Dr. Dan Fisher: "when we are disconnected and lose touch with our feelings, we die inside."

The work that I do today provides me with a unique and incredible opportunity to work with some of the greatest minds in the Behavioral Health field.  That in itself is humbling enough, but some of the folks I get to work alongside are preeminent leaders in various specialties within the field, and the opportunity for learning is frankly endless.

(Left: Dr. Fisher, 3rd from left: lauren Spiro
Image courtesy:  http://ncmhr.org/  )

Take Dr. Daniel "Dan" Fisher and Lauren Spiro as examples.  I first heard of Dan a few years ago while attending an Alternatives conference out in sunny California. Dan is the Executive Director of the National Empowerment Center (NEC) and is a key subcontractor on many of the tasks associated with the Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale, Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS TACS) contract I currently help to direct for the Center for Social Innovation.

I heard of Lauren Spiro around the same time - which is no surprise once you know both of them as they're like brother and sister fighting together against common challenges in our work- and I have been an avid supporter of them both since I discovered them.  I also work closely with Lauren, (who is the Director of the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery,)  on the BRSS TACS contract, and am continually impressed not only with her incredible knowledge around peer involvement in the mental health field, but with her joyous yet consummately professional approach to everything she is involved in.

Okay, enough of my starry eyed gushing, but you have to understand, from my perspective, Dan and Lauren are people who have not only brought gargantuan change to the way in which we peers are viewed and involved in our recovery, but they continue to battle every day against political, social and medical forces (not to mention trying to have a life somewhere in the middle of all that), in order to provide those of us who are coming after them with a solid foundation upon which we are able to continue building.  This is no easy task, folks, you can believe that, and to make matters worse, there ain't a lot of money being tossed our way, either. Think of the Peer movement as the flea on the flea that is Behavioral Health that is living on the ass of the elephant that is Primary Health.   That Dan and Lauren have been even modestly successful in such an environment is phenomenal.  That they've been able to help motivate change in the field is monumental.

On to my reason for writing this in the first place; Dan and I were chatting by phone the other day and were discussing community dialogue and the Dialogical approach as a method to increase the ability of connection and success in working with our peers, our clients, our colleagues and our community.

Dan went on to write a brilliant piece on his own understanding and evolution towards the use of Dialogical recovery and I not only enjoyed it immensely, it resonated so loudly with my own experiences, both my personal recovery journey and the journeys I've helped others embark upon, that I wanted to share an excerpt here. I encourage you to check it out in its entirety when you can spare 5 minutes, because I think it's applicable for everyone.  And if you work with folks dealing with substance use and/or mental health challenges, you'll definitely want to hear what Dan has to say, as it may change the way you engage with your clients and those supporting your clients:

From Dialogical Recovery of Life (Dr. Dan Fisher)

It seems that all of us in this society need to recover from the constricting effect of isolation and the black and white thinking that separates us from our feelings.  Implementing recovery needs to occur beyond the clinical context. Recovery principles and culture needs to be adopted throughout society because every relationship we engage in has the capacity to enhance or degrade our recovery by nourishing or smothering our life force.
I think that a major aspect of bringing recovery to society is through understanding and practicing dialogical relationships in every day life. This might be considered a type of community dialogue. I have carried out several training programs here in Mass. based on six basic principles of dialogue (the first 4 come from Isaacs, 1999, the 5th from my own experience and the sixth from Yankolivich, 1999):
1. Listening deeply together
2. Suspending our own beliefs, going beyond categorical thinking
3. Respecting and valuing differences and the wholeness of each of us
4. Speaking from our deepest truth, from our heart
5. Connecting on a heart to heart level
6. Valuing each other’s humanity deeply enough to see we are all equals
But why are these principles of dialogue so important. Because they create a space that we all want and need. A psychological space in which we experience our life more fully. On the other hand, the top down monological world of everyday life in the present is killing our life forces within and between us. To this degree, the green movement, the recovery movement in mental health , and the dialogue movement have a common unifying goal: to create a society which nourishes the life force in each and every living being through dialogical relationships.

(Read the entire piece here)

SAMHSA May Just Have Nailed It With Latest Iteration: A Working Definition Of Recovery

It has been a long, challenging road for SAMHSA to travel to reach the point where a definition of "Recovery" was at a point that it could be shared and it's conceivable that there will be additional changes in the future.  The reason for this is that the term "recovery" means different things to different people and groups, depending upon which field you are seeking to define it in.  It's a difficult definition to nail down and if you notice, what you'll find here are a set of principles that just about everyone in fields where Recovery is something individuals strive for can agree upon.

The latest iteration has encompassed everything I could possibly think of around my own recovery and I cannot thank SAMHSA enough for having the courage and the ability to share it in a way that helps everyone align with a set of governing principles.  But SAMHSA didn't arrive at this alone, and a another heartfelt "Thank You" goes out to the thousands of individuals like me, who struggled with a personal challenge and were able to move beyond it, then shared the most harrowing parts of the journey with the rest of us so that we too could overcome, find strength and courage in the story and the journey, and embark upon our own road to recovery as well.

Thanks to every single one of you who helped me help myself to a new lease on life, love, and the pursuit of my own happiness and fulfillment.

SAMHSA’s Working Definition of Recovery Updated

23 MARCH 2012 4 COMMENTS

Written By: Paolo del Vecchio, Acting Lead, Recovery Support Strategic Initiative, Acting Director CMHS

In December 2011, SAMHSA released a working definition of recovery and a set of guiding principles.  The December release of this definition represented the culmination of a lengthy process that began with an August 2010 Dialogue Meeting and ended with a formal public engagement process (via the SAMHSA Feedback Forum) in August 2011.  At the time SAMHSA released the working definition, we indicated that we would continue dialogue with the field to refine the definition and principles.  Based on additional stakeholder input, SAMHSA is now issuing a slightly revised working definition and principles.

