The Downtown Chronic Homeless: Seattle's Solution
Hobson told the audience that “many people make the mistake of homogenizing the homeless, but actually they are just as heterogeneous as the rest of us. They are running from domestic violence, working folks with a tenuous hold on housing, and people like my organization works to assist: people with serious addictive issues or mental health problems. We need a broad-based approach.”
Hobson applies a unique admission metric: he takes the most vulnerable, not those most willing to give up alcohol. He called 1811 a “pre-recovery” house. Hobson defined a chronic alcoholic as someone older than 45, who had been drinking for more than 15 years, and has tried to quit at least six times. With the best of care, they have only a 5% chance of becoming alcohol free. Eight of the first year's residents died. The downtown facility has a manager, 14 counselors and 3 clinical support professions. They spend about $1M a year, and Hobson figures that they are saving around $4M a year in emergency services. “The business people in Seattle got on board pretty quickly when they realized that we could save the city money.”
They are also improving lives. While Travis County Commissioner Sam Biscoe talked of creating "a Cadillac system like we saw in San Antonio," Hobson spoke of the intangibles like the healing power of volunteers: “contact with normal people who care about them [the homeless]” versus the brief, discouraging encounters with “the suits.” “It is amazing to watch,” he said. Some of the recovered residents even stay around to serve as role models. He spoke of building relationships with the community and being a good neighbor. “We don’t want to degrade the neighborhood; that would work against everything we are trying to do,” he said.
Judge Nancy Hohengarten, who read about Hobson’s work and was responsible for bringing him to Austin, called Hobson “a wise man.” I spoke with him afterward.
Thinman: Have you thought long-term historically about the homeless problem?
Hobson: Really long-term, like on thousands of years, no. The culture changes too much for that. Short-term, there is a great book by Kenneth Kusmer, Down and Out, On the Road: Homelessness in America. Homeless is not a problem in countries like Germany, for example. And that’s because those political cultures consider housing a social responsibility, that everyone needs a safe, secure place.
Thinman: In downtown Austin, I encounter the homeless regularly. How should people respond to panhandling?
Hobson: I’ve known people who will take a panhandler home, and more often than not, it does not work out well. I know that in my town, statistically, 80% of the money given out on the street is used for drugs and alcohol. However, I did give $50 dollars to a woman with a baby this past December in downtown Seattle. Now that woman probably got that baby from somewhere, but I can live with being swindled far easier than I can live with wondering about the possibility that it is a real need. So, my basic thing is that if you want to help the homeless, instead of giving them money, give it to a human service agency that you trust. They are going to be much more productive.
In attendance were: Dr. Susan Stone, Executive Coordinator for the Mayor’s Mental Health Task Force Committee, Helen Varty, Executive Director of Front Steps (and many employees), people from Caritas, which recently received some ARRA (stimulus) funds to combat homelessness, and Alan Graham, President of Mobile Loaves and Fishes. Council members Sheryl Cole, Randi Shade and Chris Riley were also there.
