Opinion piece from the S.F. Bay Guardian, 26 Oct. '94, pg. 6

 

'NEW' HOMELESS PLAN
by Randy Shaw

I have good news for all of you who feel guilty for having fun this past 
weekend instead of reading Mayor Frank Jordan's 83-page "new" homeless 
plan. I have read the plan and assure you that, like Bill Clinton's 
homeless proposal, it is a political document that is just as likely to 
impair as it is to assist efforts to reduce homelessness.

Homelessness has not persisted for lack of adequate proposals or plans. A 
group of individuals who later became the Coalition on Homelessness met 
in 1987 and 1988 to develop a proposal that became the framework for San 
Francisco's current homeless program. This proposal was expanded in 1989 
in _Beyond Shelter_ by Robert Prentice, homeless coordinator under former 
mayor Art Agnos. Much of Prentice's proposal was inserted in the 
"continuum of care" proposal announced by the Department of Housing and 
Urban Development last April. Clinton's proposal required cities and 
counties to "develop their own long-range strategic plans." Jordan's plan 
is San Francisco's response to this mandate.

The mayor's plan has little that is actually "new," and his claim that 
the plan shifts the city's emphasis from "emergency" to permanent 
solutions reflects a lack of understanding of both past homelessness 
plans and current city policy.

The very idea that every mayor, governor, or president must create their 
own task force and homeless plan is troubling. First, the media and 
public have come to confuse the announcement of a plan with concrete 
action to reduce homelessness. Widespread publicity about a "new" 
approach makes people think that the approach has been implemented or 
soon will be. Little attention is paid to whether the proposed programs 
take effect, and, in fact, most do not. As homelessness persists, the 
public assumes the "new" approach proved a failure and loses faith in 
government solutions to homelessness. The constant issuance of new 
"plans" thus hurts, rather than helps, homeless people.

Second, we are spending far too much money and resources "studying" 
homelessness. Homelessness would drastically decrease if the government 
immediately issued millions of Section 8 housing vouchers to homeless 
individuals and their families. There would still be people whose mental 
impairments required a different approach, so increasing funding for 
board-and-care facilities would also be needed. This kind of plan, 
however, costs money. Proposals that address homelessness through 
significant spending increases are off-limits, whereas task forces and 
"plans" seek to reduce homelessness on the cheap. These bureaucratic 
endeavors siphon off funds better spent serving homeless persons.

Mayor Jordan's "continuum of care" plan thus shares the defects of the 
Clinton proposal that mandated its creation. The plan's emphasis on 
"collaboration" and "coordination," for example, completely conflicts 
with the actual practices of the Jordan administration. Prop. M, the 
antireclining measure on the November ballot, was never subject to a 
hearing at the Social Services Commission or the Board of Supervisors. So 
much for coordination. Prop. N, which resurrects the notorious "hot line 
hotel" system, , was approved by the Social Services Commission after the 
advisory committee it appointed voted unanimously against its 
implementation. So much for collaboration.

The political background to the release of Jordan's plan is instructive. 
Its timing was designed to sway voters understandibly concerned that 
Props. M and N are mere gimmicks unconnected to any clear policy. 
Further, the plan's focus on more permanent housing, substance abuse 
treatment, and employment represents the beginning of efforts to 
reposition Jordan toward the political center. Since the mayor faces no 
conservative challenger, he must convince the moderate voters who are 
troubled by his criminalization of homelessness that his agenda includes 
positive programs as well. People may forget that Jordan went from 
calling for homeless "boot camps" to suggesting that his approach would 
be modeled after St. Anthony's Foundation. As a mayor who is likely to 
make the Matrix Program the centerpiece of his campaign, Jordan wants to 
remind the electorate that he has a softer side as well. The release of 
Jordan's plan is the first salvo in his drive for reelection.


(_Randy Shaw is the executive director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic 
in San Francisco._)

***end of article*****
