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Even potential allies on Nutter's homeless food policies are wary, and say support is conditional on progress.
The 45 minutes the Nutter administration gave reporters to hurry to a City Hall press conference yesterday, in which the mayor announced a proposed citywide regulation banning the outdoor distribution of meals in city parks, wasn't the only thing about it that seemed rushed.
Even potential allies on Nutter's homeless food policies are wary, and say support is conditional on progress.
Follow Hall Monitor Isaiah Thompson on Twitter.
The 45 minutes the Nutter administration gave reporters to hurry to a City Hall press conference yesterday, in which the mayor announced a proposed citywide regulation banning the outdoor distribution of meals in city parks, wasn't the only thing about it that seemed rushed.
There was the fact that the ordinance would go into effect in just 29 days — timing that happens to coincide almost perfectly with the grand opening of the Barnes Foundation museum on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, where church groups and other volunteer groups like Food Not Bombs have distributed meals for over a decade.
There was the fact that the announcement came just a day before tonight's Board of Health hearing on a separate rule that would require those who distribute free food to meet certain food safety regulations and obtain permits from the city.
There was the fact that while the mayor announced that he had "created a working group of external stakeholders" to come up with a better solution for meals for the homeless, CP found that no such group actually exists yet — and at least two major providers of meals to the homeless in the city say that had no warning of the mayor's announcement, let alone input into it.
And then there's the fact that even those homeless advocates who might support the mayor in this are expressing deep reservations — and warning that their support is contingent on the city's doing much more than the mayor has so far proposed.
Take Sister Mary Scullion, for example — who appeared alongside the mayor at yesterday's announcement. This morning's Inquirer reports that Scullion "backed the proposal but would monitor it carefully."
That's accurate, but in a conversation with CP yesterday, Scullion also stressed the her support is conditional. Scullion does see this proposal as an "opportunity," — but an opportunity to do significantly more than Philly as a city has done so far. What's more, Scullion has refused to be a part of the mayor's working group, partly because she wants to able to criticize it if its recommendations aren't up to snuff.
"The mayor can use this as an opportunity to move the ball forward and provide additional resources and opportunities for people who are homeless and hungry in our city," Scullion told CP yesterday.
"If it doesn't come through, we'll have to take more dramatic and more visible ways of saying this is a sham. I honestly don't today believe that's the case. But we'll see."
As for the timing of this announcement, Scullion added: "Of course it's totally related to the Barnes."
In discussing the mayor's announcement with CP, the mayor's press office also mentioned Minister Bill Golderer of Broad Street Ministries, who has been critical of outside meals as lacking dignity and nutrition that people deserve. His church recently spend nearly half a million dollars on an industrial kitchen facility to prepare indoor meals for the homeless. They hope to expand from two to nine meals a week.
But Golderer — just the sort of "external stakeholder" the mayor would presumably want on board — had been caught by surprise himself by the mayor's announcement, and says he supports the mayor's plan only if it is just that: a plan for better services for the homeless:
"If we're saying yes, we're going to do nutrition with dignity inside, I will lead that charge with others — but we have to commit to that. Banning one thing without a resource alternative is not an answer," he told CP this morning. "Getting tough on homelessness is not my position at all and I hope the mayor and others don't get any bonus points for cracking down or getting tough - because I'm afraid that some people are like, 'Finally, I don't have to look at that anymore and that's not he goal."
"The goal is really authentically to build a comprehensive integrated system to deal with hunger and homelessness sand utter disenfranchisement."
In other words, any support from these folks for the mayor's regulation is dependent upon a plan for real long-term change. And so far, the mayor hasn't mentioned any such plan: he did announce that meal providers will be allowed to distribute meals on City Hall's apron for one year; but he has so far committed to no funding, offered no indoor facilities, or articulated a vision for how the city will ensure that something better is going to replace a volunteer service many people clearly rely on.
Meanwhille, services for the homeless in general have been declining for years. The city has cut funding for case managment in shelters; several private meal programs have gone belly-up; and cuts in the state budget could mean a drastic cut to the city's already-threadbare shelter system.
Advocates like Golderer and Scullion hope that the city is ready to "step up" on these fronts — but they also appear prepared to fight back if he doesn't.
Meanwhile, the city's Board of Health will hold a hearing on its proposed regulation on outdoor food distribution at 5:30 tonight, Room 1450 of the Municipal Services Building. Various groups plan a pre-hearing food sharing and rally on the Parkway at 4:00.
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