Category

Homelessness

Oct 24
0

Outlawing Spare Change

By | Homelessness, The Race to End Homelessness | One Comment

Some people are surprised to learn that I don’t usually give money to panhandlers. It isn’t because I don’t care about those experiencing homelessness. It is because 1. Working in homeless services (shockingly) doesn’t pay me enough to pull out my wallet every day, 2. I don’t carry cash nearly as often as I should, and 3. I can’t give away money to the clients at my job, even if I could afford to.

So today, when I gave a dollar bill to a guy with a sign and a battered Red Sox cap, it wasn’t because I thought it would end homelessness. It was because I am so disturbed by the legislation before Baltimore City Council this month that attempts to make panhandling illegal that I wanted to give a dollar away before it becomes too late. Also, I am really rooting for the Red Sox.

Several Baltimore laws already prohibit aggressive panhandling, but a new proposal would encourage police to put increased pressure on individuals asking for money. The bill would outlaw panhandling within ten feet of any restaurant or storefront. Anyone who has spent time in Baltimore will realize that this essentially outlaws asking for money in all of downtown. Councilwoman Rochelle “Rikki” Spector, who supports the bill, thinks these rules will put an end to what she deems the “atrocious behavior” of asking people on the street for spare change.

You’ve likely seen the cardboard signs, “Looking for Work,” or “Homeless, Anything Helps.” To me, these signs are people silently screaming for help, people who have run out of options. Asking for help is what we teach children to do at a young age, and yet Baltimore is considering taking away that right. If visitors to the downtown area don’t want to give money, they can — and should — calmly say no. Panhandling will not put an end to homelessness. It has no place in the The Journey Home, nor is it anyone’s ideal source of income. But on a day when someone is hungry, or needs bus fare, or shampoo, is it wrong to ask your neighbors for some help?

I often hear that people are afraid the person they donate to will use the money for drugs or alcohol. More than once I have accompanied an individual into a sandwich shop or a grocery store and picked up the tab (as has Change-Engine contributor Robyn Stegman), but when I give cash, I don’t ask questions about where it is going. Giving money away is my choice, but how someone spends it is not.

If “atrocious behavior” means buying something to eat, talking to strangers, or asking for help, then I’d suggest that we are all guilty — and I’d hope for more, not less, of this behavior in Baltimore.

Oct 10
0

Leaving the Next Generation Outside

By | Homelessness, The Race to End Homelessness | No Comments

Yesterday, October 10th, marked the third annual observance of World Homeless Day, and many homeless youth in our country’s capital city spent the holiday outside. Since shelter staff members are not considered essential, Washington D.C.’s only youth housing program and drop-in center has been forced to downsize during the government shutdown. 

Forty-six staff members at Sasha Bruce Network, located in Capital Hill, were furloughed this week, and the program had to end its tutoring, job training, and HIV education/ prevention programs. The organization has managed to keep shelter beds open for the time being, but they do not know how long they can maintain their work without government dollars.

Other youth-centered programs are already being forced to close their doors, leaving youth vulnerable and with nowhere else to go. Even beyond Washington, agencies dependent on governmental money are nervous each day that the shutdown continues. As the temperature starts to dip, so do the bank accounts for many social service programs. Not unlike their clientele, many small organizations operate on a budget with little room for error. A non-profit is not created in order to rack up savings in a bank, so a freeze on funding — even a temporary one — can be devastating. Twenty-five transitional houses were waiting on bridge funding after a grant expired September 30th, but now they do not know if or when they will see that money. One program in Arkansas has already had to downsize its programming, and others worry they will have to do the same.

Traditional shelters will not accept individuals under the age of 18, so youth without a safe place to go must seek specific programs that can meet their needs. On the streets, unaccompanied homeless youth are at an increased risk for physical violence compared to adults, but this is a resourceful demographic. Without homeless shelters as an option, youth will frequently turn to breaking and entering or selling themselves in exchange for a place to sleep. Youth centers provide a crucial service to an underserved population, but not this week.

