Join Helen Hartnett, member of Lawrence’s Community Commission on Homelessness and Assistant Professor in the KU School of Social Welfare, for Wednesday’s online chat at 1:30 p.m.

Moderator

I’m Laura McHugh here with Helen Hartnett, Assistant Professor in the KU School of Social Welfare and a member of the Lawrence Community Commission on Homelessness. We already have some great questions, so we’ll start right at 1:30 p.m.

Ragingbear

A common issue among service providers, as well as city officials are the differences in views regarding issues of rehabilitation. One side says to make people show progress to gain and continue recieving benefits, while another says that we have to give them those benefits first, then work with addressing the deeper issue.

So, what compromises do you believe both sides could come to in order to address the homeless issue here?

Helen Hartnett

I beleive that we need to do both things simultaneously, give people the services they need in order to provide them the opportunity to take control over their lives. I am not a beleiver that there is nor should there be a one sided approach to this very complex issue. I do, however, beleive that denying people basic services will not result in thier ability to deal with their situation in a way that is productive.

geekin_topekan

There is a compassionate way of saying “I would like to help”,and then there is the Downtown Merchants assoc. who has an ever-so polite way of saying “get outta my city”.Which group do you claim?

Helen Hartnett

I am a person who would like to help. Not only people who are homeless, but also the business owners. I think we can create solutions that benefit all of us in Lawrence.

smitty

The OWL news letter stated that the wet shelter no longer allows for alcohol or drug consumption on the premise as of September of this year. Why was that ever allowed; why did it take so long to eliminate; why has that fact not been part of the on-going news releases about the wet shelter?

Helen Hartnett

I am not in a position to answer questions regarding the policies of the Lawrence Community Shelter. I do not know the answer to this question.

armyguy

Hello Helen, With two homeless shelters in Lawrence, is there a need to build another one with taxpayer money? It seems that Lawrence is an easy place for homeless people to take up residence as it is.

Helen Hartnett

I personally believe that a new facility is needed that is adequate. I believe that a new faciltiy would replace some of the exisitng serivces. I think that part of the struggle now is that the current faciltities are not fully meeting the needs of people.

I have also worked in other cities and it seems that people believe that services draw people to a town. I have never seen any data to support this. I do not beleive that it is easy to expereince homelessness in Lawrence.

macon47

Helen, i would suspect people in lawrence would be more supportive of your efforts, if the “other” homeless people didnt beg and panhandle downtown.
We realize alot of people need some
help getting back on their feet,
but begging on the street is not
the answer, and doesnt project
much of an image for downtown
lawrnce. as much as some of the
folks think the beggars are cute
and colorful, people from out of
town do not appreciate being “hit on”
while they are enjoying our city.
do you support downtown beggars?

Helen Hartnett

I do not support the behavior of anyone that is threatening to another human being. I think that sometimes image is everything and does drive public opion about any group of people. It is unfortunate. I also think that people pan handle because they need money, and maybe with better programming, people could find other ways to make money.

leekris

The task force you served on made recommendations to the city on how to solve the Homeless “problem” in Lawrence or at least provide better services to those experiencing homelessness. How do they (City Commission) or the Community Commission on Homelessness then prioritize which of those recommendations they should carry out? How do they decide where to start?

Helen Hartnett

We the Community Commission on Homelessness have been trying to work on several components of the plan. I am not sure that we have adequately prioritized our efforts. We are planning a retreat in December to begin this process.

I am unaware of the process employed by the City Commission.

kefarris

Is the Lawrence homeless population locally created, or are we attracting homeless from other cities because of good services we provide?

Helen Hartnett

In the sutdy conducted in the Spring, we found that the majority of people have been in Lawrence for more than 2 years. ALso when asked why people came to Lawrence many stated that they were from here, had friends or family, or came for job opportunities. Some also stated that they came becuase of KU. It appears as though people who are currently homeless came to Lawrence for many of the same reasons we all do/did.

kefarris

Are we successful at transitioning homeless people into “non-homeless” people?

Helen Hartnett

I have not seen any data regarding success rates. I know that we recently began collecting information which might answer this question in the future. I wish i knew the answer to this question.

Moderator

Is there any sense of how many people are homeless in Lawrence?

Helen Hartnett

Although counts are never completly accurate, the City conducts a point in time count almost annually. Last year the estimated number was 112.

Moderator

What do you view as the greatest obstacles to eradicating homelessness in Lawrence?

Helen Hartnett

I think partly it is the nature of homelessness, it is a very complex social problem. I also think that the complexity leads to divergent views and philosophies regarding the best course of action. This is true in Lawrence, we are struggling to create a unified community plan which takes into account the interests and concerns of all involved constituency groups.

and of course, financial resources are always an obstacle, but should not stop us from moving forward.

Moderator

A fellow reporter wants to know: What are the best programs for the homeless population and does Lawrence have enough mental health programs available?

Helen Hartnett

The Lawrence city commission recently funded a case management team through Bert Nash to work with people who are homeless, I beleive that this is an important step in providing the mental health and other supportive services that people need to move out of homelessness.

Some of the programs that have been highly successful in other cities are based on a housing first philosophy which places people in permanent housing and provides intensive supportive serivces which are reduced as people are more secure. The idea is that a stable environment assists people in overcoming whatever challenges they may face. A shelter environment is often chaotic and not as conducive to stabilization.

Moderator

That wraps up our chat. Helen, thank you for taking these questions today.

Helen Hartnett

Thanks for the opportunity.