Research
Nearly Half of Homeless U.S. Veterans are Black
Published November 15, 2009 @ 06:05PM PT
Veterans experience homelessness at a greater rate than non-vets in the United States. But a new study finds that minority veterans - particularly African-Americans - are disproportionately represented among the homeless veteran population. Today, a whopping 45 percent of the homeless veteran population is African American, proving that race is still relevant to any discussion about poverty and homelessness in America.
These findings were revealed in a study by the Homelessness Research Institute at the National Alliance to End Homelessness. The study was released shortly after President Obama rolled out his bold-but-necessary plan of ending veteran homelessness in five years.
M. William Sermons, Director of the Homelessness Research Institute, told BlackAmericaWeb.com that the factors driving disproportionate homelessness rates among minority veterans are the same as those causing disproportionate rates of homelessness of minorities in the general homeless population. "Some of the risk factors affecting African-American men are high unemployment rates (almost double that of whites) and highly disproportionate rates of discharge from prisons and the foster care system."
In a perfect world, race would no longer be a factor when discussing issues of socio-economic equity. But clearly, this is not the case. This new data exposes the complex and continued link between poverty and race in America, even among those who have worn the uniform. To address poverty, to end homelessness, we must confront these challenging issues directly.
Image: scanned
What Happens and What's Forgotten When Number Crunchers Get Tough
Published November 13, 2009 @ 10:25AM PT
The only thing less sexy than learning about homelessness is statistics. Let's be honest. An intense interest in either makes you a very odd duck indeed. But to love the more challenging of the two takes a collection of unique propensities, including the talent of not being sickened or terrified by the sight of Roman numerals in sequence. Which entirely excludes me.
But maybe you love statistics. You trust them. If that's the case, you might find a lot in common with Michael Arnold, Executive Director for Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. A couple weeks ago he released the shocking and, frankly, implausible conclusion that homelessness in Los Angeles County has decreased by a whopping, recession-beating 38% in a report on the subject. Cue double-take. I know what you're thinking: if politicians wanted to cook the numbers, they might have been a little more conservative.
L.A.'s homeless service providers are just as suspicious. Advocates like David Snow at Santa Monica's Upward Bound House and Andy Bales at Union Rescue Mission point out that their agencies have seen a marked increase in service requests, particularly in the case of families. "There's no way that anybody who works with families would agree with [the conclusions of this report]," Bales said. While it's reasonable to consider how threatening the perception of decreased need might be for service providers, it's equally impossible to ignore national trends that support their experiences. For evidence of this, check out Shannon's post on family homelessness.
Despite all this, Arnold stands by his numbers. In Thursday's Los Angeles Times, he says of some of the study's most vocal critics, "Really, it's a very small number of agencies who have raised a cry, and most of them are family providers...I think a lot of their hue and cry is anecdotally based, not data based. They are spreading disinformation." Strong words. To a limited extent, he's right. The numbers are probably sound. Service providers are objecting mostly by using their personal experiences. That plus his impressive expertise makes it extraordinarily difficult to challenge the approach.
Except that I'm not someone convinced by numbers alone. Very few people are. What's incorrect about this study on the homeless and others like it isn't that they go astray in their methods or intentions (For more on this, consider David Henderson's post on the subject at the Inforum blog). It's more that they miss the forest for the trees.
For a bigger picture, you have to step back a bit, look at it from the perspective of, say, United Nations special rapporteur, Raquel Rolnik. This human rights investigator toured the United States recently to assess the current housing crisis. She wrapped up her visit in L.A. Thursday and was quoted by the London Guardian as saying, "I was shocked when I realised that the US, and countries in Europe - England - as well, had a solid housing policy for many years that worked pretty well. That was dismantled and the situation became worse...but I didn't expect to see what I have seen [here]. In some ways the situation is worse than I expected."
Bickering about 38% is laughable next to this observation.
Image courtesy of http://www.purple.com.