On the holiday known as “World Homeless Day,” youth education and health programming was suspended, leaving crime and risky behavior as some of the only remaining options for this generation. The youth programs in this country are doing extraordinary work to support our youth — when they are able to operate. It is crucial that these programs be restored so that young people experiencing homelessness can resume tutoring programs and job training in safe places, and one day focus their energies not on survival, but on on creating a future without youth homelessness.

Sep 27
0

The Bill of What’s Right

By | Homelessness, The Race to End Homelessness | No Comments

My roommate loves all things Disney. I noticed the mugs with the Disney castle soon after she moved in, and I thought she was about to leave when I mentioned I’d never been to Disney World. (Disney Land, apparently, doesn’t cut it). Her respect for the Magic Kingdom made her particularly angry when she heard about the latest Disney scandal, where wealthy families hire disabled individuals to accompany them around the park, so that their group can skip the long lines at popular rides.

For those of us who love our gadgets, it was similarly maddening to hear about the wealthy businessman who hired 100 individuals experiencing homelessness to wait outside an Apple store in California and purchase the latest iphones for him. Not only did this entrepreneur fail to pay most of these individuals the meager $40 he had promised them, but he only provided transportation one way — to the store — and left many people, including disabled individuals, stranded in Pasadena.

Even those of us who wouldn’t dream of driving a homeless person and then stranding them, or of beating a homeless person until he died, rarely acknowledge those who don’t have housing. When a pastor of a large church “disguised” himself as homeless and sat outside his parish, only three church members said hello. For many, the “us vs. them” feeling leads us to look the other way in order to avoid speaking to people with a different housing status than our own.

These stories are nothing new, yet somehow never seem to deter people from abusing their privilege over others. People experiencing homelessness have fewer resources available and little means to hold the California iPhone fanatic to his promised $40. For this reason, it was seen as revolutionary when one state passed the first Homeless Bill of Rights in 2012. The law, passed in my home state of Rhode Island, didn’t exactly prohibit others from taking advantage of those with less economic means than them, but goes a long way to protect Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness in the eyes of the law.

In Rhode Island, individuals are now allowed to use public spaces, be treated equally by state offices, not be discriminated against when looking for employment, and to receive emergency medical care. If you are a person with housing, these protections may not seem like much, until we remember that nearly the exact opposite laws are being discussed in Columbia, South Carolina.

Laws don’t put an end to crime or biases, but this Bill of Rights provides a strong foundation for reducing violence and discrimination against those experiencing homelessness. In housing, a strong foundation is crucial. So, with a somewhat biased perspective, I’d like to commend my homeland — and suggest others try to emulate the Ocean State.

(Illinois and Connecticut have also passed Homeless Bills of Rights, which will go into effect October 1, 2013. California advocates hope to see their bill passed in early 2014.)

 

Sep 13
0

Sibling Rivalry: Ending Homelessness

By | Homelessness, The Race to End Homelessness | 4 Comments

Last year, I spent a lot of time planning an event that ended up going terribly. Between a water break road closure on North Avenue and a flat tire, two of the five presenters I’d scheduled to speak on homelessness at a local middle school cancelled an hour before the event. Because the format involved the speakers rotating through separate classrooms, someone needed to fill the vacancies. Reluctantly, a coworker and I stepped into the slot of the presenter. We offered up what we could about homelessness in Baltimore City and provided some information about different service providers and volunteer opportunities in the area. It was a lesson in both “how to fake your way through a presentation”, and “how to really confuse middle school students.” 

“Does anyone know of any homeless service providers in the city?” we’d ask, hoping to generate participation.

No response.

In order to get the ball rolling, we’d mention some well- known organizations.

“Has anyone heard of Healthcare for the Homeless? … or My Sister’s Place?”

“Your sister has a place?” Yelled one student. “Why don’t people go stay with her?”

