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The Politics of Homelessness or, The Road to Hell: why good intentions are not enough

The Politics of Homelessness or, The Road to Hell: why good intentions are not enough. Dr. Stephanie Witt Professor of Public Policy and Administration. Homelessness is a “wicked problem”. Some characteristics of wicked problems. There is no definitive formulation of a wicked problem

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The Politics of Homelessness or, The Road to Hell: why good intentions are not enough

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  1. The Politics of Homelessnessor, The Road to Hell: why good intentions are not enough Dr. Stephanie Witt Professor of Public Policy and Administration

  2. Homelessness is a “wicked problem”

  3. Some characteristics of wicked problems • There is no definitive formulation of a wicked problem • Wicked problems have no stopping rule • Solutions to wicked problems are not true-or-false, but good-or-bad • Every wicked problem can be considered to be a symptom of another problem Horst W.J. Rittel and Melvin M. Webber “Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning,” Policy Sciences (1973).

  4. Wicked problems require collaboration

  5. Collaboration=goat rodeo

  6. Goat Rodeo • A chaotic situation, often one that involves several people, each with a different agenda/vision/perception of what's going on; a situation that is very difficult, despite energy and efforts, to instill any sense or order into

  7. When collaborations fail • Services to clients are cut • Bad feelings result • Lawsuits are filed • Duplication of efforts • Confusion among clients and donors

  8. What makes collaborations work? • Governance: Who makes decisions? How are costs and benefits distributed? • Administration: clear roles and responsibilities, good communication • Autonomy of each participant protected • Mutuality of interests shared by participants • Trust and reciprocity: the participants trust each other

  9. Mission control

  10. Mission un-control • HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. • Boise Rescue Mission Ministries reaches out to the community by teaching the word of God and providing food, shelter, clothing, counseling, and education for the homeless and others in need • IDHW: to promote and protect the health and safety of Idahoans. 

  11. Accountability

  12. Accountability : what’s driving you?

  13. Timing is everything: fiscal years http://leadnet.org/blog/post/73_of_surveyed_churches_expect_to_meet_budget

  14. Time horizons

  15. Effective collaborators • Shift from command and control to cooperation and persuasion • Understand the factors driving the point of view of the other participants • Understand that collaboration will take more time than doing something on one’s own

  16. Stephanie Witt, Professor Email switt@boisestate.edu Thank You

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