HOMELESS FAMILY PLATFORM
Anytime homelessness is discussed, the needs of homeless families must be inserted into the debate. With homelessness being a high-profile issue in mayoral races, single adults seem to be the only ones discussed, while homeless families are completely ignored.
Homeless families living at shelters, SRO hotels, treatment programs and other sites, developed this platform. It covers both actions that could be taken locally, as well as action that policy makers in San Francisco could urge the state and federal government to take.
STATEMENT OF NEED
Neglecting children and allowing families to become and remain homeless has a devastating impact on todays and future generations.
Federal, state and local funding cuts coupled with a loss in low-income housing units and a changing economy has made it difficult for many families to stay housed — here in San Francisco and across the nation.
- Children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.
- The effects of homelessness on the lives of children are devastating, with children experiencing trauma, behavioral and medical health issues, more.
- Homelessness increases foster care costs, and foster care can have a devastating impact on children. In fact, 75% of youth in foster care become homeless once they turn 18.
- Homeless children are twice as likely to be in poor health as other children.
- Homeless children are twice as likely to experience hunger.
- Homeless children are four times as likely to have delayed development.
- 22% are separated from their families.
- 12% are not enrolled in school, and 45% do not attend regularly.
- Families in San Francisco become homeless and step onto a merry-go-round, where they go from shelter to shelter, from hotel to shelter.
Each move further de-stabilizes children.
SHELTER POLICY
All homeless family shelters should remain open all day for all homeless families, not just those in medical respite. Parents don’t need to be wandering the streets with their babies all day.
Families should be allowed to stay in shelter until housing becomes available. Stop shuffling families from shelter to shelter, hotel to shelter and back again.
Families should never be put out of programs with nowhere to go.
Support staff at shelters should be working on garnering family’s permanent housing from day one. In fact, there should be housing advocates at each shelter.
HOUSING
Increased Funding for Homeless Families should go towards the creation of permanent housing affordable to homeless families. This should include both rental programs and rent to- own programs.
Force the Housing Authority to fill the over 400 currently vacant units in their projects with homeless families.
Local Subsidy housing should be established based on income (not family size) allowing extremely low income homeless families to afford rents in already-subsidized and unsubsidized units. .
The average yearly cost of sheltering a family of three is $34,479. In contrast, it costs about $10,000 a year to subsidize a family in permanent housing. Spend at least this much on housing per family. General Fund expenditure on housing should match funds from federal and state government.
Appoint a homeless family representative to the Housing Authority Commission.
PERINATAL TREATMENT
Restore and expand substance abuse treatment programs for homeless families in San Francisco. These programs save lives and avert children from foster care system. They also save the city a lot of money.
MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT
Ensure all homeless children have full access to mental health services when needed.
COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS
Community based organizations serving homeless families have received cuts that should be restored. Future cuts to programs serving homeless families should be prevented.
MEDICAL NEEDS
The level of illness among families in shelters is very high. Ensure roving medical teams are in place at each shelter — include pediatricians on these teams.
Ensure children and parents are connected with Primary Care Physician.
REPEAL FELONY DRUG BAN
Under current state and federal law entire families are being punished their entire lives because of on parents’ past mistakes. If you are a parent and have a felony drug conviction, you are not allowed to collect welfare, or food stamps — no matter how acute your level of need. If you decided to pursue higher education as a means of lifting your family out of poverty, you will find you do not qualify for educational loans (federal PELL grants and loans). You cannot even get a public housing or a Section 8 certificate. The law places thousands of children at risk of neglect. Local policy makers should work to ensure the federal government overturns these barbaric laws.
HOMELESS PREVENTION
Enough resources should be plugged into back rent, and funds for move-costs, so that all those in need can receive this help. Poor families who lose their rent-controlled apartments find it extremely difficult to secure housing they can afford in San Francisco, and many times have an eviction on their record that prevents them from finding any housing for years to come. Currently, this funding often runs short of meeting the demand — leading to further homelessness.
Public housing should be kept safe for families.
Unsafe conditions often lead to homelessness, as families are forced to flee for the safety of their families.
Work with the federal government to repeal 1st strike laws. Often, families will lose their housing under this law because a relative or friend was breaking the law — through no fault of the actual tenant. This leads to homelessness, as poor families have few housing options readily available.
Ensure families have the best chance to reunify, instead of children ending up in the foster care system, where 70% of children become homeless at age 18. Due to state law which limits the time families have to reunify with their children in foster care, it is critical that these families have stable housing. The average wait for housing is five to seven years, and the time families have to reunify is just two years.
FAMILIES NEED INFORMATION
Families must be adequately informed of all their rights with regards to public benefits, housing benefits and shelters.
EDUCATION OF HOMELESS CHILDREN
The School District must inform homeless families of the resources they are entitled to from the federal government. The School District must start by identifying homeless families.
Budget cuts will have disproportionate negative impact on homeless families; this is one way to lessen the blow.
To minimize missed school among homeless children, the School District must ensure school supplies, uniforms, transportation, must be available to all homeless families, not just those in shelter.
Family Rights and Dignity
