Homelessness Articles

Today, we read multiple articles that had varying points of view. They offered multiple solutions and conditions that can define what solution works best. For instance, families usually only need help recovering from a traumatic event while those with mental illness need continued assistance. The two solutions we studied were Rapid-Rehousing and Prevention and Housing First. Both solutions take a direct approach to alleviating homelessness. The supporters of each want to put homeless people into houses immediately. Each method has a place to make a difference. "Years of research and experience in working to end homelessness has proven that rapid re-housing and prevention are key strategies." For Rapid re-housing, this is more for people who are suddenly homeless from a tragic event or an unfortunate situation. These people need permanent housing to get back on their feet and can normally become independent with relatively limited assistance. They most often do not need rehabilitation programs and can recover much faster than those suffering from chronic homelessness. This plan helps to put people back into a comfortable place until they can get back on their feet and also opens up beds in shelters to those who constantly rely on their availability. Prevention is another important strategy. It helps to control homeless populations by stopping numbers from rising. Housing First is actually fairly similar."Housing First is an approach that emphasizes stable, permanent housing as a primary strategy for ending homelessness." This approach focuses on getting people into houses as quickly as possible before doing other services that are required. This is the order and product that most people experiencing homeless want and respond best to. After the initial act, people are then available to provide services when needed and requested. Housing First programs have a wide variety of appearances depending on the type of person who needs the service. Some people may need services indefinitely Different groups respond differently to actions and require a multitude of needs.

We also learned today about the different types of people who experience homelessness and how their needs and situations can vary so greatly. Youth for example are often fleeing a home-life situation. Sometimes they need to be reunited with family and other times they are escaping that danger. For this reason, each case must be evaluated and alleviation efforts must be specialized. Since they did not come from an independent position, most will need assistance programs to get started in life. Whether escaping abuse or addiction or simply aging out of foster care, children need a permanent housing situation to succeed. They may also need educational help and resources for income. Families usually require Rapid Re-housing and financial assistance. They are often just down on their luck and can find ways to be independent again after a short time. Veterans need extra consideration and care with the various mental illnesses that they can be afflicted with. They need housing and assistance programs and should be a top priority after their dedicated sacrifice of service. The chronically homeless are a different situation. Often, they have serious physical and mental disabilities and need permanent housing and services. They have demonstrated a struggle to survive independently and may need persistent and long lasting assistance.

I think that this direct approach to solving homelessness is definitely one of the best. By putting homeless people into homes, there is no arguing that a problem is being solved. However, there are some difficulties that should not be overlooked. In these cases, the treatments are so individualized and specific that there cannot be a clear plan. There cannot be a decisive path of action when each person must be evaluated for the best option. There are obvious benefits to this as well, but it takes much more time and is less efficient. Overall, I think this is a great idea. As they stated, it is cost efficient and keeps people out of trouble. By providing homes to people instead of building more shelters, we treat them like the human beings they are. We show respect and see results. If you're trying so hard and things just don't go your way, it is our responsibility to help. One day it could be you or me down on our luck begging for assistance or change. People need a safe and comfortable place to live if they want to improve their situation. I believe this is a great way to start and that real benefits will be apparent.

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StreetWise Response

The intentions behind every organization we have reviewed so far have been great, however there are many problems that occur when executed in reality. The program we studied today, StreetWise, had many redeeming and unique qualities that can be appreciated. It empowers hard work and inspires people to change their lives rather than just being handed rations for the day. By earning their livings, people feel a sense of accomplishment and want to continue to improve themselves. This sets people up for a lifetime of success rather than just surviving the day. The also provide people with the sales skills that they can use to gain further employment, and many people have. It is fairly affordable to buy the magazines and many people can afford a place to live in a matter of weeks. Another benefit, though often overlooked, is the simple power of interaction. Many homeless people do not even get acknowledged every day, and this gives them an outlet to be approached on a daily basis. The thought and effort behind this organization is great, but there are also so problems I encountered.

