Homeless Court & SVdP

In my opinion, the Alameda County Homeless Court is one of the most exciting movements that SVdP has been a part of. I have witnessed its impact in my clients’ lives, and I am (optimistically) hopeful that its success and its mission will one day rub off on other parts of our local judicial system. It deserves some more attention here, and I would like to write about the inner-processes and challenges SVdP faces as the court’s largest referral agency.

**Note: For those unfamiliar with the Alameda County Homeless Court Program, it is a special court held for the purposes of expunging misdemeanors and infractions from the records of those who are homeless or at immediate risk of homelessness. It is a godsend for many very low-income people whose legal fines and records are preventing them from progressing in their lives. It also saves Alameda County a great deal of money in processing and incarceration expenses. Some readers may want to read my predecessor’s blog on what homeless court is before delving into the details here.

http://svdp-alameda-volunteer.blogspot.com/2006/03/i-have-utter-privilege-of-running.html

Each month, I submit cases to be reviewed by the Homeless Court Coordinator. If the clients meet the court’s qualifications and show that they have made sufficient life progress, they are given a court date and the opportunity to have their tickets dismissed. After careful examination, the coordinator contacts me to discuss whether each case has been accepted, held until more verification can be provided, or declared ineligible.

Cases falling into the insufficient verification category are beefed up and resubmitted for the next court session. (Verifications of progress differ depending upon the client’s individual circumstances. Some common forms include proof of drug or alcohol recovery, or evidence that the client has sought employment or applied for SSI). I have found clients in this group are usually able to acquire the necessary information and their cases typically make it through within the next month or two.

This is not the case for the ineligible group. Clients are usually declared ineligible because the court can not dismiss the particular type of charge (such as a violent felony or out of county misdemeanor), or the individual is not considered to be at immediate risk of homelessness. If the client falls into either of these categories, his or her case will not be processed by the court. I spend at least a couple of hours on each of these cases, and as my case load has grown, I have realized the importance of focusing my time on cases that are more likely to be processed.

What does this mean for St. Vincent de Paul?

We are the only agency that accepts clients on a walk-in basis. First, this partly explains our large caseload. It also makes our agency very different in how we first screen our clients for eligibility, and in how we collect evidence of their personal progress. All other referral agencies draw their cases from a pool of current clients already receiving services. They are building upon an existing service provider and client relationship. This allows agencies like Options Recovery to build filters into their intake system. For example, clients at Options must pass a certain stage of recovery before they can apply for homeless court. This gives the client time to build relationships with staff and case managers who are then later able to furnish documentation to verify personal progress. If the client is in their residential program, Options is also able to verify the client’s housing.

At St. Vincent’s, clients are sent out on their own to collect verifications of progress from other agencies where they have received services like therapy, housing, or assistance applying for SSI. This leaves more footwork for my clients to collect evidence of progress. It also means that I need to do more filtering, making sure that those who come in are at immediate risk of homelessness. (our only built in filter is that I need to know my clients for 30 days before submitting their cases) The positive side is that SVdP makes this court available to countless individuals who have made significant personal progress—even if they are not currently in a specific program like Options. And it is a joy to be able to provide these individuals with a second chance.

Working with the Homeless Court this year has been an ongoing learning process that I have thoroughly enjoyed and grown from. For those readers who have made it this far and are still interested, I have included a letter I wrote to the HC coordinator to try and establish a more objective screening system here at SVdP. The letter also touches upon some of the shifts SVdP has seen in its walk-in clients and some of the changes that I have begun to notice in the court’s review process. I think it will give readers a peak into (my understanding of) the way the court determines client eligibility.

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(All identifying client information has been edited out and names have been changed)

.... I also wanted to continue our dialog about setting up a more objective screening process for SVdP clients, and I decided that it might be helpful to have a starting point. I have outlined my reasoning process for screening this month’s cases, which is based upon my understanding of the court’s requirements. I am hoping to get some specific feedback and gain a better understanding of the types of cases that the court is willing to accept.

After speaking with you on the phone, I looked through some of our older cases that were accepted by the homeless court. It is clear that we are seeing more clients who are at no immediate risk of homelessness than we did in the past. At the same time, I came across a number of older moving violation cases that were accepted by the court, despite the fact that these clients were on fixed incomes and renting apartments.

For example, I called [Barbara] to let her know that she would not qualify for the July court because she is not at immediate risk of homelessness. She asked me how her relative [Tiffany] (who referred her to the program) qualified if she did not. I obviously could not discuss another person’s case with her, but I did look up Tiffany’s file after getting off the phone. Barbara seemed to have a point. Both clients had moving violations and both rented apartments and supported children. However, Tiffany’s case was accepted despite the fact that she had a much larger and more stable source of income than Barbara.

