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Scrooges Oppose Needed Homeless ServicesNew Report Finds Private Homeless Facilities Often Thwarted
Every night more than 700,000 women, men and children are homeless in the U.S. Yet when private groups attempt to create new housing, shelter or services they often confront opposition from community Scrooges, according to an investigative report released at a press conference today by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (NLCHP). "At a time when the social safety net has been weakened, it is essential that private groups attempting to fill the gap are able to offer badly needed housing and services," said Maria Foscarinis, NLCHP Executive Director.
The NLCHP report entitled Access Delayed, Access Denied is based on a survey of 92 transitional housing providers in 71 cities and towns awarded grants in the 1994 HUD Supportive Housing Program Competition. Programs are selected by HUD after a tough national competition and on the basis of demonstrated ability to operate programs for homeless persons.
According to the report, in 100% of the surveyed cities and towns for which information was available the supply of affordable housing is insufficient to meet the need. Among the 59 cities for which such information was available, 76% have a shortage of emergency shelter beds and transitional housing slots to accommodate their homeless residents.
However, communities continue to send the message "good will to all, but not in my backyard". Prospective neighbors or local governments attempted to obstruct the siting of 41 % of the private transitional housing programs that responded to the survey.
Governments are increasingly turning to the revision of their zoning laws as a means of excluding facilities that serve homeless and other poor people from their jurisdictions or particular parts of them At least 8 cities have recently enacted new laws or amended existing ones to increase restrictions on siting housing or service facilities for homeless people or are considering doing so. Residents and business owners used a variety of methods to exclude providers, such as:
Reasons for concern and opposition listed by survey respondents were:
"Efforts to exclude housing and service providers are counterproductive and inhumane," Catherine Bendor, NLCHP Staff Attorney, said. "They deprive homeless people opportunities to attain self sufficiency and waste already scarce resources." Among programs that reported Not In My BackYard (NIMBY) opposition, NIMBYism:
The report also discusses the underlying reasons for NIMBY opposition and provides examples of effective solutions to NIMBY conflict. As a result of the report, the Law Center called for:
"We urge local governments, housing and service providers, and community members to take constructive approaches to resolve siting conflicts," Foscarinis said.
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