Mobile Loaves & Fishes Blog

Should the disabled #homeless be fined for sitting down?

Richard Troxell is the President and Founder of House the Homeless in Austin, Texas. First and foremost he is an advocate for the rights and dignity of the homeless.  Today as this blog posts the Health and Human Services Committee of the City of Austin is debating whether to amend the no sit/no lying down ordinance to exclude people with verifiable known disabilities.  Incredulously there is a lot of opposition.  Here is Richard's point of view.  We would welcome other points of view and would gladly post.  Needless to say I support Richard's efforts to amend the ordinance.

 Between 2008 and 2010, House the Homeless (HTH) conducted several surveys and gathered others conducted by both the City of Austin and the City of Houston that demonstrated that a majority of people experiencing homelessness want to work. To that end, we have been collaborating with Mobile Loaves and Fishes in our "Let's Get to Work" Jobs Initiative.   A more recent survey conducted in 2010 by House the Homeless shows that 48%, or about half of those experiencing homelessness, are suffering debilitating health problems that are so severe that they are rendered incapable of working.

472 of the 501 people surveyed in this most recent survey felt that they periodically needed to sit down and rest from time to time, but 94% said they were unable to do so as they could not find a bench.  Compounding the situation, there exists a "Quality of Life" ordinance in Austin that prevents people from sitting or lying down making them subject to fines of up to $500.  This ordinance contains only one medical exception and that's for people already sitting in a wheel chair.  There aren't even exceptions for people on crutches or using orthopedic leg braces.   With health concerns ranging from Degenerative Heart Disease to Parkinson's Disease to Degenerative Rheumatoid Arthritis, half of the homeless population is in need of exceptions to the ordinance.

We are now promoting 19 possible exceptions that range from Disability Award letters from the Social Security Administration or the Veterans Administration to participant letters in the David Powell-AIDS Program to people standing in line at a health clinic and so on. Two city-wide stakeholder meetings resulted in two additional recommended exemptions: evidence of taking psychiatric medications or when the heat index hits 100 degrees or more.

House the Homeless has met with all members of City Council and received  favorable support.  We pointed out that if exceptions are granted (as they should be) then people will be sitting down all over the city.  We do not feel that people suffering disabilities should be sitting on the sidewalks etc. House the Homeless took 350 signatures of people requesting benches to the Mayor.  We think that as we encourage people to be more "Green" and to leave their automobiles to create a "world class city" we should provide an ample number of benches to accommodate all citizens. This should include pregnant women, people with Christmas packages and those suffering disabilities.  In response, Mayor Lee Leffingwell has directed the City Council Health and Human Services Committee to review the 19 "exemptions" requested by HTH and consider benches as part of the mitigation response.

Some social service providers have been opposed to benches suggesting their use may lead to illegal drug sales.  HTH contends that drugs can be sold in either a sitting or standing position and in any event, this is a question  of enforcement.  The benches that House the Homeless recommends  have center dividers so as to deter lying down.

The "Stakeholders" who attended the two meetings consisted of the Downtown Austin Alliance, The Austin Chamber of Commerce, about 10 uniformed police officers, their attorney, an attorney for Travis County, Downtown Community Court, City Staffers, a representative from the Omni and the Driscoll Hotels, downtown neighbors, representatives from the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless, ARCH and a representative from Caritas.  They were all joined in opposition and led by Charles Betts from the Downtown Austin Alliance.  As a group and to the last person, they opposed any exceptions or any additional benches intended to be a response to this issue.  Really? A doctor working for the United States Government, determines that a person is disabled after a process that often takes up to 15 months to complete its findings is somehow unacceptable to this group? Or finding of a disability of a Military Medical Review Team for a person willing to sacrifice a leg in Afghanistan  is unworthy of either an exception or a bench?

Today, HTH continues to look toward the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA, as possible legal recourse to provide the health relief associated with this issue. 

Finally, City staff members have reported that, "the Ordinance is working."  Really? For whom?  In reviewing COA No Sit/No Lying Down ord. citations secured under the Open Records Act, the Community Court  showed 2,729 tickets were issued between January 2009 through December 31st 2009. 70 tickets were subsequently dismissed with 708 convictions.  So while the HTH Survey indicated 48% of these folks had major disabilities, only 2.6% were dismissed on the basis of disability through the court.  At the same time, it has been observed by advocates that this ordinance has been used indiscriminately to sweep areas of people regardless of their disabilities.  Using the Community Court as a filtering mechanism in this instance, has proven unduly burdensome on this disabled population and ineffective. It would seem more humane and more cost effective to properly train police officers in an amended ordinance that clearly  states specific exceptions.

While it is recommended that a strict list of exemptions be identified by Council, it is none-the-less the belief of HTH that the best common sense, practical response to the issue in a city seeking to attain world class stature, would be for us to simply  provide an ample supply of benches available to all citizens.

At one point in time, it seemed ok to value other people in this country as 3/5ths of that of other people.  Almost everyone lined up behind that concept...but not everyone.

Richard R. Troxell

President House The Homeless

Author of the soon to be released book on Ending Homelessness:

Looking Up at the Bottom Line

URGENT Call to Action for the #Homeless! Please Help Mobile Loaves & Fishes Now!

Mobile Loaves & Fishes needs your help now to advocate on our behalf to the Austin City Council for a resolution that is coming before the Council this Thursday June 24th.  We need you to email, call or communicate NOW to the Council in support of the pending resolution.  The fastest most immediate way is to send one email that will reach the Mayor and each Council Member by clicking on the following link:

Email Mayor & Council Members NOW

This resolution will instruct City Staff to work with Mobile Loaves & Fishes on either gaining approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to use a tract of land out by the airport or to find another suitable tract of land for us for our groundbreaking Habitat on Wheels RV Community housing model.  This is currently item # 83 on the morning Council Agenda.