One main issue is the simple problem of started off. If given the choice between spending their last dollar on food or on a magazine, most people would spend it on survival. It would be helpful is a loan was offered or the first order was free, just to help people begin the process. Another problem is that not every body is cut out for sales. I believe that only a certain type of person could benefit from this program. Those with mental illness or serious addictions may not be able to successfully sell magazines. They may however be able to do other jobs in the distribution or production process which should be opened up to other types of homeless people. If everybody is just trying to sell the magazine, there may just not be enough profit to go around. The benefits of the magazine also do not reach far enough. If they have a great product, they should try to expand to other cities with a heavy homeless population.

My overall opinion of this organization is positive. Though there are some drawbacks, what matters is that it does help people. There are obvious signs of success from the testimonies of people back on their feet. Even if it just helped one person, it would have been a success. The quote in their vision statement describes what their primary accomplishment is in my opinion. "StreetWise will provide Chicagoans in need with, a hand up, not a handout. To this end, StreetWise will assure that, by give any person who is willing to work a stable foundation from which they can move themself out of crisis, no one will find it necessary to beg in order to survive." They have already helped hundreds and provided a worthwhile product. Hopefully this will become the new approach for solving homeless on a large scale. We need to provide people with an outlet for personl success, instead of putting them in a continuous cycle of reliance. I hope to get a chance to read a copy of StreetWise sometime soon a support this organization.

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Home at Last Response

We saw a new solution to homelessness in the latest video, "Home at Last". I found this solution, providing that all of what they said is factual, to be ideal. This foundation, Pathways, focuses on putting people into homes as soon as they can. They also tend to focus on people with substance addictions or medical and psychological disorders. What is so unique about this program is that they are willing to put people into a nice home of their own before rehabilitation. They then offer voluntary help programs that can lead people to a successful recovery. According to the video, they have found this method to actually be cheaper than paying the consequences for people being abandoned on the streets. According to the video, the average homeless person costs us about $100,000 in medical bills every 18 months. This could be greatly reduced by giving them a safe place to reside. I think this is a great solution because of the thought behind it. The people give homes to those who need them the most in a completely legal way and seem to really care about their tenants. They put a huge amount of trust into their participants and many of them rise to meet the challenge. Those being given homes can feel like they are contributing as they have to give Pathways one third of the money they earn. However, with each tenant costing about $22,000 dollars a year, the organization is extremely generous. They do not require any actions or hold the home over the participants' head the entire time. They give this home, no strings attached because they really want to see these people improve their lives and want to be the best they can be. 

In the case of Footie, this program was perfect. Some people may not be suited for so much trust before being rehabilitated. However, in this case, Footie really wanted to do his best. He wanted to please his doctors and didn't want to be in an influenced state around those who had given so much to him. Even though they set no rules, he started to hold himself to a higher standard. Seeing the pride he has in his home and how he has improved because of this program really makes it seem like a viable option. I believe that one reason homeless people are sometimes so reluctant to give up their substance addiction is because they feel so hopeless. They may want to get better but have nowhere to start. There is some truth in the ideals of this program. If you give a person a house, that is one less thing they have to stress over. They now will have the time and energy to focus on recovery. By giving them this helping hand, they may be able to turn their entire life around and eventually pay for a place on their own and find a new meaning for themselves. 

When this video was first mentioned, my immediate reaction was that it was not going to work as they planned. I did not see how you could reverse the process in the way they wanted to do it. However, after seeing it, the idea makes complete sense. Some people do better when they have these goals and motivation, others just need this kind of persistent support. Everybody needs a home and people who cheer them on. This program should definitely be expanded so more people can benefit in this way. 

This doesn't look like much to us....

But it could mean everything to someone who is used to this. 

And this should never be true while there are more houses than homeless people, especially in one of the most wealthy countries in the world. 

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Homes for the Homeless

Homes for the Homeless is a very interesting video. Unlike most programs to aid the homeless, there are various legal risks associated with the benefits. The program is called "Take Back the Land" and is based almost entirely out of compassion and empathy rather than practicality and appearance. Max and his team are so committed to solving the problem of homelessness that they are willing to break into foreclosed homes. The group has an interesting perspective that nothing is worth having homeless people left on the street while houses lay empty. This is especially true as they pay utilities and protect the houses from damage from others, benefiting the bank. From all the protests and break ins, no body, worker or resident, as been arrested. The way that they accomplish this is by utilizing the media. When the cameras are rolling, nobody wants to pull a young girl from her house and arrest her mother. The police also have no interest in pulling apart families and putting more children into foster care.

