Anne Lesser, Interim Director of the Homeless Services Coalition of Greater Kansas City, writes:

Like every city, Kansas City, Missouri, is suffering from budget short falls. Among the solutions the Kansas City City Council is considering to save $1 million is regionalizing the municipal jail (MCI), known for its innovative programs for mentally ill inmates. The City Council's previous plan was privatization which was squelched almost a year ago. The threat is if regionalization fails, privatization returns.

As someone who has been directly involved in providing community programs for the homeless for nearly 20 years, and currently as chair of the Homeless Services Coalition of Greater Kansas City, I am convinced these two choices, are not the only choices to be examined. An alternative, community-driven plan, including the experts, could result in an expansive vision that saves money and invests in the rehabilitation of vulnerable people.

Like other jails, MCI has a large number of mentally ill (60 percent) and a large percent (70 percent) who are homeless. What distinguishes this jail is the vast array of social rehabilitation programs working with the drug court and through the Mental Health Levy funds for the mentally ill. Recently the Healthcare Foundation of Greater Kansas City awarded $900,000 for programs such as case management, peer support and follow up for housing "to achieve pro-social, legal lives and stop the cycle of re-offending and incarceration."

This grant, recognizing a model that begins to meet a community need, represents a vote of confidence to further enhance this jail model by providing a turning point for jobs, housing and medical needs of inmates.

What is at risk if MCI is closed and the inmates are redirected to outlying communities where they are removed from critical support systems, is the dismantling of the coherence of rehabilitation and treatment. (This plans puts some in outlying jails and in the downtown county jail).

Several accomplishments of this program might have been lost in the heat of recent controversial hearings:

•Accomplished: Nancy Leazer, superintendent of MCI is committed to restorative justice. Since she arrived in June, 1995, she has created an environment with buy-in from all staff that exists 24/7 that supports interventions for traumatized, abused, marginalized people who end up in our jails. Remember, please, well-trained staff are critical to rehabilitative interventions.

•Accomplished: Services (health, behavioral health, gardening, court diversion, employment opportunities) which have made the jail a model turning point for second chances.

•Accomplished: Community involvement has been stellar and a cadre of volunteers has participated and been dedicated to improving lives. In addition to the grants and partnerships, the Kansas City Metro Bar Association has become a proponent and community partner in this concept and has created pro-bono legal services.

Recent controversial decisions promoting either regionalization or privatization took place without stakeholder participation in the democratic process. And the irony is that stakeholders including advocates, non-profits and concerned citizens in the business community, have actually proposed an Alternative Plan that will save $1 million without moving the inmates.

A recent agreement sets in motion moving inmates to outlying county jails and into a downtown County building that will cost millions more to rehabilitate. The community Alternative Plan we submitted proposes keeping the original site, maintaining the residential setting and above all maintaining the integrity of the extensive services already in place. Our plan would encourage nearby counties, including Jackson County, to purchase space and services from MCI, thus reducing the net operating cost with no initial outlay for extensive rehabilitation. This plan was submitted three weeks ago but to date there has been no response.

The vision that the Alternative Plan could bring is the opportunity to increase a best practice. We could combine local and national foundations and stimulus money to explore the use of creative funding, perhaps for a "green" jail, provide "green" job training opportunities, or develop "green" transitional housing.

Inmates could be moved from incarceration into job training and housing. Many inmates are now estranged from their children. Keeping the current jail provides the opportunity for teaching parenting skills and encouraging family re-unification for violence prevention for future generations. Here also is an opportunity to teach citizen participation in neighborhood associations and government. The creation of a safe, stable community, engaged in neighborhood preservation epitomizes the American dream. The irony is that in our city the dream is in danger of being lost.