You could email something like this:

Dear Mayor and Council Members:

I am writing in support of Item # 83 on the June 24th, 2010 City Council Agenda.  This resolution on behalf of Mobile Loaves & Fishes will place a very powerful tool into the continuum of care tool box by providing permanent, supportive and affordable housing to those that find themselves chronically homeless.

Thank you,

Your Name

You can learn all about our Habitat on Wheels  model by clicking on the link below:

Habitat on Wheels RV Community Model

For over five years Mobile Loaves & Fishes has been lifting chronically homeless brothers & sisters off of the streets of Austin into affordable and permanent RV's and Park Model Homes.  Today we own about 45 of these RV's that house over 55 people.  Many of our residents have been with us since its inception and over 85% have maintained stable housing for well over a year.  We are asking the City to merely provide us with a tract of land suitable for our purposes and we will raise all of the capital necessary to build and operate the community.

Thank you for your attention to this very important issue.  The community needs your help now.  Your voice (and emails!) make a big difference and are heard.

-Alan

Get the official windfall numbers here for the "I Am Here" Texting Campaign #iamhere

1,373

That's right...1,373 texts.  Let me spell that out for you so there is no misunderstanding.  One thousand three hundred seventy three!!  At $10 a pop that adds up to $13,730!  That is a mere $1,730 above our goal of $12,000 to get Danny & Maggie off the streets.  Not quite the windfall some are erroneously reporting.

As many of you recall we had this powerful campaign in April where we put Danny a homeless guy up on a billboard and asked people to text "Danny" to 20222 to donate $10 to help us get he and his wife Maggie into a home.  Go check out the I Am Here website to get a full description of what we accomplished.

For those wondering what we did with all the money we hauled in...well, we got Danny & Maggie into a home. For those reporting we hauled in $100,000 please correct your dis-information.

-Alan

Why Don't Danny & Maggie Just Behave!?? "That Is, The Way We Want Them To Behave." #iamhere

Tuesday evening June 15th KXAN the NBC affiliate in Austin ran a story on Danny & Maggie about how they are back on the corner of Braker Lane and IH 35 panhandling.  You can see the story by clicking here.  We are grateful to KXAN for continuing to elevate the dialogue of the chronic homeless here in Austin and we are happy to be a part of that dialogue.  We do take one extraordinary exception to one part of their story however.  KXAN implied that they tried to reach me for comment repeatedly but without return phone call but the truth is that I was out of town on a fishing trip with my church and was not reachable.  They were told this by our staff.  They were also told this by our official spokesperson.  As the spokesperson for Mobile Loaves & Fishes I look forward to every opportunity to speak on behalf of those brothers and sisters whom we serve.

Now on to Danny & Maggie.  It is with pure joy that I am able to report to you that for nearly three months Danny & Maggie have a place off the streets that they can call home.  They are progressing just as we expected. While making this radical transition they have longed to reconnect with old friends; both those on the streets and those that served them in ministry while they were on the streets.  This longing led them back to their old stomping grounds at Braker and IH 35.  Of the almost 90 days  they have been off the streets they have spent about 5 days out on their old stomping grounds.  Folks, this is a celebration!  Now personally I wish they would not go back there but we live in a free world and they are allowed to do so.  I respect and honor their decision.  I do pray that as time goes on there will be a greater connection in their new community and a lesser longing for their old.

We are learning that for anyone, much less those that have experienced this type of homelessness, it takes about one month for every year you have lived in a place or a lifestyle to make the adjustment.  For folks like Danny & Maggie this may mean an adjustment period of a year or longer.  For those of you with families that have had to transfer from one city to the next think of the extraordinary adjustments you have had to make.  So too for Danny & Maggie.  Merely receiving a place they can call home does not allow us to say they have been fixed and repaired.  It is a giant step though.

Now let's talk about panhandling.  Virtually everything I have to say about panhandling can be found at www.mlfnow.org/panhandling.  Simply, I would prefer no one felt compelled to have to panhandle for any reason.  Those that do find it humiliating.  Read the citeable studies found at the above link to get the facts.

When questioned by the reporter about why they needed to panhandle Danny & Maggie responded that they needed the money to live and pay bills now that they are housed.  Let me go on record by stating emphatically that in the almost six years we have been housing formerly chronically homeless brothers and sisters 100%, YES 100%, of them have struggled in almost a life and death situation to pay their bills every month.  Come on folks!  These people live in poverty and we are grateful every month that any of our residents are able merely sustain themselves.  We are not moving this population of people into a middle class lifestyle.  What is really incredible though is our residents level of happiness however, not without the pitfalls of life.

"Why don't they just get a job!", many would say.  For a variety of reasons many of our brothers and sisters have a difficult time gaining employment.  Their fault, our fault or nobody's fault the fact remains that many of the chronically homeless are unemployable in the way you and I typically think of employment; the forty hour week 8 to 5 type of job.  You can read a lot about how we view this by going to www.mlfnow.org/jobs.  We talk extensively about why and then offer a program as to how we can begin to change this for some.  We have been changing the lives of several formerly chronically homeless through our micro economic jobs model.  If the only answer is to stuff them into the 8 to 5 box we are only going to be marginally, if that, successful.  We are thinking outside the box with results.

We would love for you to go read about our Community First! approach to home by going to www.mlfnow.org/how.  Here you will find our business plan for the RV community we are proposing as well as a number of other documents that details very specifically our philosophy.  No secrets here as these documents have only been up on our website for several years now.

