By BJ Austin, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-934910.mp3
Dallas, TX – Thirty-three people living at the downtown Dallas homeless center are moving into their own apartments in Oak Cliff this month. KERA's BJ Austin says they expect a friendlier welcome than the first group to make the move to Cliff Manor three months ago.
Cliff Manor is a 12-story subsidized housing high rise on Fort Worth Avenue run by the Dallas Housing Authority. And it's 53 year old Marlene Blanton's first home in nearly five years.
Blanton: This is my apartment. They furnished it. This is the TV. Somebody gave me that for a donation. And the bedroom is in here. And, I done cooked up a storm since I've been here.
Marlene was among the first 17 Bridge clients to move into Cliff Manor. For more than a year, she lived at The Bridge - the campus-style downtown Dallas Homeless Assistance Center. It provides a roof, beds, food, medical care, and other services for the homeless. Before that, she was on the streets, here and in Atlanta - where she and her sister argued about Marlene's drug and alcohol abuse.
Marlene: I didn't want to live by the rules and regulations that my sister put down because she's younger than me. And that's how I ended up homeless.
Barely five-feet-four and on her own, Marlene began living in an abandoned building in Atlanta. After a while, she made her way to Dallas, got sober, and started a new life.
Marlene: A lot of people say it's hard, they can't get no help, but that's not true. But, you got to apply something, too.
Marlene: This is independent living skills. We just did a stress management class.
A non-profit called LifeNet provides on-site help for the new residents. Liam Mulvaney runs it.
McIlvaney: Moving into supportive housing is a wonderful thing, but scary. A big part of what our case managers work on is how to budget, manage a budget. Cliff Manor, although subsidized housing, requires each tenant to pay a portion of the rent. We look for jobs for the new clients. Help them learn how to interview, help get clothes for interviews, get food stamps or other services. Help them get attached to the resources that will allow them to be successful with independent living at Cliff Manor.
87 year old Mary Anne Scott says the new neighbors from The Bridge are fitting in nicely. Scott has lived at Cliff Manor for 28 years, and keeps an eye on things from her wheelchair positioned daily by the elevators in the lobby.
Scott: Oh yeah, they're real nice. All of them I met. They're real nice, just like the hometown people where I came from.
But, the arrival of Marlene and the others was not welcomed by some nearby residents and the City Councilman for Cliff Manor. They say the Cliff Manor plans blindsided them. Some objected to recovering drug abusers and stabilized mental patients living near an elementary school. And, they worried about increased crime and a drop in property values. The sadness in Marlene's eyes is unmistakable as she recalls an emotionally-charged town hall meeting she attended before her group moved in.
Marlene: I could understand some of the people, what they were saying. And I could understand our side. All homeless people are not bad. We've just been though things. We need another chance like everybody else. You can't judge a book by its cover. You have to meet that person.
Marlene says they are getting to know one another. Cliff Manor tenants, some Oak Cliff neighbors and church members, recently began a community garden on the hi-rise grounds. The neighbors who had been upset ultimately decided to invest in the new lives of the formerly homeless tenants. They formed The Good Neighbor Project, and are beginning plans for a non-profit coffee shop and bookstore on the first floor of Cliff Manor. The project's Randall White says it will break down barriers and provide part time jobs for some of the tenants, a good cup of coffee within walking distance for the neighbors.
Marlene: I thank God everyday for being here. I'm just happy.