Passing the buck

Interviews with Madison Mayor Paul Soglin regarding the issue of homelessness in the city have become something of a broken record.

He says he wants to help, that he sympathizes, but that the city is simply too strapped for cash and resources to do anything more to help. He blames the Walker Administration and the state and federal level destruction of social welfare programs. He says that's where we should look if we want to place blame for the steady increase in the number of people left out in the cold, and certainly Walker Co. has been no friend to sane, compassionate projects.

An article in today's Capital Times does a good job of looking at the current state of affairs as regards the homeless population in Madison. In it, there are quotes from Soglin that could have come from any number of interviews he's given on the subject over the last year or two:

"I’m flattered that people as usual think that their city government, the most responsive and accessible unit of government, is expected to solve the problem," he says icily. "But certain problems, because of cost and mobility issues, cannot be solved at the local level." Advocates for the homeless should instead direct their complaints to Gov. Scott Walker and Republican members of Congress, Soglin says. "We’re watching at the state and federal level the wholesale breakdown of support systems," he says.

I think we're all too prone to passing the buck when things get hairy, and especially when there's a big ol' bureaucracy involved. No, Madison government can't solve all of the problems. But the fact of the matter is that is is possible to make positive change even in small, incremental ways if we just set our minds to it.

Take the Little Houses project that's being undertaken right now, and the initiative to allow private landowners to allow a certain amount of camping on their land. Everything helps. Sitting around throwing our hands into the air does not.

It's not just Soglin, of course, and his flaw seems mostly to be that he's terrible at talking about the issue (I don't doubt that he cares, deep down). There are a lot of people in this city, many of them well-placed within government, neighborhood associations, and the business community, who are actively stymieing efforts to make real change, and that would rather sweep the problem under the proverbial rug than deal with it head-on.

This is not what "community" is supposed to be about.

We should know by now, too, that ignoring a problem like the wholesale disenfranchisement and displacement of an entire class of human beings only leads to bigger problems for everyone down the line. We should know by now that a rising tide does lift all ships. But we make the same mistakes, over and over again.

Perhaps it's time we redirected some of the millions of dollars earmarked for something like the controversial Judge Doyle Square development project to, say, finally building that new shelter.

Heck, even providing a storage locker facility would go a long way toward alleviating some of the immediate needs of folks without permanent addresses.

Oh and, maybe don't gut funding for the Tenant Resource Center while we're at it.

I'm somewhat heartened by the inclusion in the 2014 Capital Budget of funding for a project that could provide permanent housing to 100 homeless individuals. I really and truly hope it goes through and gets done. It shows there are people thinking about and working on this issue at the city level, and that we do have the capacity to act when we want to.

Regardless, while those of us with roofs over our heads continue to argue, too many of men, women, and children continue to go without.

Kick predatory payday loans out of Wisconsin

I was very heartened to read the article in today's Capital Times detailing efforts by activists and state lawmakers (specifically Rep. Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh) to put the kibosh on predatory lending practices at payday loan businesses.

It is, in my opinion, one of Wisconsin's dirtiest not-so-secret truths that we currently have practically no regulations in place for these operations. When "the Legislature in 1995 repealed what was then an 18 percent interest rate cap on consumer loans," the payday loan business took off with a vengeance. Interest rates on these loans can now be as much as 525% (or more) a year. That is, simply put, absurd.

Hintz's legislation would "cap at 36 percent the rate on consumer loans of $5,000 or less," which is also the rate at which recent federal legislation limits loans made to military personnel (and which there is an effort underway to expand to all citizens). Further to this, we should be working to regulate the due dates placed on loans, as all too often borrowers are forced to roll over loans, thus accruing yet more interest, because they can't fully pay off the first one by the time their next paycheck rolls around. That's the ultimate trap.

This sort of regulation seems more than reasonable to me, but of course the lobbyists representing the payday loan industry have been quick to cry foul.

After all, we're talking about preventing them from fleecing the ever living crap out of people in already dire financial straits--which they seem to think is their God-given right to do.

