Last month, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings created the city’s Commission on Homelessness to address the city’s homelessness problem. The commission will host a public meeting tonight at the Harry Stone Recreation Center. Details are at kera.org/think. Today on Think, Lauren Silverman talked with members of the commission about how city government and nonprofit organizations can work together to help the city's homeless population.
The KERA Interview
http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_06-21-16_HR_2.mp3
Ikenna Mogobo, housing outpatient operations manager for MetroCare Services, on …
… the diversity of the homeless population:
“The programs that are available for housing, there’s stuff for the very severely vulnerable population and there’s stuff for people who are working and doing well to try and give them a boost, but there’s really nothing for that doughnut hole population. The homeless population is not just the guy you see on your corner all the time. There’s a need in our community for affordable housing for a large demographic… there is a whole other subset that is getting priced out of our city that we need to have recognized.
… getting the community involved:
“Cause if you’re going to wait for the private market to do it, it’s just not going to happen in this current economy. I mean, If I’m a property developer and I’ve got the option of developing 200 units of $3,000 one bedrooms or I can develop some units that I can only rent for $500 apiece, well that’s a no brainer. I’m in if for the business. We as a community have to decide. We need to take care of the most vulnerable in our community.”
Mark Clayton, Dallas City Councilman Mark Clayton, on …
… giving developers incentive to build affordable housing:
“Now from a city level, it’s always been well developer wants to do X therefore we are complicit in that and now I think we have to say from a city standpoint you may want to do X, but there needs to be a social reward too and I think that’s where we are starting to try and shift as a city.”
Blake Fetterman, executive director of the Salvation Army’s Carr, on …
… the population growth in Dallas:
“We have a huge population growth that’s happening here in Dallas, which being seen through all this construction … We also have wage stagnation, which is perpetuating the poverty issue, which is as a result is creating more homelessness. And you put all that together and we have created a system where folks can’t find safe, affordable housing.
