Mobile home park for the homeless under consideration

[The Straight Story]

Mobile home park for the homeless under consideration

If approved by city council, 150 chronically homeless could call the park home.
In December 2006 Austin City Council Member Mike Martinez was working with local nonprofit Mobile Loaves & Fishes to find a piece of land for a new homeless mobile home park.

More than a year later the City Council will now decide if a plot of East Austin land is the right place for the project.

The city owns land located just west of Ed Bluestein and just south of MLK Blvd. in East Austin.

If approved, the city will lease the land for 50 years to the nonprofit agency.

Mobile Loaves & Fishes will run the day-to-day operations of the facility and will also raise the money needed to develop the park.

When it's complete, the nonprofit is hoping roughly 150 chronically homeless will call the park home.

Each will pay rent not to exceed $375 a month.

"This is the first project of this magnitude in the nation. We are trying to create this really sustainable and supportive
environment that creates independence and gives them some self-dignity and pride," Martinez said.

http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/default.asp?ArID=205081

[BigDaddy44]

1. Uhhhh.....

Aren't a lot of people homeless because they can't afford rent? So we're going to turn away the homeless from a mobile park for the homeless because they can't afford to get in?

[zonmoy]

3. hopefully this is another way of doing low income housing.

with the rent being set as to how much a person can afford to pay.

[cboy4]

4. I believe lots of people are homeless because they

can't afford the going rate for rent -- and especially the aspect of having to come up with first and last month, as well as a security deposit.

It's the first and last, and security that is the killer.

It sounds like this project would literally open up the doors of a new beginning for many.

[BigDaddy44]

5. What about the chronically unemployed and homeless?

What do we do for them? I'm not trying to be argumentative, but that to me seems to be a huge problem that I'm not sure anyone knows how to solve.

[cboy4]

6. So do we just not do anything for the homeless, unless

it's a solution to the problem as a whole, and includes all homeless people?

Of Course not.

I realize this isn't the end-all, but it's something at least.

And people who are priced out of finding an apartment, or can't pass a background check might be able to take advantage of this.

And that's a good thing.

[BigDaddy44]

7. I told you I wasn't being argumentative

I'm not opposed to this. I'm asking a legitimate question about those who can't even afford this low rent.

[cboy4]

8. Oh okay....yea it's a tough issue and a legitimate

question for sure.

[The Straight Story]

9. I think maybe what we can do for them

Is to have people donate money/etc to those places to cover their rent in the short term and try to help them achieve what they want.

Getting them off the streets and into something solid is a good first step in helping them - so I am guessing that there will be groups (ala salvation army, et al) who help them pay their monthly rent to get them started.

[cboy4]

2. NIMBY! That's what's going to happen.....residents are

going to say "not in my backyard."

I think it's a wonderful idea and I hope it works out.