H.O.M.E. Word – A blog from Project H.O.M.E.

The following article appears in the new edition of "News from HOME," the newly designed Project HOME newsletter, which was mailed to our supporters.  To see the full online version of the newsletter, click here.  If you don't already received "News from HOME" and would like to to, contact Michael Gainer, Development Associate for Communications, at michaelgainer@projecthome.org. 

Earlier this year, several members of the Project HOME community attended a two-day festival commemorating the friendship and prophetic witness of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.  One of the keynote speakers was Rabbi Michael Lerner, a long-time activist and editor of Tikkun magazine.  As Rabbi Lerner articulated his ambitious vision for a more just, peaceable, and loving society, he admitted that many people would counter that his ideas were “unrealistic.”  “Realism,” Lerner argued, can be a cover for keeping things the way they are.  “Our slogan,” he said, “is ‘Don’t be realistic!’”

Lerner’s challenge speaks to us at Project HOME.  Given the persistent crisis of homelessness that has long plagued American cities, it is tempting to assume it is a permanent feature of the urban landscape.  Meanwhile, far too many “plans to end homelessness” gather dust on shelves in bureaucratic offices.  It seems, at first blush, pretty unrealistic to think we can “end homelessness.”

But we dare to say it:  We can end chronic street homelessness in Philadelphia. 

The recent groundbreaking of JBJ Soul Homes represents more than just one more residence of Project HOME.  It is part of an ambitious, strategic multi-year plan we are developing, in partnership with many other groups, to create a range of housing and support services that will dramatically reduce the numbers of chronically homeless persons on the streets of Center City.  We believe that, with the realization of this plan, we can and will make chronic street homelessness a rarity, not the norm of life in Center City. 

A key element in allowing us to dream so ambitiously and work to realize that dream is the generosity and leadership of John and Leigh Middleton. Their transformational leadership grant will serve as a catalyst to forging the public/private partnership that will make the “unrealistic” come true. 

At the November 13 Groundbreaking for our newest residence, JBJ Soul Homes. Left to right: Craig Spencer (JBJ Soul Foundation); Philadelphia City Councilman Darrell Clarke; Jane Vincent (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development); John and Leigh Middleton; Joan McConnon (Project HOME); Jon Bon Jovi; Brian Hudson (Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency); S. Mary Scullion (Project HOME); Frank Robinson (People for People, Inc.)

How do we dare be so “unrealistic”?  Our City is blessed with a remarkable network of housing and service providers with proven track record of effective programs which have empowered thousands of persons to make a successful transition from street homelessness to stability.  We have a strong package of both proven best practices and promising new ideas.

We also draw hope from our talented and committed partners and collaborators from all sectors of society, who are working with us as we craft a comprehensive plan, and who will be instrumental in bringing it to reality.  This includes allies in government, at all levels, as well as tremendous partners in the nonprofit world.  It includes generous and visionary funders and talented policy and research experts.  Not to mention people who have come together – consumers, funders, business leaders, volunteers, consultants, providers, allies, advocates, doctors, communities of faith, families, and other friends – all of whom share a passion and vision of ending chronic street homelessness in Philadelphia.

Any plan of such scale carries risks and complications.  Unforeseen political challenges or a deepening economic crisis could slow down our efforts.  But we cannot help but be hopeful.  The need is urgent, but the vision compels us, and the broad community that shares the vision inspires and empowers us. 

Is it hope or naiveté?  Look at the structure rising from the formerly empty lot at Ridge and Fairmount.  Ask any of the hundreds of Project HOME residents who recall dark days of despair but now live in their own place, who work at jobs, who are community leaders.  And then join us in this project of daring and hope – help us end chronic street homelessness in Philadelphia.

Sean Quebedo threw down the Queen of Hearts, punctuating his win over Joy Johnson in a friendly game of cards. 

