Letters: Permanent housing highest need for homeless; CSBG cuts would cost our communities
Permanent housing highest need for homeless
Perhaps you have seen the homeless downtown and also in Sidney Friedman Park, an increasing phenomenon in State College. In the last year I spoke with some of those homeless people and found out that they do not fit a common narrative. They are simply people without permanent housing because they lack the cash to house themselves. According to publicly available data (990 forms) it costs $31,576/year/homeless in State College to service homeless people in a shelter. According to ProPublica, utilizing emergency shelter at the expense of permanent housing quadruples deaths. That does not even account for the devastating toll upon the homeless due to perpetual upheaval, anxiety and despair. When I spoke with homeless people downtown their number one desire was permanent housing and the second was a job. It is hard to get a job while living in the park. Rather than spend $31,576 it might be better to apply that money to a permanent and stable housing situation and provide reduced services with the balance. I suggested to the Borough that they increase the budget by $6 million, mostly in permanent housing assets (i.e.: not an unrecoverable labor-only expenses) to facilitate that concept, but the Borough rejects the concept. I believe the concept of increasing permanent housing while reducing services is more humane and also consistent with the desires of the homeless and, if done right, might equal or reduce the net expense associated with the current method. Crickets from the Borough.
CSBG cuts would cost our communities
As executive director of Central Pennsylvania Community Action, I want to thank Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson for his strong support of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), which is essential to our work helping individuals and families achieve stability across Centre and Clearfield counties.
I was surprised and disappointed to see that the President’s recent budget proposal includes the elimination of CSBG. This is the only federal funding stream dedicated to supporting local agencies that help households meet basic needs — housing, food, transportation and employment — and create long-term opportunity.
The need in our region remains significant. In Clearfield County, nearly 1 in 7 residents face serious economic challenges. In Centre County, it is 1 in 6. CSBG gives us the flexibility to respond quickly and effectively to these challenges with local, community-based solutions.
Eliminating CSBG will not result in meaningful federal savings. Instead, it would threaten critical services and disrupt progress for families who are working hard to get ahead. I fear cutting CSBG would cost our community more. We would be forced to turn to costly emergency response programs rather than investing in long-term self-sufficiency.
Local control and demonstrated results are just two of the reasons I believe Congressman Thompson is behind his program, and why CSBG has broader bipartisan support. I urge other members of Congress to join Congressman Thompson to protect and fully fund CSBG.
Strong communities depend on strong local support systems — and Community Action agencies are proud to play that role every day.
Insights on Rock Springs
I learned something new about the problems with the Rock Springs water company from the Spotlight PA article in the CDT on June 26. I had been under the impression that the problems were the result of decades of mismanagement, indifference and incompetence. What was new to me was that the company is a more sophisticated organization than the family company I thought it was. The article includes references to “shareholders” and quotes one as indicating that the shareholders would only get pennies on the dollar for their stock. It refers to not having enough time to obtain an “independent appraisal.” How hard is it for these people to understand that the value of your shares is -$13.5 million.