Current total estimated cost-$7,080,000.
48 units at $147,500 each.
Supportive Services Cost-?

News Headline-
Knoxville Writes Blank Check to TYP for Unknown Supportive Services Costs

The Knoxville News Sentinel had a story on Flenniken, if you could find it. Yet somehow the KNS thought the "newsworthy" item was $200,000 for Streetscapes. Not the $1.1 million dollars of additional funding for Flenniken. It is almost like they don't want people to know about the City Council vote Tuesday night at 7:00PM. But that couldn't be. Could it?

Flenniken now costs an amazing $145,000 per apartment. But since its government money its free, right? Federal money doesn't cost you a thing does it?

Still no word what the therapeutic support services cost. But over at the KnoxFocus.com is an Op-Ed from Robert Finley that says, "In fact, research shows that the TYP approach is at worst a breakeven proposition, and is almost always cheaper than leaving people homeless."

Big problem, other studies say that is incorrect. What City Council should do is stop any more funding for the Ten Year Plan until Minvilla is up and running so we can find out what this plan really costs on a annual basis. The writing of blank checks to the Ten Year Plan has to stop.

So this has gone from a big savings to a break even all since the Arnstein Center meeting. The truth is no one knows what this will cost Knoxville taxpayers. What we do know is that Housing First is failing all across America and even HUD is worried about the concept.

“We cannot deny the realities of homeless people abusing substances. The great majority of them, when sheltered, are going to be living in multi-unit buildings in which their ongoing substance use will affect others. Persistent drug use, for example, will offer an ongoing temptation to others who are themselves at various phases of change or recovery. Even if homeless clients do not sell illegal substances themselves, their use ensures that they are caught up in the crime and violence that accompanies drug and alcohol abuse. For many people, substance abuse brings changes in behavior (belligerence, noise, bizarre behavior), that undermine social/therapeutic health. Moreover, ongoing use of alcohol and drugs leads to progressive debilitation and adversely affects the capacity of those so afflicted to make good decisions.

...To the extent that projects using low demand acknowledge these social realities, then low demand may well comprise a feature of a viable response to chronic homelessness. However, the Department cannot in the name of low demand condone or acquiescence in the continued, unabated use of harmful substances or accept the ultimate expendability of people who do not recover.”

(link...)

Joe Bailey still doesn't get it. Daniel Brown does.

5-4 in favor.

I have to agree with Rachel. Much of what was said was patently ridiculous.

Whether you are for or against this, its pretty evident that not everyone is on the same page. I kind of feel like this project was rammed down the throats of South Knoxvillians and the city of Knoxville as a whole. When you are voting to allot the amount of money that they were voting to allot, I think there needs to be a unified stance on it. I was disappointed in the 5 that voted yes, and its funny to me that of those five, only one (Daniel Brown) is not term-limited.

Like many of you, I did not really know exactly what the 10 Year Plan was up until recently, and that is also shameful when you are talking about a project of this magnitude.

I came out of my hole to speak on this. I was very ashamed at what I saw last night on council. It is odd to me that 5 of the 6 elected members (Roddy, Woodhull, Bailey, Becker, and Mayor Haslam) that were in support of this last night have all been on council, or in office, for the entire duration of the 10 Year Plan thus far. What else is interesting to me, is the one who did vote in favor of it, of all of the newbies, Dan Brown, did not hardly speak at all during the long deliberation period. As a resident of the sixth district, I was personally disappointed in Mr. Brown.

The 10 Year Plan, imo, has already been defeated in west knox, and every time one attempts to get setup out there, I believe it will happen again and again, thus setting up more of these in the 1st and 6th Districts. I ultimately believe this is what is going to be the major outcome of the 10 Year Plan.

Last, I think being completely reliant on federal funds is just a disaster waiting to happen. I do not know how this project will stay funded over the long haul without it costing the citizens of Knox County.