20. What is a Shallow Subsidy program?

Please review this week's summary for spotify and youtube: On this week’s episode of the HOME Team Podcast, Carl Falconer and Danny Arroyo break down the concept of shallow subsidies: modest, flexible financial support designed to help people stay housed without fully covering their rent.

They explain how shallow subsidies work, who they’re best suited for, and why even a small monthly buffer can reduce housing instability, lower stress, and help households move forward.

In Offense vs. Defense, they tackle a timely question:
Should more funding go directly to people instead of through agencies?
The discussion explores autonomy and dignity, efficiency, benefit cliffs, public perception, and why cash alone cannot solve structural housing shortages.

The episode also features:
• A local housing success headline from Orange County, Florida
• An NFL Player of the Week spotlight on Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Solomon Thomas for his mental health advocacy
• An MVP story highlighting faith-based community outreach in Allentown, PA
• A fumble of the week examining funding cuts to supportive housing in Cleveland, OH

Key takeaway: If money is central to independence, everyone deserves the opportunity—and trust—to decide how to use it.

Email questions: ⁠⁠⁠questions@pathlighthome.org⁠⁠⁠

Support, volunteer, or tour: PathlightHOME.org

Produced by Gigi Ramirez and Jay Falconer.

Music and Sound Design by Kwon

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:04

Welcome to the Home Team Podcast. I'm Carl Falconer and I'm Danny Arroyo, and we're tackling homelessness.

SPEAKER_02 0:21

Today in our podcast, we will discuss two of our passions, football and ending homelessness. Please join us through four quarters with our topic this week being what is shallow subsidy. So how was the weekend?

SPEAKER_06 0:34

It was good. A lot of football. So that was good. That was very good. Um yeah. So uh it started, I guess, actually last Thursday with the college football playoffs. So that's going on. Uh congratulations to the U, the Hurricanes and Indiana Hoosiers, who are now in the final coming up, I guess, next Monday. I guess it'll be. Okay. So uh yeah, so I watched that, then went right into the NFL and uh, you know, tried to do some work this weekend. Um trying to research a little about the uh pit count coming up, the point in time count. Um I went out and drove some of the zones. Oh, good. Yeah, because I'm not as familiar with those zones, so I'm trying to become seminal familiar. Yeah. Oh, okay. Yeah, so I'm trying to trying to get familiar with the area, you know.

SPEAKER_02 1:24

My zone's near where I live.

SPEAKER_03 1:25

So it is they zoned me in a Pavka. Yeah. Oh, sweet. I know, but I was like, can I can I just go home and leave the volunteer?

SPEAKER_04 1:31

There you go. There you go. Very good. So yeah, it's it's out there. I saw it on the how about you? How was your weekend?

SPEAKER_02 1:36

Uh went to see a show at Dr. Phillips, um, which was fantastic. Great show. It was called And Juliet. Um, really, really good.

SPEAKER_06 1:43

Yeah, no, you came back raving about it.

SPEAKER_02 1:45

Fantastic, yeah. Joey Fatone from InSync is in there for those that are older than the show. Okay. Um, and then we went car shopping for my daughter and that's right.

SPEAKER_06 1:54

You ended up with a new ride. And then I ended up I ended up getting one as well. So I was wondering who was parking in your parking lot. You know, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:00

So yes, it was a busy, busy weekend, and then try to catch some football here and that caught some of it uh uh Friday, Saturday night when I was waiting to see the show that kind of texts you about it.

SPEAKER_03 2:10

Right.

SPEAKER_02 2:11

Um and caught a little bit on Sunday, but yeah, doing housework and stuff, so you know, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 2:16

Did you happen to see those bears?

SPEAKER_02 2:17

Uh no, I my my channel doesn't change to that. Oh, it doesn't um change to that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:24

I didn't even know they were playing. Yeah. All right, fair enough. Yeah, we'll get to that. We'll get to that. We'll get to that. We'll get to that.

SPEAKER_06 2:30

Affiliate Danny, don't worry. You don't ever have to worry about bears up there. I know you'll film me. I got you covered, man. Yes, yes, yes. All right. All right. Well, uh, as always, we will start with our coin flip. Um, Danny, go ahead and call it in the air.

SPEAKER_02 2:43

Uh Tails.

SPEAKER_06 2:46

It is head, so I will start us off. Yes, sir. Uh welcome to our first quarter. I'm going to kick off by defining our topic of the week, and then we'll cover some news headlines and announce the results from last week's home team locks of the week. All right, so uh as Danny said, our topic this week is shallow subsidy. A shallow subsidy is a form of housing assistance that provides a small, fixed amount of financial support to help households afford rent without fully covering the gap between their income and the total housing cost. Unlike deep subsidies, which adjust based on the income and can pay most of the rent, a shallow subsidy offers partial assistance that reduces but does not eliminate a household's housing cost burden. It is typically designed to make housing more affordable for low to moderate income households who are struggling with rent but do not require long-term or full rental assistance. Shallow subsidies are often used to prevent housing instability, reduce the risk of homelessness, and support short-term financial resilience by helping households remain in or access modestly priced housing. There we go. So we haven't done this yet, Danny. Um I'm a little more familiar with this. I've seen it a couple of places. Um I have I've never really run a shallow subsidy program. I don't think anyway, hold on. I'm thinking back on my career. Um, but no, I don't think we've actually run a shallow subsidy program. Um we do have, I guess, some form of shallow subsidy here because we give a subsidy for rent to make the rent even lower for everybody that comes in, but that's not the same thing. Um, this is a different type of program. So this is more of uh for those of you who are familiar with some politics or some finances, this is more like a universal basic income type of thing where you basically just give a check to, you know, uh a client who is low income usually, sometimes struggling with, you know, uh housing instability or paying their rent or paying their bills or whatever the case is. So you give them this subsidy for a certain amount of time. Usually it's a pretty decent amount of time, about two years is what I've seen from most of them. But it's usually a small amount, and it's just it's meant to help them sustain themselves in housing while they increase their income or they increase their situation. So uh give you an example. So, you know, you've got a single mother who's who's working two jobs, you know, has a couple of kids, and she's trying to make it, right? And of course the rent is really high or whatever the case is, so she's barely making it from month to month. You give her, let's say, $300 a month, right? It doesn't seem like a whole lot, it doesn't pay her whole rent. But that little $300 extra that she gets each month can make a difference in different things that she can do, and being able to help her move to the next level. So she might be able to take a college class that might get her a higher paying job, or she might be able to, you know, afford daycare, which might be a lot which might allow her to work some overtime hours.

