Palo Vol. XXXVIII, Number 30 Q April 28, 2017 Alto In East Palo Alto, plans emerge to build ‘up’ Page 5

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HousingHousing forfor thethe homelesshomeless

TEN YEARS IN, PALO ALTO'S 'HOUSING FIRST' EXPERIMENT OPENS A NEW CHAPTER

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QArts Hockney exhibit offers unique perspective on Yosemite Page 19 QBooks Local novelist tells gripping story of exile’s return home Page 31 QSports Coaching changes bring back familiar names Page 65 Cover Story

In 2006, Housing a Palo Alto for group started good housing the homeless. Here’s how that radical experiment has turned out. by Jocelyn Dong photos by Veronica Weber

Evan Davis, a resident at the Opportunity Center since 2010, sits in a communal lounge. He said he enjoys cooking in the kitchen and sharing a meal with other residents on his floor. Davis hopes to move out after October, when he’ll receive a Section 8 housing voucher.

or four years, Evan Davis laptop and window sills decorated OC” to its denizens, it’s a hous- seized upon a radical new idea of The housing-first model was not made Palo Alto’s Rinconada with his beloved cat figurines. ing complex of 70 studios, 12 one- giving homeless people housing just untested in Palo Alto and Santa Park his home. It was chal- It’s much like any other studio bedroom apartments and six two- with few questions asked and few Clara County in the early 2000s, it Flenging — especially in the winter in the area, save perhaps for the bedroom apartments; two drop-in requirements made of them. was fairly new for the entire nation. when the rains came, making sleep note he’s pinned to his bulletin centers, where people can get ev- When the $25 million tomato- “Different cities around the difficult, he recalled. board as a reminder to himself: erything from access to comput- red, five-story facility opened in country started trying it, and each “I had a spot where I kept dry,” “Rent $354.” ers to case management from the September 2006, it represented time they did it, it showed that he said. “With food stamps, I Davis’ new address is 33 Encina nonprofit LifeMoves; and a medi- nothing short of a huge, educat- you get much better success by could eat.” Ave., Palo Alto, better known as cal clinic, Peninsula HealthCare ed gamble: The “housing first” putting people into housing first Today, Davis — neatly dressed the Opportunity Center. Connection, which is staffed by model wagered that for chroni- and then dealing with their other on a recent Tuesday in a button- Now in its 10th year, the Op- medical volunteers. cally homeless people to get off personal problems,” said Barr, a up shirt, dark jeans and grey ath- portunity Center provides help The concept for the center was the streets and stay off the streets, Stanford physician and professor letic shoes — has a warm place to to the area’s homeless population birthed in the late 1990s, when they needed to have the stability of sociology. sleep. In his tidy apartment is his — people like Davis, a former members of the Palo Alto non- of housing before they would be So how has Palo Alto’s grand ex- bed, a desk where he works on his building manager. Known as “the profit Community Working Group able to address their entrenched periment turned out? Staff and vol- problems. According to research, unteers are the first to admit there’s two-thirds of homeless adults have been a steep learning curve. The mental illness or addictions. city’s fire and police departments “Housing first was ‘We realize are both called about once a week you have alcohol or drug problems to handle medical emergencies, and that’s what has led you to be on disturbances and crimes either se- the street. ... We’re going to support rious or minor at the drop-in center you in the housing so long as you and the residences. (See statistics don’t provide a danger to others or on page 23.) break the law,’” said Palo Alto resi- Among the tenants, there have dent Don Barr, who spearheaded been evictions. And some people’s the Community Working Group deeply rooted problems can’t, with fellow resident Litsie Inder- it turns out, be solved — only gand and others. managed. It was an idea that some people But lessons have been learned said wouldn’t work, and oth- and new strategies are being de- ers said shouldn’t even be tried. ployed. As the OC enters its 11th Community members voiced year, those leading it are doubling fears that the center would at- down. The Community Working tract homeless people from far Group, which has overseen the and wide, turning Palo Alto into housing portion through a general a Mecca for the unhoused. (See partnership with the Housing Au- sidebar on facing page.) thority of Santa Clara County, is Even service providers were readying to take ownership of the skeptical. Up until then, programs facility from the county by the end for the homeless either provided of this year. nightly shelter or required people To do so, on April 1, it launched to be actively conquering their an alliance with the nonprofit Originally from Jamaica, Alacia Hafner lives in the Opportunity Center with her two children. She fled from problems in exchange for housing Abode Services, the largest home- domestic violence and said she has appreciated the many services that have helped her regain stability. beyond a single night. less-services provider in the Bay Page 20 • April 28, 2017 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com Cover Story

