Dear Jur, Longales, Jam -in Law MAR 1 1985 a resident am the daughter daughter Project of a 202/8 Lousing 202/+ Lousing project in Bining Jam am concerned about the possibility My mother in law does not wish to own lves Ker at noc life The is also full meal of fixing room "I feel this is violation rights де I t I do not think the federal lovernment should force her eat at a me forcent to pay MAR 1 1985 Dear Mr. 1.8: Iam a friend of a resident of a 202/8 Housing project in Bath, N. Y. I am upset about the possibility of a mandatory meal program in the housing project. I am also elderly but very capable of plaħning and preparing meals. I believe this madatory program is a violation of her rights. I do not believe that a Federal Or State should make them eat when and where at their wishes and be forced to pay if they eat or not. Gertrual Block Gertrude Klock 7 Shannon St. Bath, N. Y. 14810 We are writing to you because we know of your concern for the homeless people in America. The staff and Board of Directors of God's Love Shelter in Helena, Montana, are also concerned about our government's response to the problems of the homeless in America. That response has been, at best, inadequate. - From our experience and from information gathered by our staff and by the U.S. government, we know that the problem is growing worse the numbers of homeless in this country are increasing daily. They suffer great deprivation on all levels, and our present facilities are not enough to provide emergency shelter for more than a fraction of those who need it. Because the government programs do not adequately address these needs, nonprofit organizations such as ours have sprung up throughout the country to provide food, temporary shelter, and other services to the homeless. Unfortunately the efforts of the private sector are not enough to stem the rising tide of homeless people. We feel the Administration should be doing much more, and we are greatly concerned about the lethargic response of our federal government to this massive social problem. - In November 1983 the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reported that as many as two million Americans may be homeless a figure approaching that of the Great Depression of the 1930's. However, another federal agency seems to disagree with the HHS finding. A My 1984 report to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), prepared by the HUD staff, alleges that the problem is much smaller Meanthat only about 350,000 are homeless at any one time. while, President Reagan observed recently that he believed many of the homeless living on the streets are there by choice (!) - Our government appears unable to come to grips with this problem of human suffering, despite all of our massive resources and technological sophistication. In fact, we cannot even get a reliable estimate of the scope of this problem. Whatever the reasons for the lack of agreement between the HHS and HUD estimates, two points remain inescapable: the problem is getting worse, and a great many Americans are suffering severe deprivation. Although our government agencies have not studied the matter adequately, those of us involved in caring for the homeless have been collecting information on local and regional levels. Our research staff reviewed the recent HUD report and found it to be seriously flawed. A comprehensive analysis presented by a Ph.D expert in research on our staff, is enclosed for your review. (A short summary -2 of the critique precedes the complete analysis.) We think you may find this information useful in your efforts to provide better programs and services to the homeless. We are especially concerned that the government should not try to develop programs for the homeless, based on the self-serving, politically motivated misinformation in the HUD report. Whatever the actual numbers of homeless, those experienced in caring for them agree that the problem is getting progressively worse. Shelter operators in our region report a steady increase over the past three years in the numbers of people requesting shelter. Even the HUD report provides information confirming the rise in the number of homeless. HUD acknowledges that over 40 percent of all shelters for the homeless have been in operation four years or less. Indeed, over 20 percent have been in existance for less than one year -- that most recent increase alone represents over 7,800 additional beds! I HUD Report p. 34 ). It is clear from these figures that the problem is worsening. After all, shelters develop in response to real problems to serve people without homes. Even the HUD report admits that we presently have shelter space for only one of every four who are homeless. Another interesting fact reported in the HUD document is the nature of the response to the problem in this country. Over 90 percent of all shelters for the homeless in the U.S. are operated by private nonprofit organizations. The federal government's efforts to help with the problem have been limited. In November, 1983, Congress did enact PL 98-181, which authorized funds HUD could use to make grants to states and nonprofit groups in operating programs for the homeless. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) distributed funds in 1983 and again in 1984 to assist local emergency food and shelter programs. The HUD Community Development Block Grant Program has also made funds available to assist shelters. These few endeavors have been pitifully insufficient, however. We are very concerned about future federal aid for the homeless. We need many more shelters and programs, and the existing programs those just mentioned) require changes. For example, the FEMA funds were distributed to communities according to a formula that takes into account a locality's unemployment rate. If a town's unemployment figure was below the FEMA minimum, it got no help. Yet unemployment rates actually may vary inversely with homelessness. Often, areas with reputations for high employment tend to attract the homeless: people tend to go where they think there are jobs. Consequently some communities with high employment may also have large numbers of homeless people, and might need help in funding shelters yet under the rules, they were ineligible for FEMA funds for those shelters. It is disturbing that the Department of Housing and Urban Development is not taking an active and responsible leadership role in seeking lasting and humane solutions to this pervasive problem. There are many possible answers but they require exploration and evaluation. The homeless need immediate help. We stand ready to provide assistance in the form of research and ideas about how to help solve some of these problems. Please call on us if you think we might be able to help. |