"I'm out!" he declared, reveling in his victory. Johnson, one of the Hub of Hope's housing specialists, smiled broadly as the witty, fast-talking Quebedo played up his good fortune. "A woman's a man's best friend!" he said, presumably referring to his winning Queen. But he could have just as easily been referring to Johnson, whose company he obviously enjoyed. The game itself hardly mattered, really; they had played before, and they would surely play again. Who was keeping track?

The game was merely a pretense for what was really occuring between these two people as they sat at a plastic folding table in an old hair salon situated in an empty corner of the Suburban Station concourse: Understanding.

As Project H.O.M.E. and its partners shutter the Hub of Hope – a winter initiative that provided essential outreach services to the men and women who called the station's concourses home during the winter months – for the season, we can look back over a successful term that saw 360 unique individuals access Hub services. Hub staff handled 292 medical visits, allowing 134 unique people access to essential medical care; staff also placed 95 folks in residential or treatment programs around the city. All of this was accomplished during the work week, with the bulk of the interactions occuring between 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

But perhaps most importantly, folks like Sean Quebedo had a place to call their own, a place where they were welcome. They had a place where they were no 

Joy Johnson and Sean Quebedo.

longer an anonymous face, but a human being with a medical history, paperwork that needed to be completed, and hopes for the future. 

On a typical evening, the doors would open at 7 p.m. and shortly thereafter men and women would start to drift in – some hoping for help applying for identification or to have their blood sugar checked, others hoping for a hot cup of coffee and a comfortable place to sit as they wrung the cold from their bones.

As for Quebedo, a retired Navy veteran who had spent the better part of the last 15 years on the street, the Hub provided a new beginning: in early March, he was excited about his impending housing placement and job prospects. He attributed his improved station to the "professional and positive" Hub staff who showed a remarkable ability to help "different people with different mentalities" get what they needed most – a renewed chance.

A special thanks to our partners:

Bethesda Project
Catholic Social Services
City of Philadelphia
Horizon House
Jefferson University Physicians
JeffHOPE
Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Pathways to Housing PA
Public Health Management Corporation
SEPTA Police
Student-Run Emergency Housing Unit of Philadelphia

The Vote for Homes Coalition is holding a voter registration training session for all interested volunteers on Tuesday, September 20 from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm at 1515 Fairmount Ave. The session will teach volunteers how to register voters who are homeless, living with disabilities, or are ex-offenders while also detailing the voting rights these populations enjoy. Please RSVP with Jennine Miller at jenninemiller@projecthome.org or 215-232-7272, ext. 3042.

Eagles great and current Monday Night Football color commentator Ron “Jaws” Jaworski and his foundation, Jaws Youth Playbook, are hosting a golf tournament on Wednesday, October 5, with proceeds going toward the construction of a playground in our Ridge/Diamond neighborhood. For more information on the “Swinging for Swings” events – or, better yet, to register – click on through.

Our good friends at the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania recently published an open letter to all members of the Pennsylvania congressional delegation urging them to support housing programs for all Pennsylvanians. The letter, signed by 300 organizations and businesses, was published in the Philadelphia Inquirer and several other newspapers around the state on August 2.

You can add your voice to this important message by contacting your congressional representatives and senators and urge them to work to ensure decent housing for all Pennsylvanians.  To get contact information on your legislators, or to send an automatic email, click here.

Open Letter to Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation

Like you, we believe that if you work hard and play by the rules, you ought to be able to afford a decent place to live. No child should be homeless. Seniors and people with disabilities should be able to live safely and with dignity.

Since the Great Depression, a network of private sector, community, faith and mission-driven businesses has evolved to address the unmet housing needs of our communities.

This week 300 representatives of this network representing 45,000 homes and a fulltime workforce of 8500 sent you a letter to make sure you understand the disastrous local impact for Pennsylvania’s housing market, job market, families and communities of a deficit reduction plan that cuts housing and homeless programs.

Much has been said about the safety net, as it should be. With unemployment, homelessness, foreclosure and housing instability rising, people are suffering.

