Dear Editor:

Regarding your editorial comment in the July 23 edition about SD Pride: at what point do we actually get to contribute “suggestions” to SD Pride, the event that is supposed to be a reflection of our own community? Did you think maybe most of us simply want Pride to be great, so our “time wasted criticizing” actually comes from a commitment that SD Pride get better each year?

The truth is the parade line-up was absolute chaos (to put it lightly), SD Pride is nearly impossible to work with, and their “black list” of businesses who chose not to fly the rainbow flag during Pride week is completely inconsistent with the spirit of pride.

Basically you tell us, “SD Pride is doing the best they can, so get off their backs.” Then, you tell us “it was the 35th Pride Parade in San Diego.” Given 35 years of experience is under their belt, shouldn’t they have (at the very least) figured out the parade line-up by now?

Parades aside, your reprimanding anyone who dares to complain points to a much broader issue within our community; the San Diego LGBT community has a serious problem with accountability. In fact, we lack it entirely.

Your paper is just perpetuating a culture that we have all created; a culture where we protect people who make big mistakes. To illustrate my point, let’s address two of those big mistakes.

Big Mistake #1: Prop 8. We STILL have not heard anyone take responsibility for this unnecessary loss. In fact, we are already being approached by Equality California – the same organization that led the loss– for new money and support for a signature campaign. No thanks. I gave over 15% of my salary in 2008 to No on 8 and watched it go to waste on a campaign that Geoff Kors, et al practically flushed down the toilet.

Big Mistake #2: The Center’s $100,000+ “clerical error.” What happened when the Center forgot an annual filing for a grant it has been receiving for years? No one really knows. Instead of demanding accountability, your paper asserted we were somehow unsupportive and unnecessarily negative if we complained or even questioned the Center’s leadership. Then you asked us, once again to “pull together” and give more money to compensate for the “mistakenly” lost grant. As far as I know, no one was ever held accountable.

This “Now is the time to pick up and pull together, so stop being critical” rhetoric is getting old. The LGBT community is not a social club and none of this is personal.

We all stand for something important and something that really matters – equality. Therefore, our leaders must hold themselves (and each other) responsible, even though it may be uncomfortable at times. Until we – as a community – start operating with integrity and holding each other to account, we will continue to be defeated.

Perhaps a new culture of accountability could start with something basic, like an efficient Pride parade line-up.

Arlon Staggs

Dear Editor:

I read the posting in “Conversations With Nicole” titled “Center’s Youth Housing Project must change,” with great interest. More than seven years ago, I was the chair of The Center’s board of directors when the board and the staff first began the work to research and develop our Sunburst Youth Housing Project. We were fortunate, and continue to be fortunate, that one of the nation’s leading housing experts (who works for the Corporation for Supportive Housing) sit on our board and we have had the benefit of scores of other experts from around the country.

After a long journey, I came to the conclusion that for many homeless young people in need, we can’t expect them to be clean and sober and then be eligible to leave a life on the street, we have to help them leave a life on the street first.

It will come as no surprise to some that, being a fan of both the facility and many of the tenants I have met, I respectfully disagree with many of the assertions in Nicole’s column.

I have visited the facility and I have spoken to many residents, and to characterize this apartment building as “almost a drug house” is just not fair to anyone living there. Drug use is clearly a violation of the rules, and those using drugs on the premises are unable to stay in the facility.

If anyone knows of any instances that should be investigated, we need to know. Anytime you have young people in an independent living situation you have issues, some minor, and easily overcome, some not as easily overcome.

Had we put this particular young person back on the street, it doesn’t mean there wouldn’t have been a death, it means his body might have been found in the park, or not at all. That should be unacceptable to all of us.

In 3 1/2 years, we have taken more than 30 young people off the streets.

Many of them have moved on to permanent living situations, full time employment and even college. This is evidence that the supportive housing model is effective .

Many of us are lucky, and will never understand what some of these tenants have been through. It is going to take years to undo the damage many of them young people have suffered – rejection from families, physical and/or emotional abuse, substance abuse, chronic homelessness. They deserve more than one chance. Our board and staff has a commitment to continue to work with them – I hope our community will extend the same patience and understanding as they work to overcome experiences that are, thankfully, unimaginable to most of us.

