Housing First Won't Last

I've posted an urgent message from a non-profit that assists the homeless population (Pathways To Housing). I don't normally post on consecutive days. However, this matter is of such grave concern that I saw fit to post it immediately.

Mayor Fenty had more faith than he should've in the Housing First Program known as Permanent Supportive Housing than he should've. He used its creation to justify closing Franklin Shelter. Now, just 6 weeks after closing Franklin, the housing program is in peril.

Many homeless advocates tried to warn the mayor and his administration. We told him and his administration that they were moving way too quickly. They wouldn't heed our warnings. Now the "Housing First" program is fast becoming the "Housing Worst" program. It is about to become the Fenty administration's biggest embarrassment. (I'm helping to make that true.)

I'm not certain whether or not the program can be saved at this point. Nonetheless, let's try to save it. Read the message below and the attachment (which I've also posted) and follow the instructions. It would greatly help the homeless population. Whether or not we save the program, at the very least we'll be able to say to the mayor,"I told you so!!!!!" That's somewhat gratifying in and of itself.

Read it and weep.....

--- On Fri, 11/7/08, Linda M. Kaufman wrote:

From: Linda M. Kaufman
Subject: Cuts to Housing First
To: "Linda M. Kaufman"
Date: Friday, November 7, 2008, 3:58 PM

Friends:

I almost never send blast emails to everyone I know, but this is so important I am asking everyone to respond.

The City Council is considering defunding the Housing First program. This would mean no one else moves into housing and those now in housing would be evicted.

Please join with us to restore funds to Housing First. I have attached a document with contact information for City Council.

After you have made your calls, would you please send this on to as many people as you can think of.

Linda

Linda M. Kaufman

Chief Operating Officer

Pathways to Housing

101 Q St., NE

Washington, DC 20002


202-529-2972

202-529-2976 (fax)

lkaufman@pathwaysdc.org

www.pthdc.org


ATTACHMENT:

Support Housing First!

Stop the evictions!


The DC City Council has realized that they need to start a reserve fund to respond to the economic downturn. A proposal on the table right now is to take $10 million from the Housing First fund. This would stop the program and would mean that individuals now in the Housing First will be evicted. These individuals have moved into their own apartments in the past two months.

Please call and email members of the City Council and ask them to support Housing First.

Here are the two asks:

1. Restore the funding to the Housing First program
2. Don’t evict any individuals from the Housing First program.


Gray, Vincent C.
vgray@dccouncil.us
(202) 724-8032

Schwartz, Carol
schwartzc@dccouncil.us
(202) 724-8105

Catania, David
dcatania@dccouncil.us
(202) 724-7772

Mendelson, Phil
pmendelson@dccouncil.us
(202) 724-8064

Brown, Kwame R.
kbrown@dccouncil.us
(202) 724-8174

Graham, Jim
jgraham@dccouncil.us
(202) 724-8181

Evans, Jack
jackevans@dccouncil.us
(202) 724-8058

Cheh, Mary
mcheh@dccouncil.us
(202) 724-8062

Bowser, Muriel
mbowser@dccouncil.us
(202) 724-8052

Thomas Jr., Harry (Tommy)
hthomas@dccouncil.us
(202) 724-8028

Wells, Tommy
twells@dccouncil.us
(202) 724-8072

Alexander, Yvette M.
yalexander@dccouncil.us
(202) 724-8068

Barry, Marion
mbarry@dccouncil.us
(202) 724-8045

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