The hope discount
A gathering planned this morning in St. Louis City Hall’s grand rotunda will launch an initiative designed to help people teetering on the edge of homelessness and by rapidly finding housing for those recently evicted from their homes.
St. Louis has received $8.1 million in federal stimulus money and another $300,000 in state funds for this project. Much of it will be directed to people who are capable of keeping a roof over their head. They are working but have hit a financial rough spot that sets them back. With a little advice, support and a modest amount of financial assistance — such as a security deposit or money for past-due electric or gas bills — they can preserve their homes.
Mayor Francis Slay and his administration have devoted considerable attention to homelessness and have had significant successes. What distinguishes this morning’s roll out from similar media events is that it marks the start of the project. Case workers and personnel from a wide range of nonprofits who aid the homeless are the stars of the show. They will be fielding applications and assessing the needs and eligibility of families and single people who recently have landed in shelters or are at imminent risk of doing so.
The project is called “Hope Is Moving In,” and this morning’s demonstration at City Hall is a genuine reflection of its possibilities.
Much public discussion about homelessness centers on strategies for people who chronically live on the street and shuttle in and out of temporary shelters. Many of them have serious health problems that disrupt their lives, such as substance abuse or mental illness. Great strides have been made in moving this population into stable housing with social service support — a process that’s not only humane but that also can be much more economical than the repeating cycle of emergency hospitalizations and law-enforcement interventions.
Working people who eke out a living but survive from paycheck to paycheck can be harder to serve in significant ways. They are in constant jeopardy of losing their housing. When they fall behind in rent or are evicted from their apartments, there are not many programs that offer a quick infusion of cash to get them back on their feet and back into housing.
Over the next three years, the new federal and state funds are expected to help rehouse or prevent the homelessness of 10,000 people, as well as to connect them with other social and legal services. Four community schools — Clay, Mullanphy, and Sigel Elementary Schools and Stevens Middle School — as well as the Housing Resource Center at the St. Patrick Center downtown will be service “hubs” where people can receive assistance.
Case workers soon will be making arrangements to make rent, gas and electric bills current and to pay security deposits and the first month’s rent. Landlords and utilities that will benefit from these funds should be asked what kind of “hope discount” they are willing to offer these families and individuals.
The case workers should be persistent. If everybody were offered just a little break — in the monthly rental amount or what it will take to clear up an old bill — the funds could be stretched and many more people could be prevented from being put out in the street.
(For more information on the program, call 314-657-1704 or visit www.hopeismovingin.com)
> Landlords and utilities that will benefit from these funds should be asked
> what kind of “hope discount” they are willing to offer these families and individuals.
On the contrary, as a landlord I’d want a higher rent from those receiving these funds. Why? Let me tell you “A tale of two tenants.”
A few weeks ago, I evicted a tenant for the first time. These tenants weren’t “working people who eke out a living” but rather, were receiving a steady and predictable income from the SSI disability program. In addition, they received food stamps, which they sold, and fed themselves on the abundance of area food pantries. But they lived foolishly - cable television this month, satellite the next, furniture from the “Rent to Own”, a car loan, and so forth. When they left me with thousands of dollars in unpaid rent and damages, they also had an unpaid electric bill of $2,400, and who knows what else.
In contrast, I’ve another tenant who has been with me for more than two years. She is a single mother of two, and at times, her income has barely exceeded her rent. The only assistance she gets is food stamps. She does not have cable (neither do I), has a car for which she saved up and paid cash, and has furniture which was given to her or purchased at thrift stores. And despite having a much lower income than the above mentioned tenant, this one always pays her rent in full.
As a landlord, I set my rent based upon the market. My willingness to rent to an individual is based upon her demonstration, over time, that she is financially and personally responsible. The person who has not paid her bills, who has been evicted, or who needed help to make security deposit and first month’s rent, is a bad risk. Not only wouldn’t I give her a discount, I’d be loathe to rent to her at all.
I doubt very much when it comes to the Post selling ad space that bad credit risks get better deals as compared to the customers who pay their bills on time.
