RV and cottage housing for the homeless in Austin

[TexasBushwhacker]

It's a start. What do you think?

"Habitat On Wheels (HOW) is an ongoing effort by Mobile Loaves & Fishes to effectivley confront homelessness in Austin.

HOW gets people off the street by providing them with recreational vehicle housing and the support they need to improve thier circumstance. This solution not only provides participants with housing, but also with a supportive community that is dedicated to helping them effect positve change in their lives.

Park Place, our vision for the future of HOW. Park Place is our planned community for the homeless of Austin, TX. Far from just benefiting those who will live in it, it will create a more pleaseant atmosphere in Austin by bringing dignity and respect to some of its most underappreciated and amazing citizens."

http://www.mlfnow.org/site/PageServer?pagename=habitat_on_wheels

Floorplan of small cottages that will be built as well:

http://www.mlfnow.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6009

[ananda]

1. This is great.

I just donated.

[TexasBushwhacker]

3. Wow, I guess I'm not the only one that thinks it's a good thing

Park Place Village, the new community that they are building in East Austin, is very close to where I work (the Whole Foods Warehouse). The land is owned by the City of Austin and MLF was given a long term lease. I heard that there were the typical NIMBY protests at a city council meeting and knowing the area, all I could think was "whose backyard?" because it's really a pretty isolated area - more light industrial than residential. I drove down the road where it's going to be located and all I could think was how will they get to the grocery, the doctor, etc., but they are going to having bus service there. There are a few run down older homes in the area, but they'll benefit from the bus service too. I don't KNOW that this project will be successful, but I sure am glad that someone is trying to do something!

[Warpy]

2. Camper shells and fifth wheels on cinderblocks

in campgrounds. That's how the more fortunate marginal workers here are living. Often these things were abandoned in the campgrounds by owners who died or simply walked away from them due to a change of life circumstance. The campground rents them out for a little more than space rent.

The alternatives are a homeless shelter, a series of couches at relatives' homes, or a makeshift shack in the woods.

Depressed wages have consequences. Homelessness is one of the more visible ones. People who live in unheated tin cans in the winter at a campground consider themselves lucky.

[bobbolink]

4. "Depressed wages have consequences. " Could we please remember that there are also disabled and

elderly homeless people, too?

This is the biggest problem I face right now... being INVISIBLE because I'm not working.

It really does get a person down.

Please remember me, and those thousands of others like me (including many DUers!), OK?

Thank you.

[bobbolink]

5. Two points.. if these are the same teeeny "homes" posted on another thread,

they're just one more expensive "temporary" housing. I guess it's a step up from shelters, but what is NEEDED is permanent, durable, and comfortable LOW-INCOME HOUSING.

Second, I'd like to know what they mean with "support". Actually listening to poor and homeless people has gone out of "style", and THAT is what is needed.

More of the authoritarian, "we experts know what's best for you, so shut up and conform" is what is harming people.

Knowing more about those two parts of this is imperative before forming an opinion.

[TexasBushwhacker]

6. Follow the links

There is a lot of information on the Mobile Loaves and Fishes website. You can check out the organization and their other services as well as the HOW (Habitat on Wheels) program. They have a site plan, a business plan, even a little video.

http://www.mlfnow.org/site/PageServer?pagename=habitat_on_wheels

While I understand the objection to "teeny" housing, these are looked upon as an alternative for homeless individuals that don't adapt well to high density apartment settings. There's only so much land, so I think they wanted to provide small homes as well as common areas (community pavillions, a "Great Lodge") to encourage interaction with others. MLF has already placed 30 formerly homeless people in mobile homes in RV parks around the city over the last three years. They say that "86% of our original residents continue to live independently in their new homes". This is will be a community that provides permanent housing for the formerly homeless. I work near the site, and I think it will be really nice. There's lots of green space and big spreading oak trees.

Austin has quite a bit of low income housing available as well, including 2 senior communities. The HOW program isn't meant to replace any other programs, but to offer something different. The Park Place community will be the first of its kind. The mayor said that if it's successful, he'd like to build at least 3 more in other parts of town.

[bobbolink]

7. As I said, it's an alternative to shelters. That's something.

It ain't permanent housing.

THAT's what's badly needed.

Plus, the lack of authoritarian "help" is badly needed.

[maryf]

8. It is something

and one step in the right direction, and hopefully the people get to be autonomous! and have a voice in the situation. Seems like some thought and real heart went into it, some consideration for the true needs of the less fortunate, hopefully more steps are taken.

[maryf]

9. thanks for appreciating the forgotten!!

" bringing dignity and respect to some of its most underappreciated and amazing citizens." Thats a lovely sentiment! Dignity, respect, PLUS, somebody to listen and try to help, every move in this direction is good, so long as its not directed by authoritarian types. Thanks!

