News
The Working Homeless
Published September 30, 2009 @ 08:49AM PT
January's homeless census in Connecticut revealed a startling figure: one in three homeless individuals in Connecticut has a job, and 36 percent of adults in homeless families is employed. Seems the profile of a homeless person in America has evolved as the gap between the rich and poor in this country has increased.
Last January, officials in the state of Connecticut counted roughly 4,000 homeless individuals. The count revealed a number of trends among the state's homeless population. For example, the most common reasons individuals and families became homeless was because of rent problems, domestic violence and a conflict with family or friends.
But perhaps the most surprising finding was this: one-third of Connecticut's homeless population are currently employed, including 36 percent of adults in homeless families. That's right, one in three homeless people in Connecticut had a job.
Of course, the homeless census did not include questions that probed for further details, such as how many hours per week these individuals work, what types of jobs they have, or how much they earn. Even still, this information is illuminating because of its implications.
First, it implies that housing is unaffordable. It implies that wages have not kept pace with the costs of living. But most of all, it illustrates that the gap between the rich and poor in this country is getting larger. According to the AP, reporting on newly released census figures, the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans - those making more than $138,000 each year - earned 11.4 times the roughly $12,000 made by those living near or below the poverty line in 2008.
Certainly, this data out of Connecticut reinforces our long-held belief that addressing structural inequalities is absolutely critical to end homelessness. While there are many positive things to be said about the influx of stimulus funds, I don't think $1.5 is going to make a dent in decreasing the gap between the rich and poor.
Image from sij13's public Flickr stream.
Seattle Homeless Protest by Camping Outside Mayor's Home
Published September 28, 2009 @ 07:59PM PT
It's not a good time to be Mayor Greg Nickels of Seattle. Right this moment, homeless folks in the city are taking their complaints to his doorstep... literally. Tonight, homeless people are camping outside the home of Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and other city councilors to protest the imminent sweeping of Nickelsville.
They have a number of grievances that Mayor Nickels is about to be intimately and uncomfortably made aware of. The old ‘you thought we were messing about' saying on the street applies in this situation. Because, no this group of homeless people obviously isn't messing about and they will speak up in protest for help and they are taking the fight to the very front door step of politicians homes.
Normally I would protest this protest and argue that an ethical organization should not put clients in the front line demonstration, particularly when that demonstration may end with people being arrested. But in this case, the group protesting and speaking their mind aren't representing a homeless organization run by the typical suspects, but are a coalition of self-advocates... the homeless people themselves.
Yes, this take-to-the-streets, grassroots, in-your-face protest is 100% organized and executed by homeless people who want their voices to be heard. There was a build up and coverage of the plans of Seattle Homeless to protest in the Homelessness Forums.
Of course, the irony here cannot be lost. If each of those involved in the protest is arrested, they will be given shelter in a prison and three square meals a day. Seattle Mayor Nickels has a decision to make: imprison homeless people or listen to what they have to say?
Tonight, my comrades and I from around the world who believe in a person's right to housing stand in solidarity with involved in this demonstration.
Check here for the most up to date details of the situation as it unfolds from the perspective of the Seattle homeless protesters.
Image from dprevite's public photo stream on Flickr.
Meet the Residents of Sin City's Flood Tunnels
Published September 27, 2009 @ 03:29PM PT
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Or beneath it. Underneath the glitz and glamor of America's infamous strip exists a hidden community. Roughly 700 homeless people call the dank and deadly flood tunnels of Sin City "home."
According to The Sun, a UK paper, there are over 350 miles of tunnels beneath Las Vegas. But the majority of the hidden community stays right beneath downtown Las Vegas. They survive by hustling casino machines (finding unclaimed credits on machines), dumpster diving, and - every now and then - panhandling.
Many of the tunnel residents have lived in the tunnels for several years. Many are there because of economic woes, addictions, or a combination of circumstances. Others are just working poor; one man living in the tunnels works full time. They stay despite the significant risks posed by disease, highly venomous spiders and flooding washing them away, according to The Sun. Although heavy rains are rare in Nevada, heavy rains are dangerous for those living in the tunnels. In the past 20 years, 20 individuals have died of drowning in the tunnels beneath the city.
Matthew O'Brien, author of Beneath the Neon, an expose about the hidden community, works extensively with local charities to move residents of the tunnel into housing. He told The Sun that they don't actively distribute supplies to make life under the city more comfortable; many are resistant enough to leave the depths of the tunnel as it is.
See more photos of Las Vegas' hidden tunnel community after the jump.
American Girl's Latest Doll is Homeless
Published September 25, 2009 @ 10:24AM PT
Across the web, people are up in arms over the latest creation from American Girl: a doll named Gwen Thompson who happens to be homeless.
Does the thought of a homeless American Girl doll gives you pause? Then maybe you need a reality check. Family and youth homelessness might just be the defining issue of our time.
I thought we'd seen it all. Homelessness dubbed tres chic on the cover of Italian Vogue, faux cardboard duvet covers, and even homeless video game characters in Sim City. But this most recent controversy of culture mimicking reality takes the cake. American Girl has introduced their latest "sociological accurate" doll, Gwen Thompson. For a whopping $95, little girls can take home a doll who - according to her biography - is homeless.