SPEAKER_02 6:22

So the subsidy is not you're giving again, I don't have a lot of experience with it, but shower subsidy, you give the person the check. Yes, they can use it as however they want. So it's so they're not putting it to rent unless they want to.

SPEAKER_06 6:34

Unless they want to. Oh, yeah. That's exactly right. Oh, yeah. No, that's pretty good. It's absolutely the way it works is they get this amount. Now, usually it's put in like their bank account, right? Right. Something like that. It's not cash.

SPEAKER_05 6:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 6:46

But um, but yeah, it goes right into their bank account, they can count on it, and then they use it however they need to use it. And it allows that flexibility, which is one of the real strengths of this, I think, is it really empowers people to make to help them make better decisions about their spending. Because, you know, we talked about this before. When rents go up and income doesn't go up, people have to start making hard choices about whether they're gonna buy their medications, whether they're gonna buy food this week, or day care, like you said, you know, daycare, or you know, maybe get a car fixed, or whatever it is, whatever that flexible thing is.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

So I guess getting that money will you'll have to set criteria of what who can who can get it, you know, what's the okay.

SPEAKER_06 7:31

Yeah, and that's usually the biggest that's usually the biggest issue with uh shallow subsidy is who gets it. Right. You know, and trying to predict, because again, we go back to it's kind of like prevention, right? Is it's trying to predict. Instead, it's it's almost exactly like prevention, except it's not one time. Right. It's it's a long term, it's long term, which and the idea again is to help people over a long stretch so that they get to a higher level of income or get to a better place, and then they don't need it any longer.

SPEAKER_02 8:01

And again, if they're getting case managed, they can start helping the case managers start helping them budget themselves better and getting no shallow subsidy doesn't come with case management, that's the other part of it, usually anyway.

SPEAKER_06 8:12

Not that not that most shallow subsidy programs don't have something available, people can you know check in or whatever. Yeah, but it's not a case management, it's not a service type of thing. It's literally just giving them dollars. Interesting, and again, which is why you have to pick a very specific group of people to be able to get the dollars. So we'll talk more about it.

SPEAKER_02 8:31

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And we've talked about hopefully doing it here too. So yeah, absolutely. All right, so now let's take a look uh at some of the headlines from the homeless world. So in Orange County, Florida, right where we are, Orange County leaders have approved new funding to expand temporary housing at the Samaritan Resource Homeless Services Drop-in center. We know them very well.

SPEAKER_07 8:51

Yes, we do.

SPEAKER_02 8:51

Allowing more families in crisis to accept short-term shelter and support. So, what you need to know. Orange County approved $335,500 to expand temporary housing at the Homeless Services Drop-in center. Funding opens all 30 units, increasing capacity to help up to 100 families each year. The total contract with the Samaritan Resource Center now stands at $1.45 million. Families receive short-term housing and wraparound services to prevent a return to homelessness. According to the center's executive director, the program focuses on stabilizing families quickly and helping them move into permanent housing. The goal is to house families who are out on the street who are experiencing homelessness, says Zaynette Portway, executive director of the Samaritan Resource Center. We put them in a hotel, work with them on either increasing their income or help them get a job, and then within 12 to 16 weeks, we help them get into a place and move into their own apartment and sign their own lease. Anna Garcia says that she and her children became homeless two months ago and had nowhere else to go. She says the center stepped it quickly, providing housing, child care support, and essential resources. They've been providing us with literally anything I asked for, Garcia said. Just having her be in a safe, warm spot has been a blessing. Leaders at the Samurai and Resource Center says that expanding funding allows them to continue offering short-term housing paired with wraparound services such as case management, employment assistance, mental health support, and access to food and basic supplies, all aimed at helping families achieve long-term stability.

SPEAKER_06 10:29

That's a good one. That's a good uh good article. And we know Zaynap Z very well. Yep, she's fantastic. And the work that they do at Samaritan Resource Center is really great. The thing I really love about this headline is that again, they talk about the housing, is it's all focused on getting them moved into long-term housing. And I have to say, you know, to Z's credit, the Samaritan Resources come a long way in that uh in that regard. You know, they used to be just a regular drop-in center, and then they've expanded their services and they really started focusing on that housing and making sure people get into housing rather than just giving them, you know, just regular services, regular day services and launches and stuff. Yeah. No, that's fantastic. Yeah, that's pretty cool. Good for them. Absolutely. Good for them. Really good, really good article, and I'm glad to see that.