[TexasBushwhacker]

10. I really like the founder

Alan Graham was a successful businessman who had kind of a mid-life crisis. Not a "get a mistress and buy a sports car" crisis, but a "what good is making a lot of money if I don't make a difference in people's lives?" kind of crisis. He's a devout Catholic, but felt that he had been talking the talk more than walking the walk. He got together with some friends over coffee and they decided that one thing that was a problem for the homeless was that all the shelters, soup kitchens, etc. required that the homeless person get to them. They felt that going to the homeless where there are would help close a gap in the "system". One of the six founding members had been homeless himself, so he served as their "guide to the streets". What started with one truck in Austin in 1998 has grown to 12 trucks in Austin, San Antonio, New Orleans, Providence and Nashville going out 7 days a week. They even give out candy at Halloween!

I found this quote in one of the old newsletters. It's from Bob Karash, an electrical engineer and captain of two truck teams:

“Some people criticize MLF saying it enables people (to remain reliant on handouts). My answer is, I don’t care if I enable 30 people—if I help one person in desperate need, it’s been worth it.”

[maryf]

11. One of the six founding members had been homeless himself

Thats notable, and wise on their part...

[TexasBushwhacker]

12. Here's another program that I think is kind of cool

This started as a student project at the College of Architecture at the University of Colorado. The idea was to come up with a standard design to affordably remodel older mobile homes and create a kit that could be purchased. So far they only have the one prototype, but at least someone is thinking outside the box (or maybe this one is inside the box). In any case, "one size fits all" doesn't work for the homeless and low income residents any more than it works for anyone else.

http://www.trailerwrap.net/

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/trailers-from-trash-to-panache

As a single, lower middle class woman, I'd like to live in something more permanent (and private!) than an apartment, but I make too little to qualify for a traditional mortgage that would cover even a small home here in Austin, but I make too much to qualify for a Habitat for Humanity house. I'd be happy as a clam in a "Katrina Cottage" but restrictions on minimum house size make it impossible to build anything close to town.

http://www.mississippirenewal.com/info/dayAug23-06b.html

[maryf]

13. restrictions on minimum house size

These restrictions are horrible and seems planned to keep out the poorer folk, gentrification...

I love the house plans personally, but really don't see them as applicable to the homeless as viable options. It seems rehab would be cheaper? And Hud needs to get back into the business of building homes for the indigent, they've gone off track. Thanks! The trailer idea is at least a good idea to keep the waste materials down!!

[TexasBushwhacker]

14. I think time is a factor too

Anyone who's gone through remodeling knows how long it can take. Sometimes it's easier, quicker and cheaper to build from scratch. Remodeling can often mean dealing with lead paint, asbestos, antiquated and out of code wiring and plumbing, etc. The Katrina Cottage designs have now been "panelized" by a company in Florida so that they can go up even quicker. These were intended to be an alternative to the FEMA trailers that the feds spent billions on, that had so much outgassing from cheap materials that they made people sick. The people living in the Katrina Cottage villages in Mississipi love them, and the people that scream NIMBY say that they're "too nice".

Here's an article about a new cottage village built in pricey Seattle. While these aren't cheap, the average price for homes in Seattle is over $400K, and it was higher last year. But even though these Ravenna Cottages were hard to initially get approved for building, even though they were no smaller than the "tear downs" they often replaced.

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20010225&slug=ravenna25

[bobbolink]

15. You are right on target, but it appears minds have been made up.

Nothing that is said to the contrary now has any validity. Afterall, we're used to not being heard, so it's nothing new.

Those of us who have managed to maintain our belongings can now throw out everything in order to have a "cottage" that doesn't have even the room of a trailer or a dorm room.

So much for our books.

So much for our photo albums.

So much for any items of strictly sentimental value.. it will all have to be "utilitarian", or out it goes.

So much for having a hobby or two-- there's no room for organizing and storing the necessary materials for a hobby.

So much for having the room to have friends over for a card game or an evening of movies. It's hard enough to do that in an apartment, but impossible in teeny quarters meant for one, or two at the most.

We all know that isolation is so very good for human beings.

Just eat, sleep and change clothes to go to work.

After all, that's all that important in life, right?

Oh, and if you're physically unable to climb a ladder to a loft to go to sleep, you can delete that part, too.

[maryf]

16. The loft part

is critical, this might be a good place for a young person just starting out with few belongings and the need to economize, but I still think rehabbing can be a better way to go. The building materials they use these days are so shoddy too. At least there's a discussion about housing for the homeless! thats cause for some cheer.

[TexasBushwhacker]

17. MY mind is made up that HOW is trying to make a difference

The Park Place Village project is to provide housing for people who have been living on the street, in shelters or in tents in the woods. This is to address the needs of the chronically homeless that make up 10% to 15% of all of Austin's homeless population. As I mentioned before, it is meant to be just another housing option offered in the city, in addition to the SRO's (single room occupancies) in apartment complexes that work for some individuals and couples. It's not meant to replace Section 8 housing, or any of the other options already available. They estimate that Austin has approximately 600 to 800 chronically homeless individuals and hopefully, PPV will house 25% of them.