property manager for the John Stewart Company, which has run the Opportunity Center’s housing since January 2015. Mecca for the Earlier this month, a woman and her son moved out after having re- sided at the center for less than a unhoused? year, according to Law. Palo Alto’s homeless count is about the “She and her son were living in a car. She already had a good job. same now as in 2007 They got on their feet, and they moved to a family apartment,” Law as the Opportunity idea of the Opportunity Center as said. “It’s a success story.” Center turned Palo a Mecca doesn’t square with who On the other hand, 20 of the Alto into a magnet for the unhoused tend to be. Barr and apartments are leased to people homelessH people, as some in colleague Lars Osterberg inter- who moved in in 2006 and simply the community in 2006 feared viewed nearly 150 homeless men haven’t moved out. it would? It’s hard to say defini- and women in the early 2000s, “A lot of the original residents, tively, but likely not. before the Opportunity Center they have a lot of trauma. Either The Santa Clara County opened. The pair found that the that’s how they got on the streets Homeless Census Survey, a average time unhoused people or that is what they experienced on count conducted every two had lived in the community was the street, and you know that’s not years in January, shows no in- 24 years, 40 percent had grown going to go away,” Law said. crease in Palo Alto’s homeless up in the area, and most were in From left, Palo Alto residents Don Barr, Litsie Indergand and John Many residents fall somewhere population between 2007 and their 40s, 50s or 60s. Barton, founders of the nonprofit Community Working Group, stand in between. Davis, who moved in 2015. In 2007, the count was “That’s not a population that in a side playground at the child care center at the Opportunity from Rinconada Park in 2010, said 237, while in 2015 it was 219. moves around to the sweet- Center in Palo Alto. he is looking forward to this Oc- (This includes people both in est honey pot,” Barr said last tober, when he will receive what’s and out of emergency shelters week. “That simply was never Area. With more centralized con- as well as services to help them known as a portable Section 8 and transitional housing.) the case.” trol, the leaders anticipate a more maintain housing, but after three to voucher. With that he will be able Palo Alto’s total did increase At the same time, though, nimble and better-resourced op- 12 months, they’re able to stabilize to leave the Opportunity Center but by 39 percent between 2013 he also holds no illusions that eration with a greater ability to ac- their lives, Le said. still receive a Housing Authority and 2015 while the county’s the Opportunity Center, or any complish their mission — moving Then there’s the small group of rent subsidy. decreased by 14 percent. Don housing program, will com- homeless people into housing for people who need permanent sub- “I think it’s time to move out Barr of the Community Work- pletely eradicate homelessness. good. sidies and services because they and let someone else get my starter ing Group believes the ser- “There’s a subset of the have disabling conditions, Le said. apartment,” said Davis, who has vices in Palo Alto and Menlo chronically homeless in our Different types of The county report labeled them limited sight in both eyes but is op- Park through the VA Palo Alto community who don’t want homeless people “persistently homeless.” Though timistic about the change. Health Care System draw some housing — and they will tell they account for only 5 percent of Another resident, Mae Law, has homeless veterans to the area. you that,” he said. Q recent Santa Clara County the county’s homeless population, been at the Opportunity Center But Barr also asserts that the —Jocelyn Dong study on the cost of home- their use of public and medical since 2008. In that time, the Santa lessness found that un- services totals nearly half of the Cruz native has received care from housedA people generally fall into population’s costs — or more than the on-site doctor and psychiatrist president of the board of the Com- It wasn’t quite what members of three categories, according to Ky $100,000 each person per year. and guidance on her resume. She’s munity Working Group. “They the Community Working Group Le, the executive director of the The Opportunity Center has also participating in the smoking- come with talents and skills and expected to happen, Barton said. county’s three-year-old Office for housed all three categories of cessation program. aspirations, and they are uniquely “I think if you had asked us in Supportive Housing. The first is a homeless people. Alacia Hafner, a mother of two different — and that makes them a 2006 or 2007 or the previous six person who doesn’t need much aid “We certainly have residents from Jamaica, fled from domestic challenge to serve.” years, we would have thought that and regains housing on his or her now and have had residents be- violence and moved into the Op- people would have stayed a year or own. This person may ask for help fore who have, as the story goes, portunity Center in 2010. She’s tak- Housing for as long two years and then moved some- with a rent deposit or a temporary fallen on hard times. But they’re en advantage of numerous services as it takes where else,” he said. stay at a motel. professionals and they have job as she’s gotten stabilized. But for folks who rely on the cen- The second group of people re- experience, and once here they get “There’s no one ‘homeless per- he fact that people can live in ter’s safety net of services, “mov- quire longer-term rental assistance on their feet,” said Pamela Law, son’ typology,” said John Barton, the OC for as long as it takes ing might not necessarily be what’s is one of the most significant best for them,” he added. differencesT between this model and In addition, tenants whose chil- BY THE NUMBERS an approach that became popular dren are enrolled in the Palo Alto across the nation in the 1990s, Unified School District often want known as transitional housing. to stay in the city, Law noted. How many are homeless? With transitional housing, said “We have two or three residents Le of the Office of Supportive who have been here for a very long Palo Alto’s count of the unhoused Housing, homeless people are re- time, and they have excellent jobs. quired to participate in services But they have children, and where 250 that will help them become more can you afford (to live) in Palo Alto self-sufficient, and they’re given even on an excellent income? So housing for a year or two. At the they’re still here,” she said. end of the program, they’re expect- These days, a half-dozen apart- 200 ed to move on to other housing. ments at most become vacant a The approach works for people year, Law estimated. (The total who have jobs or other resources, number of people or families Le said, but not for those with who’ve lived in the center over its 150 chronic and serious problems: 10-year history hasn’t been com- They may not be much closer to piled, but by extrapolating that being able to pay rent at the end turnover rate, there have prob- of their stay than they were at the ably been about 150 households start. Once out of the program, they who’ve resided in the center’s 88 100 just end up homeless again. apartments.) At the Opportunity Center, in Though residents face no time addition to the 20 original house- limit on their leases, they have to holds, Pamela Law said that anoth- pay their rent, observe the facil- 50 er 36 households’ tenants moved in ity’s health and safety regulations between 2007 and 2014 and remain and not do anything illegal in the today — including Davis, Hafner apartment. and Mae Law. A problem unique to the home- 0 “For some people, it’s the step- less population, which center staff 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 ping stone, and for others it’s a have had to keep a strict eye on, *Includes those in shelters and transitional housing. Source: Santa Clara County great place to land,” said Pamela Law. (continued on page 22) www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • April 28, 2017 • Page 21 Cover Story

