Council Will Create Plan To End Homelessness In RI
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
In a bittersweet moment for housing advocates last week, the General Assembly voted to approve legislation reactivating the Interagency Council on Homelessness, which Governor Chafee signed an executive order to do in March.
The decision to rebuild the commission, which will be comprised of 18 members including representatives from the Department of Administration, Department of Human Services, Department of Health and the Office of the Public Defender, was met with praise despite the General Assembly’s decision to cut funding to affordable housing by 97 percent for the 2012 fiscal year.
We Need To Be Creative
Although still unhappy about lawmakers not funding the Neighborhood Opportunities Program, Karen Jeffreys, Associate Director at the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, said the panel will make a difference.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“The agency comes at a good time because we need to be creative [with funding] for the next year,” Jeffreys said. “This will help.”
Jeffreys said the group will be able to bring different departments to the table to understand how to better help those in need of housing. She praised the decision to bring Michelle Brophy, Regional Director for the Corporation for Supportive Housing, on as a staff member for the Council. Having Brophy on the panel will help other members understand the need to properly fund affordable housing initiatives in the state, she said.
The only state money directed at affordable housing currently is $1.5 million from Rhode Island Housing, which Jeffreys said will keep existing programs operating but will not allow for additional housing. She referred to the minimal funding as “life support” for the programs.
Plan To End Homelessness Must Be Created
The Council will be expected to create a strategic plan for ending homelessness that aligns with federal plans and coordinates existing groups throughout the state. The plan needs to be presented to the General Assembly by Oct. 1.
Senator Frank DeVall sponsored the legislation to reactivate the Council. When he introduced the bill, he said having a permanent board is necessary to help families get out of homelessness
“Homelessness is a real problem in Rhode Island, particularly during these difficult economic times,” he said. “We must have a permanent board in place to help individuals and families transition out of homelessness and to assist them with job training, education, employment counseling and ways to secure safe and affordable housing. The council will play a pivotal role in getting our homeless population off the streets and into a better way of life.”
Tassoni A Supporter
Also supporting the legislation was Senator John Tassoni, who was the first to praise Governor Chafee when he restored the Council in March. Prior to Chafee’s executive order, the panel had fallen off the radar in the state in the final two years of Governor Carcieri’s administration.
“I am very pleased that Governor Chafee has responded to the serious concerns we have raised, and has taken the actions that have been announced today,” Tassoni said when the Council was restored. “I am confident that as a result of these actions and with continued cooperation between the General Assembly and the administration, we can make significant progress toward our goal of moving Rhode Islanders off the streets and into more permanent housing.”
At the time, Tassoni said despite the state’s current economic problems, more needed to be done to help address the state’s growing homeless population, which swelled to a record high in 2010.
“Our current economic problems notwithstanding, we are an incredibly wealthy nation built on principles of helping those in need,” Tassoni said. “We cannot allow state residents to continue to call a highway overpass a home, to sleep outside in the winter or any other time of year. Fortunately, this administration understands this and I am very pleased they are taking affirmative steps to respond to the issues to which the Senate Committee on Housing has drawn attention.”
A Step In The Right Direction
For Jeffrey’s the Council is a step in the right direction. She said she hopes the group will recognize the importance of creating more affording housing, including the Housing First initiative, which aims to give the homeless a roof over their head before providing them with the social service connections they may need.
Jeffrey’s said it all goes back to funding.
“You can’t end homelessness without housing,” she said.
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