Nick,
“The person who has not paid her bills, who has been evicted, or who needed help to make security deposit and first month’s rent, is a bad risk. Not only wouldn’t I give her a discount, I’d be loathe to rent to her at all.”
The PD would consider YOU the problem, not the renter. In the PD’s skewed view of the world, you have and should be GIVING to those who don’t. This includes rent.
Well AJ, I’ve done my part then. I just got stiffed for a couple of grand in back rent and late fees, incurred $400 in legal expenses, and will spend several grand cleaning up the bug infested mess they left behind. Anyone who doubts this, go to Casenet and look up case # 09SL-AC25667. The judgment doesn’t include damages, that’s just the pre-eviction amount due.
How charming!
Mr. Roth finds humor in you dealings with low-life scum Nick. What a punk!
The same low-life scum that won’t pay rent and will trash your apartment are the same folks that Roth wants to extend a “hope discount.”
This “entitlement” mentality is running rampant in America? Some people need to fail and then start over again. The guise of giving money to people because they may need some financial assistance has been going on since the 1960’s and all of the government programs that were created to “help” or assist poor or low income people have failed miserably. In 1980, the poverty rate was around 13%. Almost 30 years later, and after billions and billions of dollars have been given to people via welfare, food stamps/WIC, section 8 housing, medicaid, and now stimulus money - the poverty rate is now…13%. (it hasn’t changed at all in 30 years)
Simply “giving” people/families money when they are struggling isn’t accomplishing anything but the creation of government dependency. There has been absolutely NO decrease in the number of impoverished people since all of the welfare programs began more than 40 years ago. Why do we keep doing the same thing over and over expecting different results? Why? Because politicians know the welfare system doesn’t work but the Democrats leverage their so-called empathy for the poor as a way to win votes for elections. Someday, many people living under the poverty line will wake up and realize that the Democrats are actually enslaving them by enabling able bodied people to simply apply and collect money because they are “poor”. What is the motivation to do better when the government is giving you money without stipulations. There are generations of families who have bilked the government (aka taxpayers) out of billions of dollars by finding loopholes and exploiting the system. (Example) A woman collecting welfare and food stamps co-habitates with a boyfriend/fiance who is gainfully employed. They never get married because the government will take away the welfare if their incomes are combined. Another common tactic for welfare recipients is to sell drugs and make cash money so they can live a better lifestyle without having to give up welfare. These are not isolated cases as we have seen project housing and/or trailer parks filled with people who justify their crimes by stating “the system owes me”.
Time to try something new…this isn’t working.
I think hope is moving in is a good pogram because you have people that are homeless for more reasons than you could imagine. I am a single mother of four and me and my family are homeless because I couldnt pay my electric bill and we were terminatd from the housing assistance program. Although I was a participant of a government funded program I was still trying to gain employment to gain self suffenciency for me and my family. Which turns out to be a problem because I dont have any kind of skills. I’m also not a high school graduate but working on equivalent. Me and my children have been sleeping from house to house everday. I am enrolled in classes at Forest Park but its very hard for me to keep bus fair sometimes I walk to classs which is very far. Me and my children even had to sleep in Tower Grove Park one night because we didnt have any where to go the shelters didnt evev have a spot for us. I try my best to do whatever I can to provide for my family I do little odd jobs for ederly people to get money but its not enough to come up with deposit and first months rent which every landlord wants. Some people who are poor don’ have a choice but to be struck by homelessness there is nothing they can do about it. I don’t have anyone I can turn to for help not even the family members that I have. Right now my situatin is breaking me down mentally I dont know which way to go who to turn to or when this will be over and we find a place or somewhere that wil help us get housing. I cry everyday almost all day because my children need me and I cant provide for them It really hurts when I have to answer Questions like Moommy where will we be sleeping tonight or one of my children saying something like momma we can do what will smith did in that movie and sleep in the bathroom just lock the door and nobody will find us. I am at risk of losing my children because we don’t have housing every day when I make i to their school I pray that DFS is not going to be sitting there waiting to take my pride and joy away from me(my children). I go to the library severeal times a week to put in apps. at jobsites to get no response. So its not like Im just poor and want a handout for the government but sometimes the poor really needs the help and is not trying to get over.