New River Housing

Wintergreen Supportive Housing Program for homeless adults with disabling conditions. Located In Wilkesboro NC. Information and application available from Robert m Cox, Housing Specialist, New River Behavioral Healthcare (828 263 5638 or coxr@newriver.org).

rmcox

21 October 2005

Good Morning,

An objective of this column is to present quality information about supportive housing for low income persons. In this entry is a link to a report about the effect of recreation as an economic development strategy in rural communities and notes about a couple of other programs that have been available in the past from federal sources.

Recreation, Tourism, and Rural Well-Being
By Richard J. Reeder and Dennis M. Brown

Economic Research Report No. 7 (ERR7) 38 pp, August 2005

"The promotion of recreation and tourism has been both praised and criticized as a rural development strategy. This study uses regression analysis to assess the effect of recreation and tourism development on socioeconomic conditions in rural recreation counties. The findings imply that recreation and tourism development contributes to rural well-being, increasing local employment, wage levels, and income, reducing poverty, and improving education and health. But recreation and tourism development is not without drawbacks, including higher housing costs. Local effects also vary significantly, depending on the type of recreation area."
Retrieved from http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/ERR7/ on 21 Oct 2005 by rmcox.

I’ll have to look at this data more to see how useful it will be in stating the case that the High Country is not as well off as other places & needs support from external funders to develop our social structure. What it does show is that Watauga and Avery Counties (part of the Southern Appalachian Resort category) experienced positive growth over the decade 1990-2000, although not as much as some other categories (Ski Resorts, for example).

Creativity in developing projects that can meet a broad range of consumer needs located in an area of limited economic means is key. Low income housing needs to be built where services exist; it would take a concentration of residents to entice business into a region, I imagine.

HUD’s HOPE VI program recreates decrepit public housing into viable mixed-income communities. Section 4 Capacity building programs support nonprofit community development corporations—this is also a HUD program. (Have to keep an eye on the Department of Commerce for changes in direct service/non-housing programs transferred from HUD—and proposed to roll into an under-funded block grant.

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Ouch! Don’t let people know you are working without a job description. They don’t want you to be bored & will put things on your plate for you. Over the past couple days I “joined” a variety of committees—granted I will learn a lot about making programs stronger—that are peripheral to want I want from this position. What I want from this position may be irrelevant. To present a vision for supportive housing for consumers of MH/DD/SAS in northwest NC & to make that vision reality. That is the challenge.

rmcox

17 October 2005

Good Morning,

I wanted to make note of a program in Wake County, NC called Healing Place of Wake County.

A colleague introduced a small group of us to the program as a model for what could be. The Healing Place is based on a model from Louisville KY.

This model is something to consider for our local considerations of addressing the needs of homeless addicts in northwest NC.

The Healing Place brings an entire continuum of care under one roof: Social detox, transitional housing, 12-Step based peer counseling, educational counseling, employment counseling, aftercare and opportunity to give back to the community.

The presentation is extraordinary.

rmcox

14 October 2005

Good Morning,

As I head into next week three appointments loom. Monday a small group will convene to offer advice on helping a program mutate through funding and systemic change. On Tuesday will be data collection and measurement of services to homeless individuals. Thursday is a trip to learn about state expectations for my job. All challenge me to take a stand and have something to say—it is a personal and professional contest to take a verbal stand, defend it and not feel defeated by questions from the audience.

In following up with an earlier post, accountability is important.

Accountability comes with a sense of belonging or ownership. Sometimes it is only accountability to one’s self. Does this define “integrity”?

The original question of accountability refers more to motivation. Motivating consumers by having them pay for a service. For some people this will work; it may even work for most people over the short term. What happens when an even greater motivating force arrives? Investments are often dropped.

Accountability to a program then becomes a matter of personal investment in a personal growth goal. To get to that point, other needs must be met. Enter Professor Maslow.

Following from Maslow’s hierarchy housing programs, by definition, provide for basic needs. The five level theory then provides for a step up to belonging to a group—identity. Here is a place where accountability and alliance are built. For an overview (without consideration of Rollnick & Miller) of motivational needs try Huitt, W. (2004).

The article provides “grist for the mill” of how to structure a program. Especially, as the programs concerning me right now are group environments. Anyway you slice it, the bread is baked with connections between people in the middle.

