Nutter's New Homeless Plan and Fairmount - PhillyBlog

ydoidrink · #1 (**permalink**) 05-29-2008, 12:59 PM

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front..._homeless.html

just read about nutter's plan of providing housing units for the homeless to be run by the pha.

wondering how this will impact us considering fairmount's relationship with pha. what do you guys think? is fairmount going to be targeted as a "homless" house area?

sort of admire nutter for trying to address the situation. but i've gotta say - i'd be absolutely furious if the homeless "halfway" houses were located in fairmount. total bs if nutter moves drug addicted, mentally unstable people into our hood on the dime of our tax base. fairmount has had troubles dealing with the pha residents for years...i can't imagine an influx of the homeless would help out the situation or have any true benifits for our area.

also wondering if gov subsidized housing is the way to address this daunting issue.

any thoughts, comments, or ideas?

PhillyBlog · #2 (**permalink**) 05-29-2008, 01:21 PM

Quote:

On one side of the Parkway sits a small park where the homeless gather, Nutter said. On the opposite side is the Four Seasons Hotel.

Somebody give me a tylenol, the solution is so painfully obvious here

zete_374 · #3 (**permalink**) 05-29-2008, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ydoidrink

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front..._homeless.html

just read about nutter's plan of providing housing units for the homeless to be run by the pha.

wondering how this will impact us considering fairmount's relationship with pha. what do you guys think? is fairmount going to be targeted as a "homless" house area?

sort of admire nutter for trying to address the situation. but i've gotta say - i'd be absolutely furious if the homeless "halfway" houses were located in fairmount. total bs if nutter moves drug addicted, mentally unstable people into our hood on the dime of our tax base. fairmount has had troubles dealing with the pha residents for years...i can't imagine an influx of the homeless would help out the situation or have any true benifits for our area.

also wondering if gov subsidized housing is the way to address this daunting issue.

any thoughts, comments, or ideas?

It won't work. I was hoping for a prolonged cold spell this winter to cull the herd. Maybe next year we will get lucky.

j2266 · #4 (**permalink**) 05-29-2008, 02:47 PM

Also a big fan of Nutter so far, but your PHA concerns are shared. We would not have to worry if needy people used PHA homes to get back on their feet and not abuse the living **** out of the system. I have personally called PHA and 911 numerous times about the complete lack of enforcement present within the scattered site PHA homes throughout Fairmount. Are some PHA neighbors great, yes. Are some pathetic, yes, but whatever happens to the pathetic ones???? Why are people allowed to live off the taxes and goodwill of others and at the same time trash the street, yell and curse at all hours of the day and night, have cops routinely come to the house, and try to intimadate unfamilar visitors. With 38,000 Philadelphians on PHA waiting list it is a crock that some clowns abuse such a privilage for so many years with no regard for what should be a limited privilage not a unlimited ignorance festival. Seriously, is there any discussion within Fairmount to address the bullshit that many, including myself seem likely to give up on, or can anyone point us in the right direct for fair and adequate change

gorilla · #5 (**permalink**) 05-29-2008, 03:09 PM

Yesterday morning: I see the police and a trash truck cleaning out the homeless from the youth study center.
Last night: I watch the news and here is Nutter saying we need to help.
Today: they are back.

methinks the police are taking the nyc homeless approach... and this is just a political bandaid to make everyone feel better about kicking homeless people out.

seand · #6 (**permalink**) 05-29-2008, 03:17 PM

Quote:

To deal with the growing numbers, the Nutter-PHA plan calls for 500 PHA housing units to be given over to the homeless - 300 for families and 200 for individuals.
There's no additional cost to PHA, spokesman Kirk Dorn said. The units will simply be designated for the mayor's program, he added. Part of the $8.3 million cost will fund support services for people placed in the PHA units.
Although there is a 48,000-person waiting list for PHA housing, PHA does have the right to use the units "to tackle this crisis," Dorn said.
He added that PHA is compelled to ask, "Where is the need the greatest?" Although people on the list are mostly the working poor and in genuine need, "they probably have some kind of housing already."
The city's contribution includes 200 units and beds. They consist of 125 units of "permanent supportive housing" - that is, a combination of housing and services to help people. Units would be added in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
The city will also be funding 50 "safe-haven" beds in various residential-treatment facilities for homeless people with acute addiction and behavioral-health problems. The city also has committed to providing an additional 25 beds, which could be used either for safe-haven beds or supportive housing.
Two overnight cafes for the homeless will also be continued.
None of the $8.3 million for the plan will come from the general fund, said Donald Schwarz, deputy mayor for health and opportunity, but rather from existing federal and state funding.
Obviously, Nutter and other officials said yesterday, the new plan won't help everyone.
PHA Executive Director Carl Greene, who was at Nutter's news conference, said in a written statement, "It is just unfortunate that we don't have the resources to serve all of the people who need our help."
But the effort seems to have impressed those who work with the homeless every day.
"This is definitely not just window dressing," said David Dunbeck, director of homeless services for Horizon House, a Quaker-affiliated nonprofit that works with the mentally ill. "The mayor is bringing together resources. There seems to be a lot of sincerity."

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_..._homeless.html

Eerily familiar title and initial post in this thread.

HP46 · #7 (**permalink**) 05-29-2008, 04:34 PM

Nutter has been awfully disappointing, I've seen nothing of substance from him. He is, I fear our very own Tommy Carcetti.

While there was a rash of robberies and assault UNDER CITY HALL, what did Nutter do? He campaigned for Hillary Clinton - a candidate that 85% of the citizens of this city were against.