SPEAKER_02 11:23

All right, and let's see how our bears did this week.

SPEAKER_03 11:29

So you've already given up on the category. I changed it. I changed it. Okay. So let's it's it's all about you today. All right. Let's see how the bears did this week.

SPEAKER_06 11:36

Yes, absolutely. So uh as you may know, Danny, the Bears are in the playoffs. I heard. Uh, they're doing very well uh this last week. We hosted the Green Bay Packers in Chicago, and we came away with the victory. Very good. Um you probably needed to censor that first half for me. It was 21-3 Green Bay going into the half.

SPEAKER_04 11:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 11:58

So uh was not exactly happy with that.

SPEAKER_04 12:01

I thought there wasn't gonna be a podcast today.

SPEAKER_06 12:03

I was texting with my brother and my best friend, and yeah, I had some unpleasant things to say. Let's just say that at one at one point, Danny, the the Packers ran the same exact play on us to score the second touchdown. Wow. And I was like, as they did the first touchdown. I'm like, are we not even watching the game or what's the deal here? That's insane. Oh, it was yeah. Anyway, I was a little upset. But then they turned it around. The defense came to play, especially.

SPEAKER_02 12:33

They scored 25 in the fourth quarter. That is fantastic.

SPEAKER_06 12:36

But the defense really held them in the second half. I mean, they they came back and just yeah, just dominated, which is great. Very good. Fantastic. Couldn't happen, couldn't happen to a nicer team either. The Packers. They get to live another week. Next week, Danny, I play against uh we play at home again because we're the number two seed. Right, so you have one of the good events. Exactly. We get to play against the Los Angeles Rams, who uh beat Carolina Panthers the first week.

SPEAKER_02 13:04

That's the game I was seeing.

SPEAKER_06 13:05

Uh so uh they're gonna be tough. They got a really good offense and and some pretty good defense. So it's gonna be tough, but we're gonna have to go. And and this puts me in kind of a quandary because I picked the Rams to go to the Super Bowl at the beginning of the year, but now I kind of want the Bears to go to the Super Bowl, you know?

SPEAKER_04 13:24

So we'll we'll see how it's I think the Bears is more important than the Super Bowl prediction, I think. That's probably true. My prediction's gone. So Ravens are gone, Philly's gone.

SPEAKER_06 13:34

Both of them got knocked out. Mine's both still alive.

SPEAKER_04 13:37

Yeah, my season is officially over. There you go, exactly.

SPEAKER_06 13:40

So all right, well, that wraps up the first quarter. We will be back after this break.

SPEAKER_02 13:48

Hello, I'm Daniel Arroyo, Vice President of Programs at Pathlight Home. If you're new to our mission, welcome. We're dedicated to changing the lives of those experiencing homelessness since hardship through housing, support services, and career training. What began as one dream for a compassionate solution to homelessness has become a reality. Since our funding, we've provided housing for more than 8,000 people, offering shelter, opportunity, and hope. This month, as we honor National Homeless Awareness Month, we are also kicking off our end of year campaign, a time to come together and gift back. Every contribution, whether monetary or in kind, directly supports our residents and the community we serve. No gift is too small to make a difference. As we celebrate our journey from dream to reality, thank you for being part of this mission. Together we can make the dream of ending homelessness a reality in our community. This is the second quarter. We are getting a little deeper into homelessness topic with something we call offense versus defense. We will each take turns discussing some opposing viewpoints of our topic this week. The question we asked this week is should more funding be going directly to particip participants and not through agencies? Please remember that we are trying to show both sides of the issue. These do not necessarily reflect our individual stances on these positions. So call you have offense this week.

SPEAKER_06 15:18

I do. Um and before we get into offense, I just want to say that this is I think one of the more controversial things. Um but I've but I've heard people say this before that uh they're not so sure with the amount of money that we're spending in the homeless response system that we shouldn't just pay people, just give people the money and let them do what they need to do. So that's kind of the question we're trying to talk about um this week. Anyway, on offense, so I say yes. Uh should more funding be going directly to participants and not through agencies? I say yes. And here are some of the reasons why I would uh argue that. Autonomy and dignity. Participants can prioritize their own needs and make their own choices about how to best use the funds, which helps restore a sense of control and self-worth often lost during homelessness. Next, efficiency. Direct cash transfers bypass the administrative costs associated with in-kind aid, like transporting and storing goods, different things like that, and making the aid delivery more efficient and immediate. Next, improved outcomes. Studies have shown positive effects on housing stability, physical and mental health, reduced anxiety and stress, as an example, and improved engagement with services when combined with support. Next, economic stimulus. Money injected directly into the community is spent locally supporting local businesses and services. And finally, smart spending. Evidence from various programs shows recipients primarily spend funds on necessities like food, housing, and transportation, not the what they call the temptation goods like drugs or alcohol countering the public mistrust.

