Local charities are continuing to operate temporary shelter facilities for homeless individuals displaced by the closure of the downtown overflow shelter, but representatives from numerous agencies have expressed concern about a long-term housing solution.
St. Vincent de Paul Food Services Manager Jerry Castro said his organization and the Lodestar Day Resource Center house up to 400 homeless men and women nightly at the Human Services Campus at 12th Avenue and Jackson Street in downtown Phoenix. The Human Services Campus is a 12-acre campus with various agencies, including Central Arizona Shelter Services, Lodestar Day Resource Center and St. Vincent de Paul.
Castro said the St. Vincent de Paul dining room and the Lodestar facility are being used as an emergency shelter to accommodate homeless individuals from the Central Arizona Shelter Services overflow facility, which closed at the end of March.
The Men’s Overflow Shelter and East Lot facility operated by CASS were closed because the facilities were not up to code, noting that the overflow shelter did not have ceiling sprinklers in the event of a fire, Castro said. St. Vincent de Paul Executive Director Stephen Zabilski and Lodestar Managing Director David Bridge worked to ensure their facilities would be open to the displaced individuals as soon as the overflow shelter closed, he said.
Castro added that the Men’s Overflow Shelter was originally intended to be temporary. He said at least 20 homeless people died during the summer of 2006, prompting CASS to open the Men’s Overflow Shelter on land owned by Maricopa County on 12th Avenue and Madison Street. He said the East Lot, an adjacent asphalt parking lot, was later opened to accommodate more people, and a maximum of 400 people could use the facility.
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According to the most recent Arizona Department of Economic Security report on homelessness, published in December 2014, at least 29,000 individuals in Arizona received services in emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing in 2014.
Jon Linton, the founder of the arts advocacy project I Have A Name, said the conditions in the Men’s Overflow Shelter and East Lot were dismal, but it provided a safer alternative to sleeping on the street.
“Sleeping on the streets is not safe, bottom line,” Linton said.
Linton, whose photography initiative documents homelessness across the Valley, said being displaced from the overflow shelter puts homeless men and women at risk of theft or assault on the street. Linton noted a recent encounter with a homeless man who was new to Phoenix. Linton said within three days of meeting the man, the man was assaulted with a pipe while sleeping on the streets, and his few personal belongings were stolen.
Castro said the Human Services Campus, a development that houses numerous support services and organizations for the homeless, has security guards and two off duty police officers monitor the facility. He said incidents of violence or theft have been minimal since Lodestar and St. Vincent de Paul began operating the temporary shelter, and individuals are asked to leave for the night if they are in possession of drugs or alcohol.
Castro said 400 new sleeping mats were purchased when Lodestar and St. Vincent de Paul decided to open their doors, and more individuals have a roof over their head now than at the prior facility. He said approximately 80 women and 20 elderly or disabled men sleep every night in the St. Vincent de Paul facility, another 100 men sleep in the Lodestar building, and about 150 to 200 men sleep in a partially covered outdoor space at the Human Services Campus.
Maricopa Alliance for Shelter and Housing co-founder Amy McMullen said the temporary housing being offered at Lodestar and St. Vincent de Paul is a substantial improvement from the old overflow facility. McMullen said MASH, a local advocacy group composed of downtown residents and business owners, was created to respond to the closure of the overflow shelter.
“The homeless are our neighbors,” she said.
Earnest, a 58 year old homeless man originally from Ohio, said he has been living at shelters at the Human Services Campus on and off for 11 years. He said the new temporary facilities are an improvement from the old Men’s Overflow Shelter for residents.
Maricopa County Human Services Director Bruce Liggett said city, county and private sector representatives are collaborating to create a long-term solution.
Liggett said Maricopa County and the City of Phoenix have each contributed $1 million to fund a housing voucher program. Liggett said Valley of the Sun United Way also contributed $500,000 to finance the program, which places formerly homeless individuals in affordable apartments or public housing.
Liggett said individuals who receive the vouchers independently choose an apartment that serves their needs. In the meantime, Liggett said the county agreed to a contract with Lodestar to fund the temporary shelter at the Human Services Campus. Liggett said St. Vincent de Paul funds its own operations.