Everyone wants to know how much money we made on the I Am Here campaign.  Many suggest or allude that there was a windfall.  Let me assure you there was no windfall.  We are grateful that we exceeded the goal to raise enough money to get Danny & Maggie into a home plus a little more to perhaps get another chronically homeless individual off the streets of Austin.  We were blown away by the national attention the campaign received and are ecstatic with how viral the campaign elevated this very important issue.  Mission accomplished!

Let's celebrate a victory and continue to dialogue together on how our community can best tackle this very pressing issue.  Mobile Loaves & Fishes is committed to this mission of serving our most vulnerable.  We love to love those whom many choose to despise.  We welcome those who want to join us in this effort.  We are making a powerful difference.

-Alan

What If Danny & Maggie Don't Make It? #iamhere #homeless

The very powerful I Am Here campaign that lifted Danny & Maggie off of the streets of Austin has accomplished its initial goal; to lift a chronically homeless person off of the streets.  In fact the campaign was so penetrating that the national media coverage is something just short of miraculous.  Go check out www.iamheremlf.org for a complete synopsis of the campaign.  The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive but there have been a few negative naysayers.  Some particularly in the neighborhood immediately around the area where Danny & Maggie lived and panhandled are very pessimistic about the prospect of their success to stay off of the streets.  Their concerns are legitimate.  What if Danny & Maggie don't make it?  What does it mean to Mobile Loaves & Fishes and what does it say about the I Am Here campaign?

First, it is important to understand the population that Mobile Loaves & Fishes has discerned to serve.  The chronically homeless; those by definition who have been living on the streets continuously for over one year or three long-term bouts with homelessness over a three year period AND have a corresponding disability.  This disability could either be physical, mental or addictive or any combination of the three.  Bottom-line is that Mobile Loaves & Fishes' sweet spot of service is to the despised and outcasts of our society.  We love to serve and love on those whom many would hate and despise.  In fact over the course of the five and a half years we have been housing the chronically homeless (serving them now for over twelve years) we have seen some extraordinary success.  We have also been saddened several times when one or more of our brothers or sisters finds their way back to the streets.  It is during these times that our hearts are heavy but in spite of this our hope remains eternal.  Regardless, we now have over an 85% success rate at keeping folks housed for longer than a year; many have now been home for three, four and five years!

Now please understand that Mobile Loaves & Fishes is not a fix and repair, catch and release model.  Our goal is to simply get people into housing they can call home.  We know now nationally that by merely housing people is a more cost effective strategy than keeping people on the streets.  Simply, because of the reduction in use of the health care system and the criminal justice system it costs our communities less money when people are housed.  And we know that without housing it is impossible, to maintain a job, to battle physical and mental illnesses, battle addictions or to improve yourself through education.

We think that coming off of the streets should be easy for people but it is not.  It takes months for folks to acclimate to this new way of life.  The first several months are critical.  People are leaving their known way of life and their known community and being uprooted into a very new way of life and an entirely new community.  It is disruptive to say the least and it is in this adjustment that our efforts are so fragile.  In fact for a few of our residents we have seen them cycle back to the streets a couple of times before we are able to achieve a modest amount of success.  It remains a risk that we are willing to take and continue to pursue.

Danny & Maggie have now been off the streets and away from their known street corner for over a month. Danny has reconnected with his family, particularly his daughter and his son.  We love the progress they are making but also know that it is and will continue to be a struggle for them for some time.  We pray that this time they are able to rediscover their respective purposes in life and be able to heal from the ravages of living on the streets.  Please pray with us!  If they don't make it this time we here at Mobile Loaves & Fishes will continue to love them and to serve them as if they were Christ Himself.  We will continue to remain hopeful for them and provide them with other opportunities to escape from the streets if they wish.  We know in the end that we can only be a vessel for their success but they are the ones who are truly in control.  As for their home so many generously provided through their donations?  Well, someone else will then get the opportunity discover what home is; a place of permanence, a dwelling place, a storied place, a safe resting place, a place of hospitality, a place of embodied inhabitation, a place of orientation and a place of affiliation and belonging.

-Alan

Press Statement from Alan Graham In Response to Statesman Editorial On Panhandling

No matter what side of this issue you're on we encourage you to talk about it with your City Council.  Click here to send and email telling the entire City Council what you think about this.  

PRESS STATEMENT

The following is a statement from Alan Graham, President/CEO of Mobile Loaves and Fishes, in response to yesterday’s Austin American-Statesman Editorial “Whose sensibilities would be spared by expanded ban in Austin?”

“Yesterday’s Austin American-Statesman’s editorial asking the City Council to think long and hard before expanding the ban on panhandling downtown was right on target. While the editorial couched the issue, very laudably, as one of free speech, I would like to remind the Council and the public that there is also a very pragmatic angle to take when opposing the criminalization of panhandling.

It doesn’t work.  

Expanding the ban on panhandling downtown will simply consume more of the City’s law enforcement resources, push panhandling into other neighborhoods and give the perception that the problem is solved, or at least getting better.

That is a dangerous perception for our community.

Panhandling is a symptom of homelessness. Criminalizing panhandling does nothing to address the state of homelessness. Study after study supports that.  The answer to homelessness is long-term, affordable, sustainable housing. Mobile Loaves and Fishes’ Habitat on Wheels project has a five year track record of lifting people off the streets and into affordable, permanent housing, in refurbished recreational vehicles (RVs) that we acquire.  