By looking at examples like these, I hope to get a better understanding of how these decisions are made. I can think of two explanations. You mentioned that Judge Baranco has recently emphasized the importance of clients being at immediate risk of homelessness, so it seems to me that this requirement may be tighter now than it had been in the past. The other explanation I can think of was that Tiffany had a substance abuse issue, and perhaps her overcoming alcohol addiction can be seen as significant progress, compensating for the fact that she does not appear to be at immediate risk of losing her housing.

In any case, I have been trying to improve my screening process to avoid investing time in cases that will not be accepted later on down the line. From what I gleaned from our last conversation, crimes related to homelessness such as sleeping in a park and j-walking tend to qualify just by their nature. It seemed as though cases failing to qualify dealt with moving violations. This distinction makes a lot of sense to me.

When it came to clients who primarily had traffic tickets, I examined the client’s housing situation. I considered all of the following living situations as homelessness or signs that the individual is at immediate risk of homelessness: shelters, cars, friend/family homes for very short periods of time, hotels, temporary housing programs, inpatient recovery centers (if they did not have permanent housing upon release). As long as this group was able to show sufficient progress, it seemed to me as though they would be eligible to have their moving violations dismissed.

The second seemingly qualifying category was those who were recently homeless. Some of the people in this group were either living with a friend or relative on a more long term basis (ie a few months) or they had recently begun to rent an apartment. Along with their housing situation, it seemed even more important for this category to show that their misdemeanors were major barriers to future progress (usually meaning they needed a license to earn an income). This is clearly where I began to slip into a gray area.

The third category were those clients whose livelihood depended upon regaining their licenses. These individuals were able to verify that they had a background in a driving related field, and they tended to have specialized licenses or other relevant certifications (ie. home pest control). If these clients were able to show that they were not receiving a sufficient income because they did not have a license or the funds to pay their fine, I was willing to process their cases. The main difference between this category and the one above was that this group may not have been recently homeless, but is at serious risk because of major barriers to earning an income.

A fourth category may be those clients who are able to provide proof that they are close to losing their housing. I spoke with one of last month’s clients who was not accepted because she appeared to have stable housing with her limited income. This month, she promised to bring me an eviction notice and I told her that I would be willing to resubmit her paperwork.

The fifth category I came across is a special exceptions group. The injured construction worker is a good example. This client was able to furnish proof that he was seriously hurt and unable to do his job. Through an employer’s letter he was also able to show that he would be returning to work upon his recovery. He proved he had no income source as he was recuperating. As the sole provider for his family, he and his family were at risk of losing their home....

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That's it for this week.

Daniel Pena

I have included an article I wrote for a newsletter on our current Champion Guidance Center intern Daniel Pena:

Daniel Pena stared at a giant frosted cake, pleasantly surprised at the chorus of Happy Birthday ringing forth from the street-weathered faces of the Champion Guidance Center guests. "You guys got me a cake, and half an hour later, I was offered a job. It was a great birthday," he recounted. As an Intern, Daniel is expected to lead "in-service" guests (homeless men who volunteer to serve other homeless men). He is responsible for tracking services provided, keeping the center clean, and providing information and referrals to those in need. The hardest and most rewarding part of the job, Daniel explained, is fostering a supportive culture amongst a community of men who's spirits are broken by years of institutionalization and life on the streets. Daniel knows all about these challenges, because he too has been homeless.

During the colder months, Daniel slept at Oakland Army Base Winter Shelter beside the same men he served at the Guidance Center. After his first experience with homelessness in 2002, Daniel has been in and out of work. Like many of his clients, he became involved at the Men's Center for the free laundry and shower services. Soon, he began volunteering to stay active. He recalled, "It felt good to help… it was satisfying to be doing something." Daniel enjoyed being able to give something back to the organization that had helped him, while simultaneously supporting others in need.

Daniel's paid internship is part of what is now being called transitional employment. The three to six month part-time job is designed to provide the employee with some income and recent work experience as he or she seeks something more permanent. Since taking over the position last March, Daniel has found a new calling. "Before I was looking for office work, or just something I had done before. Now, I want to do something that I really enjoy and get more out of. I am interested in case management." The intern position at SVdP, has helped Daniel to make the contacts he needs to later transition into this field.

