Conservative spotlight: George McDonald--ready, willing, & able

Some people think that the black and Hispanic men who make up the overwhelming majority of Americans who live on the streets in this country just can't do better. Others think that with some help, these men can become self-respecting and productive members of society.

Contrary to popular belief, only "5 to 10% of homeless people are mentally ill," said George McDonald, founder of the Doe Fund and its Ready, Willing, & Able program. And since most are ablebodied, most can support themselves.

Fifteen years ago, alarmed at the rising homeless population in New York City, McDonald started the fund, which puts homeless men through a program that lasts at least a year. "Virtually all are substance abusers," McDonald said. Instead of patronizing the homeless with excuses for their state or a bed and meal for free, Ready, Willing, & Able puts them through drug abuse recovery and job training while requiring them to maintain their temporary home.

"Upon entering the Ready, Willing & Able program, participants immediately give up any entitlements and receive a $15-per-week stipend, pay no rent, and receive meals at no cost," says the fund. "Participants are required to spend four hours per day participating in the operation, security and maintenance of the program facility under the close supervision of the case management staff. Their performance is closely monitored and reviewed in terms of their motivation, ability to follow directions and quality. During this period, new participants also attend half-day life skills training classes."

"We don't believe people are victims," said McDonald. "They make bad choices." He said that homelessness has nothing to do with the economy or the unemployment rate, and criticized homeless shelters that offer men beds and meals for nothing in return. "Would you do that with your own children?" he asked. "It's not a good thing. When you don't expect much, that means you don't think much of them. It's racism, really. Here in New York, we have these minority men getting a cot and meals who lie around all day smoking crack. We find that when we expect people to take care of themselves and work, they do." Mayor Rudolph Giuliani spoke at the program's last graduation ceremony, said McDonald.

He said that about 63% of those who enter the Ready, Willing, & Able program complete it, and 85% of those are still employed three years later. He said that the average homeless man who goes through the program began using drugs at age 13. "You can't write people off," said McDonald, who once ran the New York City volunteer office for Ted Kennedy's presidential campaign. "So far, we have put 1,000 people into jobs. Even some of the major landlords in New York City are hiring our people for maintenance jobs in luxury buildings. They get $13, $14 an hour and benefits. Our guys, when they get there, are reliable employees. They have been drug free for at least a year."

The program has other places for men to work as well. "The Ready, Willing, & Able Community Improvement Project is a street-cleaning initiative that operates on the Upper East and West Sides of Manhattan," says the fund. "Dressed in bright blue uniforms with the American flag on the sleeve and the Ready, Willing, & Able logo on the back, trainees work in five-person crews with one site supervisor per crew."

The fund also began Back Office of New York, which trains the homeless for data-processing jobs. It "coordinates mailings for Toyota, Citibank, Canon, Figlia & Sons, the Museum of the City of New York, D. W. Haber & Sons, local colleges and several other nonprofits." It even has a home for the homeless with AIDS.

McDonald tried to replicate the program's success in Washington, D.C., but was forced to terminate the project this year. "Local government agencies, including the Community Partnership for ihe Homeless, the Addiction Prevention and Recovery Administration (APRA), and the Department of Human Services, have treated us with open hostility, labeling us as 'outsiders' and refusing to work with us. Even after Mayor [Anthony] Williams announced that keeping Ready, Willing, & Able in the District was one of his top 20 priorities as mayor and personally promised to find a funding source for the program, nothing happened," the fund says.

Ready, Willing, & Able is still heavily dependent on government funding, but the proportion has been dropping. "We've gone from 100% government funding to 60%," McDonald said.

Ready, Willing, & Able can be reached at the Doe Fund 232 E. 84th St., New York, MY. 10028 (212-6285207;fax: 212-249-5589; e-mail: annemarie@doe.org;' website: www.doe.org/prog.html).

Copyright Human Events Publishing, Inc. Sep 22, 2000
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