There are two ways to look at Martin Luther King Housing Development Association's decision to step away from managing its emergency shelter.

In the short term, it's a scramble to find new management for the home of last resort for 117 men and women. Fortunately, the people who know the most about the homeless here are working out a plan to keep this vital resource running.

They will likely improve operations at a facility that has presented problems for neighbors and, even among homeless people, has a reputation as a rough spot.

In the long term, the association's decision opens the opportunity to rethink how and where the shelter operates.

Just before the association learned it would not get key grants for emergency housing, Pierce County released the results of its 2008 homeless survey, conducted Jan. 24 and 25. The survey tallied 1,743 people who met federal criteria for homelessness.

Break down that total, and you see how well the people of Pierce County have addressed the problem. Most of those counted are living in transitional housing. Those 1,012 people, most in families, account for 58 percent of those surveyed. Four hundred sixty-six people were staying in emergency shelters, including those run by the Martin Luther King Housing Development Association, Tacoma Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army.

Countywide, 265 people were not housed. As miserable as that last figure is, it is not insurmountable.

Transitional housing programs have studied what works and what doesn't. Instead of hiding or bewailing failures, they've learned from them.

They know a home alone does not cure homelessness, and have set up rules, resources and support staff to help residents achieve independence. They have accepted that some people will never be independent.

The Road Home initiatives have brought similar understanding and accountability to the struggle to get chronically homeless people safely settled with services. Of the 161 people who counted themselves among the chronic homeless in January, most admitted to substance abuse. Many had mental or physical disabilities and felonies on their record. Many were veterans.

The figures were similar for the 466 people housed in emergency shelters, including the Martin Luther King Housing Development Association building.

The opportunity here lies in the variety. Each disability, each history, has ties to funding.

Veterans are a case in point. Of the 466 people in emergency shelters, 92 told surveyors they were veterans. Presidential candidates have vowed to do better by those who have risked their lives in the military. Now is the time to brainstorm state of the art housing, with services, for them in a pilot project at American Lake.

Now is the time to work out how homeless mentally ill people might get back on track with social services and medical and psychiatric care in freestanding transitional housing. It would be kinder, safer and cheaper than keeping them stuck in a shuttle between hospital and shelters.

Now is the time to think about retooling, even relocating, the current Martin Luther King Housing Development Association shelter to better serve the people who call it home.

Tacoma Rescue Mission and Nativity House once operated in buildings that were not designed as dorms or drop-in centers The area around them was filthy and violent.

When the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center displaced them, they raised the money for new facilities designed to efficiently serve clients and eliminate loitering. They rethought security procedures and met with police and neighbors, and they addressed problems as they arose.

Once the immediate crisis has passed, the souls who rely on the Martin Luther King Housing Development Association shelter will benefit from equally safe and dignified housing.

Kathleen Merryman: 253-597-8677

kathleen.merryman@thenewstribune.com

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