The economic impact of these investments has gotten less attention. Cutting housing and homeless programs is pennywise and pound foolish – it will actually cost us more than we save.

Last year, for example, PA received almost $500M from HUD capital programs like CDBG and HOME. They generated an additional $1 billion in economic impact – jobs and new money – from the purchase of construction supplies and services, local spending, wages, tax revenue and ultimately the increase in property values surrounding the new or rehabbed home. That’s double the return on investment.

Low Income Housing Tax Credit syndication brought in over $200 million of private capital to PA last year to help finance affordable rental apartments, generating nearly ten times the public dollars on the table. This is money well spent.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Housing counseling, another program on the chopping block, has been proven to help owners in default successfully negotiate with lenders to prevent foreclosure. In fact, bankers have gone to bat to save it. Foreclosures strip equity from all our homes and neighborhoods, costing far more than counseling.

We can pay now or pay later.

For people experiencing homelessness, permanent supportive housing actually saves taxpayers money by reducing costs to other expensive systems, like corrections, hospitals, and emergency shelter. Studies show that chronically homeless people who live on the street cycle in and out of shelters, jails, hospitals, and actually cost taxpayers more than providing a permanent home.

We, the undersigned, understand that governments, like families, have to cut back in these difficult times. But when families make cuts, the last thing that goes is the mortgage, because, above all, we need our home.

And here’s the kicker, HUD is only 3% of the total federal budget. Cutting HUD hurts us all more than it helps the bottom line.  We urge you to invest in a home within reach of every Pennsylvanian.

Learn more about the great work of the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania at www.housingalliancepa.org.

We share with you this posting from the blog of our partner organization Philabundance.

It’s a short talk by Jessica Jackley, co-founder of KIVA, an innovative and inspirational program that empowers poor communities around the world using microcredit.    It’s an example of a positive and effective approach to solving poverty based on affirming people’s dignity and potential.   She speaks eloquently of breaking the barrier of “us versus them” and building relationships and community – values dear to us at Project H.O.M.E.

Thanks to Philabundance for posting this and for spreading a hopeful vision.  http://www.philabundance.org/2010/12/14/us-vs-them/

For more information on Philabundance, go to www.philabundance.org.

Please help Philadelphia do the smart and right thing for people who are living on our streets. 

The 100,000 Homes Campaign is a national grassroots effort to place America’s most vulnerable, long-term homeless individuals into 100,000 homes by July 2013. Mayor Nutter, Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Office of Supportive Housing, along with Project H.O.M.E., the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Horizon House, Bethesda Project, Broad Street Ministry, and Pathways to Housing are all partners in Philadelphia’s local campaign.

As Philadelphia joins this dynamic effort, we need your help! The success of the 100,000 Homes Campaign depends on the partnership of volunteers, especially during Outreach Week (May 15-20).  That week, teams of volunteers will take to the streets to survey persons who are homeless. The goal is to create a by-name registry of people living on our streets, to prioritize people who have been out there the longest and have the most severe needs. What we learn together during this week will help us reduce chronic homelessness in Philadelphia.

Outreach Week is right around the corner. We’ve got social workers, case managers, students, CEOs, certified peer specialists, academics, and many others on our team who share the belief that we can end homelessness in Philadelphia!

We’re well on our way to our volunteer goal, but we need your help. For Philadelphia Outreach Week to reach as many individuals experiencing homelessness as possible, we need more volunteers.

To volunteer, click here.  And please spread the word to others who may want to join our team.

If each person reading this recruits one change agent/concerned citizen, we’ll be in great shape.

Please contact Jake Bowling at jbowling@mhasp.org or at 267-507-3816 if you have any questions about Philadelphia’s campaign. Let us know of any volunteer groups, agencies, faith communities, or other groups that would benefit from a presentation about 100K Homes.

For more information on the campaign, go to www.100khomesphilly.org. Also, find us on Facebook (100K Homes Philly).

For more information about the national campaign, visit www.100khomes.org.