Currently, Mobile Loaves and Fishes’ Habitat on Wheels is seeking a permanent location for our RVs. It is as shovel ready as a project can be and the Austin City Council’s time would be better spent approving that project than debating, yet again, an expanded ban on panhandling downtown.”

An Open Letter to the Citizens of Austin, Texas from Richard Troxell

This letter was written by RIchard Troxell, President of House the Homeless one of the strongest advocates surrounding the issue of homelessness in Austin.  I believe it is important that all sides be heard in this debate.  Mobile Loaves & Fishes believes that the answer to all of these systemic issues that exacerbate homelessness is affordable, permanent, sustainable housing and living wage jobs.  Mobile Loaves & Fishes believes that through the implementation of its Habitat on Wheels housing model (www.mlfnow.org/HOW) that we can mitigate over a relatively short period of time this sore on our society we call panhandling.  We are emphatically against any additional criminalization or any expansion of the panhandling ordinance in Austin.

-Alan
 
House the Homeless Takes a Stand
As we are well aware, the Downtown Austin Business Alliance (DABA), the East Sixth Street Community Association (ESCA) and Sixth Street Austin (aka) Pecan Street Owners Association), among other businesses, which includes, but certainly not limited to, the Alamo Draft House, B.D Rileys, Iron Cactus Cafe, the Margarita Bar, El Sol Y La Luna, Parkside, Blind Pig, and the Old Pecan Street Cafe are all promoting the expansion of the anti-panhandling ordinance from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM to around-the-clock, 24 hours a day, in the downtown area.   House the Homeless (HTH), the oldest, grassroots, all volunteer, action homeless organization in the State of Texas, made up of people experiencing homelessness, formerly homeless people and others wishing to end homelessness, is strongly against the expansion of this ordinance.  Although HTH has stated repeatedly that it does not condone panhandling, and it outright condemns aggressive panhandling, its members will fight to their last breath for a person's right to ask his or her fellow human beings for help.

A Fair Wage For A Fair Day's Work
The President of ESCA has said with conviction that "All of our businesses pay a Living Wage or more than a Living Wage." This is a blatant untruth.  Upon investigation, House the Homeless has learned that none of the businesses listed here pay a Living Wage. In fact, they all take advantage of a loop hole in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 for which businesses had previously lobbied Congress.  Presently, the Federal Minimum Wage is $7.25 an hour, which is less than $15,000 per year.  Where people are earning a living based on "tips", employers can pay these employees as little as $2.13 an hour so long as you and I, as patrons, bring the wage up to the Federal Minimum Wage. We tip to express our gratitude to individuals who provide us good or exceptional service as a way of saying "thank you".  Who among you realize that you are being relied upon to provide the base pay of each and everyone of these employees? (Note. B.D. Rileys pays its' employees only $2.81 per hour).

Again, this gouging of patrons merely brings the pay amount up to the Federal Minimum Wage, which has been widely known to be wholly inadequate to attain housing.  In fact, according to the last several US Conference of Mayors' Reports, insufficient income is a leading cause of homelessness. They point out that no where in America, can a person earning at the Federal Minimum Wage get into and keep basic rental housing.    What ever happened to "A Fair Wage For a Fair Day's Work"?  Do these businesses act responsibly or morally if they don't even pay their
employees enough to make ends meet so they can afford basic housing? 
 
Employers who benefit from the labor of their workers need to ensure that the people working for them are able meet their core needs.  This is known as a Living Wage.  This means, at a minimum, paying a person who works 40 hours in a week enough to afford basic food, clothing and shelter (including utilities).

Lack of Cooperation and Resistance:
Unfortunately, neither DABA, ESCA, nor 6ixth Street Austin have participated in or contributed one thin dime to alleviating the root causes of homelessness.  When the City of Austin reached out to the Federal government and borrowed eight (8) million dollars to create the current ARCH, the only DABA contribution was to insist that there be metal detectors at the front doors.   In addition to serving as president of House the Homeless, I operate Legal Aid for the Homeless, the 5th Resource Center for the homeless since I started in 1989.  None of these business organizations have supported any of these centers.   It was in 1995 (circa) that House the Homeless first engaged the DABA (then known as DAA) when it pressed for the passage of the “No Camping” Ordinance.  The issue set the city on fire.  House the Homeless took out a full-page ad in the Sunday Austin American Statesman showing how it was cheaper to house and job train all homeless people, as opposed to jailing them.  However, facts such as those did not deter the DAA. Everyone had a position and everyone chimed in.  Steve Fromholtz, singer/songwriter, camped out with us, as did Molly Ivans, who said "Outlaw camping?  That's just silly.  I'm a Texas gal and I like to camp."  Bruce Springstein was in town and in support, he gave House the Homeless proceeds from his t-shirt sales.  All the while, the DAA insisted that this was an “urgent matter”, and that once they got immediate relief, we could "slow things down and start looking at deeper, more substantive issues and causes of homelessness."

Additionally, rather than pay wages that would enable minimum wage workers to avoid experiencing homelessness, the DAA has dipped into the city coffers and funded in part, their own private police force - The Downtown Rangers.  They are separate and apart from our police force - the Austin Police Department.  But they didn't stop there.  The DAA said that it was "the homeless who were filling our jails with drunken episodes, and thus creating the need for a "Community" Court.  House the Homeless contended that this was not true.  Later, when the statistics came out showing that the biggest offenders were University of Texas students, the DAA remained undeterred by the facts, and went on to press for the creation of the Community Court, separate from the Municipal Court only one block away.  And again, this comes at a significant cost to taxpayers. 