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The DeLeon Difference® 650.543.8500 www.deleonrealty.com Mae Law, an Opportunity Center resident, stands in front of the building’s entrance on April 19. Law has been living at the center since 2008 after rotating around shelters in Palo Alto, including at Hotel de Zink. Law hopes to move to Santa Cruz in the fall with her roommate. 650.543.8500 | www.deleonrealty.com | DeLeon Realty CalBRE #01903224 Housing do on the streets, it doesn’t work in household and what the house- (continued from page 21) this environment,” said Warren hold income can be, he said. Reed, vice president of the John In addition, health and hygiene Stewart Company, which is the larg- problems arise with some visitors. is visitors. Each tenant can have est affordable-housing provider in Law said the center has taken to visitors stay for 14 days per year. California and manages more than bringing a dog in each month to Residents with friends who are still 5,300 units in the south bay. sniff for bed bugs. homeless say it’s enough, but there Tax laws governing how the There also have been safety are legal reasons for the limits. center is funded dictate how problems related to strangers in “Even though sharing is what they many people are allowed per the building: In 2013, a female Making the finances work New funding mechanism could pay for needed services at the Opportunity Center

iguring out how to balance the budget of the the balance. Opportunity Center for the past 10 years has Facing ongoing shortfalls, the Opportunity Center Join us to honor seven distinguished been as challenging as learning how best to in October 2016 was able to convert 33 more apart- seniors who have made significant Fserve chronically homeless clients. ments to the Project Based Voucher program. So The nonprofit Community Working Group, each of these units is now bringing in as much as professional and community which led the effort to build the facility, has con- $1,000 more per month. tributed between $150,000 and $250,000 per year Today, the housing’s operating budget is about contributions: to keep the day services center open (about $85,000 $1.2 million. per year); provide support to the nonprofit LifeM- The significance of the additional vouchers is oves for case management services; provide space huge, leaders say: The cash will fund both mainte- Ruth & George Chippendale for Peninsula HealthCare Connection, the medical nance for the building and services specifically for clinic; and provide rental assistance to Opportunity the residents, tailored to helping them reach their Dexter Dawes Center clients as needed, according to Don Barr, a potential. board member. Although residents are encouraged to use the OC’s Marion Mandell On the housing side, the Community Working drop-in center, nonprofit service provider LifeMoves Group has paid for repairs that the property man- has been facing staffing and funding shortages that Judy Sleeth agement company, which is contracted, has not been have affected residents’ use of services, Law said. able to fund. “The day center does a great job for clients and Carol & Terry Winograd As with any affordable-housing project, Oppor- residents, but they don’t have the bandwidth,” she tunity Center tenants are not paying nearly enough said. “If (residents) have to make an appointment rent to fund the operation and maintenance of the and wait for a week, it’s hard.” building. For two-thirds of them, Social Security Ideally, for every 20 residents, there would be Sunday, May 21, 2017 provides their sole income. one full-time supportive services staff, said Warren When the Opportunity Center opened, residents Reed, vice president of the John Stewart Company. of 66 of the 88 apartments paid anywhere from 20 Now, residents will get that dedicated help, po- 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. percent to 45 percent of the area median income for tentially by the Community Working Group’s new Santa Clara County. The Opportunity Center did strategic partner, Abode Services, which is the area’s not receive any additional payments for these units. largest provider of homeless services. These services “What that means is (for) some of the apartments, will enable residents to make greater progress to- the only income received is the 20 percent — or ward self-sufficiency, leaders said. Call (650) 289-5445 or $404. It is very challenging,” said Pamela Law, prop- While some of the new help will be the same as erty manager for the John Stewart Company, which what’s provided at the drop-in center, tenants will visit www.avenidas.org for operates the housing. also get other assistance, Law predicted. Rents for these units range from $404 to $909 for “Once residents are established, their goals change tickets and event location. a studio, $432 to $973 for a one-bedroom, and $519 from basic survival. Now, they’re looking to reach to $1,167 for a two-bedroom, according to Law. their potential in other ways,” such as through edu- In addition, 22 apartments were designated as cation or work, she said. “Residents are more likely Project-Based Section 8 Voucher units, in which to be seeking that kind of guidance than somebody the tenant pays 32 percent of his or her income and who is not housed.” Q the Housing Authority of Santa Clara County pays —Jocelyn Dong