(Talk about the ultimate irony. But I digress...)
American Girl dolls have long been popular among many children and parents alike for their idyllic portrayals of girls from segments of American life and history. According to Parent Dish, the Mattel-owned company is "well-known for its tasteful, well-researched dolls." Yet, the biography crafted for American Girl's latest creation (found in the history book that comes with each doll) has folks across the web seething. It goes something like this: After Gwen's father walked out of the family, her mother lost her job. Fall came and went, and by the winter, they had no choice but to start living in the family car.
So there you have it. A homeless American Girl Doll.
I'll admit - my initial reaction was disgust. Befuddlement, even. But the more I thought about it, the more my opinion changed. And it seems I wasn't the only one initially over-thinking the meaning of this toy; Andrea Peysner at the New York Post was especially perturbed:
It seems obscene that a company that prides itself on teaching impressionable children about history and grooming -- you can have your doll's hair done for $20! -- should engage in political preaching. What message is being sent with Gwen?
For starters, men are bad. Fathers abandon women without cause. She's also telling me that women are helpless. And that children in this great country, where dolls sell for nearly 100 bucks a pop, are allowed to sleep in motor vehicles. But mothers don't lose custody over this injustice. Because, you see, they are victims, too.
In response, American Girl corporate issued this statement: "Our singular goal with these stories is to help girls find their inner star by becoming kind, compassionate, and loving people who make a positive and meaningful difference in the world around them."
(Did that really just say "inner star?")
The only thing obscene about this American Girl controversy is that it takes a plastic doll and her fictional biography to have everyone up in arms. Yet, the real stories of homeless children crowding shelters and schools are accepted without an ounce of outrage. This American Girl doll's story is not unrealistic at all. In fact, it's a lot more common than we'd like to think.
Earlier this year, the National Center on Family Homelessness found that 1 in 50 children in America will experience homelessness. Roughly a quarter of all children in this country live with a single parent. Unemployment in the U.S. is nearly in the double-digits. Schools are struggling to maintain a sense of stability for kids dealing with very adult problems. Research has found that children who are homeless are more likely to drop out of school, get sick, and become homeless as adults.
Don't get me wrong - I certainly not coming to the defense of an overpriced doll company. And I'm not trying to paint an overly gloomy picture of the state of family and youth homelessness in America. I'm being real.
Perhaps American Girls may be picking up on something that the rest of society is missing. If these dolls are considered accurate, well-researched portrayal of American culture, then maybe we need to stop overreacting about how offensive, distasteful, and obscene they are, and start opening our eyes.
Family and youth homelessness could very well be the defining issue of our time.
Image from New York Post.
Record Levels of Homelessness in Rhode Island
Published September 23, 2009 @ 10:14AM PT
Even before our modern day recession, the state of Rhode Island had long faced serious economic woes. Today, the snowball effects of persistent state budget issues, rising numbers of job losses, and a disproportionate number of foreclosures have left this small state with a big homelessness problem.
Like many other states, Rhode Island is grappling to manage the rising numbers of homeless people on two fronts: in the shelter system and in tent cities springing up on the streets.
In emergency shelters across the state, the numbers of people seeking assistance reached record levels this year. At least 1,236 Rhode Islanders sought emergency shelter last month, an 8 percent increase over the same month a year ago and up from about 750 in August 2006, according to the Boston Globe. This is bad news for Rhode Island, a state that has historically ended each budget cycle in the red for as long as many people can remember.
To make matters worse, the rising numbers of those seeking shelter doesn't even begin to capture the extent of the homelessness problem in Rhode Island. Tent cities are becoming uncomfortably common in Providence. Several small encampments are scattered throughout downtown, hidden under bridges or in public parks. Many of these groups were originally part of a larger tent city - known as "Camp Runamuck" - that was forced to move from under an East Providence bridge to prevent eviction.
Just this past Monday, a Superior Court judge gave one tent city (dubbed "Camp Runamuck II") a week to vacate a public park. According to the Providence Journal, the tent city was ordered to move because, in addition to violating city camping ordinances, the camp lacks running water, showers and a bathroom and poses a "threat to the health, safety and welfare of the public."
Sounds to me like the classic conundrum that I like to call "Where the $*%&! are they supposed to go?!" It is particularly applicable in this case, given that emergency shelters are already struggling to accommodate record demand.
Advocates in other cities facing this situation, such as Sacramento and Seattle, are pushing for Safe Ground campsites. But Providence advocates have taken a much different approach. They are referencing an old Rhode Island state law, written before the days of Roosevelt and the New Deal, that says the city has an obligation to care for the homeless and poor. "When people are in need, the city is required to provide relief," homeless advocate and lawyer Peter Simone told the Providence Journal, "particularly when all else fails."
Well, despite the programs and services in place to serve the poor since the Roosevelt days, it seems all else has failed the residents of Rhode Island's tent cities.
Image from the Providence Journal news blog.