SPEAKER_02 17:11

All right, I have the defense. Uh so first, benefit eclips. Receiving cash assistance can sometimes make recipients ineligible for other existing means tested government benefits such as SNAP, uh reducing the overall impact of the aid. Next, public perception. There can be significant public mistrust in individuals experiencing homelessness, ability to manage money, which can be a barrier to political and community support for such programs. Uh next, implementation barriers. Challenges exist in effectively enrolling participants, maintaining contact for follow-ups, and managing data collection, which can lead to high participant attrition in studies. Uh, insufficient funds in high cost areas, particularly for housing, the amount of cash transferred may not be enough on its own to solve structural issues like securing permanent housing, requiring requiring combination uh with other supports. And last, structural issues. Cash alone cannot fix systematic problems like a lack of affordable housing, poor public services, or a criminal record which require broader policy solutions. So I think with yours, the uh the the first one, the autonomy and dignity. I think that's a big one. I I worked somewhere where um they had to uh the clients had to open a bank account and a savings account, yeah, but then it was controlled and managed. Right. And you had to ask permission to take some money out, which is like this is I'm working for this. Yeah, they're not gonna be able to do that just so that's solved the problem. Exactly. So it's like you're asking for money that's yours, right? You know, like exactly like you're a child asking for uh, you know, uh what you call it? So that just doesn't work. Yeah. Um the I think the improved outcomes, again, I think that uh again the mental health will reduce anxiety and stress because yeah, they have their money that they can work with and budget themselves. And the last one, which is fantastic, is we know that if you have money, you're gonna spend it on food and housing and transportation to get to work and you know, but again, it's that kind of perception that I mentioned in my that's right where people think, oh, you're gonna just use drugs and you're just gonna buy alcohol with it.

SPEAKER_06 19:15

And well, and that's the thing is that if they do, in fact, use it for drugs or alcohol or something else, something it it shows them and psychologically what I've seen is it has an effect on people who then realize I really do have a problem here and I need to get some help for this, and I need to I need to go to a substance abuse recovery program or I need to go get some help for these things because this obviously is a problem. I got more money and I'm ending up with less money at the end of the month.

SPEAKER_02 19:46

Right, exactly.

SPEAKER_06 19:47

That's not the way it should work. But in most cases, like you said, people realize where their deficits are and they realize where they would like to have a little bit more money to be able to spend. But and and so it's those it's those things like food, housing, and transportation that they really want to be able to talk about.

SPEAKER_04 20:06

Definitely.

SPEAKER_06 20:06

Um, in terms of your things, I agree with the first one in particular, benefit cliffs. You're right. Um, if you sometimes with shallow subsidy, that's where they run into some of the problems. If you give them extra income, then it takes away from other sources of income. And that's not the idea with the with the with the uh uh what do you call it with shallow subsidy? The idea is you add to their income, not you take away. So if I give you three hundred dollars, but then I take away two hundred dollars worth of your food stamps, that doesn't solve the problem. Then it's only a net gain of a hundred dollars, and that's not as much as it needs to be. So uh public perception, I think, is one of the really big things. And the reality is is that if you if you talk to people and they say, Oh, well, we shouldn't, you know, give people money for this, that, the other thing, then you say, Well, what about us? What about what about people who are not in these situations? We get free money too. We just don't think about it. But if you think about it, things like um tax breaks that we get. So if you own a house, you get an extra tax break. Yep. If you have a child, you get extra tax breaks. If you um there's all kinds of reasons why people can get tax breaks and get incentives for things that they get. Heck a bonus at at a job is is extra money that you may or may not have earned. It may have just come from the entire company you know, doing the work that they need to do. So any of these kinds of things, uh, people don't understand that these things actually, you know, count as kind of a shallow subsidy or free money that they get. And anytime they get free money, look, gifts that you get from people or whatever the case is, it's your birthday, and you get a whole bunch of money coming in. Do you think we should manage your? Money. You know, because you know, so I'm gonna give you a hundred dollars for your birthday, but I'm gonna tell you you can only spend it on this exact thing or that exact thing.

SPEAKER_02 22:10

It's something you said a while ago. I think that we were talking about outreach and giving uh kind of pen handling and giving money to people. That's right, yeah. It's if you give it, but you're coming with conditions on it, then don't give it. Then don't give it. That's exactly right. But if you're gonna give it to them and say, here, use it on whatever it is, and then once you're done, that's it. That's right. It's none of us what they spend it on. No, it isn't this is similar to that. That's exactly right. If giving you 300 bucks, use it however you want to use it.

SPEAKER_06 22:33

That is exactly right. And and again, I I do agree on your side with the structural issues and the insufficient funds, because you know, generally, no matter how much you give somebody, there's gonna be some gap there. But the reality is that people who are low income have shown time and time again their ability not only to survive on a low income, but to be able to make it work. And so if you give them just a little extra and they can use it the same way that they've been using their less than, well, then the reality is that they're gonna make this really work. So they'll turn $300 into $600 worth of whatever it is that they're trying to get because they know how to do that.

SPEAKER_02 23:16

Right, exactly.

SPEAKER_06 23:16

You know, we we think that people are poor, that people who are low income are poor money managers. They are the best money managers. Why? They have to be they have to make things stretch, they have to make things stretch. They know how much, you know, oh, you can get five ramen noodles for a dollar. Or you can get mac and cheese for you know a dollar a box or buy one, get one, or whatever the case. They know these tricks about stretching money. So to give them a little extra for a shallow subsidy really makes really makes sense. So uh, you know, back to our our main question. Should more funding be going directly to participants and not through agencies, you know, there's there's this battle that goes on. We at agencies really try to keep our costs low, right? We really try and keep our administrative costs down. And you know, we talked about that um in in some of this, is the administrative costs that go along with this. Is you know, it's a reason why you might want to give people directly money because again, we go back to panhandling, you know, panhandling, and I said this is kind of a joke, but it's the reality is there's no administrative fees, there's no taxes they have to pay, there's nothing that $100 given to a panhandler is one hundred dollars that they get to spend. It's the same thing with the shallow subsidy as opposed to going through an agency. So even if you donate money to us, there is a portion we have to take for administrating those dollars. I mean, it's just a fact of life. We have to, there's a little bit. Now we try and take as little as as absolute possible because we really want to pass it through to the people that are there. But the reality is that a shallow subsidy is the only way that they can get 100% of those pro proceeds. It's exactly there for them.

