Supportive housing
Re: “Housing Madison’s homeless” (1/10/2019): While detractors of Tree Lane portray the development as crime-ridden, research about the effect of supportive housing on crime unilaterally finds no long-term statistically significant relationship. What some studies have found is a spike in minor crimes within 500 feet of congregate housing developments. Those studies suggest the cause to be opportunists who prey on people in poverty, not the residents.
These spikes abate as community forms and residents become empowered by stable housing. Part of this process is increased utilization of police as well as public displays of boundary setting. What appears to be criminality is actually residents defending their housing. Over time, crime rates return to normal because those who were once easy targets of crime aren’t anymore.
Elevated levels of crime that persist result from poor environmental and programmatic design such as concentrated disadvantage, high rates of residential turnover, an absence of basic environmental designs that discourage crime, and inadequate resident engagement in decision-making processes.
What is well documented by research is the correlation between subsidized housing and neighborhood protest, a phenomenon so common there’s an acronym for it: NIMBY. Whenever a project serving marginalized populations is proposed, middle- and upper-class neighborhoods harness their political, social, and economic capital to undermine the effort.
— Conner Wild, via email
I live on the south side and am vehemently opposed to building a new housing unit on South Park Street until the existing problems with Rethke Terrace and Tree Lane are resolved. While your article touches most of the bases, I’m wondering why nobody from the Madison Police Department was asked to provide insight.
— Diane Burgbacher, via Facebook
Fixing the shattered cracks that made them homeless to start isn’t so simple. They are finding that out now and it’s only jeopardizing more housing for people that could really use it. It’s very disheartening.
— Canti Firestarter, via Facebook
Correction: In last week’s article, “Deciphering dyslexia,” it was incorrectly stated that the Children’s Dyslexia Center-Madison offers free reading remediation to people of any age; it is available only to children.
