Ms. Miles obfuscates the important distinction Tom makes between
affordable housing and supportive housing. Affordable housing allows
anyone with the economic qualification of lower income to live in a
building, while supportive housing allows only people who cannot live
without "support services" (mentally ill and chemically dependent,
etc.).
Let's be clear. Plymouth has steadfastly said NO AFFORDABLE HOUSING at
1920 LaSalle (Lydia House), and stills say no affordable housing at 1920
LaSalle as recently as last week when it flatly rejected the
neighborhood's offer to settle their lawsuit on the condition that Lydia
House be affordable housing. It's worth noting the government pays a
lot money for supportive housing, far more than affordable housing.
Plymouth's $500,000 developer's fee is just the starting gate of the
taxpayers' toll road on this project. One must ask the question is
Lydia House about real compassion or real hard cash.
I live within 1/4 of the proposed Lydia House. 28% of the population
within 1/4 mile of this proposed facility now requires supportive
services. If Lydia House were to open the percentage would increase to
31% of the total population requiring supportive services. Steven's
Square has 57.6 facilities per square mile, Whittier has 23.2 facilities
per square mile. The Minneapolis-wide percentage is 2.8 per square
mile. Yet Terrell Brown labels us (the neighbors opposing Lydia House)
as NIMBY's (not in my backyard). Hey, I would just like to invoke the
stone and glass house rule here. Anyone who lives in a neighborhood
that comes close to these numbers can throw a stone. The rest should
open up their fortress neighborhoods or sit down and shut up.
And yes, I think 18 facilities is enough in our 1/4 mile. And by the
way, Mr. Brown, how many more facilities would it take to remove us from
your "NIMBY" category?
And these facilities do impact a neighborhood. As a 6-year block leader
I think "supportive services" is an apt term. The 6 facilities on the
two blocks I lead take effort, time and care to integrate successfully.
Our block was recently awarded recognition by the CCP/SAFE unit of the
Minneapolis Police Department for our efforts, so I know we do a pretty
good job working with our special needs population. But it takes a lot
of volunteer time to make it work. Time we don't have for Lydia House, a
40 person facility for the chemically dependent and mentally ill with
virtually no supportive services budget in place, guaranteeing a host of
additionaly problems for the neighborhood.
It's great Ms. Miles feel safe in Whittier. Unfortunately more than
half (53%) of the resident neighbors feel unsafe at night on Whittier
streets according to a quantitative survey recently completed for the
Whittier Alliances; 24% feel unsafe in a shop or restaurant at night,
and 10% feel unsafe in their own homes at night. In fact safety is a
top priority for the NRP II Steering Committee. It's discouraging for
many of us working to stabilize our neighborhood to read breezy claims
of ("I feel safe") walking and biking, minimizing what the Whittier
community as a whole believes is a serious challenge to livability, and
all to a promote a poorly placed and poorly conceived project.
These populations in many cases are vulnerable; they do attract
predators and problems when hyper-concentrated and they impact the
safety and livability of our community. This neighborhood plea is made
more fully in the neighbors filing for relief from the federal count,
online at www.TheLydiaHouse.com
John Cevette
Whittier
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf
Of M Miles
Sent: Friday, April 19, 2002 4:08 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [Mpls] Heroes dead-beats, and 1/4 mile spacing of
Supportive housing
Richard,
Thank you for answering my question. I know of Tom's commitment to his
Franklin Ave neighborhood business properties, but have never known
where he lived. I appreciate your response on his behalf.
John,
I have no idea why you imagine you know me or what meetings I attend or
my level of commitment to my neighborhood. It's hard to imagine how
it's a "cheap shot" to wonder what Minneapolis neighborhood someone
lives in...particularly when they've expressed their anguish over the
state of my neighborhood. Jeez, John, take a relax-o-pill.
List,
I absolutely support affordable housing in my neighborhood. Whittier,
despite my realtor's warnings, was my neighborhood of choice when I was
looking for a house to buy. It was also, by glorious happenstance, one
of the few neighborhoods I could afford as a single person earning less
than $30,000/year. I am in love with my neighborhood. I walk and bike
all over this place and I couldn't honestly tell you-and don't honestly
care--which houses are "halfway houses" or which apartment buildings
accept Section 8 vouchers. I feel safe, am fond of my neighbors, and,
short of today's email from John, have never felt harassed here.