The class was laughing at this jokester and chatting away amongst themselves before we could explain that My Sister’s Place is actually a transitional housing facility for women with mental illness, not a house run by any sibling of mine. At least that’s what it is in Baltimore. In Washington D.C., that’s the name of a housing center for women experiencing homelessness and domestic violence. There’s a My Sister’s Place in Gainesville, Georgia and Hartford, Connecticut. And it isn’t only female siblings that are getting support. My Brother’s Keeper is the name of agencies in Baltimore, Massachusetts, Texas, and beyond. Some focus on treating addiction, some on mental illness. Whatever the specialty, it is clear that there is an emphasis on supporting homeless individuals like they are family. For many individuals, people experiencing homelessness are family.

It was an offhanded comment, but the middle school student from last fall had a question I hear frequently. All he said was “Why don’t people stay with her?” But  the idea that “I could never let my son/mother/cousin/friend live on the streets,” is a sentiment I’ve heard many times. Usually, it is from someone who does not happen to have a family member on the brink of becoming homeless. While the words are meant to show support for a loved one going through a hypothetical tough situation, it is an easier promise to make than to keep. If you can financially and medically support someone who is struggling at the poverty level, that is excellent. But why should solving homelessness be the responsibility of the nuclear family of those with a mental illness, an addiction, or those who are unable to work?

I am certainly not about to waste time asking for minute changes from successful programs across the country. But if I were, I might suggest a better name for these sites would be “Your Sister’s Place“ or “Our Brother’s Keeper.” It might create a little less confusion about exactly who is responsible for ending homelessness.

 

Aug 30
0

Proceed Directly to Jail: Do Not Pass Downtown

By | Homelessness, The Race to End Homelessness | No Comments

Lawmakers in Columbia, South Carolina, are worried about you. Yes, you — even if you don’t live there. They’re worried you won’t want to visit them. They’re worried if you do visit, you won’t patronize their businesses. They’re worried that if you do visit and you try to buy something, you’ll be afraid to get out of your car. It turns out Columbia city officials are much more concerned about you — a potential visitor — than about some people who currently reside in the city. In order to protect you, the city council passed a plan to outlaw homeless people from the downtown area.

Richard Blasser, a business owner in Columbia explained that the homeless “scare people.” To quell the scariness, City Council put an end to homelessness, just not in the way service providers and social justice groups might have hoped. There was no Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness used, no input gathered from service providers or people experiencing homelessness. Instead, City Council member Cameron Runyan wrote a plan on his own, a provisional version of which was approved by the council, and which will be reviewed in full in September.

It is now illegal to be homeless in Columbia. Anyone found committing the crime of homelessness in the downtown area will be asked if they would like to be transported to the city shelter, the city jail, or if they would like to leave town (and as appealing as it might sound to leave a city as intolerant as this one, there is no assistance provided for this option). Since the city shelter contains 250 beds, it is unclear where the remainder of the city’s estimated 1,500 homeless individuals should sleep.

By trying to become a thriving economic center, the Columbia City Council has placed their city last in the race to end homelessness. Michael Stoops, from the National Coalition for the Homeless, even awarded the plan with the title of “most comprehensive anti-homeless measure that [he had] ever seen proposed in any city in the last 30 years.”

At the same time, Interim Police Chief Ruben Santiago seems unwilling to let his city lose this race so easily. Santiago opposes the police involvement proposed by the plan. City Manager Teresa Wilson has also expressed confusion in regards to implementing the proposal, and has not yet allocated police to enforce its rules. While Santiago and Wilson are still in talks with the City Council, Santiago stands committed to the rights of Columbia’s homeless. He has stated that he and his team are not about to coerce people into jail because homelessness is not a crime.”

In Columbia, Chief Ruben Santiago is doing more to change his city for the better than the City Council, and others can learn from his admirable stance and follow his lead. The ideas of the Columbia City Council may not be law everywhere, but these baleful attitudes exist across the country. May every city be lucky enough to also have a voice protecting these supposed “criminals,” because only then can it move forward in the Race to End Homelessness.

