More than homes for homeless

THE PATRICK administration's aim to radically alter the state's approach to homelessness is laudable - provided its motivation is to renew lives and not simply to save money. New regulations filed this month could help homeless families prepare for stable lives in permanent housing, or they could drive desperate people further into despair.

The proposed regulations, scheduled to take effect April 1, are part of a strategy to move families more quickly through the shelter system or avoid it altogether. But they also include time limits and punitive measures that could send families back onto the street if they don't comply.

For example, a requirement that families save 30 percent of their income is designed to help them accumulate enough for a security deposit and a month's rent. But the average savings rate for all Americans was less than 1 percent last year. It's unlikely that these families - frequently headed by single mothers with little work history or even a high school diploma - would earn enough to pay for rent, utilities, transportation, and child care all on their own. The state will need to provide rental subsidies and other economic supports, otherwise such fragile arrangements frequently dissolve and the families end up on a relative's couch, living in a car, or back at the shelter door.

The state should work closely with social-service agency staffers whose relationships with local landlords will be invaluable in placing needy families in apartments. And it should be flexible: As with most human-service challenges, one size doesn't fit all.

If the aim is stable, permanent housing, most homeless families need more than just a roof over their heads. A successful policy will include services individually tailored to each family, from adult education and skills training to child care to counseling for domestic violence or other abuse. A 30-hour work requirement as a condition to stay in a shelter seems particularly difficult in the current job market; fortunately, hours spent in school or in job-training programs will count toward the total.

Patrick plans to move all the state's homeless programs out of the welfare department and into the Office of Housing and Community Development. Philosophically this makes sense, but the housing department historically has had little experience serving the homeless population. The merger and new regulations need to be implemented thoughtfully and with individual attention. Why the rush to April 1?

The idea that homelessness need not be merely managed or accommodated but can be eliminated is a powerful one. But it won't happen overnight, or on the cheap. We hope the complex bureaucracy about to revamp aid to the homeless is ready for the task.