Libraries Should Welcome the Homeless

by Shannon Moriarty

categories: Housing, Trends

Published November 03, 2009 @ 01:45PM PT

For some, a library is a place of community. For others, it's an intellectual resource. And for others, it's a lifesaver.

This short video of the downtown LA public library illustrates how important a library can be to those without a home. Not only can it meet basic needs - like providing warmth and community - it can be an important resource during difficult times.

In the past year, as the numbers of newly homeless individuals has increased, many have griped about the prevalence of homeless folks in libraries. Some have argued that libraries are even becoming a "day care center for bums."

But I think one librarian interviewed in the video said it best: libraries are a public space intended to serve everyone. This means that any and all are welcome to roam the halls and use the facilities and they treat everyone with the same amount of respect - whether they are a well-dressed businessman or a homeless person.

I find this story of the downtown LA public library and its patrons is especially moving. It illuminates the sometimes lifesaving role public libraries can play in people's lives. Sometimes, for some people, this role may even include "home."

Overflow Shelters Opening, Filling Fast

by Shannon Moriarty

categories: Action, Advocacy, elements, Health, shelter, Trends

Published November 03, 2009 @ 11:08AM PT

As the temperatures drop, communities across the country are opening seasonal shelters to provide life-saving respite from the cold. This year, though, an early trend has some providers worried. Overflow shelter beds are filling fast with people looking for food and warmth. If the demand is outpacing supply now, how will budget-strapped communities meet the need when temperatures become deadly?

The Warming Souls Winter Overflow Shelter is housed in a Wichita church and opens every year to accommodate the increased numbers of shelter guests that show up each winter. On Sunday, when it opened for the first night of the season, organizers anticipated 15-20 guests. Thirty-six showed up. "And the weather wasn't that cold last night," according to the shelter's director.

Other communities have added beds to their seasonal shelters this year in anticipation of the rising numbers of people living outdoors. Arlington, Virginia, for example, saw the number of shelter guests increase 40 percent in one year during the summer months. This year, they have added beds in the winter shelter to compensate for the growing numbers of people in need.

Despite the obvious need for additional seasonal shelter beds for the homeless, delivering this life-saving service is a real challenge for budget-strapped communities. Sacramento's homeless services recently received a devastating 84 percent slash. For a time, it looked like there would be no additional winter shelter beds for the city's homeless. Recently, however, Mayor Kevin Johnson pledged to fund 269 temporary beds and motel rooms for homeless men, women, and children during the winter months. Still, he said, making it happen wasn't easy. "Given the desperate conditions of state, county and city budgets in California, our ability to create emergency winter housing is a triumph of hard work and cooperation," he told CW31.

If ever there was a time for communities to come together, pool their resources, and develop creative solutions to an urgent issue - this is it. Leadership and community-level advocacy is critical right now to ensure that every person who seeks shelter from the cold this winter receives it. Speak up, ask questions. What is your community's plan for providing shelter this winter?

Does Panhandling Make Homelessness Worse?

by Shannon Moriarty

categories: Local Policy, News, panhandling

Published November 02, 2009 @ 09:12PM PT

Everyone and their mother associates panhandling with homelessness and homelessness with panhandling. But one Atlanta advocate argues it's time we treat these as separate issues, since some panhandlers are not homeless and the majority of those without a home do not panhandle. What's more, could giving money to panhandlers exacerbate a person's homelessness and provide a dis-incentive for getting off the streets?

What does treating panhandling separate from homelessness look like in practice? An op-ed piece in the Atlanta Constitution does a nice job laying this out. Simply put: homeless service providers should focus on what they do best: meeting the housing needs of homeless individuals. Referring to services. Providing job training. Case management. They should not dabble in activities related to regulating panhandlers, but rather focus on getting everyone off the streets for good.

But here's the kicker...

For regular folks like you and me, the author argues that we should refrain from giving money to panhandlers. This, he says, is not helping the homeless, but making it more difficult for homeless service providers to do their job. In other words, giving money to a panhandler exacerbates their homelessness, according to the Atlanta Constitution.

So who does the author believe should deal be the one to deal with panhandlers? Law enforcement.

This argument - though curt - does make good sense. Certainly, there are few who would argue against the goal of moving everyone off the streets and into housing. But there's no question that the means to achieving this end are a bit over-simplified in his argument.

Our country has a shortage of housing that is affordable. In addition, many of those who end up on the streets face complicated issues that require time to address. Other individuals lack access to the social service safety net for a variety of reasons, whether it be their geographic location or the inability of providers to meet demand. For these individuals, panhandling is a means for survival until our system catches up. It is wrong to suggest that giving money to panhandlers exacerbates their homelessness, especially when our safety net cannot accommodate all who are in need.

Maybe someday, when we are finally meeting the demand for affordable housing and services for those who need them, we'll all be able to stand behind this argument. But sadly, I don't think we're there yet.

Image: Martin Ujlaki

What Can 'The Wire' Teach Us About Homelessness?

by Shannon Moriarty

categories: Action, data, new media, Stories from the Streets

Published November 02, 2009 @ 06:43AM PT

Harvard University officials announced yesterday that the school plans to offer a class that uses Season 5 of HBO's hit show "The Wire" as a case study for "urban issues" in America.

William Julius Wilson - one of the nation's leading scholars on urban poverty - told the Harvard Crimson that, "‘The Wire' has done more to enhance our understanding of the systemic urban inequality that constrains the lives of the poor than any published study."

It's an interesting observation. Why is it that a fictional television drama speak has the ability to speak to us more than data rooted in rigorous research? Are we overloaded with numbers and figures - some accurate, some hyperbolic - that we're wired to tune these things out? Do we only believe what we see with our own eyes, in our own neighborhoods?