This organization and their actions raise important questions to think about. Ideally, housing would be a guaranteed human right. Everybody would always have food and shelter if we lived in a perfect world. However, this is not a realistic goal in our present society. We can not expect, with all the greed of the people in power, that free public housing will be available for everybody who needs it. If that does become I goal, it is a huge possibility that the middle class will be taxed so badly to accomplish it that they may become homeless. Unfortunately, there is no way to differentiate between people who are down on their luck and desperately searching for work and those who would abuse the system. The wealth gap is too large and the wrong side may likely suffer if this became the reality. The bigger crimes are those of white collar crime, such as taking money meant for the homeless to buy a large watermelon statue.

I have very conflicting feelings on the idea of this program. The benefits and positives are clearly there. They take a very direct approach of solving a very complex problem. They take homeless people and just put them into the empty homes. While this is a choice that every family makes, I worry that the risk is just too large. They put these parents in danger of being sent to prison and being separated from their children. The run the risk of looking like criminals and preventing them from doing more good through a legal outlet. They also may put forth a negative view of the individual homeless person by only focusing on families. The view that families are more trust worthy and that individual homeless people may cause trouble not only excludes a huge part of the homeless population but creates a negative image and stereotype. The meaning behind their actions is good, they truly want to do the right thing. Idealistically, this is a great idea. However, when it comes to reality, there may be too many problems to say it's worth it.


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Here is a graph showing how many available condos there are in Miami. Even though there is an abundance of open living area, they were among the most affected in the mortgage crisis and have a huge homelessness problem. Through combined efforts, they have lowered the homeless population by 90%.


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On Compassion/ Homeless Comparison

It is interesting how two stories, based off the same topic, can be entirely different. The feeling, response, and effect of each of the pieces are so different that it's hard to even compare them. Ascher's story, "On Compassion", describes the every day responses when people confront the problem of homelessness. The story shows how we sometimes form prejudices and attempt to ignore the problem. This reading was very thought provoking. How is it that we do not think of homeless people unless we are confronted by them face to face? Though you would think that the place we would remember most would be in our own homes, not many of us go out of our way to help people without homes. Another theme of this story was compassion vs. habit. How much of our giving is mindless routine and how much is genuine caring? It's easy to feel good about ourselves when we give a dollar to someone on the street, however, it is important to remember them behind closed doors. Though they may be fed that day, they still have no where to go that night. The quote "raw humanity offends our sensibilities" really stood out to me. Most of us are more willing to force people off the streets into hospitals than to face the problem and solve it. We want to forget that such an issue exists and that it could so easily be us one day. One bad decision or twist of fate and we could be on the street, and I think sometimes were so scared that we blind ourselves to reality. Next time we see a homeless man, hopefully we won't automatically look down at our shoes or grip the stroller more tightly. Hopefully we'll do the right thing and acknowledge that person for what they are, a human being.

Quindlen's story, "Homeless", had a completely unique, but equally important message of its own. Quindlen aimed to show that homeless people are just like us in so many ways and that everybody deserves the comfort and security of owning their own space. She wanted us to see that there was no alternative to solve the problem. These were just people like us, they are not the adjective of homeless, they are people without homes. They have the same wants and needs as us and crave the same feelings as anybody else. Quindlen expands on the importance of a home as a place of " certainty, stability, predictability, privacy, for me and my family." She writes about how the little things and imperfections of a home form who you are, even if this generation treats homes as exchangeable objects. The author does a good job of showing that home truly is where the heart is. It is where you make memories and discover who you are. A home is where you go at your lowest point, and for these people they do not have that option. A home is such a central part of your life, and everybody deserves to have that refuge. Unfortunately, the problem may have to get worse to get better. People may have to be confronted with the problem every day before they realize the extent of damage and emotional destruction people without homes are in. Without the attention of people who have the power to help, some homeless may save themselves, but many will fall further into their despair and hopelessness.

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Whether it be a unique little house that you can call your own or a bench that is a constant place that is always there for you, people need their place. This often is more appealing to a homeless person because of that feeling. It' snot about the size or appearance of the home, it's about the sense of safety and hope.