"One of the most important things I learned was how to handle a crisis or emergency situation in a professional way." Daniel has developed relationships with other SVdP programs and local resources in an effort to promote the supportive and collaborative culture within the downtown campus. Daniel feels his greatest impact on SVdP has grown out of these relationships, which he has developed with both his coworkers and clients, "I fuse the positive in there with the negative and I help people to look upon themselves differently."

The Week in Review

6.5.2007

There has been so much going on at SVdP recently that I decided to write a general update for this week’s entry.

A couple of weeks ago, I took on the new project of setting up a free voicemail service for our clients. This is a part of Steve’s goal of helping our homeless clients to establish a “virtual address” using the resources we have here. Individuals are already able to receive mail at the Champion Guidance Center, make local daytime phone calls, and they have access to free email services through our computer lab.

We hope this voicemail system will help remove another hurdle from their track to employment. It will allow individuals to avoid the discrimination that they so often face when employers realize that they are homeless. It also raises some interesting issues. I need to make sure that the message prompts are discreet. The machine can’t say “Thank you for calling the SVdP homeless drop-in center voicemail system.” I hope to have this running within the next few weeks, and I think it will become very popular.

Next…

I am excited to say that we have hired two new interns in the Visitation Center. Its going to be wonderful having the extra help, as it seems as though there is never enough staff to accomplish all we would like to do. Even more importantly, I think that this represents a shift in culture at the women’s center. What is wonderful about the intern position is that it breaks down the division between staff and client. In fact, former clients are often considered for these positions. By distributing responsibility, we are encouraging self sufficiency and forward momentum. Rather than simply providing our clients with goods and services, we are slowly forming a community—a support network.

Next…

My homeless court caseload has continued to grow at an almost overwhelming rate. The court is now held every month, as opposed to every two months. This is great for my clients, who only have to wait half as long to clear up outstanding warrants or remove charges that are getting in the way of employment. Last month, I submitted a total of 25 cases in a one month period. When I began working at SVdP, I was submitting eight cases every two months. So, homeless court has certainly grown to consume much larger chunk of my day.

In the ten months that I have been here, I began to notice some subtle shifts in the direction the program is going. This month, I was surprised to see that some of my best documented cases were not accepted. After speaking with the homeless court coordinator, I learned that these clients were declared ineligible on the basis of too much stability. This has never happened before. Although these individuals were extremely low income, the court felt they were able to pay their legal fines. The reviewers decided, these fines were not preventing them from making personal progress and they were not eligible to receive these expungement services. This is something else that I need to be aware of as I am preparing cases and accepting new clients. It is also a sign that word of this program is spreading outside of the homeless population that we serve directly.

Next…

The help desk (free clothing store) is looking great. Thanks to some regular volunteer help, it is more organized than it has ever been. I am very grateful for the help that we have received. It is always a challenge to find reliable volunteers to work the desk. After hours of sorting through donated clothing, some of our volunteers figure, “these things are being given out for free…I worked here all day. Hey, I deserve to take a couple bags home with me.” Sometimes our volunteers are really in need of these goods. What we are really seeing here is a blurring of the lines between client, volunteer, and staff.

In many ways, it is a sign we are living out our motto: “a hand up, not a hand out.” At the same time, supporting former clients by promoting them to volunteer and even intern positions brings in a whole new set of issues. As Steve says, our interns are going to make mistakes. It is inevitable. But this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t support them through this process.

I plan to address this intern/volunteer culture and the issue of “entitlement” in some of my upcoming entries.

Silence

Last week, my housemates and I attended our JVC silent retreat in the rolling hills of Los Altos, California. It was the first JVC retreat that I have left actually feeling fully rested, and it was by far the most meaningful. Even those who originally dreaded three days without talking ended up enjoying it. I would recommend it for everyone. I have included three quotes by the twentieth century social critic, writer and mystic Thomas Merton. The Trappist monk wrote a lot about silence (and devoted at least one entire book to it, Thoughts in Solitude). Merton has a way with words, and I have chosen these passages because they represent, and perhaps confirm, some of what I experienced last week.

Contradictions have always existed in the soul of man. But it is only when we prefer analysis to silence that they become a constant and insoluble problem. We are not meant to resolve all contradictions but to live with them and rise above them and see them in the light of exterior and objective values which make them trivial by comparison.

It is in deep solitude that I find the gentleness with which I can truly love my brothers. The more solitary I am the more affection I have for them…. Solitude and silence teach me to love my brothers for what they are, not for what they say.

I suppose what makes me most glad is that we all recognize each other in this metaphysical space of silence and happening, and get some sense, for a moment, that we are full of paradise without knowing it.

