Homelessness in Dallas is Wakanda

I know what you are saying to yourself: Great, another hot take on Black Panther, the zillionth one so far. Hear me out, though.
 
I am not really into comic books. I can think of only one comic book series, recently, which I have watched in full, Jessica Jones. That should tell you something. I have gone to comic book movies, because my children have dragged me to them, but these experiences have only reinforced my understanding that I am not the audience for these flicks. So, I really didn’t know what to expect when my 17-year-old wanted me to go to Black Panther with him, but go I did.

Wow. Like many people, I was blown away, and you can read critics’ reviews, to find out why. You don’t need me for that. I did want to address the message, which I found uplifting, even if my kid is right that the way it was presented was a little too ham-fisted. I really could not stop thinking about the film and its message, and I wondered why. Then I got it. I could not stop thinking about it, because it is so close to the work we do here every day.

 
Earlier this week on this blog, and last week on social media and via email, we shared the news of the Center for Social Innovation’s first public report on incredible work they have engaged in with the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance (MDHA), and five other cities, towards establishing racial equity in homeless services, through SPARC (Supporting Partnerships for Anti-Racist Communities), a new research and action program.
 
One of the ideas that we, at MDHA, have brought to the forefront of Dallas consciousness these last 16 months, is that homelessness in Dallas is largely about race. When around 60-70% of those experiencing homelessness are African-American, the question Larry James, CEO of CitySquare was asked in public in mid-2016, “Why do you have to make this about race,” is self-evident in its willful blindness.
 
Once you remove the scales from your eyes, be it regarding homelessness in Dallas, be it regarding the history of colonialism, you have two options that can explain the challenges Africans and African-Americans face. Option 1, and this is the option our region of the country held on to firmly into the mid-sixties: There is something wrong with Africans and African-Americans. Hopefully, that sentence just made you flinch, but don’t think that approach does not still exist in our world. The “great” thing about this approach is that it demands no action on our part, as a local or global society.

Option 2, and, spoiler alert, this option is the one backed up by a pesky thing called data or facts: What we see today is the result of how colonial powers treated Africa, and our society in Dallas treated and often still treats African Americans.

 
Black Panther allows us to imagine what would have happened had colonial powers not plundered Africa of its natural and human resources. Beyond that, it imagines an Africa with superior natural resources, that breeds technology beyond our wildest dreams. Though my 17-year-old might think this is a little too inelegant a presentation, I find the simplicity of it refreshing. The message of the Afro-Futuristic past and present of Wakanda is: The only difference between the condition of real world Africa and its diaspora and Wakanda is that the former lacks the resources of the latter, and that the latter suffered the trauma that did not befall the former. To bring it back to homelessness in Dallas: The difference between the white person who is housed and the black person experiencing homelessness, is that the black person comes from a traumatized community, robbed of its resources, and the white person does not.

Ok, so practically speaking, what now? The movie explores three paths. Path 1 is the status quo, the path of Wakanda up until that point, which was, essentially, to do nothing. Both Killmonger and the Black Panther realize that that path is no longer tenable. Path 2 is the path of Killmonger, the villain, who is uncharacteristically for comic books, rather nuanced. He favors the Wakandans treating the world like the world treated Africa. Path 3 is the path that the Black Panther chooses, that Wakanda begin to share its resources with the African Diasporas, in order to create racial equity.  

 
We, as Americans, confronting a crisis of homelessness, that has lasted for forty years have to decide what to do in our real world. The SPARC report is unflinching in its assessment:
 
The homelessness field stands at a crossroads: continue to use color-blind strategies to solve an entrenched social problem that disproportionately impacts people of color, or embrace a racial equity approach to addressing homelessness… Commitment to racial equity must permeate all other tactics and strategies that cities, counties, states, and the nation use to prevent and end homelessness… Unless we as a field address structural racism within housing, homelessness response, criminal justice, child welfare, employment, education, and health care, we will continue to witness high rates of homelessness for people of color. Our responses must be ambitious and focused on dismantling racist structures, systems, and programs.
 
We, in Dallas, stand at a crossroads too. There is no escaping that. Will we have the courage to rise to the challenge? Will we have the courage to marshal our abundant resources to end homelessness and create racial equity in this and all other areas? Only time will tell.