Page 22 • April 28, 2017 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com Cover Story tenant was severely beaten by the in, and the county used its author- drunken guest of another resident. ity to give temporary guardianship When it comes to potential evic- of the man to someone else and to tions, the property management have him hospitalized. His room and LifeMoves staff bend over was cleaned and new criteria set backward to try to help people for his behavior, and he was able to change their behaviors so that they move back in, Barr said. don’t end up evicted and homeless Unfortunately, the man con- again, Law said. tinued to hoard and then died of Several years ago a tenant in his natural causes the next year. But late 60s had a serious hoarding dis- at least, Barr said, he died in his order and his room was getting to room rather than on the street. be unsafe, Barr recalled. An Adult Protective Services worker stepped Going mainstream dvocates of the housing- BY THE NUMBERS first model are fond of studies that show the cost Aof housing homeless people is actu- Reports ally far less than the cost of serving them through emergency rooms, jails and other public institutions taken by where people in crisis wind up. One study found that formerly Palo Alto homeless tenants in a Seattle, Washington, program after six months were costing an average of Police $2,449 a month less per person in 00 block of public services. Pamela Law, property manager, and Warren Reed, vice president, both of the John Stewart Company, That’s one reason why cities, discuss a studio apartment that is being prepared for a new resident. Encina Avenue* counties and even federal agencies Sept. 1, 2006 are now pursuing housing projects than those in the economic middle. the homelessness problem, they About the cover: Henry Bostic, a to April 12, 2017 like the Opportunity Center. The Local affordable-housing com- say they’ll keep on doing what resident at the Opportunity Center strategy that a decade ago was plexes, the next logical step for OC they can to prepare people for of the Midpeninsula, sits in the Palo Violence related Armed robbery ...... 1 an outlier has gradually become residents, have wait times of five independence. Alto center’s main lobby on April 19. Assault with deadly weapon ...... 4 mainstream, evolving into what’s years or more, Reed said. “It’s been really rewarding how Bostic served in the U.S. Air Force Attempted suicide...... 3 more broadly known as “perma- In part that’s because Santa Clara we’ve been able to change lives,” and was homeless for many years Battery ...... 33 nent supportive housing.” County cities did not meet their Barton said. “I’m excited that we while raising his daughter, often Child abuse...... 3 staying in temporary shelters. He is Domestic violence ...... 40 “Permanent supportive housing state mandated 2007-2014 Region- transformed our organization to be on disability and unable to work and Elder abuse/neglect ...... 1 is widely recognized as the solution al Housing Needs Allocation tar- able to continue to do that and do says the center’s medical care has Family violence ...... 3 for people facing the greatest chal- gets for building homes for people more. And we have to do more.” helped him improve his health. Photo Sexual assault...... 1 lenges to housing stability includ- Weapons ...... 4 below 120 percent of the median And as for Davis, who was born by Veronica Weber. ing serious and persistent physical income. Just one-third of the target at Stanford’s original Hoover Pa- Theft related and behavioral health problems,” number was built, Le said. vilion and has lived in the Bay Burglary ...... 2 states the 2015 United States In- At an affordable-housing com- Area his whole life, whenever he WATCH IT ONLINE Credit cards/fraudulent use ...... 