Dear Mr. President …
The Sunday Times Argus included my letter to President(-elect) Barack Obama, which was published within today’s edition, as follows (here; 3rd of 3 letters posted).
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Times Argus
[Barre - Montpelier, Vermont]
Opinion section
Perspective
Dear Mr. President
Vermonters offer their thoughts to Barack Obama[photo and photo caption; omitted]
Published: January 18, 2009
The Times Argus and Rutland Herald invited readers to address an open letter to President-elect Barack Obama in advance of his historic inaugural. Here are some of the responses we received:
[...]
Congratulations on your election as our next president.
There is a dire need to address the longstanding affordable housing and homelessness crisis within our nation.
The National Housing Trust Fund might prove to be an empty promise and not enough to address the need, not only because, as I understand it, the program would not begin drawing down monies until around 2010 or so, but now that the funding source was dependent on a stream from Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac, and those programs are in peril and have basically been taken over by the government, it remains to be seen if the funding will be there for what is required for building and growing the trust fund. This is neither good nor soon enough to address the problems at hand, either in the short or long term.
It is crucial not to make the errors of previous administrations, as well as Congress, and allow these problems to continue to be ignored. Nor it is enough to simply throw money at it in the manner as has been the case thus far.
What is required to address homelessness among all those in need is affordable housing. Due to the serious need and also limited resources, considering everything else the government needs to address during this time of economic crisis, and not being able to do everything needed, what helps most in helping people get and stay housed is affordable housing, as well as offering a menu of “voluntary” supports (i.e., without strings attached). Homeless shelters and transitional housing are not what works best and are only poor Band-Aid solutions, ones which cost lots of money and help only relatively few people.
Affordable housing needs to be understood as a crucial infrastructure need within the local community, county, state and nation as important and vital as roads and bridges are to the economic engine and vitality of our communities, counties, states and nation.
It is also important to keep in mind there is a dire need in rural areas, as well, and not just in urban areas. In fact rural areas have been seriously neglected for far too long.
Instead of going to Mars or worrying about the space station or other such boondoggles, let us prioritize housing as a fundamental right rather than either a privilege of those who can most afford it or a limited entitlement with never enough to go around to meet the need.
Both training and putting people back to work in building and repairing existing housing, including making it energy-efficient in all regards, would help provide needed jobs as well as the housing many are in need of, including those most in need as well as those whose incomes make it tough if not impossible to own their own or even rent an affordable residence.
With all this in mind, it might be good to also consider newer and better means of housing, including building various types of housing along the lines of what is termed as Katrina cottages, depending on the housing needs and family size. This sort of housing would be more energy- and cost-efficient, as well as take up less land, etc.
Rather than depending on the type of huge apartment or housing complexes that either the private or public housing community have long relied on, which are usually very expensive as well, housing along the lines of the Katrina cottages in the mix would also help lend to homeownership options, particularly for those like myself who subsist on limited incomes and are Section 8 housing choice voucher eligible, if only there were the affordable housing available to use such a voucher with.
One last thought on the subject is that people who live or formerly have lived homeless are not the problem, we are part of the solution. Thus one of the things that need changing is for programs and providers to stop doing stuff to or for us and to instead work with us at all levels and stages, including by having those who are or formerly were living homeless to be at the table in an equal and full manner as experts as anyone else from planning to implementation, whether it be at the systemic level or during the process of a person seeking help to address their needs. We often know best what works and what does not, although we are not usually used to being included in meaningful ways, except maybe merely as tokens whose opinions and input are typically ignored or dismissed.
With everything else your new administration will be duly focused on, please do not forget those of us in serious need of real, affordable housing opportunities sooner rather than later.
Thank you in advance for any consideration given to these concerns.
Morgan W. Brown Montpelier
My Citizen’s Briefing Book Contribution
Address Affordable Housing & Homelessness Needs Sooner Rather Than Later (via Citizen’s Briefing Book; Change.gov).
BFP Live Vermont State House Coverage
View both the Burlington Free Press live blogging of the event(s) as well as the live video feed, here.
Peter Freyne, 1949-2009
*Updated 7x*
Details, here (via Blurt; 7Days Staff blog; Wednesday, January 7, 2009).
*Update*: Additional tributes to Peter Freyne:
- Vermont View, posted by Sue Allen
- Vermont Daily View, posted by Philip Baruth
- Green Mountain Daily, posted by Jack McCullough
- vt.Buzz, posted by Sam Hemingway
- iBrattleboro, posted by Christian Avard
- vt.Buzz, posted by Terri Hallenbeck
- CCTV
Read an Associated Press news article, here (via Times Argus; Wednesday, January 7, 2009).
Read or listen to a news report, here (via Vermont Public Radio; Wednesday, January 7, 2009).
In addition, read another article, here, as well as an editorial, here (via Times Argus; Thursday, January 8, 2009).
WCAX – Channel 3 TV – News has a news report, here (Wednesday, January 7, 2009).
A remembrance by Ross Sneyd, here (via VPR; Thursday, January 8, 2009).
*Note*: posted an update; included additional tributes; posted additional links; posted even more links; posted an additional tribute link; last updated on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 6:23 PM (EST).
Crazy, Insane?
*Updated* (with the usual edits)
This morning after writing an initial version of the following and sending it out to some of those on my e-networks and, then after doing a rewrite, I submitted this version for publication as commentary to Counterpoint:
Crazy, Insane?by Morgan W. Brown
Stigma defined:
In sociological theory, a stigma is an attribute, behavior, or reputation which is socially discrediting in a particular way: it causes an individual to be mentally classified by others in an undesirable, rejected stereotype rather than in an accepted, normal one.via Wikipedia, here.
