A Hard, Ongoing and Critical Conversation

On June 28, 2017 for the latest installment of our Hard Conversations series, MDHA, CitySquare, and the Dallas Public Library presented a book synopsis of Toxic Inequality: How America's Wealth Gap Destroys Mobility, Deepens the Racial Divide, and Threatens Our Future. 

The book synopsis was led by Randy Mayeux, renowned scholar and longtime book reviewer at CitySquare's Urban Engagement Book Club. Our good friends, Larry James and Rev. Dr. Michael Waters, joined Randy for the Q&A part of this exciting event, and expounded on how the lessons of Toxic Inequality can be applied to race, poverty and homelessness in Dallas.

This Hard Conversation was part of our ongoing effort to address Racism and Homelessness in Dallas, as part of our SPARC Dallas program, in partnership with the Center for Social Innovation, and with the support of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas’ Unite Dallas Relief Fund.

The importance of this effort was underlined by the National Alliance to End Homelessness’ invitation to Jeff Olivet and Marc Dones, of the Center for Social Innovation, to speak about this program, at the plenary on the second day of its recent annual conference, following an address by the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Ben Carson.

Jeff and Marc also led a standing room only session at the conference, where they delved into the program in depth, and held a meeting, where we got to meet with those running the program in other cities. We have been meeting, in an online virtual learning community for a few months now, but this was the first chance we had to meet in person.

Out of recognition of the importance of combating Racism and Homelessness, the seventh goal of our CoC Strategic Work Plan is devoted to this. We look forward to continuing to make progress on this front. 

If You Build It, They Will Come (Not Really, So…) - Don’t Miss This Important Training Opportunity!

One of the ideas at the core of Opening Doors and our CoC Strategic Work Plan is that in the area of homeless services, an “If you build it, they will come,” approach does not work. This should surprise no one, as every product requires a delivery system, certainly a scarce product, like housing for those experiencing homelessness. As we explain in our playbook, that delivery system, our homeless response system, addresses the demand side of the equation (who needs housing) and the supply side (who has housing).

Cynthia Scaife, Housing Resources Liaison

 

To this end, in late 2016, MDHA hired James McClinton, our Housing Resources Director. James manages the Housing Inventory Chart (HIC) of all CoC programs (so when a person is ready to be housed, a unit is available, as soon as possible), while also growing the supply of known housing, and finding housing units beyond the reach of the HIC. Recently, we added another member to our team, Cynthia Scaife, as Housing Resources Liaison, to work with James on that last piece, finding housing units in the private market. In hiring Cynthia, a licensed and experienced realtor, we have already begun to pack more of a punch in the supply side of our homeless response system.

In an exciting development, MDHA has teamed up with the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) and the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) to offer two training sessions next week on Engaging Community Partners to Expand Supportive Housing. On August 1, 2017, 1-4pm, we will discuss Linking Development with Services, and on August 2, 2017, 9am-12pm, we will discuss Finding Community Partners. Click through for all the details. RSVP is required, so click here and act now!

 

In related news, if there is one population for which the, "If you build it, they will come," approach might have the smallest chance of working, it is youth. To that end, our VISTA, Victoria Jackson created a brand new, up to date, Youth Services Directory. Victoria is in the process of building a web page version of the directory, which is currently available as a PDF. We will also be distributing print desk copies to public high schools and middle schools, throughout Dallas and Collin Counties. 

Introducing the Continuum of Care Strategic Work Plan 2017-2018

Last week, five of us at MDHA, led by Cindy J. Crain, President and CEO, attended the largest annual gathering in our field, the National Alliance to End Homelessness conference. This was my first time, but on one particular point, it confirmed what I knew already. Though every community is different, the modern homelessness crisis manifests in much the same way across the country. And, in much the same way, over the course of the last 10-15 years, we have learned how communities can make homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring, by applying evidence-based data-driven solutions.

These are the same evidence-based data-driven solutions, laid out in Opening Doors, the national strategic plan to end homelessness, commissioned by Congress and the President. They have guided our work here in Dallas, since the beginning of 2015, and upon them our Continuum of Care (CoC) Strategic Work Plan 2015-2016 was built. Opening Doors envisions a homeless response system, which diverts those experiencing homelessness who can self-resolve and helps them do so, places those who cannot self-resolve into appropriate housing, is entirely oriented towards housing as the solution for homelessness, and practices full transparency, as a tool for learning and systems change.

 

In 2015-2016 MDHA made substantial progress in realizing its vision for such a system, and in 2017-2018, it is building on that. To that end, over the last few months, we engaged subject matter experts, board members, service providers, those experiencing homelessness and the community at large, to build our Continuum of Care (CoC) Strategic Work Plan 2017-2018. In its final form, approved by the MDHA CoC Board on July 21, 2017, it sets specific goals, measurable objectives, and reporting mechanisms. These will drive our work, the work of our partners and the work of our community, as we continue to work towards our ultimate goal, making the experience of homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring, in Dallas and Collin Counties.

This North Texas Giving Day, Help End Homelessness

North Texas Giving Day is a very important day for us, at MDHA, in our effort to end homelessness. How much should you give to MDHA on September 14, 2017? Here are some suggestions. (You can donate multiples of these numbers too!)

$103.53. $103.53 allowed Jonathan to reconnect his electricity, and avoid a return to homelessness (and a miserable Christmas).

$120.75. $120.75 allowed Daniel and Karla to remain housed, Abraham to pursue a job, and Richard to become eligible for a housing voucher. No, not $120.75 each; $120.75 total.

$95, $149, $200. $95, $149, $200, respectively, allowed Kisha, Sarah and Laura to move from shelter into housing.

So, please, before you forget, copy and paste into your calendar for September 14, 2017:

North Texas Giving Day - Don't forget to give to MDHA!

http://northtexasgivingday.org/npo/metro-dallas-homeless-alliance

This link will take you straight to our North Texas Giving Day page.

Of course, if you don't want to wait, and prefer to donate to MDHA today, just go to our website, and click on Give to MDHA - www.mdhadallas.org/become-a-champion/ or send a check to 2816 Swiss Ave., Dallas, TX 75204.

Watch Hard Conversations: Toxic Inequality

On June 28, 2017 for the latest installment of our Hard Conversations series, MDHA, CitySquare, and the Dallas Public Library presented a book synopsis of Toxic Inequality: How America's Wealth Gap Destroys Mobility, Deepens the Racial Divide, and Threatens Our Future. 

The book synopsis was led by Randy Mayeux, renowned scholar and longtime book reviewer at CitySquare's Urban Engagement Book Club. Our good friends, Larry James and Rev. Dr. Michael Waters, joined Randy for the Q&A part of this exciting event, and expounded on how the lessons of Toxic Inequality can be applied to race, poverty and homelessness in Dallas.

Bummed that you missed it? Fret not! Our good friends at Two Hats Publishing have hooked you up! Click here or on the image above, and get ready to be blown away! But, first, download Randy's handout here: Toxic Inequality - Randy Mayeux Synopsis - Handout