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

Addressing Racism and Homelessness in Dallas – a Progress Report

It’s hard to believe that the first time we discussed the disproportionate representation of African Americans in Dallas’ homeless population, on this blog, was just a little over nine months ago. Since then, we have endeavored to make the glaring racial disparities in homelessness an integral part of every conversation surrounding homelessness in our community.

With the help of a generous grant from United Way of Metropolitan Dallas’ Unite Dallas Relief Fund, we are in the midst of a research and action program from the Center for Social Innovation (C4) titled “Racism and Homelessness - Addressing Inequity in 10 American Cities”, nicknamed SPARC (Supporting Partnerships for Anti-Racist Communities). In the words of C4, “While no single initiative can end structural racism across all systems, we believe,” that through this initiative we can, “create positive change in attitudes and behaviors that will begin to close the racial gap that has led to the disproportionate prevalence… of homelessness among African Americans.”

Hard Conversations: Racism and Homelessness

We launched the program, with a number of activities in late November 2016, including a first round of training for service providers, and the first meeting of a planning body to help MDHA and C4 shepherd this program in Dallas. The highlight that month was an installment of our Hard Conversations series on Racism and Homelessness. It was a packed house, in what could only be described as a combination of a church service and rock concert, with some serious learning and consciousness raising.

In February, C4 staff spent a week here in Dallas collecting qualitative data. They held focus groups with individuals experiencing homelessness, case managers and other front-line professionals, and mid to upper management personnel of service providers. They recorded about twenty Story corps style interviews with persons experiencing homelessness, where these individuals shared their life histories. Through this qualitative research, which they are conducting in all participating cities, they are looking for patterns in how people of color enter homelessness and what barriers prevent them from rapidly and permanently exiting homelessness.

We also spent time that week, MDHA and C4 staff together, meeting with a variety of stakeholders in the community to seek their guidance and input, including a large group of African-American and allied clergy, and leaders of other anti-racism efforts in our community. We also had another in-person meeting of the local planning body we had formed to help us shepherd this effort, whom we have and continue to meet with regularly over the phone.

2017 State of the Homeless Address

During the State of the Homeless Address in March, Cindy J. Crain, MDHA’s President and CEO, shared the relevant data on racism and homelessness, from the 2017 Homeless Count, and the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). These numbers reiterated what the 2016 Homeless Count numbers showed us already: 60-70% of those experiencing homelessness in our community are African-American. She vowed that MDHA would continue to work to, “counter the systemic influences that created such extraordinary disparity with systemic changes.”

Along the way, we were heartened to see the media address these issues, with Tasha Tsiaperas’ Does Dallas' homeless population show the city is racist? in the Dallas Morning News, and Stephanie Kuo’s How Dallas' History Paved The Way For A Disproportionately Black Homeless Population, on KERA, as two prime examples. Race has also been constantly in the background of KERA’s excellent series, One Crisis Away: No Place to Go, which focuses on the plight of families in West Dallas, who are at risk of losing their homes.

Currently, as C4 analyzes the qualitative data collected here in Dallas at the end of February, they are also in the process of collecting quantative data from the HMIS system, which they will subject to rigorous analysis. They have also begun to connect us with the other cities they are working with in a budding online learning collaborative, where we are sharing our challenges, and how we are beginning to tackle them. It is fascinating to see the commonalities and differences between the different communities regarding the connections between racism and homelessness. 

C4 encouraged us, from the beginning of this process, to develop and incorporate structural changes that could begin to move the needle on racism and homelessness in Dallas. To that end, as we developed our new Continuum of Care (CoC) Strategic Work Plan, with our partners in the CoC General Assembly, we included as an overarching goal, addressing racial disparities in homelessness and service delivery. We encourage you, the reader, to review these action items to see how you can help. 

A key action item pertains to one of our most important innovations in our homeless response system this year, the MDHA Homeless Response System Community Dashboard. It provides a quarterly snapshot of the core system metrics that inform us on achievements in moving individuals to permanent housing. We will add an addendum to this important tool, which will capture, along racial and ethnic lines, who is homeless and in need of housing. Even more importantly, it will inform the community on how well we are utilizing the housing resources we have, in a way that promotes racial equity and begins to eliminate racial disparities in service delivery.

