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Highlands Today

Homeless coalition relocates

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By AIYANA BAIDA

Highlands Today

Published: November 23, 2009

AVON PARK - Highlands County Coalition for the Homeless outreach center's move out of Southside Avon Park is not by choice.

Their contract to case manage Avon Park Housing Authority's transitional housing residents was terminated in October.

Larry Shoeman, housing authority executive director, said the decision was based on prioritizing these clients and ensuring their eligibility.

"It will allow 100 percent focus. We have an obligation that those clients qualify and sustain their public housing eligibility and continued participation in public housing," Shoeman said.

The agreement states that in lieu of lease payments, the coalition would offer skills training, case management and crisis assistance. Since it was terminated, the homeless coalition was given a 60-day notice to move out.

The termination of the agreement came as a surprise to Richard Reinhardt, homeless coalition executive director, who was looking for more classroom space at the time.

"I don't think it is fair to the residents, but as an organization we'll recover," Reinhardt said.

The housing authority wants to ensure that the transitional housing residents move into permanent housing. To make sure of it, they are taking on case management and life skills classes themselves.

According to the housing authority, there is no structure in place that monitors the progress of public housing residents. In many cases, instead of families getting back on their feet and moving on into permanent housing the next generation ends up in the same predicament.

This causes long waiting lists for public housing which is always in short supply, Shoeman said.

To avoid that, the housing authority has come up with a plan with a timeline for the transitional housing program.

Currently, there are about 150 families on a waiting list.

A case manager will analyze the family's needs, identify a plan to channel resources to meet those needs, create a timeline of no more than 24 months and give them housing on the condition that they sustain progress and achieve those benchmarks.

If benchmarks are not met, then they would no longer be eligible for transitional housing, Shoeman said.
Shoeman expects the new approach to process more families on the list.

Initially, case management and Life Skills Training program was going to be offered by the homeless coalition. They have had a lot of success among clients enrolled in their life skills class that has grown in the last year to 30 people per class. They offer six different classes as part of this program.

"We have about $4 million in available resources in all programs, and we would've given these residents priority," Reinhardt said.

The move may jeopardize the accessibility of those resources to needy families in the surrounding areas, many who do not have transportation.

The housing authority will hire a resident coordinator to case manage the transitional housing residents. This new full-time position pays between $20,000 and $22,000 a year and is funded from the authority's operational budget.

They have received about $1.1 million in grants to fix up the 16 units of transitional housing located near the coalitions outreach center in Southside Avon Park.

The move will cost the coalition about $3,000- money they said could be going back into the community.

Additionally, the outreach center is centrally located in a low income area, closest to those who need the most help. The coalition views the 3-mile move to their main office on Avon Boulevard and U.S. 27 as a road block for those without transportation.

"We've helped more people because of the location. We've helped a lot of people in this neighborhood get off the streets and the biggest thing in this move is the transportation... hopefully the move doesn't hurt the residents," Reinhardt said.

Highlands Today reporter Aiyana Baida can be reached at (863)386-5855 or nbaida@highlandstoday.com

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