DPNA Meeting Minutes

DPNA Monthly Meeting, November 10, 2005

Board members present: Barry Ragin (president), Rob Dilworth (vice president), Claire Doyle (secretary), Kara Van Dam, Katherine O’Brien, Michelle Olds (members-at-large)

Neighbors present: Donna Hicks, Stewart Kennedy, Terry Allebaugh. Also present were Sabrina Molloy and Amberly Plummer, NCSU students working with Terry Allebaught on 10-year plan to end homelessness in Durham.

1. Treasurer’s report: There is approximately $1100 in the account. A liability insurance policy has been purchased to cover DPNA for DPNA sponsored events; it will also cover the bathhouse renovations. Does not cover the board members for individual lawsuits. In order to do that we would need to incorporate or spend an extra $750/year.

2. Quality of Life committee: The Quality of Life committee was formed to reach out to community, landlords, tenants and property managers, to protect rights of all and also enforce the housing code, animal control ordinances, etc. Kara has drafted two letters: one for owners and one for tenants; the tenant one will be translated into Spanish. Has initial distribution list. Members of the committee (Kara Van Dam, Melissa Godwin, Claire Doyle) have been in touch with the Keep Durham Beautiful organization. Next week there is a meeting called by the Durham Association of Realtors, who have invited neighborhood associations to sit down and figure out what they can do to support these efforts. Barry Ragin will forward the info to the list.

3. Bathhouse committee: The insurance is purchased, they are now working on the contract. The board needs to work out the terms of the contract. Dan Read (lawyer) will look over the contract, then we’re ready to go and get the cleaning crew set up.

4. Durham Holiday Parade: starts at 1pm on Dec 3; groups have to be assembled by noon. Was Light Up Durham parade last year, now it’s just called the Holiday Parade. This will be DPNA’s 3rd year in the parade. We’ve been accepted as a walking unit.

5. Next potluck: Thurs Dec 8 downstairs at Calvary Methodist.

6. Luminarias: Dec 11 is the official night, Sunday night, 12/18 is the rain date. Wendy Livingston will get the estimate on cost for kits, and Rob on the cost for signage. Barry suggests doing 20% more than last year because we ran out last year. Will sell them at the potluck and the weekend of 12/11-12. Need volunteers to do 2-hour shifts.

7. PAC 2 (notes sent to the meeting from Bill Anderson):

  1. PAC2 is working on a resolution around a quicker eviction process when the rental property is being used as a drug house. The list is having a conversation around the resolution.
  2. The N&O should have cleared up delivery of its free Durham edition on Saturdays, some of which were left lying around yards and piling up at vacant houses. If you want delivery of that Saturday edition continued, you need to call N&O circulation.
  3. Police officer Eric Hester is willing to arrange holiday house checks. Call 560-4582 to make arrangements.
  4. Police officer Eddie Sarvis has pointed out that if a car is unlocked, and a robber takes things from it, it’s not breaking and entering, it’s merely entering. He suggest folks keep their cards locked, and recommends that shrubbery be pruned so there’s less of a hiding place for those wishing to break into cars.
  5. The Postmaster will be at the November 29 INC meeting to discuss policy and procedures around mailboxes at the street and clustered. Apparently, the PO has reversed itself.

8. Presentation from Terry Allebaugh re: the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness in Durham:
Barry said how we’ve had problems with homeless people spending a lot of time in the park, and that has prevented some people from using the park with their kids. Have also had problems with people living in the RR track tunnel, very filthy and unsafe. Has been blocked off but there are rumours of people living their again.

Terry Allebaugh has worked with the homeless for 17 years. He directed the homeless shelter downtown, and formed Housing for New Hope, which did outreach to the homeless, emergency assistance, transitional & permanant housing. In that work he has been chair of the Council to End Homelessness: other groups are also involved with that as well as city departments. They have put together a plan to end homelessness. Homelessness has only been a statistical reality since the early 80s. Because of changes in housing policy, change in mental health reform, economic downturns, etc. homelessness has increased every year. The Council consists of a steering committee and subcommittees, such as prevention, outreach, services, etc., consisting of professionals and leaders in the community. They are conducting a series of public forums and focus groups. Sabrina and Amberly are working on the focus groups. The goal is to put together a plan to implement. Different groups can work to help different parts of the plan.

They have 5 questions for us:

1. What would motivate you’re your neighborhood to support the development of housing in your neighborhood that is specifically for the homeless or for people who live below 30% of the Area Median Income? (30% of Median Family Income in Durham is ~$15,000 for a single person and $19,000 for a family of three):

Answers: There are not that many lots to build on in our neighborhood. We supported Durham Rescue Mission. In some houses it would be an improvement over current residents (drug dealing, violence). It could be good if it was supervised and there was a guarantee of continued supervision.

2. If housing was located in your neighborhood what volunteer support services would you be oepnt to providing?

Answers: It would help if there was a good volunteer coordinator, someone personable & organized. It’s not worth volunteering if you feel like you’re wasting your time. The listserv can be used to let people know what’s needed and what’s available. It would also be good to include the formerly homeless in our volunteer efforts: park clean-up, big trash day, bath-house, etc. We could include in neighborhood festivities. Some neighbors could help with transportation.

3. What ideas do you have to engage the for-profit sector in building permanent affordable housing?

Answers: It’s hard to encourage developers to donate profits, but you can entice them to build affordable housing with the right incentives. Barry Ragin gave an example from Brooklyn: developers who commit a % of below-market housing can build more high-profit units than others those who don’t. Terry said that the way it’s set up in North Carolina, the state would have to approve that kind of arrangement, and the state has vetoed things like that in the past. Some developers might be enticed to build affordable homes if there was a  PR/marketing value to them

4. Given that we want to end homelessness, do we need more shelters, transitional housing programs, or permanent housing?

Answers:  Many people don’t go to shelters. Those that do, don’t leave. Shelters will always be needed because of disasters, domestic violence, etc.

5. How do we create employment opportunities for the homeless in our communities?

Answers: We would need case managers to recommend those who are truly ready and able to work. They would need not just job skills but resume, interview skills etc. TROSA was held up as a good example: they stick with people for the long term.  They let people exit when they’re ready, so nobody gets pushed out after a set amount of time. It would be possible to hit up the big corporations for employment opportunities: McDonald’s, Home Depot. A distinction was made between employment opportunities vs. training people for employability. Jobs such as picking up highway trash that are done now by inmates could be done by people who would be paid to do it.  You could get grants for small, semiskilled businesses like TROSA does.

The next DPNA meeting will the winter potluck on December 8. 

Archive of Minutes of previous meetings