Promoting racial equity in service delivery begins “at home”. What do we mean by that? During the State of the Homeless Address, Cindy Crain shared a slide that showed the racial and gender breakdown of the CEOs/Executive Directors of the main thirty-two service providers in the homeless arena in Dallas. The numbers are troubling, to put it mildly: 44% white males, 44% white females, 6% black males, 6% black females. A key action item is to build on this, and conduct and publish an annual demographic survey of all senior management and board officers of federally funded homeless response system agencies. We can and must begin to move to a more diverse make-up of senior staff, as well as lay and professional leadership, that better reflects the population we are all here to serve.

Last Hard Conversation with Randy Mayeux on Housing First

Later this month, we will host another public event, related to racism and homelessness, as we seek to keep this issue front and center in our work.  MDHA, CitySquare, and the Dallas Public Library will present a book synopsis of Toxic Inequality: How America’s Wealth Gap Destroys Mobility, Deepens the Racial Divide, and Threatens Our Future. Randy Mayeux, renowned scholar and longtime book reviewer at CitySquare’s Urban Engagement Book Club, will lead the discussion. Larry James and Rev. Dr. Michael Waters, will join him for the Q&A portion. They will expound on how the lessons of Toxic Inequality can be applied to race, poverty and homelessness in Dallas. RSVP today, so you don’t miss this exciting and informative event!

We look forward to continuing to work with C4, with our partners, and with the community at large on addressing this important issue. Together, we can fulfill the vision we started this process with, and “create positive change in attitudes and behaviors that will begin to close the racial gap that has led to the disproportionate prevalence… of homelessness among African Americans.”

They Couldn’t End Their Homelessness without It

British actor, Roger Daltrey, in one of the iconic American Express card commercials from 1985

How often do you find yourself without identification? The answer is, probably not that often. Most of us, in the words of the old American Express commercial, don’t leave home without it. This is why many find it surprising that over 10% of us do not have a government-issued photo ID. Not surprisingly, those without an ID tend to be poor, minorities, and/or elderly.  

Many of these same people manage to navigate life without an ID. However, ending a person’s homelessness can be challenging, if that person does not have some type of government issued identification, and cannot afford to get one. It seems that to paraphrase the same commercial, you can’t end your homelessness without it.

About six weeks ago, Daniel and Karla*, two neighbors who had experienced homelessness in the past, found themselves in a pickle. They were both living in permanent supportive housing, funded by a Federal grant. The agency which had received the grant ceased to operate, but our grantee, CitySquare, was prepared to keep the residents in housing. Daniel and Karla each had to present a government issued ID (at least a birth certificate), but neither of them had one. What were they to do?

About four weeks ago, Abraham was experiencing homelessness. He was determined to find a job, so he could become housed. He knew that he would need a government issued photo ID to get a job, and that to get the photo ID, he needed a birth certificate. He had obtained a birth certificate with the help of our partner, The Stewpot, but alas he could not find it. (It is difficult to keep all your documents and valuables in place, when you don’t have a home!) He would have to wait an entire year to be eligible for this help again. What was he to do?

Just three weeks ago, Richard was experiencing homelessness. CitySquare was helping him get everything in order, so he could apply for a Dallas Housing Authority voucher. He had a driver’s license, but it had expired. Without renewing his license, he would not be able to apply for a voucher. What was he to do?

Fortunately, about two years ago, through surveys of clients and service providers, MDHA had identified a variety of needs (beyond housing and supportive services), that Dallas’ homeless population faced, in their struggle to end their homelessness. One of these needs was critical documents, such as government issued identification. These needs may not be covered through existing federal, state and local government grants, that fund programs for the homeless.

Thus, with the help of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, the MDHA Flex Fund was born. The idea was simple. A minor but impactful need, such as the lack of a birth certificate or photo ID, impedes a client from (making progress in) ending his or her homelessness. The Flex Fund pays for it. That’s all there is to it.

That is how we helped Daniel, Karla, Abraham and Richard. Their case managers submitted a simple one page form. The form asks for the client’s information, what the client needs (including cost and vendor), articulation of how this will help the client end his or her homelessness, and an explanation of why other resources (including the client’s) cannot provide (for) it.