*Note:  Today, in the Austin Metropolitan Area there are only two (2) substance abuse treatment beds for single, adult males outside of the criminal justice system.  They have it set up so that these beds are reserved for people who are in violation of the "Quality of Life Ordinances," i.e. no sitting, no lying down, no camping, etc. These are all ordinances promoted by these businesses directed at people experiencing homelessness and all under the banner of urgency.  This refrain has been repeated over and over again with the passing of each "Quality of Life Ordinance" - no camping, no sitting, no lying down, no aggressive panhandling etc., all of which the DAA has rushed
toward passage declaring an urgent need each time. With no subsequent significant efforts to address the root causes of homelessness being offered, House the Homeless can no longer consider espousers of such mantra as "honest brokers". 

In a city that so dramatically lacks resources for people experiencing homelessness; (If you have ever played musical chairs as a child, you know that 4,400 people cannot easily fit into 650 emergency beds) can we constitutionally pass muster under the necessity argument?  And in a City where 55,000+ University students are channeled into the Entertainment District would we be able to defend exclusionary practices regarding freedom of speech arguments? 

The Criminalization of the Homelessness 

In fact, actions by the DAA have collectively created what House the Homeless refers to as the Criminalization of Homelessness Cycle. 

The Cycle works like this: 

(1) businesses pay so little that is causes minimum wage workers to fall into homelessness;

(2) there is a wholly inadequate response with  less than 650 emergency shelter beds (for every man, woman and child), for an actual head count of about 4,400 people;

(3) The City Council (at the urging of the DAA passes "Quality of Life" laws against camping, sitting, lying down, loitering, solicitation, etc.;

(4) citizens can't pay $200-$500 fines and must work for free "Community Service."  Some have called this "slave labor;"

(5)workers are later jailed when Class C criminal tickets go to warrant and people are forced to panhandle to survive, but are labeled "criminals;" and

(6) people can't rent or find jobs due to their criminal records
and remain homeless.

The DAA continues to say that they are attacking the act, not the actor.... and panhandling, not the people who are panhandlers.  But there is danger in this broad brush approach.  The Chronicle just published an expose entitled Panhandlers for God.  They focused on an organization calling itself Austin Restoration Ministries or ARM.  Theywere described as an organized group of panhandlers who aggressively demanded attention and money to support what was described as a dubious substance abuse treatment ministry.  The first thing that we need to note is that ARM's behavior as described is clearly illegal under the Anti-Aggressive Solicitation Ordinance. Also, as depicted, it should be repudiated.  What was described was a highly organized scam, relying on intimidation to commit highway robbery.  House the Homeless would be among the first to condemn the suggested activity. 

However, one does have to ask why the citizen who was interviewed failed to act and report the illegal activity, and then press for a legal response of the existing law, to have it stopped.   There is something very disquieting in this and the recent findings of  the ACLU and their Open Records Request. This revealed that the point person for the DAA anti-panhandling initiative, Bill Brice, likewise had not attempted to use the existing law before he and his business buddies
launched into yet another "emergency" response to pass laws against persons experiencing homelessness. Nonetheless, the alleged activity cited in the Chronicle is that of an organization, not individuals.
 
But the question of reporting is greater than just this limited view. I’ve read in two reports and had one conversation that Front Steps is supporting the expansion of this ordinance because of two frightening encounters with aggressive panhandlers by their Board members. This unacceptable behavior and should not be tolerated.  The suggestion that they should have reported the incident to the Police was waved off with “neither they nor the aggressive panhandlers would have waited for the police to arrive.”  Well maybe the victim would not wait, but I’ll guarantee you that the person standing on the corner is not about to abandon his or her corner.  And how are they going to know that you placed a call to the police on your cell phone?  They wouldn’t. Life is not always convenient.

There is a law in place against aggressive pan handling and just because we would be too inconvenienced to have it enforced is no justification to enact yet another law...especially one that curtails freedom of speech.  Again, I guarantee you that if you pull one of the aggressive panhandlers away from their source of income for half a day to explain their aggressive behavior, you will see a sea change.  But as it sits now we see no complaints and no efforts to enforce the current law.

Targeting the Homeless:

As stated, the DAA and all these businesses continue to contend that they are "not targeting the homeless; rather, they are targeting behavior”.  Really?  Consider this: when House the Homeless pointed out that firemen were stepping into traffic (with bag pipes) to solicit motorists for money, an exception was made and a state law was changed.  What will happen when the Salvation Army asks for an exception for its bell ringers?  When the Austin Advocate asks for an exception for its
vendors, will it be granted?  

The other day while leaving ARCH and racing to a meeting, a person experiencing homelessness ran up to me and presented me with a ticket that he had received for "Aggressive Panhandling."  He is a struggling Austin Musician who plays an acoustic guitar, is homeless,  and plays with his guitar box open for contributions. He insisted that he had no sign and the only words that came out of his mouth were song. Racing away, I told him how important it was that I get a copy of the ticket.  Clearly he was not aggressively panhandling. But the question sits on the table like an 800 pound baby elephant. 

If this ordinance were to be expanded, in the "Live Music Capitol of the World", would you again write an exception to the ordinance to allow for such activity in the downtown Entertainment District?  Firemen, bell ringers, newspaper solicitors... how many exceptions before the charade is
exposed and it becomes clear to everyone that people experiencing homelessness are being targeted.

What about the Neighborhoods?

