Advocacy
Shelters Running Out of Room
Published November 23, 2009 @ 04:16PM PT
November weather has been mild, for the most part, yet many news outlets are reporting that their local shelters are already packed to the gills. The headlines hardly reflect the gravity of the situation. From Boulder to St. Paul, shelters are reportedly having to turn people away. This is a crisis in the making, as cold temperatures can be a matter of life and death for those without a home.
The combination of state budget reductions and the economic downturn is proving extremely challenging for homeless service providers. Many are already operating in crisis mode, dealing with overcrowding and their inability to meet demand. At the same time, their operating budgets are being slashed, which means a reduction of workers and services to address the rising crisis.
Two words sum up the extent of the overcrowding in the Dorothy Day Center in St. Paul: six inches. That's the distance between the thin rubber mats that guests of the shelter sleep on each night. One staff member told MPR news that "the mats are literally so close together that staff cannot get from the front of the room to the back of the room without having to wake people." The worst part? The weather has not even been cold yet. Shelter workers expect the demand to "far exceed" the available resources of service providers in the city once the mercury drops.
There's no question that we have a homelessness crisis on our hands. As the temperature continues to drop to dangerous levels, it is up to media outlets to stop reporting the news as matter-of-fact stories that cannot be changed. Local reporters should delve into the role of whistle-blower by reporting the numbers of those being being denied shelter, exposing the crowded conditions, and telling the stories of those who are left outdoors. This is the only way to inform the public and generate the outrage needed to secure resources. And for right now - in the short term - resources are what we need to curb the short-term crisis.
Shame on us if we wait until the first cold-weather death this winter. Now is the time to act.
Image: Gilroy Dispatch
Kids Could Get Axed in Washington State Budget Cuts
Published November 23, 2009 @ 08:21AM PT
Debates on budget shortfalls are taking a turn for the worse in Washington state this week. Who's on the chopping block? Homeless kids. Human services officials are hurting to find programs to cut and plan to phase out sheltering and outreach for homeless minors in months to come. Bad idea.
Two things are flawed about this proposal.
The premise to start with. Though a combination of cuts and tax hikes are necessary when legislators find themselves toeing the edge of a yawning revenue chasm, it's curious that the hole is all too often filled with food and cash taken from the mouths and hands of the poor. Erring is usually on the minus rather than the plus side. And if you argue that raising taxes ultimately hurts everyone by, um, probably, in the future you see, leading to job cuts, talk to the director of the Washington Sate Budget and Policy Center, Remy Trupin. In a recent story concerning the budget crisis, he cites evidence that "tax increases can be less harmful to families and state economies than deep cuts to services." That a strong safety net leads to greater stability is self-evident.
Why force the helping professions to choose who suffers?
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
Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
Published November 16, 2009 @ 07:42AM PT
A simple question, answered in pictures. This is the premise of a new photo book released by an organization in Portland, Oregon. It shouldn't be surprising, to see the places where those without a home have spent the night. But the images provide a powerful and deeply disturbing narrative about the reality of homelessness in America.
The book, Where I Slept - a project of the Transition Projects - marks the 40th anniversary of the organization's efforts to combat homelessness in Portland. According to the organization, "In the spring of 2007, we asked the residents of Transition Projects shelters to show us the places they slept while living on the streets. Equipped with just disposable cameras and the willingness to show us their truth, they delivered the photographs in this book in a matter of days."
The images were only intended to be a temporary exhibit. But the response from the community was so powerful it was decided the message had to reach a wider audience. Hence the book, now available for $20 at Transition Projects' website.
Great idea by a great organization. It's always great to see innovative approaches to telling the stories of day-to-day struggles of homeless individuals. I think Ted Wheeler,* the chair of Transition Projects, said it best: "The most basic thing we can do to help the homeless is to reach out to them and acknowledge them as fellow human beings. The worst thing we can do is pretend that they don't exist."
*Correction: Ted Wheeler is the Chair of Multnomah County, not Transition Projects. According to the Transition Projects website, Doreen Binder is the Executive Director.
This Veterans Day, Hope for Homeless Vets
Published November 11, 2009 @ 09:00PM PT
This year, Veterans Day is more hopeful than last year. Even though some atrocities have not changed - veterans are still twice as likely to be homeless than non-vets and over 130,000 veterans are homeless tonight - this year is different. This year, the Obama Administration has made it a priority to fulfill the promise of "supporting our troops" by ending veteran homelessness in five years.
There's no denying the enormous sacrifices made by those who put on the uniform. And there's no denying that we should support these individuals even - especially - when their time in uniform is over. But somehow, somewhere along the way, we as a nation forgot to do this. We allowed the issues affecting veterans spiral out of control.
Today, veterans experience higher rates of suicide, homelessness, and substance abuse than non-vets. The disability claims backlog numbers over 400,000, leaving many vulnerable vets waiting for months - sometimes years - for the federal assistance they need. Today, one in three homeless adult men is a veteran, many of whom fought in Vietnam. But perhaps most disturbing is the newest trend: veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are slowly beginning to wind up on the streets. In other words, history is starting to repeat itself.
The only way to definitely end such a systemically-embedded atrocity is with bold, decisive action. And this is precisely what VA Secretary Shinseki delivered on November 3rd at the national summit on veterans homelessness. The VA's plan includes efforts to increase the housing stock for those vets who are already on the streets as well as a strong focus on homelessness prevention. Several bills currently in Congress aim to support the VA's goal, and Obama recently signed an executive order that will encourage federal hiring of former service members.
Ending veteran homelessness in five years is no small task, but it is critically important. There is no better way to properly honor our service men and women than with the promise that their sacrifices will not be forgotten when their time in uniform is over.
Image: Leo Reynolds
Community Organizing to Combat Homelessness
Published November 09, 2009 @ 10:27AM PT
There is no better way to build community power than by organizing the power of a community. Amid these challenging economic times, and with a former community organizer in the White House, homeless advocates should revisit this timely topic. Today's workshop will cover community organizing through a numbers of lenses - classic community organizing, new media, advocacy, etc.
First and most important lesson in today's workshop: everyone is an expert. Here goes!
1:09 - First observation: the mere topic of community organizing always seems to get people energized and excited. There's good energy in this room. Why? Perhaps because if you believe in organizing, you believe in the idea that we can all be empowered to affect change; if you have hope, you have a reason to fight for your ideals. That's inspiring.
1:13 - Naturally, this is an interactive workshop, so I will do my best to translate this group work into live-blogworthy material.
1:26 - First, some definitions:
- Electoral organizing: Using the electoral process to advance understanding about an issue in order to provide political pressure. Some examples: leaf letting, community meetings, etc.
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?