A classic Shavon Moore selfie

Shavon Moore, MDHA’s Continuum of Care Resource Manager, reviewed each request, approved it, and provided payment directly to the vendor. In fact, as is often the case with critical documents, in Daniel, Karla and Abraham’s cases, Shavon could quickly order the documents and pay for them online. Once they arrived, the case managers picked them up from the MDHA Offices.

Research shows that ending a person’s homelessness, quickly and permanently, is not just the right thing to do; it is the most cost effective thing to do. How cost effective is it to end a person’s homelessness with the help of the Flex Fund, specifically? The numbers speak for themselves. The cost of helping Daniel and Karla remain housed, Abraham pursue a job, and Richard become eligible for a housing voucher was… $120.75. No, not $120.75 each; $120.75 total. Now, that is not a bad return on investment!

* All client names have been changed, to protect their privacy.

Missed Hard Conversations: Housing First? Watch It Now!

This last Monday, September 19, 2016, MDHA, CitySquare, and the Dallas Public Library presented a book synopsis of Housing First: Ending Homelessness, Transforming Systems, and Changing Lives.  Randy Mayeux, renowned scholar and longtime book reviewer at CitySquare’s Urban Engagement Book Club spoke at the J. Erik Johnson Public Library, to a packed house, and you could hear a pin drop. Thanks, Randy! You hit it out of the park.

Cindy J. Crain, MDHA President and CEO, introduced Charles, one of many bona fide Dallas Housing First success stories to the crowd, and shared the numbers on client success in Housing First programs in Dallas. If you have read this blog before, you know those numbers already – 96%! Larry James, CEO of CitySquare spoke about how The Cottages at Hickory Crossing and other CitySquare programs utilize the Housing First philosophy, and both he and Cindy took questions.     

Our good friends from Two Hats Publishing taped the whole thing, so click here to download Randy’s handout and PowerPoint presentation, and then click here to watch the whole session:

We posted the above video, handout, and PowerPoint on the Key Documents and Hard Conversations pages on our website too, along with an audio recording (does not include Cindy and Larry’s parts). Enjoy learning, and spread the word!

We Need to Talk…

Research has shown that the best way to end someone's homelessness is to house them. Now, if you were unfamiliar with the arena of homelessness, you could be forgiven for wondering why the last sentence even needs to even be written, or why this even needed to be researched. Isn't this self-evident? You certainly could be forgiven for not realizing that within the homelessness arena, throughout the 80s and 90s, and in some quarters still today, such a statement would be seen as ill-informed, wrong, and irresponsible!

Thankfully, as we have pointed out on this blog before, the jury is in, and so this idea that the homeless, just like you and me, fare best when they are housed (with adequate supports in place, where needed), is now the consensus of researchers in the field, the federal government, and most practitioners. The story of how this transformation came about, beginning with one small group of practitioners in New York City, to sweeping the nation and the globe, is vividly told by those very practitioners, in a book that is both extremely readable and full of all of the relevant research, Housing First: Ending Homelessness, Transforming Systems, and Changing Lives.

We are, therefore excited to announce the return of our series of Hard Conversations, with a book synopsis of this work, presented by Randy Mayeux, renowned scholar and longtime book reviewer at CitySquare's Urban Engagement Book Club.

This event, co-sponsored by MDHA, CitySquare, and the Dallas Public Library, will be held on September 19, 2016, 12-1.30pm, in the Auditorium (1st Floor) of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 1515 Young St., Dallas, Texas 75201. (Follow signs to underground parking on Wood St.) Coffee and water will be provided. Attendees may bring a brown-bag lunch.

RSVP to: David Gruber, MDHA, at 469-222-0047 or david.gruber@mdhadallas.org
and share this ad: Hard Conversations - Housing First - September 19, 2016 - Ad

Tent City

Cindy Crain and Rebecca Cox at work in Tent City

(Courtesy of G.J. McCarthy, Dallas Morning News)

As you probably know, the City of Dallas has been working with MDHA and partner agencies to close down the Tent City encampment under the I-45 Bridge. This is being done primarily in the interest of the health and safety of the those experiencing homelessness, as our board member, CEO of CitySquare, Larry James, aptly writes. The aim has been to get as many of the Tent City residents, as possible, directly into housing, and make shelter available to those who cannot be housed before this week’s final closure date. You can check out the detailed I-45 Encampment Closure Plan, and read an exclusive about it by our good friend, Tasha Tsiaperas, Exclusive: Dallas plans to close Tent City permanently by May 4.