The revised working definition and principles give more emphasis to the role of abstinence in recovery from addictions, and indicate that an individual may be in recovery from a mental disorder, a substance use disorder, or both.   The revised definition is below.

SAMHSA appreciates the many thoughtful comments and suggestions received throughout the period of developing and vetting the definition and principles.  SAMHSA will disseminate the working definition and principles as a resource to policy-makers, systems administrators, providers, practitioners, consumers, peers, family members, advocates, and others.   The definition and principles are intended to help with the design, measurement, and reimbursement of services and supports to meet the individualized needs of those with mental disorders and substance use disorders.

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SAMHSA’s Working Definition of Recovery from

Mental Disorders and/or Substance Use Disorders

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) recognizes there are many different pathways to recovery and each individual determines his or her own way. SAMHSA engaged in a dialogue with consumers, persons in recovery, family members, advocates, policy-makers, administrators, providers, and others to develop the following definition and guiding principles for recovery.  The urgency of health reform compels SAMHSA to define recovery and to promote the availability, quality, and financing of vital services and supports that facilitate recovery for individuals.  In addition, the integration mandate in title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999) provide legal requirements that are consistent with SAMHSA’s mission to promote a high-quality and satisfying life in the community for all Americans.

 Recovery from Mental Disorders and/or Substance Use Disorders:  A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.

Through the Recovery Support Strategic Initiative, SAMHSA has delineated four major dimensions that support a life in recovery:

• Health:  overcoming or managing one’s disease(s) or symptoms—for example, abstaining from use of alcohol, illicit drugs, and non-prescribed medications if one has an addiction problem—and for everyone in recovery, making informed, healthy choices that support physical and emotional wellbeing.
• Home:  a stable and safe place to live;
• Purpose:  meaningful daily activities, such as a job, school, volunteerism, family caretaking, or creative endeavors, and the independence, income and resources to participate in society; and
• Community:  relationships and social networks that provide support, friendship, love, and hope.

 Guiding Principles of Recovery

 Recovery emerges from hope:  The belief that recovery is real provides the essential and motivating message of a better future – that people can and do overcome the internal and external challenges, barriers, and obstacles that confront them.  Hope is internalized and can be fostered by peers, families, providers, allies, and others.  Hope is the catalyst of the recovery process.

Recovery is person-driven:  Self-determination and self-direction are the foundations for recovery as individuals define their own life goals and design their unique path(s) towards those goals.  Individuals optimize their autonomy and independence to the greatest extent possible by leading, controlling, and exercising choice over the services and supports that assist their recovery and resilience. In so doing, they are empowered and provided the resources to make informed decisions, initiate recovery, build on their strengths, and gain or regain control over their lives.

Recovery occurs via many pathways:  Individuals are unique with distinct needs, strengths, preferences, goals, culture, and backgrounds  including trauma experiences  that affect and determine their pathway(s) to recovery. Recovery is built on the multiple capacities, strengths, talents, coping abilities, resources, and inherent value of each individual.  Recovery pathways are highly personalized.  They may include professional clinical treatment; use of medications; support from families and in schools; faith-based approaches; peer support; and other approaches.  Recovery is non-linear, characterized by continual growth and improved functioning that may involve setbacks.  Because setbacks are a natural, though not inevitable, part of the recovery process, it is essential to foster resilience for all individuals and families. Abstinence from the use of alcohol, illicit drugs, and non-prescribed medications is the goal for those with addictions.  Use of tobacco and non-prescribed or illicit drugs is not safe for anyone. In some cases, recovery pathways can be enabled by creating a supportive environment. This is especially true for children, who may not have the legal or developmental capacity to set their own course.

Recovery is holistic:  Recovery encompasses an individual’s whole life, including mind, body, spirit, and community.  This includes addressing: self-care practices, family, housing, employment, education, clinical treatment for mental disorders and substance use disorders, services and supports, primary healthcare, dental care, complementary and alternative services, faith, spirituality, creativity, social networks, transportation, and community participation.  The array of services and supports available should be integrated and coordinated.

Recovery is supported by peers and allies:  Mutual support and mutual aid groups, including the sharing of experiential knowledge and skills, as well as social learning, play an invaluable role in recovery.  Peers encourage and engage other peers and provide each other with a vital sense of belonging, supportive relationships, valued roles, and community.  Through helping others and giving back to the community, one helps one’s self.  Peer-operated supports and services provide important resources to assist people along their journeys of recovery and wellness.  Professionals can also play an important role in the recovery process by providing clinical treatment and other services that support individuals in their chosen recovery paths.  While peers and allies play an important role for many in recovery, their role for children and youth may be slightly different.  Peer supports for families are very important for children with behavioral health problems and can also play a supportive role for youth in recovery.

Recovery is supported through relationship and social networks:  An important factor in the recovery process is the presence and involvement of people who believe in the person’s ability to recover; who offer hope, support, and encouragement; and who also suggest strategies and resources for change.  Family members, peers, providers, faith groups, community members, and other allies form vital support networks. Through these relationships, people leave unhealthy and/or unfulfilling life roles behind and engage in new roles (e.g., partner, caregiver, friend, student, employee) that lead to a greater sense of belonging, personhood, empowerment, autonomy, social inclusion, and community participation.

