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Lincoln, Abolition, and Next Practices
If you've seen the movie "Lincoln" (and I strongly recommend that you do!),
you understand why we chose to include "Abolish" in our name. The film offers
a view into the ending of another social wrong in our nation, just as our work with
The American Round Table to Abolish Homelessness focuses on ending the long misery of homelessness in our country.
Lincoln wrestled with members of his own party and those across the aisle in his adamancy to advance the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery. Some objected
to this "radical" idea; some were agnostic that the necessary support could be achieved; others were cynical about the intent of the President and the abolitionists.
Through moral agitation, high minded idealism, and political horse trading,
Lincoln and the abolitionists achieved their goal (no spoiler here for those who were awake in high school U.S. History!) and despite all the doubts and pessimism, slavery took its place in the dust-bin of our history in 1865.
Given that the first abolitionist society was founded in our country in the 1770's that work of abolitionism took three generations.
My abolitionist work began in Los Angeles more than three decades ago and lead to volunteering every day in the early 1980's on a breadline in Boston; leading a city's response in the mid and late 1980's; directing faith responses from the African American community in the late 1980's; helping to create and then leading a statewide advocacy group through the 1990's into the new decade; and then 7 years (2002-2009) heading the White House's Federal Interagency Council on Homelessness.
For the past three years, I have devoted myself to the American Round Table.
As with all that came before, from bread line to White House, there is but one goal, one mission, one intent - to abolish the human tragedy of homelessness
in our country.
We receive no government funding. Having no government contracts frees us to follow the research and to bring moral and political analysis unfettered by such dependency and conflict of interest.
As a non-profit we earn our resources through the rapid dissemination of the most effective practices that end homelessness for our poorest and most disabled neighbors.
Once a year we make an appeal to assist our work of abolition. This is it!
Your tax-deductible generosity this year will be invested in our "Next Practices" initiatives, detailed at the end of this letter. Your gift will support The Round Table's aggressive agenda to create the Next Practices in developing a career employment initiative, scaling supportive housing through the creativity of Social Impact Bond (SIB's) which harness private capital to our mission, discovering the balance between placing people in housing and offering a sense of belonging, and ensuring that every Next Practice is disseminated and made visible through ART-sponsored colloquies and direct personal contact.
Our intent is abolition. Our ancestors are the abolitionists, Lincoln among them.
There is nothing naïve about our quest. Housing, community, and employment are antidotes; private capital, an inducer of investment and results. Next Practices move us beyond business as usual to a future where the abolition of homelessness is a reality. As Lincoln admonished us: The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the present . . . . we must rise with the occasion to think anew and act anew.
Thank you for your support.
Yours in our abolitionist cause,
Philip F. Mangano
President and CEO
Next Practice initiatives that ART will support in 2013:
- Creation of an employment initiative that focuses on career trajectories, not day-labor deadends. This effort in a California community aligns mainstream Housing Authority, Workforce Investment Board, Probation, County, for profit, and non-profit resources to create licensed and credentialed career paths for homeless ex-offenders. Once up and operating, the Inland Empire Employment Initiative (IEEI) will be the
Next Practice for replication in employment strategies, moving beyond day jobs to lifelong careers and affirming consumer preference.
- Advancement of the Social Impact Bond (SIB) Next Practice. Now furthest along in Massachusetts, this idea is slowly germinating in states and counties. The attraction of private capital to scale what works in housing our homeless neighbors and fulfilling our abolitionist quest is the focus of SIB's, also known as Social Investment Financing/Pay for Performance. What government and private foundations cannot do, provide sufficient capital to match supported housing to the scale of need, is the theme of SIB's. The Round Table has been involved in the Massachusetts rollout as well as disseminating the practice to a number of public officials across the country. Much more education is needed to move SIB's from rhetoric to reality!
- Development of a new frame of "belonging" to understand our "success"
in housing homeless people. Identified by Aileen Getty as a "sense of belonging," The Round Table is working on a qualitative/quantitative approach that embraces security and community for our housed neighbors while making the cost effective argument for the approach. Clearly a Next Practice in evaluating the antidote to homelessness, housing, and what enhances that strategy for the consumer in the community.
- Organization of a "Next Practices" dissemination "retreat" to bring together the innovators and practitioners of our future approaches with those
who have a vision and appetite to implement in their own state, community, and agency. All of the above mentioned initiatives would be represented. The Round Table will partner with the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA), the winner of the first ever Social Impact Bond initiative targeted to homelessness. The State of Massachusetts awarded MHSA the contract a few months ago. This invaluable exposure to Next Practices is scheduled for 2013.
To invest in the work of The American Round Table,
visit our web site at www.abolitionistroundtable.com and make an on-line gift.
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