It's because the industry has such deep pockets that legislation of this sort hasn't already been passed. That and lawmakers who are far too prone to being swayed by said deep pockets. They should all be ashamed of themselves. This is preying on the most vulnerable members of our society at some of its worst.

I won't argue that payday loans don't have a place in our society. They clearly serve a need. What we should be doing is encouraging more reputable banks and businesses to offer these sorts of micro-loans, though, as opposed to letting these shady operations run rampant and unregulated.

Take, for example, the credit union programs detailed in the article:

Credit unions are trying to meet the need for small, short-term loans, says Christine Henzig, director of communications for the Wisconsin Credit Union League. A survey last year found that 60 member credit unions offered loans that are, in effect, alternatives to payday loans -- although they are not always marketed that way. And a national initiative assists local credit unions in developing products to help their members improve creditworthiness and build wealth.

UW Credit Union in Madison is pleased with the response to its Paycheck Advance program, which lent more than $21,000 in 51 loans to members since its launch in June. Members can borrow up to $500 at 21.75 percent interest and must pay back a minimum $50 each month.

This sort of thing just makes sense. Much like the Kiva model of micro-financing for small business owners in developing countries, we would do well to offer a similar model right here in the good ol' United States. It addresses both the sky-high interest rates that often lead to further financial trouble as opposed to doing any good for those in need, and also begins to point those folks in a better direction for managing their money in the first place.

We are few of us financial wizards, and when things get really tough, we often end up feeling like there are no alternatives. That has to change.

We need to realize that this sort of problem effects us all, too. Not only do you never know when the proverbial financial shit might hit the fan for you, but it also behooves us, as a society, to make sure that the most vulnerable among us are not taken advantage of in this way.

I can think of no good reason not to regulate the payday loan business. Ultimately, interest rate caps and regulation of the due dates on loans are just the start of what needs to be done. But they're an important start--crucial, even. We need to hold our representatives accountable to make sure this legislation is well-crafted, with actual teeth, and then passed into law. And soon.


(photo by taberandrew on Flickr)

The animosity of the comfortable

I really need to stop reading the comments section after articles in the Cap Times and WSJ. More often than not, they're filled with the most ridiculously awful crap--even regarding stories that most would consider unimpeachable.

For instance, the Cap Times currently has a piece up about an Allied neighborhood activist who's working to organize shuttle buses to take residents grocery shopping. This is in response to the looming loss of the Cub Foods that currently serves the area.

This guy, Mike Bodden, has taken the selfless initiative to see what can be done to help those people without access to a car or bus (for whatever reason) get to a grocery store. He's running this operation out of a local food pantry that's sponsored by a group of churches.

Bodden said he planned to charge a small fee to ride the grocery shuttle, but it would not cover the estimated $200 weekly cost of providing the transportation.

The service would operate out of the Boys and Girls Club, 4619 Jenewein Road, where the food pantry is located.

"Any good souls who would like to help support this, it would be appreciated," he said. "Maybe some business would like to take it on."

Seems straight forward enough, right? Not according to some of the generous souls in the comments section, from whom we get such gems as "Has anyone ever considered giving these leakers a ride to a 'job'? Naw, not the likes of The Capital Times, wouldn't want to hurt their feelimgs [sic]. What a bunch of nonsense," and "Yeah, this is a joke. I like how they're 'operating' out of the Boys and Girls Club. Does the B & G Club know that? Do they have insurance for something like that? What happens when someone gets hurt on the bus or in a car accident? And the 'maybe some businesses would like to take it on' comment?!? Really? Yeah, nobody wants that bus pulling up to their business, up to and including Woodman's."

Can you feel the love?

Someone else goes on to rail against the "use of taxpayer money" to fund projects like this, apparently completely missing the part where this is being paid for by donations and a small rider fee. Are people really so eager to shit on needed community service projects that their brains just shut down, overlooking the facts of the matter entirely and opting instead to just lash out?

These kinds of comments, I think, speak volumes about the misperceptions and misplaced animosity that exist in our community regarding the working class and impoverished among us. All of these cries to "pull yourself up by your own damn bootstraps" completely miss the part where many of these people simply don't have any bootstraps to begin with. It behooves us, as those fortunate enough to have been given better opportunities in life, to do what we can to see that everyone gets the same chance to do well for themselves.

