Solving Street Homelessness: The Experience of Columbia, SC

Solving Street HomelessnessThe experience of Columbia, SC

Mac BennettPresident and CEO United Way of the Midlands

History of Columbia’s efforts to address downtown homelessness

Background to successful effort: Midlands Housing Alliance

Challenges Project Status Lessons Learned

Overview

The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year.

John Foster Dulles

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Albert Einstein

January 8, 1994 Co-locating for a Continuum of Care for the Homeless

December 1995 Community Steering Committee on Homelessness

April 3, 1997 Report to the Community Steering Committee on Homelessness

March 1, 1998Report to City Council: Columbia Committee in Conjunction with the Columbia Community Development Department and the Office of the Mayor

March 14, 2001Report and Recommendation of the Midlands Commission on

Homelessness Task force on Emergency Services

Homelessness in Columbia: Consensus on the Problem

September 200510 Year plan

Research Community engagement

◦ Community Forums◦ Stakeholder Meeting◦ Intergovernmental Summit on Homelessness

10 key strategies including comprehensive housing and service center for people on the street

September 2006: Site Selection Committee Report

Blueprint to Address HomelessnessConsensus on the Solution?

City withdraws from process; supports other strategies◦ NIMBY/Neighborhood resistance◦ Lack of political will◦ Breakdown of regional approach◦ Neighborhood and race divisions◦ Loss of public/private partnership

Homelessness in Columbia: Part Two

I couldn't wait for success, so I went ahead without it.

Jonathan Winters

Fall 2006 Provider-Business group begins meeting soon after Site Selection Committee proposal rejected.Summer 2007 Opportunity emerges for Salvation Army propertyFall 2007 through Spring 2008 Coalition led by MBLG, Chamber, UWM work on redevelopment plan for Salvation Army property

•Bring in new partners including faith community MIHAC), neighborhoods, more providers, more business.•Negotiations with Knight Foundation •Assessment and TA provided by Community Partnership for the Homeless

Private Initiative

June 2008 Midlands Housing Alliance announced Option to purchase Salvation Army property

$5 million Knight Foundation Grant

Homelessness in Columbia: Milestone

November 2008 MHA meets $5M Knight Foundation Challenge Grant

•$6.5M Local, primarily private dollars raised •$11.75M development budget

DDRC approves architectural plansBoard of Zoning Appeals approval; decision upheld in Circuit CourtProperty purchased January 2010Project $2M budget when fully operating

•$838,000 HUD Supportive Housing Grant•$625,000 from local governments•$500,000 Kresge Foundation grant

To open May 2011

MHA: Progress to Date

Community outreach workers Day Center – to serve 100-125 people

daily with light meal, showers, laundry, case workers, service providers

52 Emergency beds 26 Respite beds 72 Program beds 64 Transitional housing beds

Life must be understood backwards; but... it must be lived forward.

Soren Kierkegaard

NIMBY Neighborhood opposition

Expressed in neighborhood meetings, city council and zoning meetings, letters, lawsuits, FOIA requests to HUD.

Concerns regarding neighborhood traffic; criminal activity and sexual predators.

Responded with trip to Miami, engagement on board, Good Neighbor Policy.

City opposition Offered alternative site to appease neighborhoods. Considered but rejected as unfeasible and risking Knight

commitment.

Church opposition Expressed in meetings with MHA and conveyed to city council. Concerns focused on security issues and impact on new church

property. Responded with security risk assessment and adoption of

recommendations.

Challenges

Environmental/regulatory issues• Ground contamination. Designated Brownfield

site.• Licensing questions regarding level of care. Not

deemed a Community Residential Care Facility.• Asbestos. Removed.

Negotiation with Salvation Army• Challenges negotiating with distant decision

makers. Persisted.

Challenges

Politics• Neighborhood influence over city politics• Lack of regional cooperation• Poor financial situation, especially City of

Columbia

Challenges

$5M challenge grant coupled with local match

Identifying property zoned for the purpose Consistent media support for effort Close collaboration between business and

providers Inadequacy of previous public efforts Recent self organization of the homeless

Advantages

Invited experts from other communities for advice. Homeless centers in Atlanta, Savannah, Charlotte, Raleigh, Greenville & Miami participated.

Engagement of regional experts/investigation of other programs/support from Miami team

Broad coalition of business, providers and faith community

Leadership of strong intermediary in United Way

Passionate leadership must emerge

Good Ideas

What role will politics play? When should neighborhoods be engaged? How visible should effort be? How do you balance program goals while

addressing neighborhood concerns?

Good Questions