SPEAKER_02 25:04

Yeah, exactly. All right, so pathlize position. Uh, we believe that shallow subsidy programs can work because they empower people to make their own decisions and help them prioritize their own recovery. The key is to make sure that there is a process for determining who really needs the hand up.

SPEAKER_06 25:19

Yeah, and that's what it comes down to is that whole who gets it. Who gets it, yeah, and and how do they get it. And you know, you've got to work out all those details ahead of time. Right. And like I said, I uh the programs that I've seen that can really work, they really, really dig down onto what are the factors that will that that we need to do, we need to use to choose the people.

SPEAKER_07 25:44

Right.

SPEAKER_06 25:44

Is that's really what it comes down to. And you know, things like you know, has someone been homeless previously? Has someone, you know, is someone receiving some other kind of benefit, you know, any of these kind of barriers that they have, those are factors that should go into who gets into these types of programs. Absolutely. All right, well, we've made it to the halfway point, and during halftime, we want to take a moment for fan interaction and highlight an inspired quote related to housing and homelessness.

SPEAKER_02 26:14

All right. So now let's take a moment to hear from our listeners. So, Carl, the first question is from Henry. If we just give people free money, won't they just sit around and not work?

SPEAKER_06 26:25

Oh, this is a good question. Right. Uh I mean, this is something that we hear from people, right? If you give people free money, uh again, I'll go back to I guess it was Andrew Yang uh was running for president, uh political candidate. Yep, and he had the idea about universal basic income, which is basically where everybody gets a certain amount of money each month. They just get a check each month, and you know, you don't have to worry about it. But it the idea was also then you cut back on the on the welfare programs, right? Is that you just give everybody a certain amount of money each month and you let them decide where they want to use or how they want to use it. Yes and no, and again, this is where the shallow subsidy program comes in, is if you target it the right way and you and you set up your program the right way, then you will not give free money to people who would sit around and not work. I'm sure there are probably people who would sit around and not do anything. Yeah. If they knew they could get their bills paid. The second thing with shallow subsidy, and again, we're talking about giving people free money. The reality is shallow subsidy never makes up the whole difference, and that's one of the reasons why is because you don't want people, I you don't want to say, okay, I'm gonna give you, you know, five thousand dollars a month to be able to live on. That's not what a shallow subsidy program is. Shallow subsidy program might be three hundred dollars a month.

SPEAKER_01 27:55

Right.

SPEAKER_06 27:55

Well, nobody can live on three hundred dollars a month, it's just an extra thing for people who are already working or people who are already making it and surviving on a lower income base.

SPEAKER_02 28:09

It's giving you that little extra to not have to stress every month of you being short $300 because you know that $300 is coming in, and like you said earlier, you can use it on whatever you want, but you have that buffer to kind of mess with and do something with it.

SPEAKER_06 28:22

And that's exactly what it is. It's a buffer or an extra or you know, a cushion, however you want to think about it. Um, and and so I I think the reality is that yes, there are probably some people who would sit around if they got all of their all of their costs taken care of. But let me tell you, there are plenty of people who are rich who sit around and don't work when they've put money into an investment or something, and it's just making money for them and they don't do anything after that. There's plenty of people like that too on the other side. So, you know, I think it's human nature that you know some people certainly would slack off, but I don't think most people would.

SPEAKER_02 29:01

All right. All right, the next question comes from Tina. Uh, with all the cuts to subsidy programs to low-income people nowadays, do you ever think we will be able to give money directly to people in the future?

SPEAKER_06 29:14

Whoo, that's a good one. Um, this one speaks, I think, more to the political climate that we're in currently, is that we're really uh, at least you know, at the federal level, uh and in some state levels too, they're really trying to move away from those subsidy type programs. And the further we move away from those types of programs, the less likely it is things like shallow subsidy program will be available to people because they don't see the value in it. Uh but again, you know, we've talked about this, Danny. Unfortunately, politicians, most politicians haven't had to go through these subsidy programs. And because they haven't struggled, because they haven't, you know, you know, had time where they were low income or they had to get by month to month, a lot of them are making decisions about things they don't know about and they think in their mind that it's one way when in reality it's a completely different way. So I I think as long as we still have people who understand what people how people are struggling and how they're going through, then we have a chance to be able to continue to do things like the shallow subsidy program or things like that. But the further we get away from that and the more people we get into positions of power that have no idea what this is like to be able to struggle from day to day, well then we're gonna get further and further away from people.

SPEAKER_02 30:40

It's their they're out of they're out of touch and they they they don't understand the person living in that situation, what they're going through. They're just seeing it from a different view, and then to try to change their mind is nearly impossible. Oh, yeah, absolutely. Once they have their mindset, that's it.

