Action
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Calling All Winter Coats!
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VA's Bold Goal: End Veteran Homelessness in 5 Years
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Homeless Web Trends That Need to Stop
Act Now: Stop Hate Crimes Against the Homeless
Published November 19, 2009 @ 05:52PM PT
It's a cruel fact: when you live without a home, you are more vulnerable to violence on the streets. Next week, the Senate Judiciary is scheduled to vote on legislation that would add homeless people to the federal hate crimes statistics statue. Take action today to tell your elected lawmakers to support this important bill.
The legislation - called the Hate Crimes Against the Homeless Statistics Act (S. 1765) - was introduced by Senator Cardin of Maryland and Senator Collins of Maine. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, the legislation has been placed on the Senate Judiciary Committee schedule and could be marked up as early as November 19, but more likely the week of the November 23.
This bill is timely; as homelessness has increased over the past decade, so has the number of brutal, violent attacks against the homeless. From 2002 to 2005, hate crimes against the homeless increased 300%. Fatal attacks rose by 67%. And the latest study by the National Coalition for the Homeless found that this number has increased even more - 65% - since 2005.
But it's important to remember that hate crimes cannot be measured solely in terms of physical injury, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless, they also "leave a special emotional and psychological mark on victims and their communities, leaving them feeling isolated, vulnerable, and unprotected by the law."
Unlike other categories protected by most hate crime laws - such as gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion - a person's "homeless" status is not permanent. In fact, it is preventable and can be ended with one thing: housing. Of course, until housing becomes regarded as a human right, we will have to settle for such incremental steps to protect the most vulnerable among us in the short term.
Tell your lawmakers to vote "yes" for this important piece of legislation!
Image: Matt From London
One Homeless Veteran is Too Many
Published November 11, 2009 @ 08:03AM PT
The day I met Dale, he was in the middle of a crowded San Francisco sidewalk. But he was very much alone. He was in his wheelchair, trying to position his body upright so he could pick through the contents of a garbage can. Swarms of people, tourists and businesspeople, hurried past. They all seemed too busy to stop and notice one man's struggle, one man's devastating plight.
If these people knew Dale's story, maybe they would not have hurried past so quickly. Dale spent 14 years serving our country, including two tours of Vietnam. As a result, he has serious health issues that confine him to a wheelchair. Yet, he says the only help he gets from the VA is free coffee and donuts.
The stories of homeless veterans are among the hardest to watch, if you ask me. These are men and women who were willing to wear the uniform, willing to put themselves in harms way. It must be tough to come to the realization that their country - the people and ideals that they fought for - are not half as eager to heal their pain, to have their backs. Seems there is just too much hurt and not enough money. Still, there is a lot of noise these days in Washington about ending the atrocity of veteran homelessness. It is critical that this talk become real, tangible solutions. Our veterans have waited long enough.
Today is Veteran's Day. Today we will remember the sacrifices of our Veterans and honor their unselfish service. The day I met Dale, he was in the middle of a crowd. But he was alone, picking through a garbage can.
This Veteran's Day, let's remember the plight of veterans - homeless in America. And let's resolve to do something about it.
Dale from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.
Image: Lulu Vision
Overflow Shelters Opening, Filling Fast
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?
What Can 'The Wire' Teach Us About Homelessness?
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.
Hawks for the Homeless
Published October 28, 2009 @ 03:19PM PT
Looking for an interesting way to support the homeless? Try sporting a mohawk or fauxhawk. A new campaign out of LA - called Hawks for the Homeless - is all about raising awareness while raising funds for service providers. At the same time, you'll be razing your hair (the sides, at least) and raising carefully gelled spikes atop you head.
(Too far with the "raising" puns?)
This new campaign is a volunteer-led initiative happening in LA. It's simple: participants pledge to 'hawk their hair - mohawks and fauxhawks are both acceptable forms of hawking - and ask family and friends to support them with a donation. In LA, the cuts are taking place on November 12th at Bold Barbers.
I love this campaign because it's new, edgy, fun, and has the potential to catch on in cities across the U.S. (In fact, there are detailed instructions for bringing this campaign to your community.) I'd love to see celebrities, soccer moms, elected officials, and youth sporting this 'do. Imagine a world where we all sport the 'hawk until homeless is eradicated. It could be a beautiful thing.
Sure, a mohawk or fauxhawk isn't going to end homelessness (I hope that point is fairly obvious). But I'm all for ideas with broad appeal that have the potential to educate and raise money at a time when it's needed most.
So what are you waiting for? Get sheened.
Image: jdn
Why You Can't "Experience" Homelessness in One Night
Published October 25, 2009 @ 05:19AM PT
In the coming months, thousands of people across the country will participate in 'Sleep-Outs for the Homeless.' Participants should be congratulated for raising money and learning a bit about this critical issue. But check yourself: don't think for a second that after participating in this event you have "experienced" homeless. Far from it.
Some of my colleagues have argued that Sleep-Outs for the Homeless can be the worst fundraiser ever, that they are simply "glorified slumber parties." This may be true in some cases. But I like to believe that, done correctly, these type of events serve an important purpose. All it takes a little bit of careful messaging and a lot of reflection.
Rather than framing a Camp-Out for the Homeless event as a "homeless simulation" with movies, pizza, and a festive atmosphere, these events are best done as a somber showing of solidarity. Rather than playing dress-up in tattered clothes, focus on hearing the stories of formerly homeless people who actually survived life on the streets. Remember those whose lives ended on the streets. Forget the pizza and donuts.
Openly acknowledge that one night camping out in a monitored group environment is a completely different experience than losing everything and ending up on the streets. A one-night camping experience can never replicate the stress, fear, pain, loss of pride, and loss of hope that often coincides with being homeless.
Sleep-Outs for the Homeless can be a powerful tool for building awareness and stimulating activism. This fall, don't be afraid to pass on the pizza and turn your even into a meaningful opportunity to take a deeper look at homelessness issues.
Image: freakychic1978
Court-Ordered Compassion
Published October 23, 2009 @ 09:42AM PT
Have our nation's embedded fears and misconceptions of poor and homeless people gotten out of hand? A shelter provider recently went to court for clearance to continue serving homeless people in a central Pennsylvania rural community. This unsettling case left me asking one question: have we evolved to a place where compassion must be court-ordered?
The First Apostle's Doctrine Church in Brookville, PA has been housing homeless people from the town of less than 5,000 in its Just for Jesus shelter. Town officials tried to shut down the shelter last November, citing zoning code violations that prohibit group homes. In order to keep its doors open to the area's homeless, the church sued the town for civil-liberties violation. Yesterday, the court ruled in the church's favor, allowing the shelter to keep its doors open.
Things sure can get ugly when judgments, stigmas, and stereotypes trump compassion.
Sure, there may be more going on beneath the surface in this story (like a sour relationship between church and local government officials). But sadly, this type of situation is not uncommon. Some government officials wrongly believe that providing services - like a shelter or soup kitchen - will have a bees-to-honey effect, attracting homeless people from other communities. This belief is misguided, short-sighted, and outright mean.
Clearly, if the shelter beds were being used, the town of Brookville has a need for shelter. Rather than attacking the safety net, why not look at local government-initiated strategies for combating the root causes of homelessness? Create affordable housing, develop the local economy, work in conjunction with the church to see that no basic human needs are being unmet.
Some of the most effective and innovative solutions for homelessness have been created locally.
Image: Diane M. Byrne
