{"id":411,"date":"2019-07-09T22:29:24","date_gmt":"2019-07-09T22:29:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/archives\/?p=411"},"modified":"2019-07-09T23:03:31","modified_gmt":"2019-07-09T23:03:31","slug":"william-jordan-analysis-a-lesser-ward-1-the-bowser-nadeau-homeless-shelter-plan-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/archives\/411\/","title":{"rendered":"William Jordan Analysis: A Lesser Ward 1: The Bowser-Nadeau Homeless Shelter Plan II"},"content":{"rendered":"

This was originally posted to the Adams Morgan Listserv on January 4, 2018, as message #47223, groups.yahoo.com\/neo\/groups\/AdamsMorgan\/conversations\/messages\/47223<\/a><\/p>\n

The Boswer-Nadeau Family Shelter Plan for Ward 1 <dmhhs.dc.gov\/homewarddc<\/a>> is fundamentally, but understandably flawed. Flawed because the executive team leading the effort and the technical fundamentals of the plan they have developed lack the competencies necessary for success. Understandable because the plan is premised on assumed Ward 1 civic, community, political, even moral values which have been popularized by local blogs and the political rhetoric of scarcity and defeatism made popular in recent years. These recently adopted values and rhetoric assumes a Ward 1 community which lacks dept and courage; therefore, they must be fed a less competent vision and plan.<\/p>\n

I will acknowledge that it’s possible that I am out of touch with the Ward’s new value system reflected in Blogs which boil our civic values down to which new sports bar is opening or closing, flipping real estate, cute cats and fear of crime. Although these are not the dominant values I hear from neighbors, clearly they must have some traction when ANC1A accepts matching historic street lamps and a jacuzzi as “community benefits” for a $100M New Communities Project with a near unanimous vote. Again it may just be me, I’m stuck in a Ward 1 Past, and community and economic development success in the ward is now measured by our ability to attract the next celebrity chef. Again I believe otherwise, but its understandable the politicians would take the path of less competence and cater to these values instead of honestly addressing the needs of families and those without adequate housing opportunties.<\/p>\n

The Bowser-Nadeau Ward 1 Plan calls for spending over $20M to contribute only a net potential of seven (7) temporary housing units to the closing the DC General Family Shelter by 2021 or so. The plan assumes families will live in these units for about a year, stabilize as they seek more permanent affordable housing in the market. If the proposed temporary housing program is to be successful, there must be enough family friendly and affordable housing being produced in the ward for these families to transition into. As well, the neighbor amenity infrastructure to support both stabilization and landing must be in place or put into place. Well, the Bowser-Nadeau Plan does not produce a single permanent family friendly housing unit. This is an obvious, unforgivable and fatal flaw in the plan.<\/p>\n

I honestly believe this obvious, unforgivable and fatal flaw in the plan which neglects concrete action to ensure the development of permanent family friendly housing is one of mis-perceived Ward 1 values and not one of capacity. That our political leaders are trapped by their rhetoric of rhetoric of scarcity and defeatism and can’t lead us past these “lesser values” promoted in popular Blogs. And solutions will not come from these leaders sharing their plan on January 18th, but those us with a broder Ward 1 values palette taking the lead.<\/p>\n

When we meet on January 18th to discuss the Bowser-Nadeau Ward 1 Plan, the city will in parallel be working on three deeply subsidized mixed use housing development projects in the Ward, The Wren, Bruce Monroe and Grimke. These three projects will produce a total of about 771 housing units, approximately 346 designated as affordable. Of these 346 affordable unity only four (4) will be family friendly 3-bedroom units. And none (0) of the family friendly units will be available for those families to be served by the Bowser-Nadeau Plan. As well, one would be hard pressed to name a single amenity in these projects which would be of significant value to a family in transition. However, the values of the Blogs and the need of politician to “cut ribbons” is well served. Clearly these projects need to be restructured to significantly increase the number of affordable family friendly 3-Bedroom units for the Bowser-Nadeau Plan to have a legitimate opportunity for success.<\/p>\n

I would urge those in the Ward 1 who values are bigger than those hype in Blogs to push the Mayor and Council to do better than the current flawed plan and process.<\/p>\n