The DAA and all the associated businesses cry for relief from the "siege" they suffer under by people experiencing homelessness, and those who panhandle for survival.  But what do they say about their concern for the neighborhoods around them who would clearly then become victims of the relief that they seek.  The business mentality is, "I got mine...good luck to you."  Is that good community partnership?  No.  It is elitism.  Good community citizenry is evidenced by the City of Austin, who pays a living wage to the least among its employees and to Travis County, who worked to get to that position, and to CVAN R Automotive, Wheatsville Co-Op, Run Tex and others who pay living wages or have pledged to work toward them because it is the ethical thing to do.   This is a new day and a new way.  We must all be our brother's keepers. Everyone should be paid a fair wage for a fair day's work, and everyone should have a roof over their head (other than a bridge).  Until that day, House the Homeless will continue to stand up with our brothers and sisters who ask, "Buddy, can you spare a dime." 

What Do The Surveys Say? 

On Tuesday, August 19, 2008, the City of Austin received the results of its Commissioned Solicitation Survey from the University of Texas School of Social Work.  They had interviewed 103 individuals, specifically excluding any kind of organized solicitation, and found that:

(1) These individuals were soliciting (panhandling) for daily survival and

(2) Making persistent efforts to work, with a long work history.  They found that 51 percent of those surveyed wanted job training and 52 percent were looking for work.   

In the Community Action Network (CAN) Unsheltered Homeless Count Survey, conducted in Austin in May, 2007, over 200 respondents were interviewed.  When asked as to the cause of their homelessness, 100 said it was because of "being unable to pay either their rent or mortgage."  Another 188 said it was "due to unemployment." 

In a third survey, this time conducted by the City of Houston Health and Human Services Department, 345 persons were interviewed.  When asked their reason for their street solicitation,
250, or 72.5 percent, stated "income for survival."  When asked if they enjoyed street solicitation, 280, or 81.2 percent, said "No."  When asked what would be required for them to stop street solicitation, 196, or 56.8 percent, responded with "employment." 

A fourth survey was conducted by House the Homeless, Inc., in Austin in November, 2007.  In this instance, 526 people experiencing homelessness were successfully interviewed.  Thirty-six point eight (36.8) percent said they were working at the time of the interview. *Remember, the U.S. government found 42 percent of those experiencing homelessness nationwide were working at the time of their interview.  When asked if they would work a 40 hour week job if they were sure it would pay them enough to afford basic food, clothing and shelter (including utilities) (in other words, a living wage), 468, or 90.7 percent, said they would work 40 hours for a Living Wage. 

In a subsequent fifth survey, conducted January 1, 2009 by House the Homeless, 429 people experiencing homelessness were interviewed.  When asked for the cause of their homelessness, "job loss" and "insufficient income" ranked as the 1st and 2nd answers respectively. 

The findings from the surveys are self evident. People want to work, and they want to be paid living wages. But, regardless, the DAA has once again refused to not take responsibility for their role in both creating and maintaining homelessness in our town by failing to pay fair living wages.  They continue to act as non-community partners who are some how entitled to their own private police force, their own set of laws and a separate court system all at the tax payers' expense, while at the same time, failing to exercise basic moral and ethical standards by paying a fair wage for a fair day's work.  Instead, they are relying on the compassion of their patrons to step up and fill their moral void while they press for more and more laws and ordinances to isolate and insulate themselves and their businesses.

Needs and Solutions:

Bottom line...people experiencing homelessness fall into two distinct categories:  those who can work and those who cannot work. 

• We must help complete the work of the "Let's Get to Work" Task Force. We must ensure that their idea of involving Community Sponsorship to move people out of transitional housing, secure basic additional education and then secure Living Wage jobs on a temporarily supported basis is paramount for the basic health of our community. It is simply not reasonable to expect that after we have put them through the Continuum of Care Process and brushed them off, dried them out and prepared them for work, that we can simply then put them back into an under-funded economic system and expect them to thrive. The rate of recidivism will be close to 100 percent. As long as there is no clear pathway that will move people from homelessness into emergency shelter, then into transitional housing and then into a living wage job that affords them regular housing and a reasonable opportunity to remain housed, while receiving adequate health care, then for that homeless individual, Front Steps, Caritas, House the Homeless and all the rest of us are falling short.
• We must promote such innovative programs as Habitat on Wheels being promoted by Mobile Loaves and Fishes that offers truly affordable housing based in a true community of active participation and love.
• We must put our preconceived prejudices aside and seriously consider and actively promote the type of "Wet Housing" that is being promoted by Front Steps. The current approach to substance abuse is limited, exclusionary, prohibitively costly and simply not working.
• For those who cannot work, we need the federal government to fix the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) levels so that people can be housed.
• For those who can work, we must provide a Universal Living Wage. Imagine working five or six days a week and with no time off and no vacation. If you were to let the stress overwhelm you and not show up just one day, you are quickly on a direct path to homelessness. And to expect that these same workers who work a full-time job at McDonalds, who still do not have enough to pay the rent after exposure to constant performance and time pressures while sweating over a hot grill, can long avoid homelessness is short sighted and unrealistic. The Federal government isn't moving so fast to include the minimum wage worker. So we as affected Austinites must act. We must provide our own leadership to create change.

Since House the Homeless first devised the Universal Living Wage Formula in 1997, the Federal government has created "Locality Pay," and the U.S. Military has moved from the VAH pay system to BAH - Base Housing Allowance, which recognizes that we are a nation of thousands of economies.  And now the Federal government, itself, recognizes geographic considerations as well through its Locality Pay enhancement stipend program.  That just leaves "We the People" out.  Just as the Federal government abdicated its role of housing our nation's poor under the Regan Administration, causing homelessness to percolate up in our urban centers (Austin included), it would seem that they are leaving the wage issue to us as well. 