 

Aug 15
0

Housing, Haircuts, and Help: Baltimore’s Project Homeless Connect

By | Homelessness, The Race to End Homelessness | No Comments

I started a new job this week. As I navigated unfamiliar hallways and tried to remember new names, policies and where the printer was, I was feeling lost. When I did finally stumble upon the copier/ printer, it was full of flyers. “What is this?” asked a co-worker, picking up an announcement for Project Homeless Connect. “I know!” I almost shouted. Finally, something familiar. I’d been hearing about Project Homeless Connect for weeks at my previous job, and I’d even attended last August. Project Homeless Connect (PHC) is a national model that returns to Baltimore for the second time this September. Piloted in San Francisco and now operating in more than 300 cities, the “project” is a whole- day event that aims to provide needed services to those experiencing homelessness. Free to attend, the event provides each guest with breakfast, lunch, and a bag of groceries. Beyond that, the event connects each guest to his or her individual needs. When I attended on behalf of my organization in 2012, I handed out every copy of the pamphlet I’d brought about transitional housing opportunities. The information was in demand, but the real stars of the event were those who could provide on-site services. Haircuts? You can get one at Project Homeless Connect. Need a Maryland license? Get one here. Is your wheelchair or walker broken? The people at that table can fix it. Do you need legal assistance? Go to Section C. Any other day of the year, each of these services would be a challenge to obtain. Here, you get help, you stand in a short line, you don’t have to travel between several offices, and you don’t have to pay. To see how the event went last year, check out this video: In a field that is often criticized as providing temporary fixes as opposed to long-term solutions, Project Homeless Connect may appear to be only one good day, compared to the rest of the year when there are long lines, confusing paperwork, and services spread all over the city. Still, Project Homeless Connect is about more than just quick fixes. The event connects individuals with services, yes, but also service providers with each other, and volunteers to local organizations. As a newcomer to Baltimore last year, it connected me with my city, and this week, it connected me with my new co-workers. Project Homeless Connect is a component of Baltimore’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, not a supplement to it. In the near future, I hope to see less need for this event. This year, though, I am spreading the word. Interested in experiencing Baltimore’s Second Annual Project Homeless Connect? The event takes place on September 19th at The Baltimore Convention Center. You can volunteer to help the evening before or the day of the event by signing up here.      

Aug 01
0

The Race to Watch: New Orleans

By | Homelessness, The Race to End Homelessness | No Comments

This past week, I morphed into one of those annoying people who can’t get off their cell phone. No, I wasn’t playing a game or even checking facebook, but I still spent at least an hour a day obsessively refreshing twitter. This week, the National Alliance to End Homelessness held its annual conference in Washington, D.C. I couldn’t quite hear the presentations from an hour away in Baltimore, so I relied on the almost 1600 attendees — the most the conference has ever seen — to keep me updated.

To many, this probably doesn’t sound like a great use of a sunny week in July. It is surprising then, that the overwhelming message I took from an event on poverty, mental health, addiction, hunger, HIV/AIDS, veterans, and youth homelessness, was one of hope.

If you didn’t spend your week as I did, let me be the first to break the news: we’re in the middle of an underdog story. In my opinion, the big winner this year in the Race to End Homelessness, was New Orleans, Louisiana. A city I’ve criticized in the past for its frightening statistics when it comes to general homelessness, chronic homelessness, and veteran homelessness, NOLA has done something remarkable — changed their trends.

In 2005, New Orleans suffered one of the worst storms in recent history when Hurricane Katrina descended. The storm destroyed, among other infrastructure, much of the city’s affordable housing and service programs, leaving many homeless. An already serious problem in the city worsened, propelling NOLA to earn the title of the city with the second highest rate of homelessness nationwide.

Nearly eight years later, many former New Orleans residents are still displaced or struggling to recover, but homelessness has decreased significantly. Chronic homelessness has decreased by 47 percent in the city since 2009, and in some parishes this number is as high as 79 percent. Martha Kegel, the Executive Director of UNITY of Greater New Orleans and Stacy Horn Koch, Director of Homeless Policy in New Orleans write that, “New Orleans is on track to become one of the first cities to eliminate the long-term homelessness of people with disabilities, in line with the federal plan to end chronic homelessness by 2015.”

