John Ewing is working to bring affordable housing to the corridor surrounding the streetcar. He plans on using TIF financing, the same method used to pay for the streetcar, to get it done.

I support his efforts to make that happen, but…

This morning, I was driving down Dodge around 48th Street. Not far from the area the mayor is targeting.

I drove past the beautiful new apartment complex that is under construction. When it’s completed, it looks like there will be well over a hundred units available at market value.

A block to the east of there is the newly expanded Child Saving Institute, a beautiful new building.

And in between these two projects was a homeless camp with about 6-8 tents and a number of shopping carts filled with whatever possessions these poor people could muster.

As I said, I commend Mayor Ewing for his efforts to increase the number of affordable housing units, but those poor souls aren’t living on the streets because they can’t afford a studio apartment or OHA housing. They are living on the streets because they are all dealing with some form of mental disorder.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I know that a lot of hard-working people find it hard to locate clean, safe, affordable housing. It is a problem that needs to be addressed.

But that’s only part of the equation.

We need to do more to deal with the mental health crisis facing our city.

About a year ago, I did a podcast where I interviewed some homeless people on the street, the men you drive by on the corners with the cardboard signs.

I was curious about their lives. How did they end up on the streets? How do they survive? Can they make enough money panhandling to feed themselves?

Through a number of interviews, I found that without exception, they were all dealing with serious mental health issues. Life had beaten them down, and they saw no way up.

If you’re interested, check out the Becka’s Talking YouTube channel to hear their stories of how they got to where they are today. Many had been abused as children, others were serious drug and alcohol addicts, and some were so far gone that I’m not sure they were even aware of their situation.

More affordable housing is something that everyone can agree on, but getting them to agree on what is and isn’t affordable is a different issue.

And it’s not only a matter of affordable housing but affordable SAFE housing. The units at City View apartments were affordable but not safe. Likewise, the tenants at Flora, Legacy, and Yale Park apartments were all evacuated when city inspectors found dangerous and unsanitary living conditions at their facilities.

And while the easy thing to do is to blame the landlords, it’s not always their fault. Yes, there are some bad property owners. But others are just trying to get a return on their investment, and not every renter is concerned with the upkeep of their living quarters.

But if the private sector can’t provide clean, safe, affordable housing having the government provide it isn’t necessarily the answer either. Many OHA complexes are infested with bedbugs, mold, and other problems.

Which brings me back to the mental health aspect.

Thirty-five years ago, due to some circumstances beyond my control, I found myself living in affordable but rundown housing. I was in Atlanta at the time, and my apartment complex had alcoholics, drug addicts, and people one step away from homelessness living there. It truly was a low point in my life.

But instead of giving up and resigning myself to living the rest of my days like that, I told myself that this episode of my life would be a great story in my autobiography. It was something I had to get through to get to where I was going. I didn’t let this low point be my destiny.

I wonder how many people living in places like that have given up hope. Whether they are living in tents on Dodge Street or among mice, bedbugs, and mold in subpar housing, they just don’t see a way out, and think they must live like that the rest of their lives.

I hope that Mayor Ewing is successful in bringing more affordable housing to town, but without a better mental health component to go along with it, his efforts may all be for naught.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

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