If this is the case, then perhaps it's time we evaluate our world view. Our preeminent poverty experts and leading academic institutions are turning to a HBO series for a real look at urban poverty; perhaps we should take note.

Why not give it a try - watch Season 5 of The Wire. Take it a step beyond mindless entertainment and think about the issues presented in the show. We all have something to gain by opening our minds and trying to understand real issues happening the world around us.

Homeless Youth and Survival Sex

by Shannon Moriarty

categories: sexual exploitation, violence, youth

Published November 01, 2009 @ 06:27PM PT

It's a sad but ugly truth: roughly one in four homeless youth engages in survival sex. A new research brief out this week from the National Alliance to End Homelessness paints a scary picture of the harsh realities faced by homeless runaway youth. Whatever you do, do not just read these numbers and shake your head. Let this be a call to action, the start of a grassroots movement to help these victimized homeless youth get the help they desperately need.

Here are a few of the most compelling (terrible) points that caught my eye from the research brief:

• 40-60 percent of homeless youth have experienced physical abuse and 17-35 percent have experienced sexual abuse. These young people are much more vulnerable to survival sex, prostitution, and sexual exploitation.
• Homeless girls face a significantly greater risk of being raped or assaulted than homeless boys.
• Sexually exploited youth rarely report their situation or ask for help.
• LGBTQ homeless youth experience are at a greater risk of sexual exploitation than non-LGBTQ homeless youth.
• Long-term psychological effects from sexual exploitation are more likely the longer a youth remains on the street following an assault.
• Sexual exploitation of homeless youth is not a city or coastal issue - research shows it is just as common in rural and Midwestern communities.
• One study noted that of the youth engaging in survival sex, 48 percent reported exchanging sex for housing or food, 22 percent traded sex for drugs, and 82 percent traded sex for money.

If these numbers don't trouble you, then maybe this will: the research brief concludes by pointing to the complete lack of community-based resources for victimized homeless runaway youth. In other words, their plight is largely unknown by most of America and there are few specialized services to help them.

But here's the good news: you can take action to stop this type of activity in your community. Here are a few things you can do (straight from the report):

1. Learn about youth homelessness in your community. Find out how many homeless youth are enrolled in the public schools and what kinds of resources are available to help them. Be informed about the realities of your community.
2. Be a vocal advocate for increased housing resources. Youth are less likely to be exploited when they are off the streets and in stable housing. There are model youth housing programs that can be developed in rural, suburban, and urban neighborhoods. Is there enough affordable housing in your neighborhood for older teenagers and young adults who are fleeing abuse and neglect?
3. Make sure that local law enforcement is targeting the businesses (pimps, strip clubs, escort services) and customers (johns) of the commercial sexual industry and not the victims (youth and young adults) for prosecution.

Learn more here.

Youth homelessness should not be a reality. But the sexual exploitation of runaway homeless youth is flat out unacceptable.

Tweets from the Streets

by Mark Horvath

categories: new media, Stories from the Streets, Trends

Published October 31, 2009 @ 08:18AM PT

I'd like to say that I found Ann Marie in Chicago, but the truth is that she found me. Ann Marie uses social media to escape from her world and connect with others. When I arrived in the Windy City I received a tweet from @padschicago and the next day we arranged to meet in a train station.

Ann Marie is not the first person experiencing homelessness to find me via social media. As the face of homelessness changes, and social media continues to expand, I believe we will see many other people without homes on twitter, blogs, and Facebook. Service providers should pay attention to this evolution and understand that social media can be much more than tool for marketing. Twitter and Facebook can serve as an entry point for services or a vehicle for providing virtual case management.

Social media may have the potential to change the way we provide services, but it will not close the gaps that exist in our safety net. As social services become more specialized and targeted to specific populations, some of those who desperately need help simply cannot figure out where they fit in. Ann Marie would like to get off the streets, but she is falling through the gaps in the social service safety net.

ChicagoNow blogger Megan Cottrell tagged along when I met Ann Marie and wrote a very powerful post. We were also on a San Francisco radio show -  Live from the Left Coast - with Angie Coiro. And right now as I type, Ann Marie is on a Greyhound headed to Los Angeles to speak with me at 140 Conference.

Truly Anne Marie is a special person simply trying to survive. She honestly shares the challenges she faces everyday and talks about how she uses social media. Although much of her story is sad at least for a few days she is on a vacation from homelessness.

Ann Marie from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.

You Are Not Where You Live

by Shannon Moriarty

categories: mobile homeless, nonprofit, Stories from the Streets

Published October 29, 2009 @ 07:52PM PT

You are not where you live.

This is the painfully-simple-but-so-important message writer Becky Blanton shared during a presentation for TED, an organization that shares "riveting talks by incredible people." Blanton began living in her van by choice. But one year after she began her adventure, she was broke, had fallen into the depths of depression, and felt homeless.

In the short video below, she talks about what she learned during just one year living in a van. She makes painfully important observations about homelessness, from the outside and the inside. Including three key lessons:

1. Society equates living in a permanent structure with our value.

2. The negative perceptions of others can easily impact our self-worth, if we allow it to.

3. Homelessness is an attitude, not a lifestyle.

Although I wouldn't classify Blanton as "homeless", I still found her testimony deeply moving. Partially because Blanton is such a riveting storyteller, but also because you can sense how deeply the experience impacted her.

Blanton had her identity as a writer and plenty of opportunities awaiting her at the end of her year on the streets. Many others are not as lucky.

Image: topleftpixel