More Massachusetts Homeless Families Living in Motels
Published September 17, 2009 @ 08:42PM PT
Like many other states, homelessness in Massachusetts has reached crisis crisis mode. Since June of this year, the number of homeless families being housed in motels has increased a whopping 37 percent. Today, over 1,000 homeless families in Massachusetts - that's over a third of the state's sheltered family homeless population - are living in motels. How much more strain can the state's safety net handle?
The state began using motel rooms to house homeless families when the state's 2,000 family shelter rooms across the state filled in 2007. Since then, the number of homeless families in motels has been steadily rising, thanks to economic factors that continue to plague the state. That said, a 37 percent increase in just three months is worse than anyone could have predicted.
The cost of putting a family up in a motel are not cheap, both financially and socially. Currently, the arrangement costs $2.8 million per month (a pithy amount when you consider the negative effects of living on a street or in a car). The social costs of not having a home can be much worse, especially for children, according to the MA Department of Housing and Community Development. Cramped quarters, instability, lack of access to nutritious and regular meals are just a few of the challenges the 1,400 homeless children in Massachusetts motels face daily. Not to mention the challenges of trying to keep up in school amid such uncertainty.
But help - and hope - is on the way. The state is anticipating the influx of stimulus funds, to the tune of $44.5 million - will help ease the burden. The state plans to use the funds to continue moving families into rent-supported permanent housing.
That trickle-down can't happen fast enough.
Image from It'sGreg's public Flickr photo stream.
The Family of a Homeless Hate Crime Victim Speaks Out
Published September 14, 2009 @ 08:30AM PT
Tonight, thousands of people across the United States will sleep on the streets. The situations that led them there are varied and complicated; each person has their own unique story. At the same time, violent attacks against people living without a home in the U.S. are on the rise. Yet, few families of homeless hate crime victims have spoken out about the tragedy of losing a loved one twice; once to life on the streets, and again at the hands of extreme violence. Until today.
Holly Case's uncle, Daniel Case, was the victim of an attack by two teenagers in February in Bradenton, Florida (read the original story here). She writes on behalf of her family about how her uncle's life and needless death have affected her family.
By Holly Case
As I sit down to write this, it has been six months since my uncle, Daniel Case, was murdered. My uncle was homeless off-and-on for the last 10 years. The night he was murdered started just like any other night for him: taking shelter behind a local business instead of a homeless shelter. Unfortunately, this made him incredibly susceptible. Two teenagers (known gang members) violently assaulted him and he succumbed to those injuries. They left him behind the business, him screaming as they ran off.
The reaction towards my family following that night has typically been "Why was this man living on the streets? How could his family allow that? How could you not help him get off the streets?" I am writing this to help answer those questions and to give a little bit of perspective on our situation (an all-too-common one.)
I should start out by giving you a little background of my uncle: he was born in 1950, the second oldest of seven children. He played football in high school and served his country in the Army in Vietnam. Unfortunately, his time in Vietnam changed him as a person; after returning, he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and would have night terrors almost nightly. During these night terrors, he would suffer flashbacks and re-live the terror of the war: shouting, "Take cover!", and picking up furniture to hide behind. This ordeal was not only traumatic for him, but also quite scary for his family. He had three girls and a wife at home who dealt with this on a regular basis.
Dan started drinking to battle the night terrors. He drank to pass out; in his state of unconsciousness, he would not have to deal with the terrors. Eventually he built up an alcohol tolerance and the drinking lost its efficacy. He ended up divorced and living in Florida, while his girls, Erin, Amy, and Danielle, stayed in Ohio with their mom.
When he did become homeless (after losing his job because of an injury,) he was determined to make it on his own. He was stubborn and retained his pride; he refused to accept help from anybody. His daughters offered numerous times to let him live with them, but he always respectfully declined, citing that he did not want to be "a burden." He would go to the Salvation Army for dinner, but most often chose to sleep on the street so that someone else could have that spot in the shelter. All he ever asked for from anybody was beer, and when he was in the mood for it, company. He rarely asked for money. He just wanted to talk with someone.
In the months leading up to his death, things were starting to look up. He had a hearing set up so that he could start receiving VA benefits. He had been trying to save up money so that he could live in the apartment above the business behind which he was had been staying (he had actually worked out a deal with that business, where he would help them unload trucks in exchange for sleeping behind their building and getting his mail delivered there.) Most recently, and by far the most tragic, is that he had finally agreed to move back to Ohio to live with his daughters; he was to leave in the next couple of weeks. He was finally starting to piece his life back together when two selfish teenagers ripped that away from him.
I do not want to go on ad nauseam about how he will never get to see his grandkids grow up or the multitude of other experiences of which the teens robbed him and his family. The point of this is simply to point out why we "did not help". Simply put, he did not want it.
Not every homeless person wants gratuitous handouts. Sure, they appreciate a meal, a conversation, or a place to sleep that night. However, many feel as though they should provide their own means to get back on their feet as much as possible. Living on the streets is by no means easy. Nevertheless, some people do choose that life; I know my uncle did.
Thanks to Erin Case, Amy Case, Danielle Case, and Bob Case for their help preparing this story.
Pictures below provided by the author.
