Short Takes

Successful Retention Rates, But Low Pay

The stereotype of America's homeless as long-term drifters has become woefully out of date, a survey of 20,000 homeless people by the International Union of Gospel Missions (IUGM) reveals. Sixty-one percent of those interviewed in IUGM's tenth annual Snap Shot Survey say they have been homeless less than a year, an 11 percent increase from 1989. Seventy-two percent of respondents are from within the communities where they are now homeless. Half of those surveyed have not been employed in the past six months. Twenty-two percent of those surveyed – mostly women with children – say they have lost government benefits in the past year. Information: Rachel Krajc, International Union of Gospel Missions, 202-371-9580; www.iugm.org

Homeless Face Increasing Harassment

The nation's homeless are increasingly being harassed by police and driven from the streets in which they beg and sleep by cities putting "meanness" ahead of compassion, according to Out of Site – Out of Mind: A Report on Anti-Homeless Laws, Litigation, and Alternatives in 50 United States Cities from the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. Many cities, the report states, are bent on "criminalizing homelessness" – turning to their police forces to enforce new or old laws that limit the use of public space and restrict begging. The study cites five cities, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Tucson, as being especially tough on the homeless and promoting the "meanest streets." Information: National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 202-638-2535; www.nlchp.org (See the Shelterforce article.)

Campaign Finance Segregation

People who donate to campaigns live in one set of neighborhoods, while those who cannot afford to donate live in another, according to a report released by Public Campaign in Fall 1998, featured in the Southern Neighborhoods Network's Southern Communities newsletter. Using data from the 1990 census and data on contributions for the 1995-96 federal election cycle, the report compares zip codes that are the leading sources of campaign money to zip codes where people of color reside for all 50 states. "The world of campaign finance is as segregated as any other area of American society," said Ellen Miller, executive director of Public Campaign. "In this case, those who cannot afford to give money are effectively shut out of the political process." Campaign finance reform to get private money out of politics is the crucial next step in the voting rights movement, Southern Communities notes. More detailed information on each state is available from Jodie Silverman, Public Campaign, 202-293-0222.

Rent Control Found Constitutional in CA

The California Supreme Court recently upheld the right of cities to impose rent control. The January 4 ruling ended a lengthy campaign by Santa Monica landlords to have rent control declared unconstitutional and thrown out on the grounds that it failed to achieve the goal of preserving low-income housing.

Vacancy Decontrol Becomes Law

Tenants in Santa Monica and West Hollywood, once known for stringent rent control laws, will now likely have a harder time finding an affordable apartment. A state law that for three years had already allowed landlords a 15 percent rent increase for vacated units called for unlimited vacancy decontrol beginning January 1, 1999. Some apartment hunters complained that landlords were keeping vacant units off the market until the law went into effect. Advocates also warn of increasing harassment from landlords. "Tenants are being made to feel that if you don't like it you can leave," Mary Ann Yurkonis of the Santa Monica Rent Control Board told the Los Angeles Times.

San Francisco Living Wage Battle Begins

A coalition of labor and immigrant rights groups advocating a San Francisco living wage ordinance started a campaign in mid-January for a proposed wage of $14.50 an hour, the highest in the nation, the San Francisco Chronicle (1/15/99) reported. The idea has the strong support of the Board of Supervisors' new president, Tom Ammiano, though he hasn't cited a specific figure. Eric Mar of the Northern California Coalition for Immigrant Rights said $14.50 is justified because of San Francisco's high cost of living. Coalition members want to include general assistance recipients who participate in workfare. Mayor Willie Brown opposes treating recipients as regular workers, saying it would cost the city millions of dollars a year. Advocates also want the law to cover nonprofit agencies that get many of the city's human service contracts. Nonprofit groups say they will have to cut services if they are forced to pay more.

Public Housing Tenants Face New Work Rule

Starting in October, many public housing residents will have to perform eight hours of "community work" every month as part of their subsidized rent. Elderly and disabled residents will be exempt from the new law. Those already working or attending school or vocational training are also exempt. The new law has angered many Democrats and public housing residents. The Chicago Tribune (12/25/98) reported that U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) and other Democrats fought the work requirement, noting that homeowners who receive a mortgage exemption on their federal income taxes will not be expected to work for that benefit. Nor will executives of corporations that benefit from "corporate welfare" tax breaks, Jackson said.

Copyright 1999

Back to January/February 1999 index.