1 teragency Council on Homeless- plex in San Jose run by the John finds a landlord to take his Section PaloAltoOnline.com Identity theft/misc...... 2 ness’ strategic plan to prevent and Possession of stolen property . . . . .2 Stewart Company, residents 15 8 voucher, he’ll be ready to move. Hear more about trends in affordable Theft grand ...... 6 end homelessness. “Permanent years ago used to move out be- Until then, he will continue to stay housing for the homeless on Theft petty ...... 47 supportive housing also costs less cause they’d bought homes, Reed warm and safe, cook meals with “Behind the Headlines,” the Weekly’s webcast. The video will be posted than allowing people to continue said. Now, the main reason peo- his OC neighbors in their commu- Friday evening at YouTube.com/ Vehicle related to cycle through public systems.” ple move is because they’re leav- nal kitchen and make the most of paweekly. Accident ...... 10 Research acknowledges the ef- Q Traffic/misc ...... 10 ing the Bay Area. his home sweet home. Vehicle/impounded, stored...... 10 fectiveness of the model: 84 per- The overall housing climate Vehicle/stolen ...... 2 cent of people who are placed in isn’t something that Opportunity Veronica Weber contributed reporting to this article. Editor Jocelyn permanent supportive housing stay Center leaders can change. But Dong can be reached at [email protected]; Weber can be reached Alcohol or drug related housed, even after they leave. given the continued urgency of at [email protected]. Drinking in public ...... 10 Following the lead of the Oppor- Drunk in public ...... 41 Drugs ...... 39 tunity Center, San Jose and other cities are bringing permanent sup- BY THE NUMBERS Miscellaneous portive housing projects online. B&P/misc ...... 16 In San Jose alone there are three Disturb peace/misc...... 6 projects that will be 100 percent Calls to the Palo Alto Fire Department* Found property/misc ...... 1 Lost property/misc ...... 7 permanent supportive housing and Oct. 5, 2006 to April 4, 2017 Misdemeanor/hit & run ...... 2 others with a portion of the units Missing person ...... 6 set aside for the homeless, Le said. 500 Muni code/misc ...... 5 He predicted that within five Outside investigation/misc ...... 4 Penal code violation ...... 61 years, these housing projects will 450 Psych subject ...... 51 significantly decrease the number Restraining order ...... 1 of homeless people in the county, 400 Sex crime ...... 8 which in 2015 stood at about 6,560. Suspicious circumstances ...... 13 Unattended death...... 7 In the meantime, the Oppor- 350 Vandalism ...... 16 tunity Center has a list of about Violation of court order ...... 1 90 people hoping to get in, some 300 Warrant...... 87 who’ve been waiting since 2012. TOTAL OFFENSES: 567 The county Housing Authority 250 has a separate list of applicants for * Calls are for the entire 00 Section 8 vouchers. 200 block, which includes the How quickly anyone new will be Opportunity Center (both drop- able to move in depends in part on in and residential portions), 150 how quickly people like Davis and EMS calls (470) an architectural firm, a few Mae Law, who will also qualify (114) Good intent medical offices, an office, retail for a Section 8 voucher in Octo- 100 store and car wash. The total ber, can find a place outside of the number of reports was 482, but Opportunity Center. 50 alarms (36) False Public service (14) Public some reports involved multiple Unfortunately, their prospects (1) Hazard (4) Fires offenses. Source: Palo Alto look grim: The much-bemoaned 0 Police Department. Bay Area housing crisis is hitting *The number of calls per year varied from 39 to 88. Source: Palo Alto Fire Department the poorest residents even harder www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • April 28, 2017 • Page 23