Houston, We Really Have a Problem

In late April Former Front Steps star Social Services Provider and former Texas Homeless Network Case Manager of the year stood on the Southeast corner of Neches & 7th Streets. It had been one month since the City renewed its Shelter contract with Front Steps, whereas at that time, no visible progress could be seen inside or outside the shelter. There have since been signs that both Austin Public Health and The National Alliance To End Homelessness or NAEH (a Washington, D.C. based consultant that the City has contracted with to help mitigate practices at the ARCH) have been increasing their involvement with the summer transition of homeless services and homeless services reform at the City’s shelter.

(See NAEH’s website)

On April 29th, 2019 Austin’s Health and Human Services Committee called a special meeting pertaining to forthcoming Homeless Services Reform. In the Committee’s haste to exclude valuable input amidst narrowing the schedule in which the shelter (ARCH) will reduce beds and services. Absent from the conversation was: 1.) Interaction and placement of the chronic mentally ill. 2.) Interaction and placement for those experiencing chronic addiction. 3.) The unlawful, unruly, and predatory behavior serving as a fortress on the exterior of the ARCH building. A Response and Report to these omitted subjects was served to City of Austin’s Clerk Office, Austin’s Health and Human Services Committee, Texas Health and Human Services, The National Alliance To End Homelessness, and the Downtown Community Court Advisory board asserting a voice for the community encouraging that the aforementioned subjects do not go unaddressed by Austin Public Health during this vital transition period.

(See Austin’s Health and Human Services Committee Special Called meeting agenda)

(See GHCE’s Response and Report to Austin’s Health and Human Services Committee)

On May 17th, 2019 when addressing the Downtown Austin Community Court advisory board, obvious signs stood out of boundaries being inappropriately crossed by Ending Community Homelessness Coalition ‘s Ann Howard in the committee’s quorum. It has long since been observed that Howard serving on the DACC Advisory Board has been a blatant conflict of interest to the extent that she had secured funding for ECHO through the Committee. Compared to year’s past, the advisory board didn’t resemble much more of a forum than ECHO showing a video (not an agenda item) in addition to preaching the same old song and dance representing the failed mechanisms which has brought on the current Homeless Services Reform. In short, the ECHO Executive Director diverted the meeting, selling rhetoric resembling beating a dead horse. The same old snake oil that no one wants, doesn’t work, and really doesn’t even sell per historical outcome or demonstration.

Here's why......

Since ECHO seized ALL housing vouchers in 2014 and mandated a Coordinated Assessment requirement, Austin has been close to a stalemate per capita with regards to permanently housing the city’s homeless. Despite the massive amounts of funding (now upwards of $30 million city-wide) and the endless work hours invested, Austin's non-profit agencies and affordable housing providers have been fixed in a centripetal force of motion with their collateral dependency on individuals, not success for those individuals. Language, with regards to housing the homeless, becomes very sticky when the phrase “managing Homeless” comes into play as then it becomes apparent that the direction provided by The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s “Continuum of Care” (the governing mechanism of all things housing) and it’s funding, directed specifically in the orientation to “house individuals” is obviously misappropriated. So at best, let’s say that ECHO houses 465 individuals per year on a city-wide budget of $30 million per year. That brings the cost of housing each one of those individuals to $65,516.12 plus the value of a housing voucher. In contrast to the expenses of medical and other public services required for a homeless individual which the highest users of emergency departments visit weekly. Each visit costs $3,700; that's $18,500 spent per year for the average person and $44,400 spent per year for the highest users of the homeless to the emergency departments. In cities like New York, each unit of permanent supportive housing saves taxpayers $16,282 in public service costs each year, while the cost of one housing unit is $17,277.00. So while it is demonstrated that it is cheaper to house an individual rather than an individual living on the street or shelter, it is also demonstrated that the sticky phrase “Managing Homeless” is a costly money pit with non-profit human services agencies absorbing approximately $47,239.12 per individual housed in salaries and administrative kickbacks. There’s no argument that agencies as well as affordable housing providers have been fixed in a centripetal force of motion with their collateral dependency on individuals, not success for those individuals. When compared to a $30,957.12 loss per individual housed for service providers, it is more profitable to “Managing Homeless” than for the City of Austin to follow through with all the affordable housing promises made is days gone by. It’s proof of why homeless services agencies refuse to shrink in the fashion that would be expected for agencies meeting the housing end-game. Combine these factors with the exterior behaviors at the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless "Shelter" (ARCH) including: illicit drug sales, manufacturing controlled substances with intent to deliver, vendor without a license or permit, unregulated alcohol sales, unregulated tobacco sales, & human trafficking and you further have proof of [Racketeering 18 U.S.C. § 1961 - U.S. Code - Unannotated Title 18. Crimes and Criminal Procedure § 1961.]

(See Austin’s Auditors Office Homelessness_Assistance_Special_Report_February_2019)

(See Coordinated Assessment)

(See HUD Continuum of Care 101)

(See $30 million per year)