Ann Nagy
What makes Arbor Haven unique? Arbor Haven s a structured program. When a client comes to us - and many do come that have been hopeless for a long time - with our direction and our structure we help them get employment. Once they've saved up their money, then we help them get into a place. And from there they keep escalating because the jobs are usually $5 an hour. After they get situated they start going for a higher paying job depending on their skills.
We're alcohol-free and we're drug-free. We do get a lot of recovering alcoholics in Arbor Haven. If they're released from a treatment center, we require that they be on Antabuse [a drug that induces severe illness if alcohol is ingested]. We do have have to be very strict with that. It's not fair fora person to come in that's been drinking. The people that are on Antabuse can smell it.
Do you have advocates similar to those at the Shelter Association? I am the case worker. The van brings the clients here each morning [from Arbor Haven at 809 Henry to the Salvation Army Citadel at 100 Arbana]. I, in turn, speak to each dient individually. At that time we map out their day and find out what their plans are. I do an awful lot of networking for the clients. Right now I have 36 companies, stores, businesses in the Ann Arbor area that hire Arbor Haven clients.
What kind of connection do you have with The Shelter Association and the churches of Ann Arbor? The churches of Ann Arbor, most of them, support Arbor Haven. As far as the dty shelter, we work very closely together. If they feel that there is someone who could benefit from our program, Cathy or whomever will cali and say, "Ann, there's this guy here or this woman. I think you can help them."
Are your beds usually full? We house up to sixteen people. We sometimes have openings, but again like I say, some people come and they feel that they don't want the structure so they leave. So we're not really overflowing.
This month are you full? I had to evict a couple people this morning for drinking. So we do have a few openings now. It'll be filled before the evening.
During what kind of period do the people you see remain homeless? The people that come to Arbor Haven are allowed to stay anywhere from one day to possibly four, five, six weeks depending on how much money they make. We require that all of their money be saved for housing, cigarette money, gas money if they have a car. There's no just going out and blowing your money because at Arbor Haven we provide all their meals. We do their laundry. We give them all their personal items. So really they don't need to spend a dime. Once I see that they have $600 to $800, whatever the case may be, then l'll say "Okay guys, you have enough money to start looking. I'm going to put you on a time limit." So from that point I will give them possibly another week to two weeks to make their move into a place.
Do people have a hard time getting together a security deposit? Yes they do. Affordable housing is something that we 're in dire need of. However, the agencies, the Department of Social Services, are pretty good if the people qualify for help with security.
What kind of help is there for mentally ill homeless people? Not much. There are the Adult Foster Care homes but they are so difficult to get in to. The mentally II, now they are falling through the cracks. And it's a terrible thing to say but there really isn't. There are just too many of them.
(see NAGY, page 11)
THE SALVATION ARMY ARBOR HAVEN EMERGENCY SHELTER NAGY(from page 6)
What is the growth in homelessness every year? The cost of living is escalating. Wages aren't going up that high. There are just more and more homeless in this country. It seems like the realtors, the people that have the rental properties, are just getting so greedy. The prices just keep going up and up because it is a university town.
What do you think the top causes of homelessness are in the Ann Arbor area? The causes of homelessness, in my estimation, sterns back to family associations. It seems like families are not as close as they used to be. Along with the drugs and the alcohol, parents are not putting up with the abuse that the young people like to put on. It's either you conform to my rules or you get out. A lot of them choose not to follow the rules. Therefore they're out and homeless. It all sterns back to the family, the home environment. Clients will sit here, most of them, and say, "My mom didn't care. My dad didn't care. They drank. I saw them drink, so l'm drinking. They did drugs so l'm doing drugs. They didn't want me around." So you see it all ties back into family.
What age groups do you see? We take them f rom 17 to I had an 82 year old lady. It could happen to anyone. Homelessness is not just for a few. It could happen to you.
For what kinds of reasons besides alcohol and drugs do people come in? Lack of skills, unemployment. It more or less boils around to they just can't pay their rent. And if they could pay their rent they can't find affordable housing.
What solutions would you propose to address the symptoms and the causes of homelessness? Affordable housing. I don't know if you heard before when we were trying to get the low-cost housing, the SRO going. That was going to be alcohol- and drug-free too. I was hurt that was turned down.
The people that come to us seem to be very lonely people and when they come to Arbor Haven, you listen to the clients talk and they support each other. It's great. Then when they leave they get maybe a room by themselves and the loneliness starts creeping back in. And it tends to start to get them to drink again. This SRO would have been such a godsend because of the support. Everyone needs someone.
THE FOLLOWING FIGURES ARE FROM A 1988 SHELTER ASSOCIATION SURVEY OF 74 INDIVIDUALS WHO USED THE NIG HT SHELTER BETWEEN APRIL 1417, 1988. LENGTH OF TIME IN WASHTENAW COUNTY: LIFETIME RESIDENTS 41%. 16-27 YEARS 11%, 10-15 YEARS 18%. 5-6 YEARS 13%, 2-4 YEARS 13%, UNDER TWOYEARS 4V AGE: 30-39 34%. 22-29 24%. 40-49 16%. 17-21 10%. 50-64 14%, 65 PLUS 2%. RACE: CAUCASIAN 60%, BLACK 36%. NATIVE AMERICAN 3%. OTHER 1%. SEX: MEN 80%, WOMEN 20%.