Tent City has received extensive coverage in the media. Tasha followed up on that exclusive with comprehensive, candid and compassionate pieces here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Eric Nicholson, of the Dallas Observer, wrote a fascinating and humanizing long form article, Love and Murder in Tent City. And KERA's Stephanie Kuo shared two heartfelt back to back pieces, As Tent City Closes, The Homeless Prepare For Life From Under The Highway, and Once Out Of Tent City, Dallas' Homeless Struggle To Find A Place To Live. We try to post everything that comes out on our social media, so make sure you follow us on Facebook and Twitter.     

What Cool Cottages!

On Thursday afternoon, January 28, 2016, our good friend and favorite Dallas Morning News reporter, Tasha Tsiaperas, and I were treated to a guided tour of The Cottages at Hickory Crossing. The Cottages are an innovative permanent supportive housing project of CitySquare. Our tour guide was the man with the plan himself, Keith Ackerman, the project's Executive Director. 

The amount of thought that went into each and every aspect of planning, design, and construction of this project is so impressive. The fifty tiny homes are built in clusters to create a true sense of community. All of the clusters are centered around a common courtyard to further build on that. 

Each tiny home is identical on the inside, and will be furnished with the same brand new furnishings and appliances to maintain a sense of equality. At the same time, residents will be able to choose some household items, differentiated by color and style. On his last training visit, Dr. Iain De Jong pointed out this idea as a Housing First best practice, as it fosters a sense of belonging and connection to one's domicile. 

The skyline view from the community is one you would pay a pretty penny for, and the number of ongoing activities planned for residents is one that would rival any luxury rental community. The community will also be run with an empowering ambiance of self-governance, and true to the philosophy of Housing First, residents will enjoy autonomy within their homes. 

Of course, Housing First is not Housing Only. Keith and his staff will be there to support residents moving in, who might need some time to adjust to living inside. As, this project is intended for homeless neighbors dealing with multiple challenges, the common area next to the club house includes a plethora of facilities to support folks in their journeys. These include a nurse's office, that will be operated by Baylor Hospital (two student nurses joined Tasha and me for the tour), a psychiatric office, that will be operated by Metrocare Services, and a meeting room for twelve step program meetings. 

Left to right - Tasha Tsiaperas, David Gruber and two Baylor nursing students

As Keith walked us through the community, and explained all of the different aspects of this intricate project, I got the sense that with a layperson's eyes I am seeing just the visible part of the "iceberg." There is a clear sense that in addition to all of the thoughtful aspects of this project, that I highlighted above, there is much more below the surface. It is also clear that Keith was the guy to pull this off. A preacher's kid, who worked in halfway houses, is a licensed social worker, with years of therapeutic experience, and was chief operating officer of CitySquare, he has just the type of eclectic skill set to make this community a reality. He is also one of the friendliest guys you will ever meet!

For more information, volunteer opportunities, and to tour the project yourself, check out the project webpage. Fingers crossed, folks will start moving in April. 

Faith, Hope and Housing - Exploring Relational Ways to Empower Our Neighbors

On Thursday night, January 14, 2016, MDHA co-sponsored Faith, Hope and Housing, with and at First United Methodist Church Dallas. The idea behind this gathering was to facilitate churches and church members exploring relational ways to empower our neighbors, who are experiencing homelessness. The evening, organized by Rebecca Cox, MDHA’s Vice President, attracted a crowd of about eighty professional and lay church leaders, as well as congregants. The evening began with warm words of welcome from Dr. Andrew Stoker, Senior Pastor, of First United Methodist Church Dallas, and a beautiful prayer led by Rev. Jonathan Grace, of CitySquare. 

Rev. Jonathan Grace

Rebecca introduced the idea of Room in the Inn, a church winter cold weather shelter program that began in Nashville and now exists in more than twenty communities. MDHA hopes to introduce this program in churches in Dallas. She then moderated a panel of leaders from Fort Worth, where the program has been up and running for a few years now. Panel members included, Reverends Dottie Cook, South Hills Christian Church, Dan Freemyer, Broadway Baptist Church, Page Hines of First United Methodist Church Fort Worth, and the leader of DRC – Community Solutions to End Homelessness, Kristy Hroch. They talked about how the program helped the homeless in Fort Worth, what a blessing it has been for the churches involved, and how it has inspired their members. They also took questions from the assembled.

