The Future of SROs An admirable mission faces an uphill battle.
>Despite the considerable financial and operational challenges, SRO developers are dedicated to their work. They’re also well aware of factors that threaten SROs’ future.
Lloyd Boggio, who heads the Carlisle Development Group in Miami, worries about the diminished SRO housing stock. “With the value of real estate being what it is … what is going to happen is most old hotels will be knocked down,” he says. “Homeless advocates are going to have to convince states, cities, [and] counties to set aside buildings and land that can be converted into SROs.”
Another concern is the complexity of providing services. SRO developers suggest more collaboration between capital rental subsidies and services would help SRO projects. “It’s like making a dinner, and you have to go to five different stores to get the ingredients,” says Mike Alvidrez, executive director of Skid Row Housing, a nonprofit in Los Angeles. “We need an affordable housing supermarket.”
But a third factor may be the biggest: money.
“We must address the need for SRO housing [in] the community,” says Paul Cummings, senior vice president for a Maryland-based company that finances SRO housing. “We need the right incentives—profit being an important incentive—to insure that the folks that take this on aren’t pushed out of business.”
Sister Lillian Murphy, CEO of Mercy Housing in Denver, asserts that residential housing developers must push the government for a comprehensive housing policy that requires everybody to do their share.
“Our primary need is financial support,” she says “To support these residents, everyone has to give a little bit.”
Urban Opportunity In 2000, a nonpartisan organization called the National Alliance to End Homelessness set a goal of ending homelessness in 10 years. The group has crafted an implementation plan, hosts conferences on the subject, and tracks the roughly 100 municipalities across the United States that created their own 10-year plans. The following chart highlights the larger cities and states.
The complete list is available at www.endhomelessness.org/section/tools/communityplans