I see no lofts in any of these places that has a ladder, although some have stairs. Since many of the residents may be disabled, I doubt that ladder access lofts would be in anyone's plans, and frankly, Central Texas is too damn hot for lofts. I believe the smaller Katrina Cottages are what are being evaluated for the site built Park Homes. Even the smallest has a kitchenette and bathroom with shower, as well as a separate (small) bedroom.

http://www.cusatocottages.com/selectaplan.php

The Park Place Village site plan has a little over one hundred 25' x 45' pads for RV's or site built Park Homes (up to 400 sf), and then another 50 or so Camping Cottages (approx. 150 sf each) that will have air conditioning and electricity, but no plumbing. Toilet facilities, showers and laundromats will be close by, not unlike you'd find in a traditional RV park. There are also four 20' x' 40' community pavilions on the property, as well as a Great Lodge. I don't see any reason that anyone at PPV would have to be isolated, in fact MLF recognizes the loss of family and community as the biggest CAUSE of homelessness.

But don't get me wrong. PPV may not offer the space that some people need. But with limited resources, and let's face it, resources are ALWAYS limited, I'd rather get 200 people off the street in "teeny" homes than providing 100 people more space. It's not one size fits all, and it's not meant to be.

[maryf]

20. Your intent and heart are right!

Hopefully they allow the folks to have a say, again I'm happy they had a formerly homeless person on the planning committee; the article that bobbolink posted is very good at explaining how the perceptions of these plans can be dangerous to the idea that this type of thing is a be all and end all of the problem of homelessness. Keep searching and researching!! You recognize the severity of the problem and this program seems like it might be something. :)

[bobbolink]

18. The newest policy flavor not solving homelessness

note to mods: This article specifically says it is to be shared and used. thank you.

“Housing First” and the “Chronic Homeless” Initiative

The newest policy flavor in addressing homelessness is the Housing First model. This model makes the fairly common sense claim that the best way to help homeless people is to place them in a stable home first and then to provide case management and supportive services as needed.46 Housing First has been euphorically hailed as a paradigm shift and a policy discovery that will end homelessness, rather than just manage it. Its basic rationale is that housing provides a stabilizing effect on the lives of people forced to live on the street. People actually experiencing homelessness have long known about this “stabilizing effect;” but, ironically, when academics and government officials pronounce this basic street wisdom, it suddenly becomes a policy discovery and a paradigm shift.

The hype surrounding Housing First, however, has not led to the funding of affordable housing production at the levels necessary to resolve homelessness and to generally help alleviate poverty in the United States because it has been applied only to a small stream of homeless assistance funding. Rather, the emergence of the Housing First model has occurred simultaneous with a continued assault on public housing, housing subsidies, Section 8, basic social safety net services, health care, childcare, education, and with a refusal to increase the federal minimum wage.47 While Housing First has given lip service to the importance of housing, it has not been supported with a commitment to provide the resources necessary to ensure adequate, affordable, and universal housing for all.

Instead of leading to a push for universal and affordable housing, Housing First has been directly tied only to the newest homeless target sub-population: the chronically homeless. Chronically homeless people are defined as single homeless individuals with severe challenges of mental illness or substance abuse who have been serially homeless or who have been homeless for over a year.48 The Bush administration, through the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) and HUD, has advocated for a mandate that, in order to receive priority for federal funding, localities must produce tenyear plans focusing their community’s efforts toward addressing chronic homelessness.49 Housing First is the favored model for addressing chronic homelessness. This has forced communities to often implement Housing First policies by leasing hotel units from forprofit landlords, and then claiming that these previously existing units are newly created housing for homeless people.

Combining Housing First with a nearly exclusive focus on chronically homeless individuals links the recognition of the importance of affordable housing in addressing homelessness with the portrayal that homelessness is primarily about dysfunctional, “chronically” homeless individuals. In this portrayal, affordable housing becomes primarily a means to warehouse deviant homeless individuals.50 This again reinforces negative stereotypes about homeless people and the premise that individual deficiencies are the primary cause of homelessness. Rather than contributing to a full redress of the massive need for affordable housing throughout the United States, Housing First has become but another strategy for dealing with degenerate homeless outcasts.

With each annual budget and with seemingly great determination, the federal government continues the cuts to social programs that began under Reagan and continues to pulverize the social safety net and affordable housing options that prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place. For more than 25 years, politicians,government agencies, and community task forces – with all their various plans and programs to address homelessness – have failed to restore federal funding and construction of affordable housing to the pre-1980s levels. It is not surprising, therefore, that they have failed to resolve homelessness.

WITHOUT HOUSING

[maryf]

19. This is such a problem

"Combining Housing First with a nearly exclusive focus on chronically homeless individuals links the recognition of the importance of affordable housing in addressing homelessness with the portrayal that homelessness is primarily about dysfunctional, “chronically” homeless individuals. In this portrayal, affordable housing becomes primarily a means to warehouse deviant homeless individuals.50 This again reinforces negative stereotypes about homeless people and the premise that individual deficiencies are the primary cause of homelessness. Rather than contributing to a full redress of the massive need for affordable housing throughout the United States, Housing First has become but another strategy for dealing with degenerate homeless outcasts."

This is critically important and worth repeating. thanks!

[bobbolink]

21. Unfortunately, it doesn't fit on a bumpersticker. ^_^

BUT, you are right.... it's critically important for USians to understand this!!