Panel

Rebecca Cox

Our good friend, Keith Ackerman, Executive Director of CitySquare’s The Cottages at Hickory Crossing spoke about their needs for household items for the future residents of that permanent supportive housing project. Those who wish to help can go to the Target Gift Registry, and using first name: CitySquare and last name: Cottages, choose items to donate. Rebecca Cox spoke about how churches can help create “Welcome Home” kits to facilitate smooth move-in for residents of other housing programs for those experiencing homelessness.  She also distributed this flyer for other immediate needs churches and church members can help our partners fill. Wayne Walker, of Our Calling, spoke about their new app for documenting encampments, and how people use the app and help them with that effort. Finally, Cindy Crain, President and CEO of MDHA, spoke about the need for volunteers with the Homeless Count. 

With that, Rebecca adjourned this very successful communal gathering. We will keep you posted on the Room in the Inn program, here in Dallas. If you would like to find out more about how your house of worship can participate, please contact Rebecca at Rebecca.cox@mdhadallas.org

Not Without Simon – Another Happy Flex Fund Story

As a reader of this blog, you are probably well aware of the hard work the Outreach Taskforce has been doing to connect the residents of the tent city under I-45 to housing. You can refresh your memory by reading this detailed blog post: (Really) Coping With Tent City (and Homelessness, In General) by Building an Effective Homeless Response System. Our good friend, Tasha Tsiaperas, of the Dallas Morning News has written a number of excellent pieces about this, the most recent one being: Homeless live by a code in I-45 'Tent City,' but Dallas wants them cleared out. Earlier this week, the Dallas Morning News ran this “vidatorial”: Inside Tent City: Why the city needs urgency in dealing with the homeless camp under I-45, where we got to hear from Rebecca Cox, MDHA Vice President, as well as from the Reverends Larry James and Jonathan Grace, of CitySquare, about this important work, as well as from some of the residents themselves.

One of the important new tools we use in helping these and other folks, who are experiencing homelessness, is the MDHA Flex Fund. We have written about this on our website, in the blog post mentioned at the beginning of this post, and elsewhere on this blog. Also, Courtney Collins interviewed Cindy J. Crain, MDHA President and CEO about this: Losing An Apartment Because You Can’t Pay The $45 Application Fee.

 

Last week Rebecca shared another cool story about how the MDHA Flex Fund is paying for a minor but impactful expense, that is helping a person resolve her housing emergency. If you have a pet, you know that that little guy or gal is a member of your family. Imagine you lost pretty much everything, but your little four legged “son” stuck with you through thick and thin. Well, Judith* does not need to imagine that. For the last five years she has lived on the street, most recently in the tent city under I-45. Her little Chihuahua, Simon, has been by her side (actually, usually cradled in her arms!) the whole time. Due to her hard work with Rev. Grace, she is now moving into an apartment, where ABC Behavioral Health will help her with everything she needs to rebuild her life. However, last week, with everything ready to go, Rev. Grace ran into a final but serious stumbling block.

The apartment complex, as is true with many apartment complexes, requires a pet deposit. No big deal, right? Many of us have been there. Well, for Judith, the $43.75 required for the pet deposit is a big deal. She does not have that kind of money. As is typical, the grant under which ABC Behavioral Health will ably serve Judith, cannot be used to pay for pet deposits. In fact, Rev. Grace could not find any existing funding source for pet deposits. And yet, this very small but impactful expense is what stood between Judith (and Simon!) continuing to live under I-45 and moving into an apartment.  Rev. Grace filled out an MDHA Flex Fund request form, where he documented all of this, sent it to Rebecca, and she had a check cut to the apartment complex. Judith and Simon still have a journey ahead of them, but now with the help of the Outreach Taskforce, ABC Behavioral Health and the MDHA Flex Fund, they are on the right track to “happily ever after…”

*Judith and Simon’s names have been changed to protect their privacy. Likewise, photo is of another really cute Chihuahua!