What is suggested is that faith in one’s self and one’s comrades is paramount, once basic physiological requirements are taken care of.

If a program provides food and shelter, does it need to do anything else? Now we’re back to my original question: “How can someone justify their existence?” Wow! That’s a little broader than my original question—“If a public program provides for your basic needs, what is your reciprocal responsibility?”

Here, then, is the perennial question facing social work students: “are there deserving and un-deserving poor?” Embellish it anyway you like, the question returns in many fields—I just happen to work with low-income individuals. The answer, of course, is “no”. At least until you meet a person who offends you.

I usually answer the question through the concept of informed consent. If you wish to enter a program you should be able to get all the information up front. Then an informed choice can be made. Sophisticated contract service providers of all stripes require the contract to be signed and recorded in the record.

Well, if someone is admitted to my program (they are eligible and they choose to do so) then it is my job to meet their needs inside the boundaries of the program. It is their job to follow through on their agreement, also lined out in the contract.

If there are problems, it is my responsibility as the program to learn how the program can fix the problems. In the end, both parties must agree to work for common goals or to part.

Okay, accountability of a consumer to a program is a choice. Accountability of a provider to a program is a choice. I can live with that & help providers come to grips with there consumers.

Rmcox

11 October 2005

Good Morning,

Homelessness. An affliction on the “American Dream” that continues to elude cure.

I had my first adult encounter with homelessness right after high school--an encounter without understanding that I was at arm’s length from living on the street. It is only in hindsight that I recognize the pattern. Not that I claim any brotherhood with those who have learned to live without shelter, only that I was saved through a partnership with others who were equally ignorant.

Later labor in the unending stream of need brought perspective from the “other side of the desk”. The cognitive dissonance produced by the experience never did answer the essential questions of how to directly relate to homeless persons or how to solve the problem.

So, through a good liberal education and an oppositional attitude to authority I concluded that housing, and consequent, needs be met by the federal government. Except that the feds continue to spend for projects that run counter to such a stance.

People of modest to comfortable means became the most reliable method for support of programs designed (?) to meet the immediate needs of the homeless. This economic sector continues prominently in my plans to meet human need.

Now, I am in a policy/program development position. The question of cure floats back to the top of the pot—without an attached answer.

“Give Me a Home” is a 20 December, 2004 Mother Jones interview between Meghann Farnsworth and Sam Tsemberis, founder of a program addressing homelessness through a “housing first” philosophy: Pathways to Housing.

Tsemberis expresses the position much better than I can & I think that this is a position that should be part of any program I am involved with. In fact, there is a program that needs some guidance in relating to it’s consumers—so much so that I printed out the article and included it in an information packet they will get soon.

Anyway, I still don’t know & still struggle with the issue of accountability. That’s an issue for another day.
Rmcox

Good Morning,

a seperate link for a seperate topic.

Cultural Competence publication from SAMSHA. This is a 68 page .pdf.

rmcox

7 October 2005

I wanted to copy this text from the Board Cafe website, it keeps me from retyping their copy. It’s a great resource for nonprofit board members and managers. Try it out—its free!


CompassPoint's Board Café™The newsletter for nonprofit boards.Short enough to read over a cup of coffee.™

Board Café is the electronic newsletter exclusively for members of nonprofit boards of directors. Short enough to read over a cup of coffee, Board Café offers a menu of ideas, information, opinion, news, and resources to help board members give and get the most out of board service. Each issue will bring you a cornucopia of "Little Ideas," as well as one "Big Idea" you can use in your board work.

Rmcox

5 October 2005

Nonprofit management is a topic I collect information on. Here is an article from Guidestar about developing a media plan and getting the word out effectively. This is a “tips & tricks” article with several pieces of new information and some reminders—I won’t decide which are which, that’s personal to every reader.

rmcox

3 October 2005

The position of Housing Specialist is too new to define properly. This blog will help, hopefully.

My vision for this blog is to provide a resource for New River area consumers and service providers (primary target audience) related to housing issues. Secondarily, I am interested in response to crisis events (including natural and man-made disasters and through extension, terrorist events).

The mission, then, is to collect web and print resources in an organized manner. Once collected, a short review to highlight audience and use for the resource will be added. It will be updated weekly.

Additional material related to nonprofit management will also be allowed.

Alright then! On to the work….

rmcox