Recovery is culturally-based and influenced: Culture and cultural background in all of its diverse representations  including values, traditions, and beliefs  are keys in determining a person’s journey and unique pathway to recovery.  Services should be culturally grounded, attuned, sensitive, congruent, and competent, as well as personalized to meet each individual’s unique needs.

Recovery is supported by addressing trauma:  The experience of trauma (such as physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence, war, disaster, and others) is often a precursor to or associated with alcohol and drug use, mental health problems, and related issues.  Services and supports should be trauma-informed to foster safety (physical and emotional) and trust, as well as promote choice, empowerment, and collaboration.

Recovery involves individual, family, and community strengths and responsibility:  Individuals, families, and communities have strengths and resources that serve as a foundation for recovery.  In addition, individuals have a personal responsibility for their own self-care and journeys of recovery.  Individuals should be supported in speaking for themselves. Families and significant others have responsibilities to support their loved ones, especially for children and youth in recovery.  Communities have responsibilities to provide opportunities and resources to address discrimination and to foster social inclusion and recovery.  Individuals in recovery also have a social responsibility and should have the ability to join with peers to speak collectively about their strengths, needs, wants, desires, and aspirations.

Recovery is based on respect:  Community, systems, and societal acceptance and appreciation for people affected by mental health and substance use problems – including protecting their rights and eliminating discrimination – are crucial in achieving recovery.  There is a need to acknowledge that taking steps towards recovery may require great courage. Self-acceptance, developing a positive and meaningful sense of identity, and regaining belief in one’s self are particularly important.

SAMHSA has developed this working definition of recovery to help policy makers, providers, funders, peers/consumers, and others design, measure, and reimburse for integrated and holistic services and supports to more effectively meet the individualized needs of those served.

Many advances have been made to promote recovery concepts and practices.  There are a variety of effective models and practices that States, communities, providers, and others can use to promote recovery.  However, much work remains to ensure that recovery-oriented behavioral health services and systems are adopted and implemented in every state and community.  Drawing on research, practice, and personal experience of recovering individuals, within the context of health reform, SAMHSA will lead efforts to advance the understanding of recovery and ensure that vital recovery supports and services are available and accessible to all who need and want them.

Rental Housing Is Increasingly Becoming "Out of Reach" for More And More Americans

Back in 2008 I wrote about Vanderbilt professor Dr. Melissa Snarr's study in the Nashville area that determined an individual would need to earn  somewhere in the neighborhood of $10.50/hr as the minimum "living wage" in order to be able to afford the most basic of necessities for survival; shelter, food, and basic living expenses.  I chided her a bit back then by asking her to try and live on that wage, but I need to point out here that her purpose was to underscore the bare minimum and provide a reference point when talking about what a living wage should begin to look like for the citizens in our community. Her work and effort was invaluable in raising awareness in the Nashville area and I greatly appreciate her attention and dedication to this critically important issue.

Four years later, the National Low Income Housing Coalition has released a disturbing study that sheds light on the declining availability of rental units for everyone, and for those at the bottom of the earnings ladder, is downright frightening.  For example, in one "map," states are ranked from most to least expensive; Tennessee is ranked 41 out of 52, which sounds good until you discover that in our state you'd need to earn$12.56/hr to afford the average fair market value (fmv) rent of $949 on a two bedroom apartment.  This amount should represent 30% of your total income spent on housing, the typical standard used to determine whether you're even eligible for a unit.

I don't have to tell you that if you're earning $12.56 an hour and paying a grand a month for housing, you're eating beans and ramen and praying you don;t have any 'out of the ordinary" expenses each month.  Thankfully, rents are a smidgen cheaper in the Nashville area but the secondary issue here is shrinking availability due to increasing demand for rental units brought on by the housing crisis.

I've shared the conclusions of the report below to provide you with a quick reference, but if you're a renter, you should read this.  If you're a renter earning less than $18/hr, this should be in your "top ten" things to read this week.  If you earn less than $12/hr, this should be mandatory reading.  You can check out the full article here.

When you finish reading, please consider letting your voice be heard by writing a letter to the editor, or donating to the NLIHC.  The need is tremendous and it's not going to get better anytime soon.  WE will have to force a priority adjustment if we expect to see anything done.

Permanent shelter is a basic human right and the number one priority for every human being. We need to make sure that everyone realizes this.

From "Out of Reach:"

