PL PACKET 05121989 - Laserfiche WebLink

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1 -Over the years the counties have gained increasing legal •2 responsibility for integrating those populations into the areas where 3 they live, work, or have recreation provided during the day. 4 -Counties have understandably been resistant to some of the changes 5 because they have to pay the room and board for, these individuals and 6 those costs are very dependent on the type of building or control 7 cities impose on the land. 8 -Large concentrations of vulnerable population facilities in certain 9 areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul have resulted mostly because of 10 lower costs of housing especially older housing which is more 11 available. 12 -The availability of good transportation and service delivery to their 13 clients has also been a factor in the housing of these populations in 14 the inner cities. 15 However, the planner said, as more persons moved from state hospitals 16 and institutions into smaller and smaller living arrangements throughout 17 the metro area, those vulnerable populations became more noticeable to, 18 residents and neighborhood activists, particularly in St. Paul where 19 residents went to their respective city councilmembers and told them 20 they perceived the neighborhoods needed more control over where the 21 vulnerable populations lived. 0 2 In late 1986 or early 1987 , the St. Paul Council established a task 3 force to look at the problem. Recommendations of the task force were 24 submitted to the St. Paul Planning Commission in January, 1988, and in 25 turn have become the basis for the proposed legislation. 26 Ms. Smith related the problems Ramsey County would -be facing in 27 implementing those changes with a budget in 1989 of $180,000.00, part 28 of which has to pay for room and board and income support programs for 29 a whole variety of vulnerable and poor people. She said she anticipated 30 with smaller units of housing at higher prices there would be an 31 immediate impact on property taxes. However, the St. Paul Human 32 Services Planner said both the Ramsey County Board and the St. Paul City 33 Council were avid supporters of the proposed legislative changes 34 particularly because the County feels that the more normal the living 35 arrangements can be made for vulnerable populations, the better. She 36 said it is also perceived that some of these persons may even become. 37 able to live independently without public assistance. 38 Councilmembers had been provided with a listing of some of the policy 39 issues which had prompted these presentations so as to answer concerns 40 about some of the issues. Ms. Smith reported some of those policies had 41 come from judicial decisions which had affected both the County's and 42 the City's way of doing business. The effect of federal financing of 43 some of these facilities was also explored particularly the Chavez bill 44 which, although it had never gotten beyond the hearing process, had • 5