A View from (Under) the Bridge
Published November 07, 2009 @ 05:42AM PT
On paper, Leonard Grant might say that a combination of unemployment, addiction, and mental health caused his homelessness. But that's not the whole story. Even these reasons for homelessness can have their own causes.
You see, Grant tragically lost his son in a car accident, which sent his world spiraling out of control. His depression turned into drug use, his drug use made him unemployable, and without an income, he lost his home.
Grant calls the past three years of his life "dead time." This is how long he has lived under a bridge in Knox County, Tennessee - homeless. He's trying to piece his life back together, but it isn't easy. He's working to gather the legal documents he needs to apply for housing and social security. His biggest hurdle? Getting a copy of his birth certificate.
This is the story behind Grant's reasons for homelessness. It's one example of a story that could never be captured by research or statistics as they are currently reported. This is the human element of homelessness, the kind of story we might be more likely to identify with, the kind that might allow us to feel someone else's pain.
It's so simple, but so easy to forget: nobody ever plans on living under a bridge in Tennessee.
From Homeowner to Homeless Shelter
Published October 21, 2009 @ 12:50PM PT
There is a certain level of pride and accomplishment associated with being a homeowner. It is, after all, the American Dream. On the flip side, checking into a homeless shelter carries its own stigma. These days, thanks to the foreclosure and economic crisis, growing numbers of people are experiencing both of these extremes as homeowners-turned-homeless.
Growing numbers of homeowners who lost their homes to foreclosure are winding up in homelessness shelters, according to a report released this summer by a coalition of housing and homelessness advocates. (This population is distinctively different than renters evicted from rental property due to foreclosure.) According to the report, foreclosure was rarely a factor leading to homeless three years ago. But in the past year, an average of 10 percent of homeless individuals seeking shelter lost homes to foreclosure.
The NY Times piece details the story of Sheri West who used to run a transitional shelter program and owned her own home. Over a year ago, she lost her house to foreclosure. She spent a year living out of her car and on the couches of friends and family, delaying the inevitable. Finally, she sought a bed in a homeless shelter.
Talk about the ultimate irony.
The part that I found so unsettling about the NY Times piece wasn't the devastation of West's plight. It was her closing quote: "I do want to eventually own a house again," she said. "That's the American dream. That's what everybody wants."
I don't think West's sentiments are rare, especially for someone who has experienced homelessness. After experiencing the devastation of being in a precarious housing situation, many think home ownership implies that you've "made it." Sadly, this is not always the case.
Why do we continue to value homeownership over financial stability? If a housing bubble, followed by a massive recession, followed by marked increases in homelessness can't reinvent the American Dream, what will?
Image: New York Times
Forget Cost-Benefit Studies, Housing is a Human Right!
Published October 13, 2009 @ 01:57PM PT
A new study out of Los Angeles today has found that housing a homeless person is cheaper than leaving them to fend for themselves on the streets. It's an argument has been reinforced for years by cost-benefit analysis after cost-benefit analysis in cities across the country.
The emphasis on these types studies is incredibly frustrating. Why do cost studies trump historically significant declarations that proclaim housing to be a basic human right, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the National Housing Goal in the 1949 Housing Act?
I think it's time that we, as advocates, get our priorities and our messaging straight.
The report released today was conducted by the United Way of Greater LA. It profiled four individuals and tallied the costs of their homelessness - including shelter stays, emergency room visits, etc. - for two years. Not surprisingly, the study concluded that the total cost to provide services on the streets was more than $80,000 greater than it would be with permanent housing with support services. That's a "43 percent savings for taxpayers," according to LA's NBC affiliate.
But seriously - how many cost-benefit analysis studies should it take to change a system?
Clearly, the dollars and cents research has proven effective in certain cities for vamping up support of newer approaches, such as housing first. And this is not to undermine the importance of these types of studies in cities desperately needing additional political/financial backing for homeless services. But will this piecemeal, incremental approach generate the vast support needed to truly overhaul a system that grossly under-values safe, decent, affordable housing?