CONCLUSIONS
h is year, as in years past, Out of Reach speaks to a fundamental truth: a mismatch exists
between the cost of living, the availability of rental assistance and the wages people earn
day to day across the country.
With the number of low income renters on the rise, the argument for sustaining
af ordable housing assistance is timely.
•  In 2012, a household must earn the equivalent of $37,960 in annual income to af ord
   the national average two-bedroom FMR of $949 per month.
18
•  Assuming full-time, year-round employment, this translates into a national Housing
   Wage of $18.25 in 2012.
•  h is year the housing wage exceeds the average renter wage, $14.15, by over four
   dollars and is nearly three times the minimum wage.
Despite the great need for af ordable housing units, subsidies for critical af ordable
housing programs continue to face the threat of cuts, as do many social safety net
programs. For FY12, HUD suf ered cuts of $3.7 billion dollars, 9% below FY11 funding
levels. Although HUD estimates that its public housing capital needs are in excess of $25
billion, the Public Housing Capital Fund received 8% lower funding for FY12.
19
 h e HOME
program, key to the production of many new af ordable units at the local level, suf ered
a cut of 38% between FY11 and FY12, a cut that is estimated to result in 31,000 fewer
af ordable rental homes. Meanwhile, the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF), which
Congress authorized in 2008, remains unfunded. h e NHTF would fund the production
and preservation of homes af ordable to the lowest income households. Funding the
NHTF is NLIHC’s top priority.
An af ordable home, providing stability and shelter, is a basic human need. Expanding
the availability of af ordable housing to address the unmet need of so many low income
Americans should be a top public policy priority.
THE NUMBERS IN THIS REPORT
As in past years, Out of Reach 2012 relies on data from HUD, the U.S. Census Bureau,
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Department of Labor, and the Social Security
Administration to make its case. See Appendix A for a detailed explanation of data sources
and methodologies.
h e FMR on which the Housing Wage is based is HUD’s best estimate of what a household
seeking a modest rental unit in a short amount of time can expect to pay for rent and
utilities in the current market. h us, the FMR is an estimate of what a family moving
today can expect to pay for a modest rental home, not what current renters are paying on
average. See Appendix B for information on how HUD calculates the FMR.
Readers are cautioned against comparing statistics in one edition of Out of Reach with
those in another. In recent years, HUD has changed its methodology for calculating FMRs
and incomes. In 2012, the FMR estimates were developed using American Community
Survey (ACS) data as base rents, rather than data from the Decennial Survey. h e new
methodology is thought to be an improvement on past practices, but it can introduce
more year-to-year variability into the data. For this reason and others (e.g., changes to the
metropolitan area dei nitions), readers should not compare this year’s data to previous
editions of Out of Reach and assume that dif erences rel ect actual market dynamics.
Please consult the appendices and NLIHC research staf  for assistance interpreting
changes in the data.
h e data in this report and the additional materials and data can be found online at:
WWW.NLIHC.ORG/OOR/2012

Where Were Recovery Schools When I Needed Them?

One of the most important things I've learned in my recovery is that if you want to recover, you have to get the hell out of the environment you used in.  That isn't always easy for a lot of us, and whenever there's a chance, every one of the addicts friends and family - assuming he/she has any left - ought to be encouraging the addict to change that physical environment.

Boston's Association of Recovery Schools (ARS) has discovered this, and they are on to something very important, as far as I'm concerned.  We addicts desperately need to have other things that are trenchant to us - clear cut and keenly focused - in order to combat the allure of using.  We need to have structure, a purpose, direction, guidance, and we also need some kind of impetus for something better.  We need role models, we need people in recovery to continually remind us that we too can do it, and most of all, we need something that motivates us more than filling our heads with fog.  Learning about addiction, both from a scientific perspective as well as from a personal perspective, helps us to understand the dangers of the path we were on and provides us with still more reason to find a better road.

To the folks who are behind this program, you have my respect and my gratitude because I know you will help a child avoid the road I traveled.  To the students who are able to attend this school, I cannot stress how fortunate you are to have this option.  I hope you'll use it to its fullest capacity because the alternative can be so terrible that most of us never recover from it, and those of us who do discover far too late the damage we've done to our minds, bodies, souls, friends, and families.

Home | About Us | Contact Us

MISSION    CONTACTS     APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP   SCHOOLS    CRITERIA    SUPPORT     RESOURCES    PRODUCTS

Mission

The Association of Recovery Schools advocates for the promotion, strengthening, and expansion of secondary and post-secondary programs designed for students and families committed to achieving success in both education and recovery.

ARS exists to support such schools which, as components of the recovery continuum of care, enroll students committed to being abstinent from alcohol and other drugs and working a program of recovery.

Vision

All secondary and post-secondary students have access to a recovery high school or collegiate recovery community.

Standards of academic and recovery practices are identified and implemented.

All eligible recovery schools are ARS members.

Recovery schools are seen as valued, necessary, and adequately funded parts of both the education and treatment systems.

ARS operates as a financially viable and autonomous organization.

Project Homeless Connect Returns to Nashville on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28

Will be down there for part of the day and I hope if you have some time you'll consider volunteering or donating to the effort.

Project Homeless Connect

Project Homeless Connect is a one-day event where nonprofit social services providers, government agencies, medical providers, and businesses come together to offer an array of services to Nashville's homeless population as well as individuals and families on the brink of homelessness. It is a true collaboration of the community and will take place this year on MARCH 28, 2012, at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. A kick-off to the event for volunteers will start at 8 a.m. with the doors opening for services at 9 a.m. The event will run until 3 p.m. We need 500-700 volunteers to make the fourth Project Homeless Connect Nashville a success by ensuring we deliver services efficiently to our guests. Help us spread the word and recruit a group of friends from your work, from your neighborhood, and from your congregation. Please, sign up through Hands on Nashville to volunteer. Last year, we served about 1,500 individuals including families with children. With the help of our volunteers and more than 70 service providers, we were able to deliver over 10,000 services to our guests. Our volunteers guide guests through the event. Each guest will go through registration where they will choose the services they are seeking. Volunteers will be trained, so they know how to read the registration papers and where to find the requested services. Volunteer training information will be sent out closer to the event. We will encourage each volunteer to participate in one of the onsite training sessions. This year's event is hosted by the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission in partnership with The Key Alliance. To learn more about Project Homeless Connect, click here. For sponsorship opportunities or to sign up as a service provider, call 862-6401. Thank you so much for AkzoNobel, which is one of our main sponsors again this year! AkzoNobel also allowed its employees to put a volunteer team together. Thank you for your community spirit! If you signed up to volunteer, please download our VOLUNTEER PACKET here. If you are a service provider, please invite your clients who struggle with homelessness to the event. As soon as we have our pick-up bus route ready, we will post the information in PDF format here, so you can print it out for them. If you know of individuals or families struggling with homelessness, please print out this flyer and invite them to attend Project Homeless Connect on March 28 at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds.