SPEAKER_06 30:54

Yeah, absolutely. All right. Well, it's time to get inspired by our quote of the week. Um, this comes from the author Bradley Vinson, who said, Money is only a tool, it will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver. I think that's a good one. And I think with shallow subsidy, I think that's that's really the point. You know, we've talked about that is the empowerment, is the is the the ability to be able to give people that free will to be able to do things on their own. I think that's the whole point of this. Is yeah, money is great and it's wonderful, but it's not gonna replace who spends it or how they spend it. Right. I mean, you're always gonna have to take control of your money. You know, you can be foolish with it or you can be, you know, practical with it.

SPEAKER_02 31:47

Yeah, it's however you want to spend those dollars on, but you know, at least you know it's coming and you can figure out what you want to do with it. But are you gonna are you gonna use it wisely or are you gonna stay stuck where you're at?

SPEAKER_06 31:58

That's exactly right.

SPEAKER_02 31:59

Um, so yeah. Again, you said it depends on the person, yeah, and where they're at and what they're trying to do.

SPEAKER_06 32:04

And you know, so absolutely, which is why it's so important again to go back to you know the shallow subsidy program is really to determine who those people are that are really gonna make the best use of the dollars. Exactly. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 32:18

All right, and that concludes our halftime. Please stay with us after this short message.

SPEAKER_00 32:25

Hello, I'm Gigi Ramirez, the Senior Director of Fundraising and Engagement here at Pathlight Home. For over 30 years, we've helped more than 8,000 people transition from homelessness to hope. But when someone moves from the streets to their own home, they often have nothing. That's why we provide immediate essentials, everything from bedding and food to soap and cookware to help them truly feel at home. Beyond housing, PathLite offers career training and supportive services, like our 12-week culinary program, helping residents gain skills, find jobs, and rebuild independence. You can be part of the story, volunteer your time, donate essential goods, or become a monthly Pathlight hero, ensuring every neighbor has a chance to thrive. Visit pathlighthome.org to donate today.

SPEAKER_06 33:38

All right, so I'll start it off with our NFL player of the week. Our NFL player of the week this week is Solomon Thomas, a defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys. He is heavily involved in giving back, primarily through his foundation. The defensive line, TDL, which focuses on mental health and suicide prevention after his sister's death. He leads initiatives like youth camps promoting mental wellness, donates to mental health services, partners with organizations for food insecurity, and inspires teammates to get involved in community work, earning him the NFL Player Association MVP honors. Key initiatives and contributions that go along with this. The TDL, the defensive line, his foundation, co-founded with his parents. TDL educates adults on youth suicide, increases mental health conversation skills, and creates safe spaces for teens, particularly youth of color. Community MVP, recognized by the NFL Players Association for his leadership and mental health advocacy, including a $10,000 donation to the Dallas School System mental health services. He hosts free youth camps focusing on football skills and mental health development in his hometown of Coppel, Texas through his foundation. Food insecurity, he partnered with the Interfaith Food Pantry Network, donating to provide meals for families facing hunger. Mentorship, he serves as an ambassador for Big Brothers and Big Sisters, supporting young people in achieving their dreams. Inspiration encourages teammates to join community efforts, such as packaging meals for families in need. His motivation, Thomas's efforts are deeply personal, stemming from the loss of his sister, Maywei Thomas, to suicide in 2020, driving his mission to break stigmas and provide support. It's a great story. I mean, he is really, really involved in a lot of different things. He's given to schools and teens and you know youth camps, youth camps and food uh serving agencies. I mean, just all over the place.

SPEAKER_02 36:00

But he's working very heavily with mental illness and having those conversations because of what happened to his sister. So yeah, absolutely. Great work.

SPEAKER_06 36:08

Some great, great work. Absolutely. All right. Well, now we'll go on to our locks of the week. All right. Oh, Danny, Danny, Danny. Danny. The only light I have. Throw me a bone hair.

SPEAKER_02 36:22

So go ahead. Who'd you pick?

SPEAKER_06 36:23

I picked Philly, your Philadelphia Eagles, to beat the San Francisco 49ers at home.

SPEAKER_04 36:30

I know.

SPEAKER_06 36:30

And they couldn't do it. San Francisco beat them 23 to 19. So that makes me for the year 6 and 13 now.

SPEAKER_02 36:42

Come on, Danny. All right. So I had the charges against the Patriots.

SPEAKER_06 36:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:48

The Patriots won a 14 to 3.

SPEAKER_06 36:50

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 36:51

And my record is uh whopping 11 and 8.

SPEAKER_06 36:54

11 and 8? That's five games up on me now.

SPEAKER_02 36:57

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_03 36:58

Do you want to raise that up to three points? No.

SPEAKER_06 37:01

I think we'll just keep it at two for right now. Maybe maybe in the Super Bowl, you know. Oh, yeah, that's a good one, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 37:07

So who do you have next week, Paul?

SPEAKER_06 37:09

Uh next week I have New England, who is hosting Houston now. Houston beat Pittsburgh last night.

SPEAKER_04 37:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 37:16

So uh I'm gonna take New England at home. New England's been playing pretty well, uh, as you noticed, uh, in your win last week. Um, but Houston had a really good game last night against Pittsburgh.

SPEAKER_02 37:27

They really came on and Aaron Rodgers was not happy in this press conference. He was just upset.

SPEAKER_06 37:32

I bet he was upset. He got up and walked out. Yeah, so absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 37:35

Um, and I have the Denver Broncos against the Buffalo Bills.

SPEAKER_06 37:40

Right, but the Broncos are at the home team.

SPEAKER_02 37:42

Oh, they are, you're right.

SPEAKER_06 37:43

Yes. So I guess you're taking Denver over Buffalo.