The truth is, the importance of housing is well-established in history. It has been established, internationally and domestically, as a basic human right. Read the following. Refer to them often when you find yourself having to - for some reason - make an argument in favor of providing housing the homeless.
Start with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which reads, "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control."(article 25(1))
If that doesn't work, refer to the 1949 Housing Act, in which Congress declares a National Housing Goal of "a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family."
Cost-benefit analysis are devaluing the historic emphasis on housing, something we seem to have forgotten over the years. It is up to us, as advocates, to remind the world that housing has been established as a basic human right. Perhaps framing the issue as a basic human right rather than a cost-benefit analysis will drum up the outrage necessary to make real progress.
Image from Farm4's public Flickr photo stream.
How Many People Are Homeless?
Published October 06, 2009 @ 01:51PM PT
It's a question we hear all the time, and for good reason. Knowing how many people experience homelessness puts the issue in context and helps us understand how widespread the issue is.
But, of course, it's never as easy as giving a nice, squeaky-clean number. Data is nuanced and can become complicated when you consider sub-population, geographic area, and differences in the definition of homelessness. Thus, understanding the methodology and data used to determine the number of homeless people is almost as important as knowing the number itself; it's illuminating.
This is why I was so thrilled to learn that the National Alliance to End Homelessness is coming out with a new series of Video Fact Sheets addressing common questions related to homelessness. The in the series addresses questions related to homelessness data. It really breaks it down with graphics, maps, and commentary from Homelessness Research Institute Director Bill Sermons.
If you've ever wondered where the numbers come from, why we're still talking about 2007 data, and how national figures are achieved when homeless census counts are conducted locally, you should definitely take seven minutes and watch this video.
Thanks to my friends at the Homelessness Research Institute at the National Alliance to End Homelessness for providing this important resource.
Image from alexkess' public Flickr photo stream.
Homelessness Not Confined to Cities
Published October 03, 2009 @ 11:00AM PT
If you think homelessness is primarily an urban issue, think again. A new study from a national advocacy group illustrates the prevalence of homelessness in urban and rural areas across the country. The numbers - and the noted challenges of collecting homelessness data - speak for themselves.
Grayson County, Texas is not a big city. So many members of the Texas community assume homelessness is mostly a problem for Dallas or Houston. But according to the local news station, KXII, it's all relative. One shelter worker told the newstation that "homelessness is a much bigger problem in Texoma than anyone realizes." Indeed, all of the shelters in Grayson County are full and shelter workers believe people are living on the streets.
The latest study out from the National Alliance to End Homelessness, titled Geography of Homelessness, used 2007 homeless census counts and census data to determine the prevalence of homelessness in rural areas. As expected, the study found urban homelessness is more prevalent than any other type of area. But the study argued that this may be due to the intrinsic differences in the homeless population that make finding and counting homeless people in non-urban areas much more challenging.
First, many rural areas do not have shelters. Some communities do not have any kinds of social services whatsoever. Therefore, the report notes, extremely poor people in rural areas "do not stay in shelters but rather double-up with family or friends or live in substandard housing, and many leave rural areas in search of increased employment opportunities and homeless services."
Given the established difficulties of finding and counting the homeless in rural areas, the report's numbers illustrate of the potential scope of the problem:
- Urban areas: 29 out of 10,000 persons are homeless
- Mostly Urban areas: 19 out of 10,000 persons are homeless
- Mixed Rural/Mostly Rural areas: 12 out of 10,000 persons are homeless
- Mostly Rural areas, 8 out of 10,000 persons are homeless
- Rural areas: 14 out of 10,000 persons are homeless
This data is critically important in understanding just how dire the homelessness situation in rural areas is as reported. It's extremely troubling to wonder to what extent we are under-counting these areas, particularly with a recession on our hands. Clearly, better effort need to be made in rural areas to meet the unique demands of this population. We know that when it comes to social services, one size definitely does not fit all.
Image from hubb-a-dubb's public Flickr photostream.