Kevin Tilden

Dear Editor:

I read Nicole’s column last week about the Sunburst Housing Facility. I work for the Corporation for Supportive Housing, a national non-profit organization that assists organizations and communities to create affordable housing with services to prevent and end homelessness. I also serve on the Center’s Board. I read the GLT online this week, as I was participating and presenting at the National Conference on Ending Homelessness.

I have dedicated my career to finding effective strategies for addressing the housing and supportive services needs of persons with special needs, including persons affected by disabilities and substance abuse. I know there is room for dialogue – and thoughtful disagreements – regarding how communities can best address challenges. But I also know what experts across the country agree are the best practices.

Sunburst’s model of supportive housing has been demonstrated to be a best practice for housing and services needs, and ending homelessness, for the most vulnerable members of our communities. Sunburst’s approach provides tenants with opportunities to find stability, to access services, to develop new skills, and to make better choices – and also to make mistakes without suffering the devastating consequences of returning to homelessness. But Sunburst’s approach also creates responsibilities for these young adults. Tenants have a lease and other rules with which they must comply. It is an apartment complex, not a group home for juveniles. Tenants are trusted with independence, but also held accountable to responsibilities.

I have visited Sunburst many times and I have never seen anything but professional conduct on the part of the onsite manager, and good behavior on the part of the tenants. Like any living situation with young people, there have been issues, including noise, unauthorized guests, and arguments among tenants. If there are specific examples of either tenants’ not obeying rules, or the onsite manager not enforcing them, we need to know about these incidences to enable us to launch either an internal or external investigation. The measure of success is not whether these problems occur, but how effectively they are addressed. We measure the number seeking case management, the number seeking employment, the number seeking education, and those actively engaged in each of those areas. By all of these measures, I know the San Diego community can take pride in Sunburst.

The death of a young man is devastating. I know the difficult challenges and dangers that the youth at Sunburst are confronted with - and I wish that there were always easy choices that we could make that would protect them from every risk they face. Unfortunately, there aren’t. I know, however, that we have implemented the housing and services approach that will give these young people their best chance for experiencing safety and independent adult lives.

In closing, I wish to thank all who have been so supportive of the Sunburst through both the good times and the challenging times; please know that your support is making an enormous difference in the lives of many.

Matthew Doherty

Dear Editor:

I was sorry to see Nicole’s recent critique of the Sunburst Housing Project and The Center. I am not a psychologist, social scientist, or housing expert; neither is Nicole, although I respect his life experience and his intelligence even when I think he gets it wrong – as he has in this case, no matter how noble his motives may be.

Since I am not an expert I will offer my perspective as a formerly homeless teen, foster child, high school dropout, with an incurable and ultimately fatal strain of Hepatitis C incurred during my wayward youth. I was able to turn my life around because a family took me in, gave me shelter and guidance, and allowed me to have my privacy in a supportive environment. If I had been required to submit to drug testing, or not had privacy, I would have not stayed there. I would have probably died decades ago, sick and alone, on the street. The way the Boschke family gave me dignity and support worked for me; this is similar to the model Sunburst seeks to follow in larger scale for 23 young people at a time. This doesn’t mean every young person there is on drugs, or formerly lived on the streets, it means if you’ve been to the school of hard knocks, there is still someone who cares about you.

I also speak as one who has repeatedly been at Sunburst, dined there with a group of our tenants, and swapped life stories with them. Only incidentally does my experience as the former chair of the Center board of directors inform my view.

Experts in what works and what does not work to help homeless youth succeed have advised the creation and management of the Sunburst apartments at every stage. I defer to those who actually understand proven results through long term longitudinal studies. Thus far, our successes far outweigh our failures.

Those of us who have worked to build and maintain the Sunburst Housing Project mourn the loss of the young man who apparently died from drug abuse. As landlords, The Center has no more control on what someone does in the privacy of their apartment than did the resort manager where our community’s dear friend and brother, John McCusker, died; or the hotel manager where Heath Ledger died; or the landlord of Michael Jackson’s rented home in L.A. We have rules, we enforce those rules, but we can only do so much.

Like all landlords, Sunburst will not tolerate drug use or dealing, violence, or disturbing the peace or safety of other tenants. When any such actions come to the attention of our residential manager, The Center takes swift and thorough action to eliminate any such threat to the peace or safety to others.

If Nicole or anyone else has specific knowledge of violations of the law, I urge that you contact Dr. Jacobs with actual names and facts so the police can investigate as appropriate. Vague rumors and innuendo are no basis for action.

Bob Nelson