SPEAKER_02 37:47

Yeah, I'll take Denver then.

SPEAKER_06 37:48

Okay, there you go.

SPEAKER_02 37:49

The way I'm going, it's good.

SPEAKER_06 37:52

No concerns here. No concerns here. Okay, well, hopefully I can get back on track.

SPEAKER_02 37:56

They had it long online. They had it backwards. Okay. Yeah, I think. I'll pick Denver. It's alright. I'll still be 13 and 8 next week. It's fine. Denver's the number one seed, so there you go.

SPEAKER_06 38:05

You know, and the Bills are the seven seed. But they're my team to go to the playoffs or go to the Super Bowl. So hopefully the And the Bills are playing really well. Yeah, the Bills are playing really well. Uh Denver had a bye week, though, so they should be pretty rested. And you know, they got a really good defense.

SPEAKER_02 38:21

So yeah, so we'll see. All right, so stay tuned for our wrap-up after this message.

SPEAKER_06 38:29

Hello, everyone. I'm Carl Falconer, the president and CEO of Pathlight Home. And I'm often asked by many in the community, what can I do to help end homelessness? I would like to invite you to join Pathlight Home's efforts. Pathlight Home is a 501c3 nonprofit organization in Central Florida. We currently have 560 units of housing that we provide to individuals experiencing homelessness. But we also provide additional support through employment resource centers and mental health services. We have a drop-in day center where people can come in from the heat, do laundry, get meals, all in preparation to get them into housing eventually and off the streets. Community involvement is key to the success of our efforts, and we love when community members want to get involved with PathLight Home. There are three things we invite you to do to help. Number one, consider supporting us with funding. No donation is too small, and every dollar has an impact on our community. You can go to pathlighthome.org and click our donate button to contribute anytime. Number two is volunteering. We love to have volunteers come in and help us with any of our projects. We have ongoing projects and needs, but are also open to individuals and groups sharing specific talents in ways that build up our residence. Number three is take a tour with us. Come here to our facility and see what we do for yourself. It's the best way to get an inside look at what we're doing at Pathlite Home each day. We think it's important to understand the work it takes to fight homelessness and love the opportunity to meet community members who are passionate about the issue. We love our Central Florida community and are grateful every day for the continued support. And again, to get involved, go to pathlethome.org. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 40:41

All right, so let's start with our MVP of the week. So this comes from Allentown, Pennsylvania. Uh on Sunday morning, about two dozen members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community's Lehigh Valley chapter gathered at its mosque in Salisbury Township to pack essential supply kits and then distribute them directly to individuals experiencing homelessness in Allentown. How many so far? asked Farid Ahmad, the community's general secretary, to avoid point putting a completed bag into a box. A lot, he replied. Ahmad said that the goal was to put together a hundred bags to be distributed later that morning downtown in conjunction with Life Church Allentown. The group, which consisted of community members of all ages, was approaching 200 bags when the donated supplies started to run low. As a postal carrier, Ahmad said he has a pretty good understanding of what supplies are needed, uh, though he couldn't imagine living outside during the winter. That's why gloves, hand warmers, lip balm, and fingernail clippers are part of the package. I stay outside almost 12 hours every day in cold weather, Ahmad said. I know what type of stuff I need at that time of the day, and I realize the homeless are out there for 24 hours. Uh the Ahmadiyya Muslim community does this drive twice a year to address the needs of the local homeless population, which continues to grow. The community itself is a 137-year-old international movement that preaches against violent uh interpretations of Islamic teachings. The group believes its founder, Mizra Ghulam Ahmad, was a messiah sent by God to end religious wars and bloodshed. The community's ongoing commitment to its guiding principle, love for all, hatred for none, includes regular blood drives, food drives, and programs to feed the hungry throughout the year.

SPEAKER_06 42:26

Yeah, we talked about this uh uh I don't know if it was last episode or a few episodes ago about the faith base community really getting involved and how they can really rally people um around again, love your neighbor.

SPEAKER_02 42:40

Yeah, something as simple as making bags. Absolutely, give bags out there to people. That's right, exactly.

SPEAKER_06 42:45

And I love the fact that he really thought about this because he targeted what he was going to try and make sure have in the bags based on his own experience of being b out in the elements. You know, he thought about hand warmers, he thought about gloves, lip balm, you know, lip bombs. You don't even think about lip bombs, fingernail clippers. I mean, yeah, things like that. I mean, just uh he really put some thought into it, yeah, which is really great.

SPEAKER_02 43:08

Love all, hatred for none.