Typical Philadelphia - we're impressed with a C- city official because they give a good interview. Just like Lynn Abraham - she gives a good quote (and has ZERO political aspirations) so she's granted sainthood. How does the buck never stop with her? Where is the accountability?

Nothing in this city has changed, and I feel that - other than the Clinton campaigning - he has been INVISIBLE as the mayor of this city in a challenging time.

And I voted for him. But, like most, he got my vote because his daughter cut a great tv spot.

At least someone was getting hooked up with a kickback under Street.

CityMaps · #8 (**permalink**) 05-29-2008, 05:04 PM

Jeez, it has been...how many MONTHS?
Were you really expecting Nutter to kick out the entire "system" and start over with geniuses that YOU picked? Would that make you all happy?

I guess you would only be satisfied if he hand-built a new house with his own money (far from you) for every single homeless person and then took them there in a limo...

Let's hold off passing judgment (and fear) until we know the details of the plan, eh?

seand · #9 (**permalink**) 05-29-2008, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HP46

Nothing in this city has changed, and I feel that - other than the Clinton campaigning - he has been INVISIBLE as the mayor of this city in a challenging time.

You are either smoking something awful good or not paying attention.

In the last few days:
Freezing NTI land acquisitions left over from the Street administration, under investigation for illegally giving away land not at market-value costs
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/19346499.html

Appointing a young, dynamic, progressive activist as Executive Director of the Human Relations Commission
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/br.../19354664.html

Assisting the Boyd in its bid for historic preservation status
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/br.../19364254.html

Fast-tracking our long overdue 311 PhillyStat system. Yes some controversy about the bidding out of the contract but clearly this very important step is not languishing
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news.../19345809.html

Our cities local prison is unconstitutionally overcrowded - but around 60% of those we are holding there are not convicted of any crime - just awaiting trial. Around 60% of that 60% are not awaiting trial for violent offenses but simply can't afford to come up with even low bail ammounts sometimes as low as $500 for minor offenses (minor drug possession, fights, etc.). The Nutter administration based on a recent local conference it orgainzed here and a national conference of mayors is picking up some of the best practices of other cities like NYC to use GPS-tracking anklets and day-reporting to better use our resources and allow people accused of minor offenses to continue to work thier day jobs while awaiting trial.

Quote:

GPS monitoring also would save money, Gillison said. Inmates cost the city about $91 a day; Gillison estimates that GPS monitoring would cost $9 to $18 per day, per offender.

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news.../19345869.html

Following up on that campaign promise to more effectively lobby for the cities interests in Harrisburg
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/19309904.html

Increase of $1 million to Fairmount Park in a budget that staid true to moderate wage tax and BPT cuts in an economic downturn.
http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/19309414.html

Following through on that promise for tax credits and re-entry programs for the large number of Philadlephians coming out of the prison system to stop recidivism

Quote:

So on his 100th day in office last month, Mayor Michael Nutter announced a program, being headed by an ex-offender, that gives $10,000 a year in municipal tax credits to companies that hire former prisoners and provide them tuition support or vocational training.
"This is one of the best crime-prevention programs we'll ever have," he said.
Initiatives to help former prisoners re-enter society have become a renewed priority across the country as new data shine a spotlight on staggering rates of incarceration and recidivism.

Quote:

"The spending on corrections is consuming a larger and larger percentage of state and local budgets," Thompson said. "When you're spending it on this, you're not spending it on other government priorities."
Philadelphia spends about $30,000 a year to house each of its more than 9,000 inmates.
"You don't have to be a CPA to do the math," said Ronald Cuie, director of the mayor's Office for the Re-entry of Ex-offenders. "The investment on re-entry has a hard-dollar return."

http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/a.../19285959.html

I realize other disagree in some respects but I feel that Nutter and Ramsey showed excellent mettle in picking the correct, middle path through the whole Fox 29 copter cam police beating brouhaha - sending the right message consistantly to yahoos on both sides. The Inky seems to agree.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/ho.../19241549.html

Also sending the right message by honoring Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news.../19231509.html

Oh and that budget
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news.../19203459.html

Personally on each of these issues, I saw a follow through on campaign promises and policy positions which were part of the reason I was such a strong supporter of Nutter in the mayoral primary in the first place. In each of these instances Nutter lived up to the right balance between competing priorities, following through on picking up the best practices from other cities.

Its fun to be a constant negadelphian but I honestly have been pleasantly surprised with Nutter pursuing exactly the right path (at least by reading) on every single one of these issues.

3rd&Brown · #10 (**permalink**) 05-29-2008, 08:41 PM

Ah, Philadelphia.

Nutter is invisible, right.

This man is probably working 20 hours per day, making progress on every imagineable issue that affects this city, and we don't like it.

Guess what? The results of good work take time to manifest themselves. Instead, we respond to pomp and circumstance. We want Street to show up in his blocky 'fro with a tow truck. It doesn't matter that that stupid program cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Or "Safe Streets". $300 million in overtime and no permanent results.

Nutter and Ramsey have done in 4 months with crime what Street couldn't accomplish in 8 years with $300 mill and a bunch of talk.

IMO, it just goes to show you that by you get more of people when you expect more (and for less money).

Nutter and Ramsey made it clear very early on that they're not playing. Ditto for Richard Ross, who I think has really stepped up to the plate under Ramsey. Just by changing the tone at police headquarters, I think morale and results have improved.

If Johnson were still in that role, he'd be blaming Liczbinski's murder on the popular media, the economy, and Washington.