And before anyone jumps down my throat, allow me to point out that there's a big (and incredibly important) difference between creating a situation where people can mooch off the system and your good graces without giving anything back or taking some responsibility for themselves, and creating a situation where everyone has the same opportunities but then must take it upon themselves to take advantage of them and work toward something better.

Currently, the latter and better situation is not the case. And making sure that people have access to food is the least we can do to right that. If you can't see that, it's high time you turned your brain back on and really started learning about your community--all of it.

Blog Day of Action: Poverty

When you hear the word "poverty," what do you think about?

Me? The images conjured up in my head are usually of dusty countries, where children with fly-encrusted eyes sport weirdly bulging bellies and women haul water in jugs from dingy wells miles away from their ramshackle huts.

And hey, we wouldn't be wrong. It's incredibly important to recognize and try to do something about that kind of extreme, abject poverty that exists for far too many people in this world.

But in honor of today's Blog Day of Action focusing on poverty, and since my blog is but a small, local blog, I want to focus on the kind of poverty that all-too-often goes overlooked: the kind that exists in our own backyards, right here in Wisconsin.

Statically, Wisconsin ranks 33rd highest in the nation when it comes to poverty, with a rate of 10.9% (including 14% of children). In human terms, that means that somewhere around 600,000 people in this state live in poverty, and the trend, unfortunately, seems to be toward things getting worse.

We're all feeling the increasing pinch of the credit crunch and general economic downturn. Those of us who were already living on the very edge, however, are being pushed into the abyss by this downturn in fortunes. Second Harvest, an excellent food pantry that serves 16 counties in southern Wisconsin, reports an significant increase in the number of individuals and families served by its programs over the last few years. This coupled with the unfortunate decrease in the amount of food being donated from corporations are both troubling signs of the times.

While poverty has been a pressing issue for a long, long time, things certainly seem to be getting worse for a wider range of people these days. Now more than ever, perhaps, it is important to take a hard look at our policies and programs, to see what we can and should be doing better to ensure that fewer (or preferably, none at all) people end up falling below the poverty line, and to help raise up those folks who are already there.

It will take a carefully considered balance between government and community programs to do this, but it's possible.

While we take time to consider the many and varied root causes of poverty--things like educational quality and opportunities, job availability and wages, culture, etc.--we must also be sure to tend to the immediate needs of those most at risk.

Organizations like Second Harvest and the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association (WISCAP) are crucial, and I urge you to either donate food, time, or other resources to help bolster their efforts. WISCAP especially provides a good example of the kind of work that helps lift people out of poverty by working toward job training and creation, fostering small businesses, providing educational opportunities for young and old, developing and maintaining affordable housing, and even helping to weatherize homes in order to make them more energy efficient (and therefore lower cost).

Poverty, whether directly or indirectly, effects us all - and it benefits us all to do what we can to lessen and/or eradicate it. In a country as wealthy as ours, there is no excuse for us to allow such large swaths of our community to live without basic resources. No one should have to choose between food and heating bills, or medicine and rent. It will take a mixture of personal responsibility, community action, and government assistance to make things better. The payoffs will be many: a more productive and educated workforce, lower health care costs, potentially lower crime rates, healthier people and families, etc.

We simply cannot afford to ignore the problems that exist all around us. Clearly there are deep divisions over and misunderstandings about poverty even in seemingly well-off and liberal Madison, where debates over homelessness have recently turned heated. But it's important to take a hard, honest look at ourselves and our communities, and to make good-faith efforts at real improvements. We can't just sweep the problems under the proverbial rug, hoping that they'll just move to other cities or stay quiet enough that we can just walk by without looking.

Today, the Capital Times has two articles dealing with homeless students in our state's public schools, and how, with limited funding, they're trying to address their needs as best they can.

For an excellent, more in-depth look at poverty in Wisconsin, read this report from WISCAP (pdf).

If you want to help, consider a donation to Second Harvest, supporting programs like Porchlight, or helping out with something like the Luke House Community Meals Program. Every little bit helps.

