bryson662001
Oct 28, 2007, 4:08 PM
Posted on Sun, Oct. 28, 2007
Homeless in Center City: Numbers, pressure rising
By Jennifer Lin and Joseph A. Slobodzian
Inquirer Staff Writers
It started as "Operation Zero Tolerance" before getting toned down to "The Increased Services Initiative."
The name has changed, but the debate in Philadelphia has not: what to do about the increasing number of homeless people in three high-profile spots in Center City - JFK Plaza, Rittenhouse Square, and the open space along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
For months, city officials have gone back and forth over whether to ban homeless people from sleeping in these areas.
A provision in the charter of the Fairmount Park Commission bans camping from 1 to 6 a.m. City lawyers are reviewing whether they could apply such a rule to the homeless population in parks, although no decision has been made, said Dainette Mintz, the city's deputy managing director in charge of homeless services.
She said the city was first going to try to step up its outreach to people sleeping in these areas, many of whom suffer from mental illness or addictions.
She added that at this point, there was a "possibility" of closing parks overnight.
"We want to look at all the possible options before we come to that," Mintz said.
City officials are under increasing pressure from Center City interests to do something about all of the people encamped in open spaces or using park benches as cots.
The number of homeless people on Center City streets is the highest in 10 years. In the most recent city census, there were 621 people sleeping on the streets of Center City, more than double the rate of three years ago.
The Parkway is an area of particular focus because of all the millions being invested in cultural institutions - from the new Perelman Building for the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the future home of the Barnes Foundation and the expansion of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Paul R. Levy, Center City District president, said he did not believe the problem of homelessness in Center City would be solved by any single tactic, like a no-tolerance policy.
"The only way to address the challenge of the shelter-resistant who are suffering on our streets is through a comprehensive approach that includes quality services and housing, employment opportunities, and enforcing basic city codes and standards of public conduct," Levy said.
Happy Fernandez, a former City Council member and president of Moore College of Art and Design, said the problems posed by the homeless were frustrating.
"There's all kinds of trash constantly left behind on the street," said Fernandez, who also heads the Parkway Council Foundation, which represents cultural and educational institutions along the Parkway. "For a while, it felt like I had to go through an encampment to get into the building."
Groups that work with the homeless caution against forcing homeless people out of parks without giving them some other place to go.
"When cities don't have sufficient appropriate housing for its homeless population, it must allow them to be on the streets," said Marsha Cohen, executive director of the Homeless Advocacy Project.
"The city will not commit to telling us definitively whether they will implement 'Operation Zero Tolerance,' " she said. "We're hopeful that once the Law Department completes its legal analysis, it will come to the same conclusion as we have - that criminalizing homelessness is not only immoral, it's illegal and unconstitutional."
Other cities are wrestling with an increase in homeless people living on streets.
Los Angeles officials agreed this month to hold off on enforcing a 1968 ordinance barring sleeping in public spaces until the city could build 1,250 units of low-cost housing.
A federal appeals court had voted last year to throw out convictions under the ordinance on the ground that it constituted cruel and unusual punishment, given the lack of housing for the homeless in Los Angeles.
That action looms large in whatever Philadelphia decides to do, Mintz said.
Before the city could enforce the Fairmount Park provision, it would have to be able to offer people somewhere else to go, she said. But city shelters are currently operating at full capacity, and nonprofit agencies offering housing for the homeless say they have few spare units.
Mintz said her office was trying to find a way to increase space within the system - either by adding beds to shelters or moving people from transitional housing into more permanent residences.
Sister Mary Scullion, the head of Project HOME, which works with the homeless, said there was a critical lack of places for people to stay. "It's not a matter of a couple of beds," she said. "There's a serious shortage of available options for people."
She said that last winter, shelters were operating at 115 percent of capacity.
"If we can afford to house all this art on the Parkway, we can afford to house all these people," Sister Mary said.
"There are too many people sleeping on the streets," she said. "It's unacceptable, but we have to do something about it and not just push the problem into another neighborhood."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For previous coverage, including videos, go to http://go.philly.com/homeless
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact staff writer Jennifer Lin at 215-854-5659 or jlin@phillynews.com.
