No more overnighters?

On March, 25, when Tacoma’s Human Services Commission made their recommendations to the City Council about the allocation of federal block grant money, money that comes from HUD and is designed to be dispersed to area nonprofits for programs that deal with housing, crime prevention, and economic development — the Martin Luther King Housing Development Association’s Men’s and Women’s Overnight Shelter got the shaft. According to Human Services Commission documents, the MLK Housing requested $82,574 for the Overnight Shelter, and after citing several problems with the MLK Housing application, the Human Services Commission recommended awarding the MLK Housing no money. I assume that’s not exactly the financial backing the MLK Housing was hoping for. According to the same documents, two years ago, through the same process of applying for federal block grant money from HUD and being reviewed by the Human Services Commission, the MLK Housing was awarded $31,100.



For those doing the math at home, that’s a substantial drop. One would figure going from $31,100 to zero money will be tough on the MLK Housing Men’s and Women’s Overnight Shelter, perhaps impossible.



I met last week to discuss the Human Services Commission’s recommendations with Tacoma City Council member Connie Ladenburg, along with Debbie Bergthold of the Human Services Commission and Ric Teasley of the Tacoma Community Redevelopment Board. Though I have a newfound respect for the complexity of the issues facing Tacoma when it comes to serving the homeless population, and the difficult decisions the Human Service Commission is in charge of making regarding the disbursement of federal block grant funds, one candid response during my chat with Ladenburg caught me off guard.



The MLK Housing Men’s and Women’s Overnight Shelter serves the lowest of the low in Tacoma’s homeless population — a large percentage of folks addicted to drugs. According to Ladenburg, who was quick to point out she doesn’t share this view, one of the difficulties facing the MLK Housing Men’s and Women’s Overnight Shelter is a resistance by some in Tacoma’s decision making chain to fund programs that aid the drug addicted homeless. Apparently, according to Ladenburg, the stance some are taking is if Tacoma cuts funding for such programs, the drug addicted homeless population may “move somewhere else.”



Bergthold, in a later conversation, told me she didn’t remember Ladenburg making the statement, but said that the Human Services Commission did not consider the drug addictions of certain segments of Tacoma’s homeless population when making their recommendations. The Human Services Commission adheres to strict guidelines when reviewing applications, she said, and drug addiction certainly wasn’t one of them.

“Personally, I feel like MLKHDA has been taken advantage of,” says Felix Flannigan, executive director of MLK Housing.



“Helping the destitute is obviously not a priority of our city or community. The people who make the decisions (on funding) are community members. We have to reevaluate” whether or not the MLK Housing will continue to offer the Men’s and Women’s Overnight Shelter, says Flannigan in response to the lack of support his agency received from Tacoma.



Is this lack of support due to the fact the MLK Housing Overnight Shelter serves a large population of drug addicted homeless?



“I’ve sensed that since I’ve been working here. I don’t know if it’s a conscious prejudice, but it’s real. There is an ethical responsibility for Tacoma to take care of the destitute, but that’s obviously not a priority for our city.”



Flannigan expects a decision to be made on whether the MLK Housing Men’s and Women’s Overnight Shelter will continue operations within 90 days. If the agency decides against carrying on with the shelter, here’s to hoping a large percentage of the destitute and drug addicted find their way to the doorsteps of those hoping less funding will drive them away. — Matt Driscoll

Economic snapshot

Tacomans got another government-funded economic snapshot this week when Angelou Economics presented the Downtown Tacoma Economic Impact Analysis. The study provides a current look at just how much money Tacoma’s downtown core really produces, and is part of a larger effort that will help city officials decide how best to guide development of the city center.



Highlights of the report include:



With only 4 percent of the city’s total land area, Downtown Tacoma is the single most concentrated employment area in the city.



Jobs downtown have a sizeable ripple effect on the city as a whole. For every job created downtown, an additional ¾ of a job is supported somewhere else in the city.



The impact of downtown on the city as a whole is growing rapidly. Since 1995, total economic activity produced by downtown jobs has increased by 139 percent to $4.8 billion. Income and retail sales have more than doubled.



Downtown’s growing base of arts and cultural institutions is drawing a substantial number of visitors to Tacoma.



Nearly half of the jobs in Tacoma are in health services or government.



Downtown Tacoma hosts 43,482 employees, representing 38 percent of all jobs in Tacoma. — Simon Moon