Pham-Remmele not feeling very welcoming

"We must not continue to welcome into Madison more at-risk populations from elsewhere because we will never have sufficient resources to provide for them." - Madison Alder Thuy Pham-Remmele, 20th District.

I'm aware that sentiments such as this one exist, but it's somewhat rare to see them laid so bare, and by an elected official, no less. And I couldn't disagree with it more.

A skirmish of sorts has broken out between Pham-Remmele and those who advocate for more affordable housing and public services, the result of an email sent by Madison Police Captain Jay Lengfeld (West District) to Pham-Remmele. In it, Lengfeld argues that:

1. The City needs to reduce or freeze the number of subsidized housing units in the city. The at risk population in Madison has exceeded the ability of service provides to service them.

2. The City needs to license landlords, so we have citywide standards and can weed out the bad ones.

3. Landlords need more protection to deny applicants with a history of bad behavior. The Russett Rd shooting is a prefect example: a family was evicted from an address on the Southside for behavior reasons and within weeks they had the same bad behavior in the Russett Rd area. We are now evicting them from Russett, but I am sure they will find housing somewhere else in the city and bring the same problems to that neighborhood.

At first blush, I think most folks would agree that landlords should be able to better screen out bad tenants. But, according to Ald. Brenda Konkel, they already do have that ability under the law, so Lengfeld's point seems redundant. Konkel further breaks down his arguments, going on to note that:

1. The City hasn't increased its subsidized housing stock in, um, years. CDA hasn't built any new public housing units since the 1970's and the section 8 program hasn't added any Section 8 vouchers since the 1990s.

2. Landlords have all the ability in the world to deny tenants for bad behavior and eviction records. They simply have to do landlord reference checks and check CCAP.

3. There is no money in the City budget for increased community services to help service providers because we gave it all to the police department last year for their 30 new officers to deal with these problems. You can't have it both ways, do we need police to solve these problems or services?

I'd be curious to look over just what money is and is not allocated in the City budget for community services, and what, if any, those services are. But otherwise, Konkel makes some good points. We poured a ton of money into adding 30 new officers to the rolls--which still seems pretty excessive to me--and now Lengfeld's complaining that that's not enough. Since we clearly don't have the money to both add lots of officers and increase city services, we should maybe be spending more time figuring out which is the better investment. Me? I suspect we could have met in the middle, adding a smaller number of new officers and somewhat better funding for community services.

Law enforcement is important, but it doesn't solve everything. We need to work harder at preventing crimes in the first place, and a lot of that relies on making sure all of our citizens, at-risk or otherwise, are well served: good schools, affordable housing, accessible daycare, respite centers, job training, and after school programs are all good examples.

Simply saying "stop letting at-risk people move here!" does not solve the problem, and likely just makes things worse by demonizing an entire population and forcing them to pool in areas that don't have services. Then the cycle just tends to continue, with little progress for anyone.

Happily, I'm not the only one who's more than a little put off by Pham-Remmele's comments. But we need more voices chiming in, from all sides, so we can better devise good solutions and tactics for tackling what is a very complex--and very crucial--issue.

Feel good story of the week

Speaking of Second Harvest, I stumbled across this article in the State Journal today and it brought one big smile to my face:

State Journal readers helped give Edgewood High School kitchen worker Richard Hare his best birthday ever.

Hare traditionally uses his birthday week in mid October to raise money for the Second Harvest Foodbank.

In the past, his Richard 's Birthday Raffle has raised $300 to $400. This year, to mark his 40th birthday, he set the ambitious goal of raising $1,000 to help feed the poor.

Did he succeed?

Did he ever.

"The outpouring of support has been absolutely astounding, " said Edgewood President Judd Schemmel.

Hare went to Second Harvest on Tuesday with a wrapped box containing checks for $14,352. And money is still arriving at the school.

You too can help donate to Second Harvest, a national network of food banks with an office here in Madison that helps to provide meals to people and families in need, by attending dane101's Hallow-rockin'-ween this Wednesday. The $7 cover charge goes to benefit the program.

