Short Takes

January/February 1996

Short Takes

Some affluent districts are taking the next logical step in their method of confronting the problems of neighboring low-income communities. In the October 13, 1995, Texas Observer, "Hate Gates" by Michael King reports on the city of Houston's tactic of installing cast iron gates separating mostly white, middle-class areas from mostly black, poor areas. Crime, property value, and quality of life are cited as reasons, says the newsletter Southern Communities. But "gated" communities (found elsewhere in the country) create class apartheid, limit access to public streets, and cause problems for emergency vehicles. HUD and civil rights officials have been asked to investigate. Information: the Texas Observer, 307 W 7th St, Austin, TX 78701; (512) 477-0746. (See Shelterforce #93 for two views on this topic.)
Three of five city officials say youth crime worsened last year, according to the National League of Cities' 12th annual State of America's Cities report, released in January. Local officials cited as top concerns problems involving youth, including crime, drugs, teen pregnancy, school violence, and family stability. Officials also expressed a greater uneasiness regarding service delivery in their communities and the general direction of the country. The report was based on a survey of 406 municipal officials from cities with populations above 10,000. Information: Randy Arndt, 202-626-3158.
Landlords in Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and three northern California cities are celebrating legislation in effect since January 1, allowing a 15 percent rent increase on vacant units, and another 15 percent on units that become vacant again within three years. "I still have a lot of gripes," one Santa Monica landlord told the Los Angeles Times , "but I also kiss the earth at how wonderful life can be." Sharing the joy are Assemblyman Phil Hawkins (R-Bellflower) and Senator Jim Costa (D-Fresno), who sponsored the legislation and were featured wearing Santa Claus hats and smiling on the cover of the December issue of Westside Apartment Monthly magazine, published by Santa Monica landlords.
New York City's Metropolitan Council on Housing (Met Council) is embarking on a strategy to strengthen the tenants' movement by educating, organizing, and coordinating tenant groups. Met Council's goal is for each building in the neighborhoods in which it operates to have a tenants' association, and for each neighborhood to have a tenants' coordinating committee. Met Council also aims to link with other community and tenants' organizing groups to form a network of tenants' associations. Information: Met Council, 102 Fulton St, New York, NY; 212-693-0550.
Housing subsidies may diminish the risk of undernutrition in children from low-income families, concluded a study reprinted in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine last October. The study examined children under three years old from low-income families who visited Boston City Hospital's pediatric emergency department between March and April 1992. Low growth parameters appeared in 3.3 percent of children from families receiving housing assistance, compared with 21.6 percent among children of families on the waiting list for assistance, and 10 percent among children of families receiving no assistance and not on the waiting list. Ninety percent of the sample were minorities, and at least 79 percent were either insured by medicaid or uninsured.
A recent Gallup poll conducted for the Los Angeles Mission indicated that Americans identify job loss and lack of affordable housing as major causes of homelessness. Solutions for the homeless should come from government, 28 percent of respondents said, while 66 percent thought private charities would be more effective. Nearly three in five people reported donating money to an organization serving the homeless. Those who reported being approached by a panhandler were more likely to report having made a donation than respondents who had never been approached, and those living in urban or suburban areas were more likely than those in nonurban areas. Full report: Los Angeles Mission, Attn: Kathy Lovin; PO Box 5330; LA, CA 90055-0330; Phone: 213-893-6900.
For the 10 years that Washington state has gathered data on state-funded emergency shelters, one factor has been consistent: an increasing number of people each year request, receive and/or are turned away from shelter or homelessness prevention services. Washington's Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development studied services provided by $2.1 million in Emergency Shelter Assistance funds from July 1, 1994-June 30, 1995. Among the report's findings were: 17,965 of the 52,567 people sheltered were under age 18; 8,150 were age 5 or younger; and of 118,113 incidents of homeless people being turned away from shelter, 26,492 of those cases were families with children. Information: Washington State Coalition for the Homeless, 206-572-4237.
Thirteen Delaware-based nonprofits have been awarded $64,000 in grants and technical assistance from the Housing Capacity Building Program designed by the Delaware State Housing Authority, the University of Delaware Center for Community Development, and the Delaware Community Foundation. The program, which aims to enhance affordable housing production, maintenance, and planning, has approved more than $215,000 in financial assistance since its first round in 1994. Grants have supported a variety of efforts related to affordable housing, including strategic planning, financial packaging, and marketing. Information: Terry Hutchins, DSHA at 302-739-2011.
Following the registration of over one million Florida voters last year through the National Voter Registration Act ("motor voter"), the Florida Student Association is promoting the Register Once initiative. This legislation would allow college students to register to vote when they register for classes. Because Florida's legal minimum age for acquiring a driver's license is two years younger than the minimum voter registration age, reports The New York Times, motor voter has missed many of the state's young people. The impact of Register Once in Florida could be significant, since the state is home to over 2 million students.

Back to January/February 1996 index.