Nashville Metro Homeless Commissioners: Rhode Island Is Doing it, So Can We

"The aim is to completely shift how the state’s homeless population is served: In 2010, 95 percent of long-term homeless adults in Rhode Island were in shelters, and just 5 percent in housing. By 2016, the plan would have 98 percent in housing and 2 percent in shelters. "

Smart, for a variety of reasons, but two very important ones stand out; this shift from managing those experiencing homelessness to ending it will save lives and is cost effective, even if it doesn't seem like it when you see the price tag. It's the price tag that sends most folks running to the band aid kit rather than remaining resolved and finding the full funding needed to implement the comprehensive effort.

Homelessness is damned expensive for cities and states to deal with, so much so that those charged with finding solutions often put the best ideas at the bottom of the stack because the cost causes swoons around the room.  And because the costs of homelessness are so diffused throughout the community, it's hard to get one's mind around the idea of spending such a large sum to end it. The problem here is that it's often not a clear-cut set of expenses one can examine and compare, so when a proposal to spend large sums to combat homelessness comes across the desks of those who hold the purse strings, it's a hard pill to both swallow and pass on to the rest of us. Add to this the stigma, misconceptions and outright ignorance around homelessness, and that box of band aids looks better and better.  Responses ranging from righteous indignation about giving someone something for nothing to those who think if the homeless just "pulled themselves up by the bootstraps" they'd be back in a home in no time create a constant stream of push-back, making the band aid all the more attractive.

It takes a lot of resolve to push through these kinds of barriers and rhetoric and it's much easier to follow the path of least resistance.

The problem with that is that the path of least resistance happens to be circular, so you're never addressing the root problem and putting an end to the oval track chase.  If you were to put a marker on the track that indicated the point at which the annual band aid expenditure surpasses the overall cost of simply moving folks into housing, chances are that it has been lapped by several times already, and because a circular track never ends, well....you get the picture.

Bottom line: If your goal as a public steward is to serve the greatest good with the least amount of resources, you've suffered what's become known as the "epic fail."

RI plan moves homeless from shelters to housing

March 25, 2012|Erika Niedowski, Associated Press

A new state homelessness plan is upending the focus on temporary shelters in favor of more permanent housing, an approach advocates say is more cost-effective and could help Rhode Island become the first state to end homelessness among some groups.

The ambitious plan — with a price tag of about $130 million — seeks to end homelessness among veterans and those chronically without shelter in the next five years, in part by creating nearly 900 new units of “supportive’’ and affordable housing. The units would most likely be apartments and a mix of new construction and renovated existing properties.

The aim is to completely shift how the state’s homeless population is served: In 2010, 95 percent of long-term homeless adults in Rhode Island were in shelters, and just 5 percent in housing. By 2016, the plan would have 98 percent in housing and 2 percent in shelters.

“It’s moving from a shelter to a housing state, with a permanent solution to homelessness rather than increased shelters,’’ said Mike Tondra, head of the state Office of Housing and Community Development. “It’s really changing the system to respond to homelessness differently.’’

The Housing Resources Commission is expected to vote Friday to adopt the plan. It then heads to the Interagency Council on Homelessness, re-launched last year by Gov. Lincoln Chafee to create a more unified, interdisciplinary response to the problem.

The Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless estimates that more than 4,400 people experienced homelessness in the state at some point last year; 60 percent were single adults and one-quarter were children. About 13.5 percent of Rhode Island’s approximately 1 million residents were living in poverty in 2010 — slightly less than the national average — with about one in 10 living in extreme poverty.

But officials say the numbers are manageable here. In Rhode Island, there are between 250 and 300 homeless veterans and an estimated 875 chronically homeless who access the system of shelters operated by nonprofits, community development corporations and other service providers. Men and women stay a few nights at a time, sometimes for years.

One key part of the state’s plan is Housing First, a model used in more than 40 U.S. cities that diverts people from night-by-night shelters and puts them in subsidized supportive housing units. Housing comes first, as the program name suggests, but it’s linked with critical services to address substance abuse, mental health, education and employment.

Housing, of course, doesn’t solve the problems that often accompany homelessness, and some critics maintain that “treatment first’’ is a better approach. But the model has been successful in keeping people housed — for years.

Privacy Becoming A Disposable Right For People With Low/No/Fixed Incomes

I was speaking w one of my old clients I'd worked with years ago to help obtain SSDI and housing.  He's an old-school tramp with a long history of rail-riding, substance use, homelessness, serious criminal involvement and more recently some pretty significant physical disabilities.

Much has changed for him since we first met, and he's healthier, happier and stabler than he has been in decades, thanks in large part to the work we did together several years ago.

About a year ago, he moved into a public housing unit under a section 8 voucher that provides housing to folks with disabilities and/or who are considered senior citizens.  He's got a very nice one bedroom apartment and he couldn't have been happier at his home until a recent apartment complex meeting called by the management.

During that meeting, the management stated that they were concerned the local police would designate the complex with the dreaded "nuisance" status, which would then kick in a number of draconian steps designed to put an end to the nuisance.

Tennessee law states that:

the District Attorney General has authority to bring a civil action against any establishment deemed a nuisance. The statute defines a nuisance, in part, as “any place in or upon which… unlawful sale of any regulated legend drug, narcotic or other controlled substance…quarrelling, drunkenness, fighting, or breaches of the peace are carried on or permitted.”

I'm not exactly sure how local authorities determine what makes one place versus another a public nuisance, but logic tells me it's in the number of police and ambulance responses to the complex in question.

