December 2006
STREETVIBES
cover story
3CDC, Affordable Housing and Over-the-Rhine
As winter sets into the Tri-State and people everywhere celebrate the re-opening of Fountain Square, 33 men and women have been evicted from their homes in Over-the-Rhine to make way for 3CDC development.
1316 - 18 Race Street Across the street from Washington Park the thirty-three residents of 1316-18 Race Street find themselves out in the cold. Technically designated a boarding house, this SRO (Single Room Occupancy) has been in operation for over 40 years, housing people for approximately $250 $320 per month. On October 1, all of the residents of 1316-18 Race Street received their eviction notices. Development corporation 3CDC had offered to buy the building, but only if it was vacated. The owner of the building served notice to the residents, leaving it in the hands of the building manager to place the residents in other housing. The building is finally vacated and boarded up. “This is an alarming trend that we’ve seen before with 3CDC,” stated Georgine Getty,
director of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. “They will only buy vacant buildings so they can claim they haven’t displaced anyone, but that’s disingenuous. They are making the landlords do the dirty work, then swooping in and buying up these buildings.” Getty adds that 3CDC is in the process of developing 90 units in Over the Rhine by Spring of 2007, but plans to make only about 5 of these units affordable to the current residents of Over the Rhine. “This is in clear violation of the Over the Rhine Comprehensive Plan which calls for affordable housing and mixedincome development. When you add in that 3CDC receives thousands of dollars in subsidy from the government per unit, it really is unjust.” As for the residents of 1316-18 Race Street, they were offered a service fair on October 20 to find them new housing, but due to the specific nature of the SRO they currently occupy, many found this attempt futile. “The problem is that this is very unique housing serving a unique population. Relocation is extremely difficult,” stated Getty. Gordon Dean, a Vietnam Veteran and resident for 17 months is angry. “I want these rich folks to just go back where they came from and leave us alone.” Mr. Dean has found a new place in Walnut Hills, and is moving with the help of the VA who will pay his rent for 3 months. Mr. Dean has fared better than others. One woman, with the help of her cousin, moved into the Drake Hotel, another boarding house in Bond Hill. The rent there is twice as expensive as the rent at 1316-18 Race Street and she wonders how she will be able to pay it with only her wages earned working temporary labor jobs. Further, the
Agency Spotlight: Tender Mercies Tender Mercies began in 1985 when Father Chris Hall took care of two women released from Summit Behavioral Healthcare and placed at the Drop Inn Center. Father Chris found them a place to live, got them benefits, paid their rent, bought groceries, and checked on them daily. Tender Mercies now has six buildings in Over-The-Rhine with 150 Single Occupancy rooms, offering transitional and permanent housing for homeless persons with mental illness. Some people have lived here longer than anywhere else including the hospital or the streets. We break the cycle of hospital, streets and jail. This winter someone with a mental illness who is homeless may come to your doors looking for housing. To make a referral, call Mary Grover, Community Resource Manager, at 639-7042. An application appointment will be set. Acceptance into Tender Mercies is a process. We do not offer emergency shelter. We offer transitional and permanent placement. Tender Mercies is here to serve homeless persons with mental illness and treat our residents with dignity, security and provide community and belonging.
If you have any questions, please call Mary Grover at Tender Mercies, 639-7042.
Drop Inn Center has confirmed their first intake of a displaced resident of 1316-18 Race Street on October 19, and they fear that this will not be the last. “This is just really sad,” said Pat Clifford, General Coordinator of the Drop Inn Center. “We had 230 residents last weekend, since it started getting cold. 3CDC is concerned with homeless people in Washington Park and at the Drop Inn Center, and they block attempts to create permanent supportive housing, yet they are making new people homeless through their actions.” Clifford is referring to the Drop Inn Center’s recent attempts to develop 40 units of permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless people in Over the Rhine. These attempts were frustrated when 3CDC vowed to “actively fight” the site location for the housing. On October 1, residents were offered $75 to leave 1316-18 Race Street on October 21, two weeks before their 30 days would be up. Many took this money and left early, on a very cold Friday night. Because this is a privately owned building, residents are not technically entitled to a reasonable relocation allotment. This practice flies in the face of commonly accepted relocation practices. Residents have lived rent free for the month of October. One resident, who preferred to be known only as “Joe” indicates that the loss of this building is more than just an irreplaceable hit to the affordable housing stock in Cincinnati, it’s the dissolution of a community. Joe, who worked as a machine operator before he was laid off, found out about his eviction a week before he lost his job. He is currently staying at another area shelter. Some critics of 1316-18 Race Street claim that this is a building full of criminals. Crime statistics to this building are spotty, but most point to minor offenses such as open container violations and jaywalking. Ultimately, safety has been proven to increase when residents of a community are safely housed and provided supportive services. Some residents of 1316-18 Race Street do have past criminal records; this is why it is so difficult for them to find jobs and housing. “People look at this place as a building of unemployed people. It’s more than that. It’s a family, it’s a community. You don’t just displace people, you displace emotions and temperament as well.” Joe added that he has lived at 1316-18 Race Street for 3 years and enjoys its access to bus lines, local grocery stores and restaurants. “In the future, profiteers need to find another way to make their profits other than coming into communities that are already devastated. You’re just moving people into poverty somewhere else,” Joe concluded. The residents gathered perhaps for the last time on the steps of their home and shared their thoughts. On the one hand, the sentiment was clear that they just wanted to get it over with, especially the manager who has lost a lot of sleep trying to make sure his people have a place to go. On the other hand, there was a lot of sorrow at leaving their family and many residents were concerned about the cold, and the upcoming holidays. “It’s really depressing, you know?” said one young woman who lived in the building. “The holidays can be hard enough, but it’s really depressing when you’re moving and losing all your stuff.” Joe sums it up best, “Everyone doesn’t need a condo to make this a good neighborhood. They’ve scattered my family. Everyone gets a dollar off our misery and we’re tired of it.”
Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless