeless Council to the state for $3 million for housing vouchers for the homeless.
Robinson said other steps include advocacy efforts, getting all of the key organizations involved and strategizing to develop a realistic funding plan based on input from the public and politicians.
The plan can be viewed at www.destatehousing.com and click on publications.
THE HOMELESS
• Delaware – At any given time during the year, there are at least 1,800 homeless in the state with about 500 of those in southern Delaware – 250 in Sussex County.
• The nation – On any given day, 800,000 people are homeless in the United States. As many as 3 million people experience homelessness in a given year. That is 1 percent of the total U.S. population and 10 percent of the country’s poor population, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
THE PROFILE
• 80 percent are homeless less than three weeks; 10 percent are homeless for up to two months; and only 10 percent are considered the chronic homeless. The main reasons for chronic, lingering homelessness are mental illness and substance abuse, or both.
• 15 percent are considered chronically homeless in Delaware.
• 44 percent have worked during the last week.
• 71 percent live in central cities; 9 percent in rural areas; 20 percent in the suburbs.
• 34 percent are families with children; 66 percent are individuals; 41 percent are single males.
• 39 percent are children under the age of 18.
• 49 percent are African American.
• 54 percent were incarcerated at some point.
• 20 percent are veterans.
• 66 percent have either substance abuse and/or mental health problems.
• 41 percent are 31 to 50 years old.
THE REASONS
• Poverty – People who are homeless are the poorest of the poor without a livable income. Estimates are that people who are homeless have an income of around $300 to $400 per month; some have no income.
• Housing – There are more than 5 million low-income people who pay more than half of their income for rent or live in severely substandard housing. Nationwide, there has been a 5 percent loss of affordable housing units to low-income households. The average wait for federal Section 8 rental assistance is more than two years, according to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development report.
• Disability – People with disabilities who are unable to work and must rely on entitlements such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) have problems finding affordable housing. The $545-per-month benefit cannot cover the cost of an apartment or small house in any major housing market in the country.
• Risk factors – Untreated mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, release from incarceration and unexpected health-care expenses or other bills are among a variety of reasons people might find themselves homeless.
THE SHELTERS
Northport, 204 E. North St., Georgetown, 856-7524. Homeless mothers or fathers with children. One-year limit.
Crisis House, 110 N. Railroad Ave., Georgetown, 856-2246. Homeless men, women, and children. 30 days.
Casa San Francisco, 127 Broad St., Milton, 684-8694. Homeless single adults or married couples without children. 30 days.
Blessed Givings Destiny Chance Center, 109 E. Jewell St., Delmar, 846-3880. Homeless single females with children, homeless females, pregnant teens. Flexible.
The Home of the Brave, 6632 Sharps Road, Milford, 424-1681. Homeless veterans. One-month emergency; six months transitional stay.
Seaford Mission, 611 3rd and North streets, Seaford, 629-2559. Homeless adult males. One year.
Seaford Rotary House, 340 Market St., Seaford, 628-2000. Transitional homeless, employed full time with family. 90 days.
Contact Ron MacArthur at ronm@capegazette.com
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