The Federal government isn't moving so fast to include the minimum wage worker in their new found realization tht the wage must be indexed to the local cost of housing because again, we are anation of thousands of economies...Every time that Congress raises the Federal minimum wage, it is tamped down by short sighted business interests that fail to realize the potential retraining cost savings. And the limited increases are always an amount which is less than that needed to enable workers to reach the Federal Poverty Guideline.  The result is economic slavery of millions of people, now evidenced by the 3.8 million people experiencing homelessness nationwide and over 4,000 in Austin again this year.  So we as affected  Austinites must act.  We must provide our own leadership to create change. 

Conclusion: 

If we were to ask a person experiencing homelessness for a letter grade on how we are doing, and if they were honest, the answer would be "F".   The problems of homelessness are being left up to the communities of America to resolve.  And resolve them we must, but it will require that each of us participate as cohesive community partners...with no exceptions. This is a new day with new opportunities for our businesses to assume the leadership roles that they deserve. But until our businesses recognize this and join hands with us in a force strong enough to defeat homelessness, this societal disease will only continue to grow and divide our community. 
 

I went to the corner and held up a sign today
Someone rudely told me "I have bills to pay"
 
I thought how lucky a roof and a bed
Luxury like that would go to my head
 
How can you sit there and look down your nose
Because my hair is messy, or maybe my clothes
 
All you see is someone you think is drunk or full of drugs
Someone diseased and full of bugs
 
It's amazing how totally wrong you can be
I'm completely sober, no bugs, AIDS, or VD
 
I'm a good girl, God's laws I don't break
But tonight you'll sell yourself for a few drinks and a steak
 
Although it may take 4 hours because of people like you
to get "two burgers please" from the dollar menu
 
It wouldn't take much just a five or a one
Not your car or house or fist born son
 
What harm would it be for you to give
a little money to help me live
 
And although my life is harder than you could have guessed
I smile through each day knowing I am truly loved and blessed
 
-Deborah Smith 2009

Societal Honey- What the #Homeless Have in Common with the Honey Bee

My daughter Taylor wrote this as a paper for one of her classes at Mount St. Mary's University.  Her daddy is proud and I thought you would enjoy.

-Alan

I pass them everyday. They are always there, without fail. Usually I just walk around and don’t even give them the time of day; sometimes they get in my face from out of nowhere, and I flinch, as to avoid fully encountering their presence. Today, however, I broke my pattern. Today I stopped and let them charm me with their story.

People see bees as two things: a popular Halloween costume and a pesky insect, buzzing in the ear, relentlessly seeking the nectar that surrounds us. The bees tell me otherwise. As I watch them, swarming the trashcan like electrons to the nucleus of an atom, my rhythm syncs with theirs. 

I dive into their world and suddenly feel isolated, unwanted. People walk by and don’t even look at me. The buzz of thought fills my head, and I wonder where they came from. Surely the campus trashcans are not their natural habitat. Have they been abandoned by their colonies, left to survive in the man-made wild? Do they have a family or a life away from the Mount? Empathy for the bees inundates me. I feel their pain, rejected by the world, misunderstood. Nobody wants them. They stick together as rejects of the world, thriving off the company of kindred souls.

The sting of a bee is undesirable at best. It has always annoyed me, subsequently having to deal with the throbbing, the itching, the piercing pain, until alas it dissipates. This sting defines the bees, but now I see that that characterization is perhaps unjust. The bee stings defensively, not offensively. They do not swarm around in search of their next victim, but rather only sting when intruded upon. They are not evil and malicious, but rather guarded and protective. Their desire is not to harm, and passersby remain hassle-free. 

But still, people cannot stand them. It seems like such juxtaposition that something as sweet as honey can come from this seemingly vile insect. If we just got rid of them, people say, then they would not bother us any more. No more bee stings. No more swarming around our trashcans. HELLO!!! ATTENTION: WORLD! If we killed off all the bees, then who would pollinate our plants? The existence of our vegetative food supply lies in their ability to pollinate, and do not even get me started on a world with out honey!

We are so quick, as a human race, to judge solely based on the qualities that bother us. Bees are so helpful, yet we write them off because they could potentially sting us. Your neighbors could be the nicest people in the world, but because of the way they dress, you won’t talk to them. We are unable to see far enough beyond the traits that we deem undesirable to find the person within. 

I drive past them everyday. They are always there, without fail. Usually I just drive on by and don’t even give them the time of day; sometimes they come to my window, and I look away, as to avoid fully encountering their presence. Today, however, is a new day. Today I stop, and their story captivates me.

Society sees homeless people as two things: lazy and addicted. The homeless tell me otherwise. I watch them in the park, swarming around the truck that has just come to bring them food, like bees to a trashcan. Their humanity enthralls me.

I try to immerse myself into their foreign world, but something blocks me. They are too… human. They are not some animal or insect; they are human beings, just like me, made of the same fabric. Where are they from? Where is their family? Why have they been abandoned? They have been rejected by the world. Unwanted. Misunderstood. They form a family on the streets, united not by what they have in common, but by what they are all lacking – Home. I feel the sting of loneliness, of hopelessness, in their hearts. It pains me to try to imagine a life so void of love, but even my attempts fall short of their reality. This sting does not dissipate; it does not fade over time. It is not temporary. 

Every day people pass the homeless by and act as if they do not exist. Why do we fear them? They will not bother us unless we are bothersome to them. Homeless people are not generally aggressive; in fact, I have met the most big-hearted, caring and generous people out on the streets. 