SPEAKER_06 43:10

That's right, absolutely. Love for all, hatred for none. That's how that's how we feel, right, Danny? Yeah, love for all, hatred for none. I got love for the biggest. Maybe the Packers and the Beagles, maybe. You know, exactly. But anyway, all right, now on to our homelessness fumble of the week. Uh, this one comes from Cleveland, Ohio. A Cuyahoga County housing program is losing 20% of its county funding. But the program leaders said the changes should not leave people homeless. The Emerald Development and Economic Network, Eden, a Cuyahoga County Housing for Homelessness organization, sent letters to its tenants at the end of last month informing them of the 20% reduction to the funding it receives from. The Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services Board of Kyoga County to take effect in the new year. So they're getting obviously some slash funding from one of their funding sources. Eden executive director Elaine Gimmel said this will likely lead to staff cuts and selling properties. But even if Eden needs to sell properties where people in the program are currently living, it will work to move tenants to different properties. Our goal is to make sure that they have another place to move to. It is not to have them not have anywhere to go or to be unhoused. Absolutely not, Gimmel said. If we're getting reduced by 20%, we obviously can't handle the same expenses for the year. The funding cuts to Eden stem from its reduction in funding from the recently passed Cuyoga County budget, which cut eight and a half million dollars from the ADAMHS board over two years, according to the board. While the ADAMHS board determines funding levels for contracted agencies, we do not direct how agencies implement reductions. If a provider determines that a program change could affect housing for individuals, we expect them to notify us and to ensure that residents are offered alternative appropriate placements, said the board chair or the board CEO, Jason Joyce, in a statement. So this is just uh I don't know, maybe a sign of the times, maybe a sign of different things. Again, it unlike some of the other things that we've seen in our fumbles of the week, this one does not seem to be an intentional, you know, uh an intentional bad position or bad, you know, bad blood that they have here. They're getting cut. I mean, the the county budget is going down and they had to make cuts. Unfortunately, it's going to affect the housing uh programs. And that's just the nature of what happens when funding gets cut. But again, when we in our funding uh episode, we talked about how you've got to have diversified funding. You've got to be able to flex some of that funding or move some funding to different places and things like that. Because a 20% cut in any funding source is really gonna it's gonna make you think about what your choices are for it's gonna impact the way they do that day-to-day.

SPEAKER_02 46:30

Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. So it's it, yeah, it it means it's it's not a full fumble, but it just shows that you know, when cuts happen, it usually and it affects housing.

SPEAKER_06 46:40

Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 46:41

Which we're very limited on. Now they have to come up with plan B.

SPEAKER_06 46:44

That's right.

SPEAKER_02 46:44

And probably plan C. And I hope that they're able to move these people and nobody lose housing.

SPEAKER_06 46:49

Yeah, I hope so too. But it sounds like they're committed to it. And again, that I I think that's the other thing is that you know, uh sometimes uh I'm gonna say this, Danny, and it's not gonna be the politically correct thing to say from our standpoint, but sometimes in our industry, provider agencies over inflate kind of the emergency of what's happening, right?

SPEAKER_07 47:15

Yep.

SPEAKER_06 47:16

Um, they you know, they get a funding cut of this or that or whatever the amount is, and then make it seem like the whole program or the whole agency is gonna shut down or something like this if they don't get funding. I have to say it it's a good it's a good marketing strategy because it often gets people to rally behind them, but from a from a reality standpoint, it's not a great strategy because it could happen multiple times. And you know, it's like that boy who cried wolf, you know, you do it so many times, and people start saying, hold on, now why do you keep losing funding over and over and over again? Maybe your programs really aren't that good, right? Exactly. You know, maybe that's what the problem is. And in this case, I think they have good programs. I and again, I don't think this is an intentional thing. And I love the fact that they said, you know, we determine the funding levels, but we don't determine where the cuts come from. They leave that up to the agencies, and I'm glad they do, because the agency has the most knowledge about where they can make cuts, if at all possible, you know, and still try to keep as many people in housing as possible. So I I love that. I think it's, you know, like you said, it's not it's not a full-on terrible fumble in terms of you know the worst thing ever, but it but it it does show that funding sources can get cut at any time. They're very fragile, and you can lose funding sources anytime, anywhere, basically.

SPEAKER_02 48:46

And you have to be prepared of what the next step is to if you do lose it.

SPEAKER_06 48:49

So and but that's also why funding sources are why uh nonprofit agencies are always looking for more funding, more funding, yeah. And always looking for more support because they want to make sure that they're guarded against these cuts if and when they happen.

SPEAKER_02 49:04

And especially if the programs are running well, you want to keep trying to get the funding for it to expand the program and or keep the program. Absolutely, and or keep the program.

SPEAKER_06 49:11

That's exactly right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 49:12

All right. Uh and finally, here's our key takeaway for this episode. If you and I can determine how our money is spent, then everyone should have the opportunity to get to a place where they can do so too. Right or wrong money is a key part of independence in our country.

SPEAKER_06 49:28

It is. Yep. I mean, you know, they say money can't buy happiness, but I know people who have a lot of money and they certainly don't seem to have as much stress as a lot of other people.

SPEAKER_04 49:40

Yep.

SPEAKER_06 49:40

Um, and so I think, yeah, I I think that's the idea here is, you know, that whole idea of money is freedom, really. I mean, you know, money allows you to do things and to, you know, live the way that you want to be able to live. At least in our country it does. Um, there are certainly countries where it's not as important or it's not as emphasized as much. But here in the United States, money is a key part of that. You know, if if you want to have independence, if you want to be able to live your life the way you want, you're gonna have to have some amount of money.

SPEAKER_02 50:15

Definitely.

SPEAKER_06 50:15

Yep, 100%. All right. Well, that concludes our episode for the week. Um, I do want to uh uh remind everybody that the point in time counts are going on across the country at the end of January. So please check with your local continuum of care agencies to find out how you can be involved in volunteering for the point in time counts. Again, we'll keep bringing this up through the end of January because that's when the point in time counts are. But please make sure that you reach out and volunteer for your point in time count. Um, also remember if you have any questions or comments for us, please email us at questions at pathlighthome.org. As always, we leave the last words for our beloved co-founder, the late Reverend Fred Maxwell. Take it away.

SPEAKER_01 51:10

I'm still dreaming. I'm still dreaming that we would become uh able and sufficient to increase uh the housing of homeless. This is merely a beginning.