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CNN Live Sunday

State of Wisconsin Plans to Provide Voicemail to the Homeless

Aired August 12, 2001 - 16:14   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: In Wisconsin, lawmakers added $40,000 line item into the state budget that would provide the homeless with voicemail, but some are asking whether taxpayers should pay the bill.

We have both sides of the debate. First joining us today is Tim Hoven, he's a member of the Wisconsin state legislature, and also joining us is Steven Schooler, director of Transitional Housing Incorporated. Welcome to both of you.

Representative Hoven, some folks might say that if you can get someone out of a shelter and this is something that could help them, why not do it?

TIM HOVEN, WISCONSIN STATE HOUSE: That's all good and fine, but what happened here is we have created a new entitlement program called voicemail. I just believe it unconscionable that we can provide such a new entitlement when working families across this nation can't even afford voicemail.

I would just as soon see that money go toward the shelters themselves, to provide some type of a counseling, whether it's substance abuse or mental health. But to provide for voicemail, that's just a luxury that a lot of people in this country can't afford.

Donna: Mr. Schooler, and there's that other thought. Some people have said that, is this the best use of the money? What about food? What about job skills training? What about mental health help? Is this the best place for the money to go?

STEVEN SCHOOLER, DIRECTOR, TRANSITIONAL HOUSING, INC.: Absolutely. One of the first questions on any kind of housing application or any type of employment application -- and all viewers have seen these -- is what is your telephone number, because they want to be able to get a hold of you. If then don't have a telephone number to provide, if they don't have a telephone contact service, how are they going to be able to get a hold of employers, or how employers are going to get a hold of them, or how are people that have housing, landlords, are going to get a hold of the people that are seeking housing?

What this does is this takes and matches private funding -- we get some donations of voicemail boxes from U.S. cellular, approximately $2,000 -- we provide the telephones, and for $1,000, we are able to provide employment to 710 people and housing to over 1,000 people in a year.

Donna: Representative, Hoven, what about that? So, I mean, you are on the phone right now. Sometimes when somebody is homeless, do we forget that maybe a phone might be a necessity that could help them get a job or some of the other things that they need to do to get past homelessness?

HOVEN: In the state of Wisconsin, we have a very generous program called W-2. We provide job training, we provide child care, everything you can possibly imagine under the sun is already incorporated in this multimillion-dollar program.

I guess what I would suggest if that's the case is you need voicemail, then what's next? Are we going to have to provide Internet access, cell phones, automobiles to make sure that everybody has an ample opportunity for some type of employment? We have a very low unemployment here in the state of Wisconsin. If you want to work, it's there for you.

Donna: Mr. Schooler, what about that? Help is there, and maybe you don't need voicemail. Maybe a telephone or some of these things that are provided, but to some people maybe a voicemail sound frivolous.

SCHOOLER: But if you are homeless, you don't have a place where employers or people that are landlords can reach you. Frankly, I'm surprised -- I'm really surprised at the criticism of this program. This program really is designed to help people get off the streets, get out of shelters, where they don't need to be on the public dole and into housing, into employment, so they can live on their own and be independent.

And we are not talking about Internet access here, we're not talking about cell phones. What we are talking about is probably the most efficient, cheapest way of linking people to employers and to landlords, and I would like a suggestion of any other way in which we could have people be linked to employers, be linked to landlords, who are right now living in a shelter and out on the street.

Donna: And that would be a quick question for you, Representative Hoven, any other thing that you can think of that might work better that might be able to be accomplished?

HOVEN: Well, I think using the existing programs. I mean, I think the 1960s tax and spend policies have gone by the wayside. Let's look at our existing programs that we have within our welfare- to-work programs and use that.

But -- I just as soon, like I said earlier, make sure that money is used to provide the existing and core services that shelters need. That's food, that's mental health, that's substance abuse counseling, those sorts of things, so they can keep the doors open.

Donna: Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure to you both of you join us to talk this out with us. Appreciate it. Steve Schooler, who is the director of Transitional Housing, Inc., and Representative Tim Hoven, thanks very much.

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