Homeless in Center City: Numbers, pressure rising
By Jennifer Lin and Joseph A. Slobodzian
Inquirer Staff Writers
It started as "Operation Zero Tolerance" before getting toned down to "The Increased Services Initiative."
The name has changed, but the debate in Philadelphia has not: what to do about the increasing number of homeless people in three high-profile spots in Center City - JFK Plaza, Rittenhouse Square, and the open space along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
For months, city officials have gone back and forth over whether to ban homeless people from sleeping in these areas.
A provision in the charter of the Fairmount Park Commission bans camping from 1 to 6 a.m. City lawyers are reviewing whether they could apply such a rule to the homeless population in parks, although no decision has been made, said Dainette Mintz, the city's deputy managing director in charge of homeless services.
She said the city was first going to try to step up its outreach to people sleeping in these areas, many of whom suffer from mental illness or addictions.
She added that at this point, there was a "possibility" of closing parks overnight.
"We want to look at all the possible options before we come to that," Mintz said.
City officials are under increasing pressure from Center City interests to do something about all of the people encamped in open spaces or using park benches as cots.
The number of homeless people on Center City streets is the highest in 10 years. In the most recent city census, there were 621 people sleeping on the streets of Center City, more than double the rate of three years ago.
The Parkway is an area of particular focus because of all the millions being invested in cultural institutions - from the new Perelman Building for the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the future home of the Barnes Foundation and the expansion of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Paul R. Levy, Center City District president, said he did not believe the problem of homelessness in Center City would be solved by any single tactic, like a no-tolerance policy.
"The only way to address the challenge of the shelter-resistant who are suffering on our streets is through a comprehensive approach that includes quality services and housing, employment opportunities, and enforcing basic city codes and standards of public conduct," Levy said.
Happy Fernandez, a former City Council member and president of Moore College of Art and Design, said the problems posed by the homeless were frustrating.
"There's all kinds of trash constantly left behind on the street," said Fernandez, who also heads the Parkway Council Foundation, which represents cultural and educational institutions along the Parkway. "For a while, it felt like I had to go through an encampment to get into the building."
Groups that work with the homeless caution against forcing homeless people out of parks without giving them some other place to go.
"When cities don't have sufficient appropriate housing for its homeless population, it must allow them to be on the streets," said Marsha Cohen, executive director of the Homeless Advocacy Project.
"The city will not commit to telling us definitively whether they will implement 'Operation Zero Tolerance,' " she said. "We're hopeful that once the Law Department completes its legal analysis, it will come to the same conclusion as we have - that criminalizing homelessness is not only immoral, it's illegal and unconstitutional."
Other cities are wrestling with an increase in homeless people living on streets.
Los Angeles officials agreed this month to hold off on enforcing a 1968 ordinance barring sleeping in public spaces until the city could build 1,250 units of low-cost housing.
A federal appeals court had voted last year to throw out convictions under the ordinance on the ground that it constituted cruel and unusual punishment, given the lack of housing for the homeless in Los Angeles.
That action looms large in whatever Philadelphia decides to do, Mintz said.
Before the city could enforce the Fairmount Park provision, it would have to be able to offer people somewhere else to go, she said. But city shelters are currently operating at full capacity, and nonprofit agencies offering housing for the homeless say they have few spare units.
Mintz said her office was trying to find a way to increase space within the system - either by adding beds to shelters or moving people from transitional housing into more permanent residences.
Sister Mary Scullion, the head of Project HOME, which works with the homeless, said there was a critical lack of places for people to stay. "It's not a matter of a couple of beds," she said. "There's a serious shortage of available options for people."
She said that last winter, shelters were operating at 115 percent of capacity.
"If we can afford to house all this art on the Parkway, we can afford to house all these people," Sister Mary said.
"There are too many people sleeping on the streets," she said. "It's unacceptable, but we have to do something about it and not just push the problem into another neighborhood."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For previous coverage, including videos, go to http://go.philly.com/homeless
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact staff writer Jennifer Lin at 215-854-5659 or jlin@phillynews.com.