How did New Orleans surge ahead in the race? Kegel and Koch credit extra emergency vouchers, the city’s 10 year plan to end homelessness, and support from Mayor Landrieu as the key factors that have led the city to find and help those affected by Katrina. Service providers target the most vulnerable people and attempt to house them first. Search teams comb vacant buildings to find people dwelling inside and connect them with housing and services. When the storm displaced the city’s population, outreach teams went looking for them.

Numbers for  New Orleans are not quite back to pre-Katrina levels, but with 2,337 people experiencing homelessness today, things are much better than in 2007, when over 11,000 people were without housing in the city.

We can — and should — celebrate the progress happening in Louisiana. More importantly, we can learn from this comeback story. Each city faces a unique set of challenges when it comes to ending homelessness, but if New Orleans can move from one of this county’s worst natural disasters to end homelessness by 2015, there is nothing stopping the rest of us from making strides in the Race to End Homelessness.

Jul 18
0

No Christmas In July

By | Homelessness, The Race to End Homelessness | One Comment

I’m one of those people who is cold from October to May. I have sweatshirts reserved specifically for wearing around my apartment, and I once wore gloves to class. In the dead of winter, it is easy to understand why it is terrible to live outside. The snow, the ice, the deadly frost all make it nearly impossible to survive even in a temperate city like Baltimore. These conditions might seem like a long-lost memory from our vantage point in mid-July, but summer is just as dangerous a time to be experiencing homelessness — except fewer people are paying attention. When the temperature rises, most of us roll up our car windows and turn on the air conditioning, dividing us from our homeless neighbors.

Perhaps because of the holiday season, or because the cold is so inescapable in winter months, there is far more outreach to vulnerable populations at other times of the year. Organizations including the Food Bank, the Salvation Army, and the Red Cross report decreased donations and support in summer months, but need often increases during this time, especially because children are out of school and rely on their families for more services.

Some local efforts to support those experiencing homelessness are meeting the basic needs of those who don’t have their own AC, but only in very specific conditions. When it is 70° or 80° degrees, it is already uncomfortable to be outside for an entire day and night, but it isn’t until the thermometer hits 90° that cities will invite their homeless citizens indoors.  Cooling centers catering to people experiencing homelessness are set up in cities across the country, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and others. Often these sites are in public libraries, and offer some air conditioning and water.

I often promote housing as one of the most basic human needs, but the dangerously hot summer months serve as a reminder that this isn’t only a question of comfort or long term well-being and happiness — not having housing is an immediate health risk in July.

The option to cool off for a few hours — the centers are not open around the clock — is crucial to the survival of this vulnerable population. Also crucial are things like medical attention, access to healthy food, a place for personal hygiene, and the peace of mind that comes with having a safe place to live, but these are not made readily available. For now, it seems that all some cities can provide is a short reprieve from the blistering summer heat.

Jul 04
0

Who Do You Think You Are?

By | Homelessness, The Race to End Homelessness | No Comments

My driver’s license expires in the middle of July. I’d been eyeing the date for some time now, dreading what was coming. Even though I’ve been in Maryland these past few months, I’m from Rhode Island, and my trip back to RI won’t be until after the card expires. I was putting off the phone call to the Department of Motor Vehicles to explain why there was no way I could make it to a Rhode Island DMV even though I still lived in state. I was pleasantly surprised to find that things have gotten easier since the last time I needed ID, and I was able to renew everything online.

I’ll still be stuck with the same dorky picture of me from when I was 18, but all I had to do was check a box that said yes, I still wear glasses, and send Rhode Island $40 and I’ll be legal to drive and drink and go to the bank uninterrupted. For others, it is not so easy. Individuals experiencing homelessness frequently find themselves unable to prove who they are, and this leaves them cut off from the services that are supposed to help.

When I ask people who have needed to obtain identification while experiencing homelessness, I hear the same paradox repeatedly: “You need ID to get ID.” It’s true, because a license application usually requires a birth certificate, a social security application usually requires a license, etc. Unfortunately, you also need identification to get food stamps, apply for housing, and even to get into some shelters or drop in centers. These are often the ticket to homeless services, but are so expensive — in both time and money — that they can delay someone from receiving services indefinitely. Furthermore, because they are so difficult to obtain, identification is a commonly stolen item inside shelters and on the street.

