San Francisco Mayor Proposes Intensive Outreach Program( for the homeless )

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

Saw this on TV today; mayor said he feels homelessness can be wiped

out in USA if we have the will to do it. His program started with

homeless recipients who are on welfare; a good part of their welfare

$ are taken from them to pay for their housing. Some critisizm of

this, but he says it's a start.

 

A friend of mine in NJ is in a program called "housing with a

heart"; they take part of his SSD( social security disability ) to

pay for the housing.

 

Just sharing some info.

 

Amma Bless,

amarnath

 

http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2004/san-

francisco-mayor-proposes.html

April 16, 2004

 

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom wants to take an intensive approach

to help chronically homeless people in his city, the San Francisco

Chronicle reported April 9.

Newsom proposes using social workers to walk the streets every day

and offer direct assistance. The San Francisco Street Outreach Teams

will work in groups of two to get people with severe substance use

and mental health disorders into treatment programs and shelters.

 

The teams will carry lists of the treatment slots available that

day, and will offer them on the spot to any homeless person who

wants one.

St. Louis and Philadelphia have similar, highly effective programs.

 

Philadelphia's program reduced that city's chronically homeless

population from 900 to 200 since the late 1990s.

 

The outreach teams are part of San Francisco's 10-year plan to end

homelessness. San Francisco has between 8,600 and 15,000 homeless

people, 3,000 of whom are chronically homeless.

 

San Francisco is a Demand Treatment! Community.