There are any number of food drives and fundraisers around this time of year, as we're reminded by dint of national holiday to give thanks and give back. It's a good habit to be in as a nation, but we should also be obligated to do this sort of thing all year round, and to help find ways to bring and keep people out of poverty in the first place. The following is a short list of some of the organizations working to do these types of things in Madison and the surrounding areas. Take a look and consider volunteering time, money and/or resources to one of 'em.

• Second Harvest Foodbank in Madison
• Dane County Food Pantry Network (big list)
  
• Madison Area Food Pantry Gardening Network
• Common Wealth Development
• Fair Housing Center of Greater Madison
• Tenant Resource Center
  

We can use this time of year to help remind ourselves of what's good about our own lives and that there's much each of us can do, as individuals or as groups, to help improve the lives of others. In the richest nation on Earth, it seems the least we can do.

They Fight Crime!

Alder Brian Solomon, who represents District 10 in Madison, has a few words about all of the recent talk and fear mongering about crime and punishment in our city:

And if we really care about saving our community, we need to move past law and order and find a way past all this violence. If we want peace in Madison, we must have justice. So let’s add police and resources and address this fear. But let’s also come together, recognize that we must be in this together, and focus on the root causes of poverty that often lead to crime in the first place.

Right on. The debate has made its way into the current budget crisis, with The Capital Times publishing an editorial in Saturday's paper making the argument that the Republican's proposed cuts would make it nigh unto impossible for Mayor Dave to add the 30 police officers (among other things) that everybody's been clamoring for. Forgive me, but you could add 100 officers to the force here and the impact on crime would ultimately be negligible. Sure, there'd likely be an increase in people getting caught--and I'm all for that--but it will do little to stop the crimes from happening in the first place. Addressing that problem, like Solomon points out, requires multiple concerted efforts to deal with the problems before they begin.

Improved educational opportunities for low-income residents, both by bettering the public education already available and by creating and improving apprenticeship and trade programs like the one Solomon mentions in his post, are just one method:

Just around the corner from Allied Drive resides the Madison Apprenticeship Program (MAP), the brainchild of one woman whose drive for change makes more difference than a dozen new police. One graduate entered the class homeless and jobless. He secured housing and now manages an apartment complex and paints as an independent contractor. Another graduate spent the last dozen years dealing drugs. He now works at an area service station, signing up for every extra hour of overtime he can find. There is a second generation drug dealer who graduated and now works as a sales clerk and attends MATC, working to become a lab technician. Another graduate fought with others regularly, used drugs, and was always involved with police. Now she is employed as a technician with a communications company and is taking computer classes at MATC. She hopes to have her own computer business one day. Just four examples of how, for both the individuals and for our community, engaged participation can trump incarceration.

That's the kind of thing we should be looking to create and fund. You can build thousands of prisons, employ millions of cops, create the strictest rules and laws possible--but you won't put a very large dent in the hard numbers. And you won't improve the lives of those people whose lives most need improving. Is it entirely up to the city? Is the individual free from blame? Absolutely not. We each need to ante up and do our part, make the decision to grow and improve ourselves and our neighbors. But the city needs to chip in, too, by providing the infrastructure necessary to accomplish the goals set forth by the people. They can start by passing a decent budget. Then they can continue by making sure the money goes to worthwhile programs that get to the root of the problems, instead of throwing it solely at short-term bandages.

C-c-c-criiiime!

OK, I can't help it, this post is about local politics. It happens sometimes, all right? Especially when it's an issue that I think is really, really important.

But I'm going to rely on wiser blogger's than I to make the case. Paul Soglin has this crazy idea that fighting crime in Madison involves fighting the root causes of poverty and disenfranchisement. What on Earth is he smoking? (You can read my take on it in the comments section)

I don't place all my faith in Mr. Soglin to solve the problem--it takes many ideas and many people to make something effective--but he does a good job of summing up the issues. He also does a good job of drawing the right-wingers out of the woodworks to expose their prejudices and poorly conceived ideas to the world. So that's fun.

Be sure to read his follow-up posts (and related posts about Milwaukee) here and here and here, too.

P.S. Apparently I'm not the only blogger who thinks so.