There are some programs in place to help with this conundrum. Some shelters, transitional houses, and day centers encourage clients to have their mail delivered to the facility and use the shelter address as their own when applying for a new identification care. While this is perfectly legal, it can sometimes lead to confusion or a delay in getting mail, because individuals are at the mercy of the staff to sort and hand out mail deliveries. This also ties the individual to one particular shelter or program, and could mean starting the process over again once he or she is housed.

In Myrtle Beach, all individuals experiencing homelessness are being issued a basic information card to help track the food, housing, and clothing they receive. This will help with access to emergency services, but the card isn’t the same as a federally issued driver’s license or ID card. Florida residents can now obtain a license or general ID without having to pay the state’s $25 fee, but still need to pay $6.25 for a birth certificate before they can get said license or general ID. In most states, individual organizations can provide some assistance in paying for ID cards, but funds are limited and cannot always meet the need.

In a culture that is so driven by identification cards, many people are unable to prove who they are. Instead of being recognized as a person with a name and a birthday who is an organ donor, these individuals are labeled only as homeless. Until the process of obtaining identification can be made more accessible, these people are trapped in homelessness, challenged to receive services and housing.

I’m incredibly glad that I didn’t have to explain to the Rhode Island Department of Motor Vehicles why I needed a new license from five states away. Still, I wonder why something as important as identification is no problem for people who live in two places, and a trial for those don’t have anywhere to call home.

Jun 20
0

Can You Play Them Home?

By | Homelessness, The Race to End Homelessness | One Comment

I bet you never sit around and think to yourself “Hmmm… I just don’t have enough places to spend my money.” Companies know this, and advertise diligently to compete for your every dollar. The same is even more evident in the nonprofit sector. Anyone who has listened to NPR during pledge season knows that fundraising is a never-ending project. Also, if you donate to NPR, will you have money left to give to United Way? The Red Cross? Your child’s soccer team? Your friend’s kick starter project?

One of the most relevant things I learned in college sociology wasn’t about a theorist or a new social trend. Carrying Capacity is a term that in Biology defines the maximum number or organisms a particular environment can support. In my field, it represents the maximum number of causes to which you can reasonably dedicate your time, effort and money. I am constantly learning about a new injustice or a worthwhile cause, but I can’t make it to every rally or donate to everyone, and you probably can’t either.

I haven’t asked him personally, but I believe the public’s carrying capacity probably had to do with why Mark Horvath, founder of Invisible People TV set out to do something different. Invisible People is an incredible movement that deserves more focus than I am dedicating to it here- but you can watch episodes online. Mark, who has experienced homelessness himself, set out to interview people across the country who are homeless- and to learn their stories. The interviews, some already available, are part of a larger film project called @Home. Like other documentaries, the effort has a fundraising page to raise donations. Unlike other documentary projects, half of the raised funds are allocated for the creation of… a video game.

The idea was to create an interactive game that could teach players about homelessness and use social media to share what they learn about this issue. The @Home game went to Hackathon, where a team of programmers worked to create the app in just 36 hours. They also somehow found time to make a mini documentary about the process, and at 1:30 you can see the actual game interface and learn how to play. At 2:58 you see how to “win” the game: points can be redeemed for household goods and “move-in kits” that are then donated right in your own city.

Some might see this as a sad commentary on our society — we need to be tricked into caring, we are lazy enough to think we can rack up enough points to end homelessness through video game donations. Really though, this isn’t laziness; its carrying capacity, and we all have a maximum. The people who can create innovate ways to grab our attention are the ones who will get their message across, and this game uses real interviews to get the message of thousands of people into the phone in your pocket.

The game makers explain their goals for the project are to “entertain, educate and move players to take action on homelessness.” This is not a game in the same way that Angry Birds or Candy Crush is a game — this is a game that seeks to inspire you to do more.

Because the program isn’t finished yet, we’ll have to wait and see how video apps can impact homelessness — but I know I’ll be playing!