Now, this public nuisance law isn't by itself a terrible thing, and it has been used effectively to shut down permanently some of the more egregious examples of a public nuisance, like crack houses and apartment complexes so overflowing with weapons and thugs only a gang member or a complete moron would try to visit someone there.

What can become a terrible thing is how an apartment manager may begin to deal with the problems causing the public nuisance in the first place.

Some of the ideas put forth, my buddy tells me, included armed security, locked gates, ID checks upon entry, facial recognition lockouts on the elevators and cameras monitoring every public area (all things that are now standard in many low income housing units). However, his complex is also considering "room checks" after 10PM by off-duty Metro police who are hired at the complex to provide the security.

HUH?

This plan, modeled after one that is currently in place in at least one of the seedier hotels in the downtown Nashville area, has police wandering the premises, knocking on doors after 10pm and entering units to "look around" to make sure they're not up to anything scandalous or trying to hide more folks in the room than what were registered (spelled PAID FOR).

Okay, so I get the need to keep the peace, and I understand the need to control access to some of these places so that residents can live in peace.  But when cops start knocking on my door at bedtime and come in snooping around my apartment without a warrant, I gotta draw the line with that.

And please, spare me the argument that if a potential resident "doesn't like the regulation, they can find another place," because most of these folks wait months and sometimes years on the streets, with friends and/or family, and in shelters  for housing, and when openings occur in these public housing units, they're few and far between.  If an individual turns down a unit with these Constitution-offensive stipulations, chances are they won't see another "choice" for years.  Most of the folks in these situations take whatever they can get out of desperation and fear.

Folks with their backs against the wall (or on the cold, hard ground under the local freeway viaduct) will agree to a lot of things they don't like in order to improve their current situation, but dangling housing in front of them while simultaneously stripping them of their right to privacy and unreasonable search and seizure is an offensive and disgusting way of manipulating them and taking advantage of their desperation.

I'm not sure this is going to fly at this particular complex, but I can tell you that if it does, we'll be looking for a lawyer to address the Constitutionality of it.  This is beyond reprehensible and if it occurs, watch for it to arrive in a city near you, soon.  Frankly, I suspect it's already happening elsewhere, it just hasn't been brought into the light of day (no pun intended).

We aim to change that.

TIME SENSITIVE URGENT INFORMATION FOR ANYONE WANTING TO FILE FOR A SECTION 8 VOUCHER IN NASHVILLE, TN

PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH ANYONE INTERESTED IN FILING FOR HOUSING ASSISTANCE IN THE NASHVILLE/DAVIDSON COUNTY AREA:

The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program will open its waitlist registration process for one week starting Monday, March 26 @ 7:30 a.m. until Friday, March 30 @ 4 p.m. 

On Monday morning, March 26, you will be able to find the application form on MDHA’s website:

 

http://www.nashville-mdha.org/

For the first time, interested folks will be able to register online.  This type of online application is highly encouraged- AND avoids having to wait in long lines at our Rental Assistance Dept. offices on Dew Street.  This online process should take roughly 10 minutes. 

Generally, this process involves completing a registration form with basic information; an email address, street address, phone number, Social Security # are among the required info. for online registration.  Later (after all the registration forms have been entered into a database), individuals will be contacted to schedule an actual appointment.  Showing up early in the week/registering early will not guarantee an earlier appointment, as names from the registration forms will be selected by lottery and not time/date stamped as in the past.

In addition to the online method, applications may be mailed (postmarked by March 31, 2012) or hand-delivered to 620 Dew Street.  You can print out the online application, and complete the hard copy.  Map to 620 Dew Street is attached.

Applications that are emailed or faxed to MDHA will NOT be considered.  

Nashville Metro Homelessness Commission Has A Big Responsibility In Front Of Them

March's bimonthly Nashville Metro Commission meeting had, I believe, every Commissioner at the table, which is often a rarity for a couple of reasons, the least of which is the fact that just about all of us have full time + jobs and volunteer our uncompensated time on the Commission.  This of course isn't a reason to treat the position with less commitment than you would a "paid" position, but the Commission does then become the secondary responsibility in one's life when that primary responsibility (spelled J O B) demands your presence. 

Many Commission members (all of whom are uncompensated)
often play integral roles in the annual Project Homeless Connect event,
in addition to their regular duties on the Commission
and their primary jobs

So to have a full table is not only a great thing, it's not often a common thing and we needed a full slate of Commissioners as we discussed the critical need for, and large absence of, street outreach specialists here in the Nashville area.

For this meeting, I led a panel discussion on outreach, with strong support from Park Center's Corey Gephart, who oversee's the famous (made so by Big Willy Connelly) and wildly successful SOAR program and its street outreach component. Also a panelist was Carolyn Grossley (Cooper), who spent more than a decade on the street performing outreach while employed with the Mental Health Cooperative, one of Nashville's largest service providers.  Carolyn now works for the Key Alliance as the Housing Coordinator, and toils (I chose that word carefully) building relationships with local area landlords in order to procure additional housing resources for the city's most vulnerable.

We were slated for 30 minutes but the discussion was so robust and spirited among Commissioners that it went for over an hour; time well spent as far as I'm concerned, since for many on the Commission, the understanding of "street outreach" was vague, at best.

I won't bore you all with the minutae of the discussion but instead can summarize several key points that I think the Commissioners are currently grappling with:

1. Defining what "outreach" actually is and who would appropriately be designated as "outreach workers" within our community
2. Ensuring that street outreach specialists are properly trained and compensated to ensure longevity in the position and long-term success with the population of homeless individuals
3. Recognizing the value of a trained street outreach specialist (moving just one chronically homeless individual from the street into housing, pays for the outreach in terms of salary/benefits for one year, since a chronically homeless individual on average costs the city $40K annually. If that individual is also connected with an income source such as SSDI, the city recognizes an increase in spending and tax revenue once the individual is approved and begins receiving benefits)
4. Coordinating the move from the street into housing
5. Understanding the importance of "wrap-around" services once an individual enters housing
6. Exploring sustainability and funding options for both outreach and affordable housing units AND the longterm need of a housing fund to assist with 0-income candidates for housing

So where do we go from here?