William<\/p>\n

—–Original Message—–
\nFrom: whj@…
\nSent: Monday, January 1, 2018 3:03pm<\/p>\n

Subject: A Lesser Ward 1: The Bowser-Nadeau Homeless Shelter Plan I<\/p>\n

The Bowser-Nadeau plan for the Ward 1 (now Columbia Heights) Family Shelter <dc.gov\/release\/mayor-bowser-announces-ward-1-short-term-family-housing-program-site<\/a>> is fundamentally flawed and rooted in false premises. Simply moving the flawed project from 10th St. to 14th St. does nothing to fix the plan’s fundamental flaws. Unfortunately, the meeting on January 18th will be designed to seek community buy in for this lesser approach rooted in the Ward 1 corollary “The Peter Principle <www.investopedia.com\/terms\/p\/peter-principle.asp<\/a>>”.<\/p>\n

The Peter Principle observes that, “In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.”<\/p>\n

The Ward 1 corollary states that, “when a public policy hierarchy reaches competency saturation, political leaders will lower the community and economic development bar to match their level of incompetence.”<\/p>\n

Which leads us to just a few of the proposed project’s key flaws.<\/p>\n

1. The Bowser-Nadeau Plan states, “The District is developing a Short-term Family Housing program at 2500 14th St NW as part of the All 8 Wards strategy to close the DC General Family Shelter.”<\/p>\n

The Plan is a significant lowering of the affordable housing goals stated in Mayor William’s 2004, “Homeless No More, A Strategy for Ending Homlessness in Washington, DC by 2014 <dev.cohho.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Homeless-No-More.pdf<\/a>>” which sets the bar at,<\/p>\n

“Develop and\/or subsidize at least 6,000 net additional units of affordable, supportive permanent
\nhousing to meet the needs of the city\u2019s homeless…”<\/p>\n

The “Homeless No More” plan which calls for developing and preserving permanent housing to attack homeless is also consistent with the City’s 2006 Comprehensive Plan for the Ward and 14th St. corridor <planning.dc.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/dc\/sites\/op\/publication\/attachments\/District%20Elements_Volume%20II_Chapter%2020_April%208%202011.pdf<\/a>>. The Bowser-Nadeau Plan to the contrary calls for lowering the bar to replace a temporary big shelter with permanent small shelters. Effectively making homelessness a permanent goal and feature of our housing policy, lowering the public policy bar.<\/p>\n

2. This of course sheds light on another aspect of the Bowser-Nadeau Plan’s fundamental flaw, team competency. A read of the Mayor’s plan to close DC General indicates that Mayor’s team took almost a year to develop its “All 8 Ward Strategy” that is announced on on February 11, 2016. About 23 months later on December 7, 2017 they announce this new plan we are to hear more about on January 18th.<\/p>\n

In other words, it’s taking them about 3 years to tell this community that they are going to move their failed plan, which was already designed to a lower standard, down the street. Even if we were to except the new plan without question, unless there is some major change, we don’t have a team competent enough to implement it.<\/p>\n

3. Of course just a little more research would reveal that even if we put together a competent team, the Bowser-Nadeau Plan does not even do to much to contribute to its stated goal of closing DC General. At best their plan would contribute a net of 7 new units housing units. This is because the proposed 35 family units at 2500 14th would replace 28 existing units located at 1433-35 Spring Rd, NW, just off of 14th St. Yep. The Bowser-Nadeau Plan will take over 5 years and expend over $20M to produce 7 net temporary units. The Peter Principle on full display.<\/p>\n

I raised just a fnew of these flaws because as residents and other stakeholders of Ward 1 and Columbia Heights, it is going to fall upon us to rescue the Bowser-Nadeau Plan from the “Peter Principle”. The rescue is going to require civic and political courage, lots of work. And looking past the “happy talk” we are going to get on the 18th. As well, the moral courage to at least stand by the higher standard and goals of the “Homeless No More” plan and the Comprehensive plan. 14th St already hosts over 65 units of tempoary housing <mayor.dc.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/dc\/sites\/mayormb\/publication\/attachments\/Emergency%20Shelter%20Capacity%20by%20Ward.pdf<\/a>> for homeless families with support services. We need to be building permament housing for families in the Ward not shelters.<\/p>\n

William<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This was originally posted to the Adams Morgan Listserv on January 4, 2018, as message #47223, groups.yahoo.com\/neo\/groups\/AdamsMorgan\/conversations\/messages\/47223 The Boswer-Nadeau Family Shelter Plan for Ward 1 is fundamentally, but understandably flawed. Flawed because the executive team leading the effort and the technical fundamentals of the plan they have developed lack the competencies necessary for success. Understandable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-housingarchive"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=411"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dcfeedback.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}