This last quote hits upon one of my major points of contemplation during the retreat: the illusion of the mundane. Silence came to be a way for me to recognize the beauty—in every sense of the word—in what I often write off as plain, boring, or normal. This blandness is something that I sometimes project onto my surroundings. I stop paying attention to my senses and I am no longer present and participating in the moment. And then I remember to relax and to just be.

Now that I am writing this, I can not help but think of the film American Beauty, and the main character’s closing monologue (replace mad with bored):

.. it's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst ...

And then I remember ... to relax, and not try to hold on to it. And then it flows through me like rain. And I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life. You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. Don't worry ... you will someday.

The Ballad of Reading Gaol

As a history and art history major, I have to admit I have always been fascinated with late nineteenth century Europe. Despite all of the imperialism, empire building, and oppression, something draws me to fin de siecle art and literature more than any other period in history. It was an ominous time associated with impending change. The term decadence is often used to describe this era of newly acquired wealth and social restructuring, where the wealthy are said to have gorged themselves into complacency, while the poor were driven into hopelessness and apathy. It was an era of economic inequality, and a time when ideas of modernity began to solidify and outmode moral tradition. Sometimes I wonder if we are headed this way again when I pass million dollar condominiums built amidst predatory lending companies and hourly rate hotels on my way to work each morning. Perhaps it is their longevity and sustained relevancy that draws me into these works.

People usually associate this period with the literary and artistic movements known as asceticism and symbolism. Some leading writers from the era included Joris-Karl Huysmans, Charles Baudelaire, Stephane Mallarme, Paul Verlaine… and Oscar Wilde. Last week, I was reading through a collection of works by Oscar Wilde when I came across a passage that wedged itself into my consciousness. It was from a piece called The Ballad of Reading Gaol, which Wilde wrote shortly after he was released from an English prison. The poem is partly a commentary on the death penalty, human suffering, and the need for forgiveness. I have included one small portion; however I would really recommend reading the complete poem (talk about relevancy). An online version can be found here: http://poems.lesdoigtsbleus.free.fr/id99.htm

The Ballad of Reading Gaol, by Oscar Wilde (excerpt):

I only knew what hunted thought

Quickened his step, and why

He looked upon the garish day

With such a wistful eye;

The man had killed the thing he loved

And so he had to die.

Yet each man kills the thing he loves

By each let this be heard,

Some do it with a bitter look,

Some with a flattering word,

The coward does it with a kiss,

The brave man with a sword!

Some kill their love when they are young,

And some when they are old;

Some strangle with the hands of Lust,

Some with the hands of Gold:

The kindest use a knife, because

The dead so soon grow cold.

Some love too little, some too long,

Some sell, and others buy;

Some do the deed with many tears,

And some without a sigh:

For each man kills the thing he loves,

Yet each man does not die.

He does not die a death of shame

On a day of dark disgrace,

Nor have a noose about his neck,

Nor a cloth upon his face,

Nor drop feet foremost through the floor

Into an empty place

Perhaps this poem raises more questions than it answers. In any case, I think it provides a powerful model for examining the suffering that goes on within ourselves and others.

*An interesting note… W.E.B. Du Bois used a part of this poem in the closing lines of his 1935 revisionist book on African American involvement in the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Some Thoughts on VT

This week, I have decided to include part of an email correspondence I had with my good friend and fellow Boston College alumnus Andrew. The topic was the Virginia Tech shootings; however I think it has some real relevance to what goes on here at Saint Vincent de Paul. Below you will find Andrew’s initial email followed by my response.

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Just some thoughts on VT. Yours to read, or not. Sometimes you just have to take a break from these things.

-Andrew

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

-John Donne, 1572-1631

I hesitate to write even one word about the recent tragic events at Virginia Tech. The magnitude of the loss, and the senselessness of the crime are so great as to place commentary outside the purview of mere human agency. It is an office of the Divine to pass the final judgment on such a heinous act. Mere mortals cannot read one another's hearts. And at the same time Divine Providence, even now, in the wake of disaster, works actively toward renewal. It is for God to draw his children to Himself. Disaster is never part of His plan, but when human free will occasions it, He does not slouch defeated, but instead raises triumph from ashes. Look at the Cross.

Yet, even though it is seemingly beyond our power to say something meaningful, our curiosity is insatiable. "Why?" we ask, as if a justification is possible. We wonder, "Who was this man?"

Who can say?

Perhaps, as certainly seems possible, he was mentally ill; a mind out of touch with reality, out of its own control. A human being in form only, its substance debased and degraded by disease.

Perhaps, as such a loathsome crime would indicate, he was evil. "Certainly," we reason, "no one could perpetrate such a horrible crime without realizing what he was doing, without consciously deciding to do it."