In Vancouver there is a huge homeless population. For the 2010 Olympics, in an effort to make the city clean, pretty, and presentable to the nations of the world, the British Colombian government has decided to give the homeless people a one-way bus ticket out of the city. WHERE ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO GO??? Homeless people are human beings. Like the bees, they cannot simply be shipped off, exterminated from their habitat. And like bees we rely on the homeless. Mother Teresa has a great saying, “When we all get to heaven we are going to owe a great debt of gratitude to the poor for having brought us closer to God”. They pollinate our relationship to God and to each other. The hospitality of merely offering a meal connects one heart to the other. 

The state of homelessness, not the people, is transitory if we allow it to be. For this is not a question of should they stay or should they go. It is a question of how we, as a society, can create a world in which nobody is forced into living on the streets. It is not acceptable for them to be pushed out of their natural habitat and forced to swarm where the food is. 

What makes the rest of us so much better than the panhandler on the street? Where do we get the idea that we deserve more or better than they do? There exists this false sense of superiority because we do not understand their story. We cannot understand what they have been through. However, if we remove the blinding judgment and approach them with love and compassion, we have the ability to transform the quality of their lives. We can get them off the streets and give them another chance at life. 

For it is not merely in their existence, but in their ability to be a part of society, that they find their purpose, and when they find it, when they realize what they have truly been made for, they produce a honey sweeter and richer than all the bees’ honey in the world.

-Taylor

"Draw Close" Music Video on the #Homeless & Mobile Loaves & Fishes

Draw Close from Kristopher Rutherford on Vimeo.

Life may not seem easy, But the solution is simple

I met Gary several years ago on a street corner.  He was panhandling to support his heroin addiction.  Coming up on a year he has been sober from this debilitating disease.  He now lives in one of our RV's that is part of our Habitat on Wheels program (www.mlfnow.org/HOW).  He is a guest blogger and he too is transforming the world one human at a time.

-Alan

   My name is Gary and I am a very grateful recovered Heroin addict. It is only by the Grace of a loving and forgiving God that I can say ‘that’ today, because left to my own decisions and free will I would still be suffering in the disease of addiction by using or no longer be here to share my story of recovery with others. Since November 1, 2008, I have not found it necessary to use heroin or other illegal drugs and only prescribed narcotic medication when necessary.
 
   The abstinence from heroin use has been a fairly simple decision for me given the knowledge of the harm and destruction it has caused me both physically and mentally. The diseases I created in my liver through precarious I.V. drug use over the last 38 years are evident in my physical appearance and my abilities today. Daily I awaken, and retire at night, with a feeling of lethargy. My ability to think with clarity and make decisions without hesitation has been affected. I refer to it as my “..foggy, drug – affected mind”.
 
   The mental anguish and humility create isolationism to not let others know I suffer like this, until I try to express or converse in detail. - i.e.: While I am clear at present what I want to say here and how I want to express it, I am reaching for the words that I could recall before by referring to a thesaurus. This is why sometimes it may take longer to write a simple letter. First, I want to say something exactly how I feel it and second, I do not want to say something that may be misunderstood and taken wrong. Anguish, humility, frustration and embarrassment are just some of the mental nuisances that create a feeling of guilt. Others may consider this commonplace in everyone’s life. The guilt is there for me because I know of the harm done to myself for continuing to use drugs and alcohol for so many years. When I do ‘get it right’, I allow my ego to take over and I have learned, in sobriety, this is just Edging God Out of the glory of my recovery.
  
    I only share all of this because I pray it may help others to think about the decision to use, or continue to use such toxins that will negatively affect them later in life; if it has not already. My God gave me the ability to love and share with others as a beacon of His love for them. The guilt and resentment created, by me, through long – term drug use reflected the wrong picture of my God’s reason for placing me in others lives, it has also left me feeling empty and alone in this world before now. I am grateful my God so loves me that today I have several individuals that express unconditional care and concern by trying to help me regain my direction in this life. I say “this life” because I feel this is only a temporary assignment until I fulfill God’s original intent, which was to live and share happiness with Him in Eternity.
 
    I write these contributions with the desire that others will become more understanding and compassionate to those suffering from addiction, and for those who have found recovery to be more empathetic to others that have reached the extremes of degradation I did. It took me a long time to reach this point in life to finally decide I was finished, but I know there is a reason I have suffered. If my suffering was nothing more than an example to show other addicts what would happen from continued drug use, or help others to see it more clearly, it is worth it to me. My God does not make mistakes. I have lived the life He intended for me from the day I was created, by Him. I will remain loyal to Him and walk the paths He places in front of me. I have not worked this program to perfection; I am making progress. I cannot expect to undo what I have done in almost 40 years of destruction in just a few short months. I have made some mistakes, but I am still sober and still learning.
 
   This morning I prayed to my God to give me the strength to carry on with the assignment He has given and the clarity to see it, without hesitating. I feel I can accomplish this by surrendering to His will for me daily and allowing Him to direct my life as He desires. No man has ever walked this earth and lived a perfect life. Even Jesus Christ questioned God why He would forsake Him, but submitted to His authority knowing it was God’s plan. I was created for His pleasure and I want to make Him happy. Because of the free will He has given me, I may be unsteady at times, but those individuals He placed in my life today I consider His angels. I know they have been sent here to guide me, as long as I let them.
 
   I pray somebody that reads this finds their God and takes the time to consider the path He has prepared for them. Decisions are not an easy task and they are a part of the free will we possess. But I hope, just for today, they reach deep in their heart and make the right decision. I thank the employees and volunteers of Mobile Loaves and Fishes for giving a human touch reflecting God’s love especially David, Kay, and Alan, and Austin Recovery for showing me, “I am not alone.”  The Solution? ; “Let go and let God.” I pray my God will continue to bless each and everyone with love, happiness, and understanding. He has me, “one day at a time”.
 
“ God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference…”

~ gary