Goddard Riverside’s Post

Not planning to become a regular LinkedIn poster, but as I’ve been reflecting on how it feels to step away from homeless services, I’m stuck on the things that caused the most frustration and distress—and many of them are avoidable. Across organizations, SPAs, and programs, the same issues came up again and again, and I have 4 main takeaways for how we can easily improve the way services are provided… 1. Invest in low-barrier programs, that provide immediate assistance with housing and case management without referrals or complex eligibility criteria. The alternative—hard-to-access programs, service providers with no immediate front door, jumping through hoops to find a case manager—is what we’re working with now, and it isn’t working. Clients should not have to wait for multiple referrals to get assistance. We might not be able to guarantee instant housing, but we can at least provide people with immediate care and support. 2. Train our workforce to employ the most basic function of the job—kindness. I’ve lost count of how many clients told us they had been homeless for years, but gave up working with service providers because they were tired of being dismissed, invalidated, and disrespected. To be clear—this is not a judgment of frontline case managers. This is a criticism of leaders who don’t prioritize comprehensive training, and who don’t model trauma-informed care and communication. Are teams being trained to communicate with patience and empathy? Is anyone monitoring how staff speak to clients? Are client satisfaction surveys being conducted? We’ve left clients with zero faith in the system because no one bothers to find out how they are being treated. 3. Drastically increase compensation for frontline staff. We demand that case managers support massive caseloads, absorb endless secondary trauma, and adhere to exhausting documentation requirements, but our field barely pays people enough to keep themselves housed, let alone house others. How can we build a workforce that provides meaningful support to those who are struggling, if their own basic needs are not met? Until we start paying more, this field (and those who rely on it for support) will suffer from all the consequences of extremely high turnover rates. 4. Those with the privilege to do so cannot be afraid to speak truth to power. I’ve had countless conversations where providers expressed disappointment with decisions made by funders, the city, or the county, but when sitting in meetings with people in power, they went silent. Policymakers and funders are not mind readers—if we want decisions and policy to reflect the needs of PEH and support staff wellbeing, we need to speak up, get confrontational, and call things out. We may not have the power to quickly build thousands of units, but we can make simple changes that would transform the way it feels for clients to engage with services, and improve the environments of the frontline workers who carry the weight our systems.

Such an important issue and co-op housing can be part of the solution.

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The issue of homelessness can impact the trust and reputation of business lawyers like Kicki Andersson in several ways: 1. Community Perception If a lawyer is perceived as being indifferent or unsympathetic to the plight of the homeless, it can negatively affect their reputation within the community. Conversely, active involvement in addressing homelessness can enhance their standing and demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility. 2. Client Trust Clients often look for lawyers who not only have legal expertise but also share their values. A lawyer who is seen as compassionate and proactive in social issues may build stronger relationships with clients who value community engagement. 3. Professional Network Engaging in efforts to address homelessness can expand a lawyer’s professional network, connecting them with other professionals and organizations dedicated to social causes. This can lead to new opportunities and collaborations. 4. Legal Challenges Lawyers may face unique legal challenges when dealing with issues related to homelessness, such as advocating for affordable housing or navigating regulations that affect the homeless population. Successfully addressing these challenges can enhance a lawyer’s credibility and expertise. 5. Public Relations Positive media coverage of a lawyer’s efforts to combat homelessness can improve their public image. On the other hand, negative publicity related to a lack of action or perceived insensitivity can harm their reputation. By actively engaging in efforts to address homelessness, Kicki Andersson can build trust and demonstrate a commitment to social justice, which can positively influence her career as a business lawyer.

CAN LEGAL AIDE HELP STOP AN EVICTION . . . . • Can Tenants Sue Municipalities for Not Providing Eviction Protection? • Is Forming A Class Action the Best Resolution for the Lack of Emergency Rental Assistance and the Lack of Choice Vouchers? • Should Advocate for Affordable Housing Pursue Changes In Social Services Agencies to Manage Housing Disbursements to the General Public? • And Should Unresolved Housing Issues Become A Platform for Electing Local Public Administrators?

Open Door Legal prevented one person from becoming homeless every 2.4 days. That’s one of the findings shared by Micah Park in an article today in the Chronicle. https://lnkd.in/gPxY4ywJ As co-author of a recent study and San Francisco native, Micah has been able to deeply investigate our homelessness response systems. She mentions how prevention is the most cost-effective way to address homelessness and how the importance of legal services has been missed due to flawed data collection. As part of the study, Micah interviewed one of our former clients, an elderly woman whose landlord changed her locks and put all her property on the curb (among other actions and without ever filing an eviction), all so they could move in a relative. The client said that without legal services, she’s sure she would be on the streets today. And as shared in a recent Forbes article, each homeless individual costs over $83,000 per year in health and police services. https://lnkd.in/euBr9z3F Compared to that, the cost of prevention is minimal. Legal services are also especially effective: 46% of at-risk individuals who received legal representation were prevented from becoming homeless when compared to a control group. It’s not just housing law, either. Domestic violence (affecting 1 in 16 women each year), wage theft (affecting 1 in 6 minimum wage workers each year), and other legal issues can all cause homelessness. From the article: “The United States is the only developed nation in the world without universal access to legal aid, which helps explain why we continue to experience a record high homelessness population.” Open Door Legal is only one organization. But I believe that together, we can create a system that ensures universal access to timely and effective legal assistance and catch everyone currently falling through the cracks. If we do, we can dramatically reduce homelessness. And if we don’t, the devastating consequences will be seen on our streets every day.

“…As we enter an election cycle where public health and housing are central concerns, policymakers may benefit from understanding that legal representation can be a health intervention. We need a system where access to justice is prioritized as highly as access to healthcare because in many cases, they are one and the same. It’s time we treat access to legal representation as an essential part of our public health infrastructure.”.

“When we think about the legal causes of homelessness, it could be a housing issue, it could be a physical-safety issue, it could be an income or asset issue — and if any of those are taken away illegally, that could trigger homelessness.” As a society (and in San Diego particularly) we tend to be reactive in addressing the issue of homelessness. Legal aid resources provide a new framework as a proactive measure to be invested in to prevent homelessness in the first place. In cities like San Diego, unfortunately, it is becoming starkly clear that many people are only one negative life event - a major medical emergency, a lost job or a change in relationship status - away from not being able to afford housing. Access to free, quality legal support could be (and has been!) the difference between stable housing and ending up on the streets. https://lnkd.in/g8Qrm6ki

For ever person that says that we need more profit driven rental development to solve housing, I'll dig up yet another reason to not trust this system. Rental developers will charge the highest value the market can bear, there is zero incentive to charge less or even affordable rates. Non-profit development is the only way to provide affordable housing that is mandated from the beginning. If you want to see true capitalism at work, provide non-profit housing in direct competition to profit driven developers. Profit driven development will always find a way, even in the most socialist of urban centres, there is no shortage of profit driven development.