Although it is not really anything new when it comes to both society in general as well as within political circles at various levels and, the news media that covers such, it seems it is becoming even more common than usual for people and particularly the news media to describe or term in one manner or another and for one reason or another anyone as crazy or insane who they or others disagree with, do not understand or fail to accept.
Recent examples include the embattled Governor of Illinois who is being publicly tried within the press as well as the person he appointed to serve as U.S Senator to fill the seat of President-elect Barack Obama. However there are a multitude of examples provided on nearly a daily basis.
It also seems that these portrayals go completely unchecked. The problem is real and serious and it is just not one of being too sensitive about it or one of being politically correct either.
Not only are these stigmatizing (read: prejudicial) acts of negative labeling and public shaming damaging, they also raise issues concerning how, why and when our society labels others as crazy, insane or mentally ill anyone who they might disagree with, do not understand or fail to accept in one form or another, which is more of a political, moral or social form of oppression and exclusion in order to justify prejudice and discrimination.
These stigmatizing and prejudicial acts in fact act to neutralize and limit those so labeled, causing others to instantly question anything the person says or does, in effect marginalizing them by limiting their free speech rights as well as other rights, since through this process they are not to be taken seriously and this appears to be the aim.
As many already well know, this behavior then has an effect of how people think and act regarding those who become diagnosed with serious and persistent mental illnesses as well as how people so labeled perceive themselves. something which can also have the potential of adding to the numbers of those who attempt or actually commit suicide.
In addition, these matters should also raise issues, concerns and questions about psychiatric diagnosing, labels and labeling in general, whom gets diagnosed or labeled and who does the labeling as well as the actual basis or roots such is based or judged upon.
While there are those who are working on these and related matters, there remains a growing need to find various means to begin to push back against the free for all taking place, particularly via the media in a variety of ways.
This is something that has been concerning me for quite some time now, but the continued daily bombardments of these forms of negative labeling and public humilation with political overtones is getting too overwhelming to be allowed to go virtually unchecked and not call such into question.
Concerning what to do or how to do so, at the moment I have no suggestions to offer, yet it is my hope the means can be found.
One approach of course is to exercise what one person had once mentioned to me in such instances: i.e., something along the lines of:
Free speech that bothers us can only be countered with more free speech.These are among some of my thoughts on the subject, what are yours?
*Note*: made several edits for the purposes of clarification and readability; last updated on Friday, January 9, 2009 at 6:54 AM (EST).
VT Disability Budget Cuts Petition
If you either live or work within Vermont, please consider signing onto this online petition:
VT Disability Budget Cuts Petition:
To: Governor Douglas & Vermont LegislatureThe current financial crisis is causing the state of Vermont to consider further reductions in programs affecting some of our most vulnerable families and individuals. These budget cuts, if implemented, will have a devastating impact on individuals with disabilities and on the communities in which they live.
These are difficult times. However, the reality for many individuals with disabilities and their families is that even the best of times are difficult. During times like this we need more help, not less. Vermonters need to be working, not laid off from agencies that serve people when they are most in need.
People with disabilities want to learn, want to work and want to be accepted as members of their communities.
Through no fault of their own, many people with disabilities face many obstacles in their ability to access daily activities that many others take for granted. Access to basic activiies would be impossible for many without the current programs and services now in place. These programs and services keep people healthy and in their communities. They are cost effective and consistent with the values held by most Vermonters.
We, the undersigned, urge our government not to make cuts to programs and services that serve people with disabilities and their families. We urge the government to instead look to other funding sources and to address the revenue shortfall to get Vermont through this temporary financial crisis.
Sincerely,
After you have read the petition (here) and, if you support the petition, sign on, here.
View a WPTZ – Channel 5 TV – News video clip on the subject as well as related matters, here (Friday, December 19, 2008).
In addition, please help spread the word about the petition to anyone else you might know who either lives or works within Vermont.
Thank you in advance.
President-elect Barack Obama Names Shaun Donovan HUD Secretary
*Updated*
12/13/08: President-Elect Obama’s Weekly Address
On December 13th, 2008 President-elect Barack Obama named Shaun Donovan as his Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
[via YouTube, here; posted by ChangeDotGov (December 12, 2008); length: 5:02 minutes/seconds]
Additional information, here (via Change.gov) and, here (via NY Times).
Read Shaun Donovan bio’s here (via NY Times) and here (via NYC HPD).
fyi: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
*Update*: A video of a speech given a year and a half or so ago by Shaun Donovan:
At the NY Society for Ethical Culture, Commissioner Shaun Donovan discusses NY City’s efforts to increase affordable housing
[via Google Video, here; posted by Charles Debrovner, NY Society for Ethical Culture (June 22, 2007); length: 44:14 minutes/seconds]
*Note*: posted an additional video clip; last updated on Saturday, December 13, 2008 at 8:46 PM (ET).
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Recent Advocacy Efforts
*Updated*
Read commentary I wrote during the wee hours of an all-night I pulled Saturday evening (March 28th), which relates to some of my recent advocacy efforts concerning mental health, homelessness and housing pertaining to Vermont and cross-posted on four different blogs, here (via Green Mountain Daily) as well as, here (via Beyond VSH blog), here (via Vermont Watch blog) and, here (via iBrattleboro).
*Update*: Video version posted online (via Seesmic):
*Note*: last updated on Friday, April 3, 2009 at 3:33 AM (EDT).
March 30, 2009 Posted by Morgan W. Brown | budget cuts, commentary, homelessness, housing, mental health, opinion, policy, politics, vermont | Leave a Comment