It should be noted loudly and clearly that the Commission really has no authority to enact legislation and/or policy.  We are more a fact-finding body that researches the issues at hand, makes recommendations to the Mayor, provides an opportunity for public comment and input, and attempts to both raise awareness around the complexities of homelessness while working with others to coordinate service delivery around the city. 

We are uncompensated volunteers for these efforts and each of us has our own personal and/or professional reasons for serving the community and the homeless population. We come to the position passionate about ending homelessness and each of us also know that we operate in an environment traditionally either ignorant of, and/or unconcerned with the issue of homelessness.

We know too that there are some who harbor hostility to those experiencing homelessness  ("if they'd just find a job, they wouldn't be homeless," "They all oughta just pull themselves up by the bootstraps," "they want to be homeless," "they deserve to be homeless," "don't put that shelter/soup kitchen/housing complex/service agency in my back yard," etc, etc, etc) and we are occasionally castigated - and at times vehemently disliked - by a fractional cadre of individuals within the homeless community.

Most folks with any sense don't typically stick around long when doing work few care about or approve of and those suffering from the impact the work addresses think they can do better. Nowhere is this more true than in working to end homelessness. But as each person arrives at the table with his/her own personal reasons for serving, the commitment to serve stands as a testament to the passion each of us brings to the role of Commissioner, as it is often a thankless job filled with a variety of folks who work to find fault with whatever you may be proposing, suggesting, or hoping to implement/create. Because of this, I often say during training's that "if a person has been in this field longer than six months and is still employed and passionate about the work, they ain't here for the money."

One of the more interesting and insightful aspects of serving on the commission is listening to the public comments towards the end of the meetings.  These sessions provide an opportunity for citizens of the community to present their own views, ideas, comments, and complaints about a host of issues related to homelessness and life in the city while living homeless.

Over the years that I have been attending Commission meetings, I have heard from a wide variety of individuals on an even wider variety of topics.  But I would say that the vast majority of individuals who comment are people experiencing homelessness or who are formerly homeless.  Many of these individuals come angry, frustrated, and disheartened by their perceived lack of progress the Commission is making in executing the ten year plan for the city.

I feel their pain, and have since I began attending the meetings back in 2008.  I also know that for many who comment, the three-minute time limit is not enough for them to share what they want to say, and typically what ends up happening is that...well, here, let me share a post I placed here back in November as an explanation.  I think understanding why some of the folks feel discounted and/or ignored by some members of the Commission will be enhanced as a  result of a quick perusal of this post.

I can tell you that whatever some folks may feel, their comments are valued and respected.  Most of us realize that folks living day to day on the streets have some immediate need that, when goes unmet, causes tremendous frustration, hopelessness and anger.  For a very long time, folks battling against the scourge of homelessness have been ignored, marginalized....invisible.  That someone might actually be listening to them as they speak provides perhaps the greatest opportunity to be heard they've had in a very very long time, and there is a lot they would like to say.

Trying to summarize a longterm traumatic event like homelessness is akin to asking a war veteran to explain his/her experience of an extended tour of duty in a combat zone in three minutes or less. It's almost insulting.  And usually, by the time an individual actually makes it to a Commission meeting, the blood is near boiling, since just their trip to a meeting is far different, and much more challenging, than those of us on the other side of the table.

I think Commissioners on the whole understand all this, and don't take personally some of the personal attacks that occur to them by frustrated individuals during those public comments. They take in stride calls for the resignation of some members, the disbanding of the Commission, the occasional scorn and derision that comes in some of those comments, because they know that folks are suffering, and lashing out is a symptom of the condition, rather than a personal attack on any one of the members.  They also know that it is because of the Commission that folks even have a place to come complain, for without the Commission, the most marginalized and vulnerable among us would fade back into total obscurity, and would have no public voice, anywhere.

Returning to the question "where do we go from here," I believe the answer hinges on the next meeting, which will hopefully have some recommendations around a potential city-wide outreach training being considered here in Nashville, as well as some additional discussion around the lack of housing and ways in which we as Commissioners are able to positively influence a major increase in availability and funding to help those on the street access it.

This is our overarching goal and I think at times we get sidetracked by acute and transitory issues, arising often from public comments that alert us all to egregious conduct and/or conditions facing those experiencing homelessness. Nothing wrong with wanting to help mitigate some of the more pressing problems facing folks, but if we want to end homelessness instead of managing it, we've simply got to provide housing.

Perhaps our litmus test for new business for the Commission should be whether, at the conclusion of the intervention/assistance/effort, we have created new housing opportunities for folks.  If the answer is no, then maybe we ought to try and pass the particular issue on to another group, organization or committee that can provide assistance so that we are able to return to our primary focus, housing. It is my humble opinion that this should always be our bottom line and we should always be laser-focused on providing safe, affordable housing - lots of it.

Hope you'll join us at the next Commission meeting, occurring the first Friday in May, and beginning at 9am at the Howard School in downtown Nashville.  We need your input, your support, and your physical presence to help impress upon those still on the streets that we as a community care about everyone in our community.

When penalties for laying down bedding on state property are greater than or equal to penalties for assault, driving under the influence...our criminal justice system is not upholding justice — it is creating criminals.