I take exception to the argument that there are too many "poor" or
"needy" people (to reluctantly use Tom's words) in my neighborhood. The
notion that, as my neighbors in their lawsuit opposing supportive
housing claim, "Our backyard is full" sounds like an infestation
problem, not like we're talking about other human beings who have, eek!
less money than we do. (Or how about the similar phrase that other
neighborhoods should "take their share"? It's nauseating.) But maybe I
just get stuck on the semantics of my well-meaning neighbors. Of course
people of every income level and any ability should be able to live and
work in whatever neighborhood they choose, and I support the building of
affordable housing wherever we can get it, from Whittier to Wayzata.
But these are the best of times and the worst of times. My property
value has gone up ridiculously in the three years I' ve owned it, while
people are sleeping under the freeway bridge across from my
now-priceless porch. Meanwhile, Plymouth Congregational Church is being
sued for hoping to turn an empty nursing home into apartments while St.
Stephen's Church has been sued for trying to provide a couple dozen more
shelter beds. We could go on playing "You Build It" for another decade
or we can support the willing builders. Margaret Miles Whittier
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Cevette" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "'M Miles'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, April 19, 2002 1:05 AM
Subject: RE: [Mpls] Heroes dead-beats, and 1/4 mile spacing of
Supportive housing
> What an incredibly cheap shot at someone who has devoted thousands of
> hours on countless committees over 10 years from Nicollet Avenue
> Redevelopment to the Whittier Alliance to make Whittier better...from
> a person I have never seen at a Whittier community meeting, who only
> of late pops up on occasion to squeak the Lydia House line so project
> supporters can misrepresent to the community there is neighborhood
> support for this lucrative business transaction.
>
> John Cevette
> Whittier
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf
> Of M Miles
> Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2002 5:44 PM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: [Mpls] Heroes dead-beats, and 1/4 mile spacing of
> Supportive housing
>
>
> Tom--
> Regarding your call for affordable housing in all of Minneapolis'
> neighborhoods. . . Could you let us know what neighborhood you live in
> (as is the list protocol)? Thanks, Margaret Miles Whittier
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2002 12:56 PM
> Subject: [Mpls] Heroes dead-beats, and 1/4 mile spacing of Supportive
> housing
>
>
> > I recently attended the Affordable Housing Summit and was very
> > concerned that the Mayor's office seems to be proposing regulatory
> > reform that includes weakening the 1/4 mile spacing provisions of
> > the Zoning Code (Chapter 536) regarding "supportive housing." Such
> > a change would undoubtedly further concentrate supportive housing
> > into a
>
> > very few neighborhoods, and reinforces the fortress-like stance of
> > the
>
> > rest of the City. We all know it is time for reform of many housing
> > policies. I fear, however, that weakening the 1/4 mile spacing law
> > is not reform, but a retreat to the City's most retrograde
> > practices, i.e., segregating the
> poor
> > and disabled into pre-selected enclaves.
> >
> > It is far past time for a larger portion of the city to shoulder a
> > fair share of the civic responsibility to care for the needy.
> > Arguments that
> urge
> > us to disregard matters of spacing, and that tout the value of
> > "existing infrastructure" are circular, if not cynical, and will
> > certainly lead to further segregation of the poor and disabled into
> > already struggling, overwhelmed, high-crime neighborhoods. They are
> > a sad perpetuation of the unworkable status quo.
> >
> > While the housing crisis is real and urgent, it is no excuse for
> continuing
> > to segregate the neediest citizens, whether by intention or not. Now
> > is
> not
> > the time for us to shrink from the admittedly difficult task of
> > convincing greater areas of the City that they have a duty to
> > contribute to housing solutions, and not just with lofty talk or
> > cash contributions. We should
> all
> > consider the impact of removing one of the only legal inducements to
> > bring about real integration of the poor and disabled into the
> > larger fabric of the City. It would be foolish remove or weaken the
> > one tool
>
> > that allows
> for
> > positive change to take place.
> >
> > As we begin anew to tackle the issues of the poor and needy we need
> > to
>
> > remember that we don't all start at the same place. Some truly
> > "heroic" neighborhoods have long been leaders in the delivery of
> > services and supportive housing. For example, Whittier has 23
> > supportive housing facilities, Phillips 23, Stevens Square 11,
> > Central
>
> > 10. These four neighborhoods supply 43% of all supportive housing in
> > City.
> >
> > By contrast, almost half of all Minneapolis neighborhoods (38) have
> > NO
>
> > supportive housing. 18 neighborhoods have only one facility. Like
> dead-beat
> > dads, these dead-beat neighborhoods often talk big, yet never seem
> > to make the time or space to really share the civic duty of caring
> > for the poor
> and
> > needy.
> >
> >
> > Tom Berthiaume
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________
> > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn
> > E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe,
> > Unsubscribe,
>
> > Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
> >
>
> _______________________________________
> Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn
> E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe,
> Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
>
>
_______________________________________
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