New Numbers About the Citizens of the Albany Waterfront

On the Bulb, there are a total of 54 about-to-be-homeless-again individuals. 

Of them, there are:
35 Men
19 Women

11 people have been in jail at some point in the past year.

City that they were first homeless in:
Berkeley: 20
Richmond: 3
Albany: 2
El Cerrito: 1

People who want housing: 41
People on a waiting list for housing, anywhere in the United States: 4

People willing to accept housing with a stranger:
Yes - 14
No - 22
Maybe -11

Employed: 6
Want employment: 27
 
Receive SSI/SSDI: 16
Income from other sources*: 14
No income: 22

*other sources includes: General Assistance, recycling, money from family, self-employment (while living on the Bulb), and Unemployment Benefits.

What these numbers tell me, when I compare them with the numbers that BFHP and the City released (as the person who gathered said numbers) is that, not only is BFHP not trying very hard to reach outside of the van, that they insist on staying inside of, while they are out here.
BFHP has managed to lose (or never gained, in some cases) the trust of many people out here... Including, at least, 19 people who desire housing.

BFHP has successfully housed one person. Although, it took two months (not, "just three weeks") to help him find, and get into, that housing.
Also contrary to what the City website says, "BFHP’s Employment and Income Services Program" did not "assist with[sic] the person with a new job. Although, through his own efforts, he *does* work three jobs."

BFHP has also worked with people to identify if there might be friend or family who might be willing to provide housing, and work on family reunification."
Unfortunately, they haven't been successful in identifying any Bulb residents who have family or friends whom they can be shipped-off to go live with.

 BFHP's numbers, submitted to the City of Albany:

In the first two weeks of Project HOPE (the last two weeks of July)
Number Assessed - 32
Number Served - 45
Number of Services - 89
Number Housed - 0

August (report submitted at September City Council meeting)
Number Assessed - 33
Number Served - 54
Number of Services - 115

September
Number Assessed - 40
Number Served - 56
Number of Services - (somebody must have realized how ambiguous this measurement actually was)

By October 8 (when the September numbers were posted on the City website), the City was obviously starting to realize that they needed to help BFHP "look busy", in the eyes of the public. So, the City added some fancy wording to the BFHP reports.

From the City website:
"• Housing-centered outreach: 56 people were willing to engage in outreach conversations with BFHP. Of those 56 individuals, 40 have been willing to complete a housing assessment. • 22 people have shown interest in housing and were willing to share personal information necessary to complete a Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) intake."

We can see from this, that these are just updated numbers from the reports that the City has been receiving from BFHP.

All this begs the question:
If, when the City Council heard BFHP's report on September 3rd, BFHP had established contact with barely half of their Bulb-dwelling target population... Why did they extend their contract, since the numbers of people seeking their services had clearly hit a plateau after only two weeks?

We may never know.

However, the City is so insistent on sticking with BFHP, that they have already tapped them to run their upcoming temporary shelter.


About Berkeley Food and Housing Project's shelters:

Berkeley Food and Housing Project’s Men’s Housing Program (emergency overnight men’s shelter), is located in Berkeley’s Veterans Memorial Building at 1931 Center St. in Downtown Berkeley. BFHP's shelter claims to be a "safe and clean interim housing facility providing food, clean linens, toiletries, clothing and access to laundry and shower facilities." All this, despite the fact that the shelter was declared seismically unsafe following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

"Veterans’ Memorial Building, 1931 Center Street This historically landmarked building, used for public assembly and as a homeless shelter, is a potential collapse hazard that needs to be retrofitted."

$40,000 in funding was requested by Berkeley Food and Housing Project for the replacement of windows or flooring at the North County Women’s Center homeless shelter at 2140 Dwight Way, which the agency owns. The agency requested funding to replace single pane windows for energy efficiency and replace dilapidated flooring to improve tripping hazards and mitigate against bedbug infestation. Funding for the project was not recommended at the requested level. Given the scarcity of funds, their request was only partially funded, BFHP is to determine whether to use funding for the windows or the flooring.

On Change.org, a person going by the name Homeless Nate said: "The Berkeley shelter had the most horrendous bedbug problem. I showed to them where the problem was and how they could fix it (by removing the wooden part of the beds). And they were like ‘What do you know? You’re homeless!’" 

 I have to wonder if the Albany City Council can really be trusted to spend $500,000 wisely, when (on September 3rd) they essentially just ignored the facts presented to them, and threw $30,000 to the wind?