CASS CEO Mark Holleran said local government and homeless assistance organizations use a tool known as SPDAT – Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool – to determine which homeless individuals are most in need of the housing vouchers. He said the goal is to prioritize individuals who need assistance, but could also become self sufficient with adequate support.
But Holleran expressed some concerns about the voucher program. Holleran noted that voucher funding is only valid for a maximum of six months, at which time individuals benefiting from the program are expected to support themselves. He said this system fails to address a number of concerns.
Holleran explained that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates individuals should spend no more than 30 percent of gross income on housing. If homeless men and women are placed in a $500 apartment through the voucher program, Holleran said they would theoretically need to earn $9.61 an hour working full time, or approximately $20,000 a year, to maintain that proportion.
Holleran noted that finding employment is difficult for young professionals with college degrees, let alone homeless men and women. Staying employed also becomes a concern, as individuals housed through the voucher program may be far from the Human Services Campus and lack the means of transportation to regularly meet with support staff that can help formerly homeless individuals stay on track. He added that many homeless individuals do not qualify for Social Security benefits, and disability benefits pay a maximum of about $800 a month.
“If you’re going to pay ($500 rent) out of your $800 disability benefits, that’s 62 percent of your income, ” Holleran said.
McMullen also said she had concerns regarding the effectiveness of a housing voucher program.
McMullen said many local apartments enforce crime free housing policies that prohibit individuals with prior criminal convictions from renting. She said this automatically excludes a certain portion of the homeless population, forcing them to live in less stable housing situations where drug and alcohol use may be more prevalent.
Castro said his organization has felt the strain of funding and staffing the temporary operation. He said eight staff members from the kitchen operation and eight volunteers work to convert the dining room facility into a shelter at night and then transform the facility back into a dining room in the morning.
He noted that St. Vincent de Paul recently had to spend $15,000 to repair the facility’s air conditioning unit to ensure individuals using the facility can remain cool.
Castro said Lodestar and St. Vincent de Paul initially planned to have permanent housing for individuals using the shelter through the voucher program or other means by November 15th, but the situation remains uncertain.
“If they still haven’t found housing for these people, I don’t see us closing,” Castro said.
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Holleran said CASS and other partner organizations at the Human Services Campus are working to create a contingency plan if the numbers using the facility do not decrease as November 15th approaches. Although only 400 individuals use the facility each night, Castro said over 1,200 individual ID cards have been issued to homeless individuals using the facility since its creation. He added homeless men and women cannot enter the facility for the night without receiving an identification card from security.
Linton believes permanent housing with wrap around support services are a better alternative than voucher programs or homeless shelters, as they present less risk of assault or theft and provide homeless individuals with needed support.
He said he has encountered countless individuals suffering from drug or alcohol addiction, or mental illness in his experience with the homeless community. Linton said permanent housing units with on site support staff help this individuals receive the support they need.
Holleran said Arizona Housing Inc., a partner of CASS, operates multiple permanent housing facilities across the valley. Holleran said the facilities, which provide homeless individuals with their own living space as they seek employment or receive benefits, have staff on site 24/7 and support services available to residents for 10 hours every day of the week.
Linton cited 209 W. Jackson St., the largest housing facility operated by CASS partner Arizona Housing Inc., as model for permanent housing with support services for the homeless. Holleran said the Jackson Street facility currently houses several hundred people.
McMullen also expressed concerns regarding the efficacy of these facilities, noting that there may not be enough support services to effectively help residents, citing the recent suicide of a former resident. McMullen said the CASS shelter at the Human Services Campus may not be operating at capacity.
Holleran said the facility can house 400 people, and that shelter organizations have also considered housing more than one individual per apartment, or partnering individuals, through the voucher program.
Holleran said being part of a family unit and being part of a community is particularly
important for members of the homeless community.
“If you want to know what happens when the family unit breaks down, walk through our shelter,” he said.
Castro said resolving homelessness in the valley remains an incredibly complicated problem, regardless of the solution to the temporary shelter situation. He said understanding why an individual is homeless can be incredibly difficult, and it can be difficult to provide effective support services without understanding the underlying causes of homelessness in each individual.
Holleran said homelessness can be difficult to impact, as support organizations cannot effectively help the homeless until they want to utilize those services.
Donations can be made to CASS, Lodestar or St. Vincent de Paul by contacting the organizations directly.
Contact the reporter at Connor.Murphy@asu.edu.
