City board, task force set homeless priorities

Adding a full-time staff person, pursuing a “campus” for homeless and low-income services and creating a homeless identification system were the top priorities set Monday (May 3) during a joint meeting of the Fort Smith board of directors and a homelessness task force.

The task force, created in August 2009 by the city board, reported March 30 to the board its 14 recommendations to address the regional homeless problem. The boldest of the 14 recommendations is a plan to create a “campus setting” that would consolidate homeless services and “eliminate travel, duplication of services and better represent the dignity of the homeless persons.” This recommendation also includes funding a new campus and disposing of existing homeless service facilities.

Other recommendations included the city restricting social service agencies from expanding in their current locations or the creation of a new social service agency in the downtown and Belle Grove areas; asking the city to work with the Old Fort Homeless Coalition to create a job corps with which the city would give priority when lot clean-ups and other city services are contracted; and seeking “enhanced police protection” in the Belle Grove and downtown areas.

Early into the Monday meeting Fort Smith Mayor Ray Baker expressed his concern with government involvement in the homeless problem. He prefaced his remarks by saying he was sensitive to the issue, but feared his questions and concerns would run “the risk of being misunderstood.”

“I have a big problem with what the role of government is in this. I think government is involved in too many things,” Baker said, adding that the private sector should take the lead in the homeless issue.

Baker said the region has “hundreds of churches with all kinds of facilities” that should be “brought in on this partnership” before the city takes the lead role. Baker also questioned what the “able bodied” homeless are doing in return for “getting handouts,” suggesting that “a lot of people aren’t pulling their weight.”

Linda Gabriel, associate director of the Next Step Day Room, responded to Baker, saying the homeless receiving their help have to attend classes that help with job interviews, anger management, financial management and other “life lessons.” She also said the Next Step Day Room saw more than 2,000 people in 2009 and posted a 50% success rate. She said success requires more than just handouts.

“Homelessness is a temporary condition. … We equip them to become self reliant,” Gabriel explained. She later said “case-by-case management” is the only way to help people, adding that “you can’t just hand out money or services” and hope to make a difference.

Captain Carlyle Gargas, head of the Salvation Army in Fort Smith, said the Salvation Army helped 47 people find jobs in April. The jobs won’t help pull the people out of poverty, but is a start to getting them on the right road, Gargas said.

The discussion then turned on the difference between the homeless and vagrants, with City Director Cole Goodman saying the effort should focus on helping the homeless rather than also helping those just passing through Fort Smith and causing trouble.

Task force member Carolyn Plank said the group developed homeless definitions. Plank read from the list, which included defining the homeless as persons who lack a “fixed night-time residence,” those not able to find shelter between jobs, those who find themselves homeless because they escaped a life-threatening situation, young adults who are homeless after released from foster care and those living in inadequate housing (lack of utilities, windows, etc.).

To address Baker’s concern about government involvement, Tom Minton, executive director of the Fort Smith United Way and chairman of the task force, said the task force is not asking the city to take over the effort. He said the task force is asking the city to “help guide the process” and coordinate the efforts of non-profit groups that work with the homeless.

Ken Pyle, executive director of the Fort Smith Housing Authority, reminded the board and task force that the original effort was focused on addressing the growing concerns of business owners and residents in downtown Fort Smith. He encouraged the discussion to refocus on creating the campus to increase efficiencies among the social service agencies and then move on to other ideas and programs to reduce homelessness and vagrancy.

The board and task force then voted on priorities by placing dots on different boards representing the task force recommendations. City Administrator Dennis Kelly said the next step is to determine the costs of the priority items and determine what is doable in the short- and long-term. He said funding would first be sought from state and federal grants, with possible solicitation of funding from non-profits, businesses and governments in a six-county area.