Of course, he gives his own reasons. I'm not fully aware of what they are. Perhaps I will pay closer attention to what are either the ravings of a madman, or the hateful spew of a soul gone bad, in the future. His victims are not yet buried. Why he was posthumously granted a national audience when those he murdered in cold blood are silenced, I will never understand. It is outside the realm of basic human decency.

It is my belief, that outside of the practical concerns of preventing an event like this from recurring, the murderer's motivations are of no consequence. They are fit subject matter for psychologists and police forces, not for national drama. He is dead. His victims will be remembered tearfully by their families and friends, who have been robbed of their presence by an act, which considered in any light, was absolutely wrong.

And so, to my mind, the appropriate view of such a disaster is not that of one staring at a circus spectacle. It is deep sorrow for the loss of the victim's grieving families, of our whole human family. "And therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

Its been a while since I sent anything out on the old listserve, but there was something I wanted to get off my chest too. I agree with you Andrew, but what bothers me more than the attention that the media has given to this kid is the lack of attention that is paid to the invisible victims of similarly violent and heinous crimes within our country.

A few months ago, a woman’s body was found lifeless and mangled across the street from where my roommate works. It was about 8 blocks from where I work. I talked to a lady last week who was missing an eye because a couple of kids jumped her the night before and smashed her face in with a vodka bottle. She was 62 and she didn't even have any money to give them. She lost her vision in one eye and did not have the money to pay for plastic surgery. I know a really nice guy named George who had three fingers cut off with a bolt cutter because he owed someone money. And the worst thing is... I hear stories like this every day.

All of these people are poor and black and the things that happen to them rarely even make it to their local papers, let alone national television. What bothers me is that we have learned to accept these types of crimes if they happen to poor people of color living in rough neighborhood. If they happen on a college campus, which we expect to be safe, we are disgusted and outraged (as we should be). All I'm saying is why can't we raise our standards all around the board and stand up for human life regardless of color and income.

I know there are all kinds of studies and statistics available on media biases in reporting (or under reporting) crimes against people of different races and socioeconomic groups, and I'm sure you have probably come across them too. This raises a disturbing question: Do Americans value some human lives more than others? Without a doubt, I would say yes.

peace,

Paul

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Finally... An Update

I know the Blog has been down, but I might be standing a little bit taller. My responsibilities here have multiplied since December and everything that is not an emergency or high priority has been put on the back burner. Now that things are beginning to stabilize again, I am working to squeeze some blogging time into my schedule.

Briefly: The Champion Guidance Center was closed and it has now re-opened and returned to its regular hours. In December, the supervisor of the Women’s Visitation Center left SVdP. Steve and I are now overseeing the Women’s Drop-In Center as well as the Men’s Center. There was a one month period when I changed offices and phones three times. Fortunately, I ended up with a pretty nice work space.

Another added responsibility of mine has been to manage our new Help Desk, located in the Community Center next door. The Help Desk is a place where people can come for information and referrals to local emergency services. On Wednesdays and Fridays our clients are able to receive free clothing and household items from the Help Desk. Imagine a small thrift store without the cash register. Part of my job was to set up a system using an existing database for tracking the distribution of clothing and household goods. I tried to strike a balance between helping those in need while preventing others from taking more than their share and going to the flea market (believe me, it happens). It has been going fairly smoothly since we opened, and I am constantly tweaking the system to make it better.

Homeless Court has been running full force through the closing and re-opening of the Men’s Center. In fact, my caseload has grown each session and the court is now transitioning from meeting every two months to every month. This is a very good thing for clients who are waiting to get rid of warrants (which I would say is a significant percent of them). My caseload has also grown from around fifteen clients per session to over twenty. Word is certainly spreading.

I have also been in charge of issuing winter shelter vouchers for beds at the Oakland Army Base. On days when all of our beds are filled, I feel obligated to help my clients to find spaces in other shelters. This goes to show that on top of all of my formal commitments, I find myself responding to emergency situations as they inevitably come up again and again throughout the day. For example, I helped a homeless man yesterday with an eleven-week old baby to get some supplies and find a suitable housing program. It was late in the day and he was inches away form sleeping on the street with a new baby.

Lastly, there are the fundraisers and seasonal events. Steve and I dressed up like the Easter Bunny to give out baskets to our Visitation Center clients and their children. We try to lighten things up when we can, and many of my co-workers are masters at finding humor in the roughest circumstances. I learn things from them every day.

Altogether, as my job has expanded, perhaps exponentially, my enjoyment and satisfaction has grown proportionately.