Health
The Audacity of Home
Published November 20, 2009 @ 09:12AM PT
If there were ever a time for the Obama Administration to fulfill its promise of restoring Hope for America, re-prioritizing the promise of "a Home for all" is the ideal start. The sum of our devastating housing and economic crisis, combined with the recent findings from the international human rights community, prove that there is no better time to move housing to the top of the federal policy agenda.
Today, I'm taking a step back. Away from the details in the news, away from the constant flow of comments, the banter. Today I want to talk about something so simple, so basic that most of us take it for granted.
Home.
A Home is a basic necessity. Something so basic that it's easy to forget. We see homeless people, we hear about programs designed to serve them, we read the news of the worsening crisis. Yet we're desensitized to the severe psychological implications of not having a home. We're numb.
A Home helps to ensure safety, health, and well-being. It is our base, a place we can always return to. We identify with our Home - with the structure we live in, the town and state it's in, the schools it's near. A Home is safety, it is opportunity. For many people, it is even identity. It is not far-fetched to say that our ability to hope is directly related to having a Home.
15% Hungry in America
Published November 17, 2009 @ 07:10AM PT
If your stomach was too weak for Friday's foreclosure numbers, turn away: Monday revealed that nearly 15 percent of Americans went hungry last year.
The recession may be over for big business, but the problems of real people continue as the Department of Agriculture announced that the number hungry in this country rose to a staggering 50 million. As is often the case, the effects of hunger disproportionately affect the most vulnerable. This report revealed that 1 in 4 children lack reliable access to adequate nutrition. Poverty advocates insist that the problem will likely worsen. A national food bank network, Feeding America, said of the numbers in a New York Times piece, "Socioeconomic indicators, including the escalating unemployment rate and the number of working poor, lead us to believe that the number of people facing hunger will continue to rise significantly over the coming year." Peachy.
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
First Apartment After 45 Years Homeless
Published November 04, 2009 @ 02:53PM PT
Steve Sacre has been homeless for 45 years. His homeless stint included time in the Army, in prison, on couches, and on the streets. He learned early on how to hide his belongings so they're not stolen and how to watch his back so he's not hurt. But today, he can finally enjoy safety, security, permanence. Today he is living in his first real home.
Sacre's moving story appeared today in the Democrat Herald. Like many Vietnam-era veterans, his downward spiral began after he began using drugs to survive the horrors of the war. He came home - an addict - and became involved in burglary to fuel his habits, landing him in prison for 10 years.
It's heartbreaking to imagine living for 45 years without a sense of permanency. And for Sacre, this new home couldn't have come early enough. He has been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and doctors have no idea how much time he has left.
Though his new apartment is sparse, with just a few chairs and an old television, Sacre is grateful to finally have a place to call home.
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?
Tackle Homelessness, Lower Health Care Costs
Published October 19, 2009 @ 07:07AM PT
Homelessness and health care are inextricably linked; the conversation about one simply cannot happen without addressing the other. A thorough understanding of the health costs associated with homelessness must be included in the debate surrounding health care reform. I think HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said it best: "If we want to talk health care reform, including lowering costs, we must tackle homelessness'
Homelessness and health care are cyclically linked. Homelessness can be a burden on our health care system, and a lack of health care can cause/aggravate homelessness. These are the points made resoundingly clear by Nan Roman, President of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, in a Huffington Post piece this week.
She noted four important points that should be circulated widely:
1. Not everyone living in poverty is eligible for Medicaid.
Non-disabled, childless adults are not eligible. Mothers with health conditions with children in healthcare are not eligible. Young adults aging out of foster care are not eligible. The list goes on.
2. Not every eligible homeless person is enrolled in Medicaid.
A 1996 nationwide study found that only 25 percent of single homeless adults were enrolled in Medicaid. So what do the remaining 75 percent do when they need to be treated? See point number three.
3. Leaving homeless people uninsured is costly and ineffective.
With fewer resources and less access to medical care, uninsured homeless people will often leave medical conditions untreated. When their health becomes so poor that they do seek treatment, they will often go to the emergency room. This is taxing for both a person's health, hospital resources, and communities who must foot the bill.
4. Poor health and expensive healthcare are causes of homelessness.
Untreated illness leads to disability, which leads to an inability to work, which leads to job loss. Unemployment remains the leading cause of homelessness. Medical expenses - insured or not - are the leading cause of bankruptcy. In other words, health care reform may have a huge, unintended effect: preventing homelessness.
Health care reform has the potential to benefit many people, but particularly those who are most vulnerable among us.
Image: Center for American Progress
The Cancer-Surviving, Formerly-Homeless, Elderly Man Who Won't Stop Painting
Published September 30, 2009 @ 07:28AM PT
Surviving cancer is usually a cause for celebration. But for Peter Phelps, it meant one thing: homelessness. Today, at 82 years old, Peter Phelps' life looks dramatically different than it did two years ago. Rather than staying on the streets, he spends 40 hours each day in his single bedroom apartment in Boston pursuing his passion - painting.
At 79 years old, Peter was diagnosed with lung cancer. According to the VOA Newsroom, he was told he was terminal, so he quietly prepared for the end of his life by giving away his belongings. "Since I was going to die, I didn't need all of the clothes and the car, whatever. I gave everything away. Somebody could use it, I passed it on." He was also undergoing experimental treatments at Dana Farber Cancer Institute where he thought he'd be hospitalized; he wasn't. He ended up in a homeless shelter.
Sadly, Phelps' situation was not unique. Approximately one-third of the adult homeless population in this country is over 50 years old. Many suffer from health ailments or disabilities; in many cases, this is the major cause of their homelessness.
But Phelps' story takes a 180 degree turn for the better. Hearth, a nonprofit housing provider in Boston, found Phelps through street outreach. Two years ago, they placed him in his own apartment and began providing comprehensive mental and physical health services. They helped transform his living room into an art studio, rekindling his passion and his talent for painting. He hasn't looked back since.
Today, every single painting Phelps creates is given to a formerly homeless friend down the hall or is sold to benefit Hearth. To date, he has created over 100 paintings for Hearth and, according to the nonprofit, he won't stop painting.
Phelps' story is further proof that we should not give up on anyone simple because they do not have a place to live.
Image and video from VOA Newsroom. See more of Phelps' artwork here.