Many thanks to friend and colleague Lindsey Krinks for a well constructed and thoughtful opinion on HB 2638/SB 2508.  This law was clearly constructed and enacted to thwart the efforts of community members who, sick of being powerless in a government that is supposedly "governed" by "We the People," stood together and demanded accountability and responsibility from their legislators and policy makers.

However, with this new legislation in effect, police and community "leaders" have yet another way in which to criminalize the behavior of those who are simply trying to find a place to lay their heads at night without fear of attack or exposure to the natural elements.  This law will have serious repercussions across the state, and you can believe that it will be used with scalpel-like precision against those experiencing homelessness to persecute them further in the hopes of either driving them farther out of the city or locking them up; either way reducing the perception of homelessness upon our city streets.

This "band aid" solution, crafted as a knee jerk response to rid the glaring spotlight shined by Occupiers onto the reality of the poverty they experience as a direct result of the mismanagement, complicity, ignorance and arrogance by government officials on both sides of the aisle, will suffer from the law of unintended consequences.  As these results begin to materialize, anyone who has suffered a conviction for "sleeping" on state property (the absurdity of this is beyond comprehension) will find the path off the street that much more difficult, now saddled with a misdemeanor.

In a city continually touted as the Buckle of the Bible Belt, there appears to be some mighty unchristianlike behavior happening at the hands of local legislators and public servants.

Kudos to Governor Haslam, who this morning stated that he wanted police to act only in "flagrant violations" of the law.  Unfortunately, one thing I've learned about police is that when they are given an inch, they often take a mile, and become very creative in how they interpret the laws. While many police act honorably and compassionately when conditions warrant, many also do not.  Those cops are the ones I'm most concerned with as they patrol with yet another way to harass and badger those least able to defend themselves against police misconduct.

I hope that state legislators recognize the error of their ways, but it's always easier to put a law on the books than to remove one.  I'm afraid the stage has been set, time will tell how the actors will interpret their new lines...

New legislation criminalizes homelessness

1:19 AM, Mar. 12, 2012 

Written by

Lindsey Krinks

On March 2, Gov. Bill Haslam signed HB 2638/SB 2508 into law, making camping, sleeping and cooking on state property a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to 11 months and 29 days in jail and a $2,500 fine. While this law was targeted at Occupy Nashville, it has devastating consequences for our unhoused neighbors — the thousands of men, women and children across Tennessee who are left to live and die on our streets.

Many are unable to find refuge because on any given night, there are not enough shelter beds or affordable housing units to accommodate everyone in need. They have nowhere else to go but the streets and public spaces, yet this law further victimizes them for doing so. With the passage of this law, the state of Tennessee is criminalizing the right to exist as a human being.  This law is not only unconstitutional and disproportionate — it is morally unacceptable.

When penalties for laying down bedding on state property are greater than or equal to penalties for assault, driving under the influence, trespassing on private property, destruction of private property, leaving the scene of an accident, shoplifting, reckless driving and many other crimes that have real victims, our criminal justice system is not upholding justice — it is creating criminals.

We stand with the American Bar Association, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, the Interagency Council on Homelessness, the National Coalition for the Homeless, National Health Care for the Homeless, the Western Regional Advocacy Project and many others who oppose the enactment of laws that punish people experiencing homelessness for carrying out non-criminal life-sustaining acts in public spaces like sleeping, eating or camping when no alternative private spaces are available.

 Instead of criminalizing homelessness, local governments and law enforcement officials should work with service providers, advocates and those who are unhoused to prevent, lessen and end homelessness. To address street homelessness, our state should dedicate more resources to creating more affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, emergency shelters, outreach programs and mental health and addiction services.

Homelessness and human suffering cannot be swept under the rug with legislation. We cannot lock people away — out of sight, out of mind — and declare success. Criminalization is not the answer.

We, the undersigned, call for this law to be repealed immediately before it has a chilling effect on our most vulnerable citizens and creates a greater cost burden on our local governments:
Charles Strobel; John Lozier, National Health Care for the Homeless; the Rev. Don Beisswenger; Lindsey Krinks, Autumn Dennis, Lauren Plummer, Jennifer Ward and Ingrid McIntyre, all of Open Table Nashville; Andrew Krinks, The Contributor; Father Bill Dennler; Bill Friskics-Warren, United Neighborhood Health Services; Rusty Lawrence, Urban Housing Solutions; Laurie Green, Southern Alliance for People & Animal Welfare; Dr. Beth Shinn, Vanderbilt University; Paul Boden, Western Regional Advocacy Project; Steve Reiter, Committee on Police/Homeless Issues; Darria Hudson, Matt Frierdich and Greg Gardener, all of Vanderbilt Divinity School; Brett Flener, Lipscomb’s Institute for Law, Justice, and Society; Katie Knies, Vanderbilt University Law School; Clemmie Greenlee, Nashville Peacemakers; Matt Preston, Urban Housing Solutions; Jeannie Alexander; Randy Goodman; Keith Caldwell; Megan Macaraeg; Ben Morton; Sarah Wilson; David Wilson; Michael Custer; Alesandra Bellos; Rachel Davies; Darlene Neal; Dr. Dana Carpenter, Preston Shipp, Megan Inman, De’Yuna Bailey, Michelle Sanchez, Andrea E. Yancey, Sequina Caro, Jill Schiely, Kayleigh Butterfield, Eric Heath, Tyler M. Conger, Timothy Wills and Tim Talley, all of Lipscomb University; Cecil Burnley, Michael Mooney and Grant Winter, all of Lipscomb University and Room in the Inn.