State of Homelessness

The reading today was much more reassuring than those of previous activities in this unit. It talked more of the efforts to alleviate homelessness rather than the horrors of the experience. The most interesting fact today was that during the reported period, homelessness actually decreased by 1% nationally. This was thanks mostly to the new government interest and investment in protecting people from suffering from homelessness through The Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program. Another shocking statistic was that 1 in 6 Americans do not have health insurance. There is an apparent link to homelessness here. If you are uninsured and you or a family member becomes seriously ill or injured, you could lose everything. This includes your house, which would render you homeless. Hopefully the government will step up the aid and prevention, but that doesn't appear to be the direction it will be going. According to the reading, "debt and deficit reduction at the federal level have begun to shrink assistance available to the most vulnerable." At the point where progress has been made, funds are running low. Many communities and homeless people will lose access to the benefits and fall deeper into destitution. This is going to a growing problem as funds run low and are redirected.

The problem of homelessness is often avoided by the public and the government. People want to believe that if they ignore the problem it will go away. However, this is not the case. The problem will only worsen and the best option, prevention, will no longer be available. Furthermore, there are so many causes of homelessness that are out of one's control. It could just as easily be you or me in their shoes next year if we fall into unfortunate circumstances. The problem of homelessness needs to be a public and political priority. If we don't take care of each other, one day the tables could be turned.


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Homelessness Facts and Figures

Simple statistics can be some of the most eye opening sentences. They can be so powerful even when you have never even considered the topic before. The reading we did today was full of shocking facts that I had never even considered. We have talked before about the amount of children who are homeless, but the statistic we saw was far more than what I've ever imagined. The most shocking statistic I saw today was that 1 out of 50 (about 1.5 million) children in the United States are or have been homeless. Another fact that was surprising was the actual percentage of people with mental illnesses who end up homeless. Of all homeless people, 66% reported having either substance addiction or mental health problems. Also, 46% reported having chronic health problems. It is terrible that someone who is sick is thrown onto the streets when they need shelter and protection the most.

The more we read into homelessness and learn more details, the greater the empathy that develops. Seeing these facts and figures really makes it more real. It makes you see them as people instead of just a number. We learned today of all the children, the sick, and the veterans, who become homeless. People who are young and innocent, in desperate health, and who fought for their country, now destitute and without a home. It is an eye opening topic that really makes you reevaluate not only how you view the homeless, but how you view all the blessings you have in your life.  


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Many of these people did it all right, or haven't even had the chance to try yet. They are still on the streets, struggling to have what we take for granted.

Faces of Homelessness

Today we learned more about not only the effects of homelessness, but the various and extensive causes. The video, "Faces of Homelessness" opened my eyes to many horrific facts and gave me a new perspective of homeless people. Many of us, whether we care to admit it or not, have some sort of prejudice towards the homeless. The video I watched today though made me think hard about how I view this growing group of people. None of the homeless people in the clip were simply lazy. There were so many issues, varying from substance abuse to domestic violence, that led those people to the point they are at. I also was unaware of the conditions that homeless shelters were in. I knew they weren't ideal, but the stories of crowded living quarters, theft, unsanitary conditions, and even rape, really shocked my group today. This makes me feel like we not only need to help provide a shelter, but safety as well. Unfortunately, before that is a reality, the prejudice needs to fade and the cause become more known.

A quote that really stood out to me today was "First I thought I was crazy. That night, I went back to the shelter and just sat on the bench and cried uncontrollably because there was nothing I could do to change my situation." While I knew that many homeless people felt desperate, I did not know the extent that they felt trapped and hopeless. It was powerful to hear the goals of GED and reconnecting with children, or even just buying a home. Accomplishments and things we take for granted, people strive for over years. It put it into perspective how fortunate we really are and how important this cause is.


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Homelessness in Chicago

The discussion we had in our small groups today brought forth many shocking and important numbers. The only that bothered me the most was concerning minimum wage. The reason this bothered me so much is that it is connected to so many other aspects of their lives. The minimum wage cripples people, especially poor and homeless people, to the point where they can no longer provide for their family. The statistics we saw were mortifying. The worst one we saw was that it would take someone 133 hours a month working minimum wage ($5.15 at the time) to afford a two bedroom apartment in Chicago. It would take someone 116 hours making that amount to even afford that in Illinois. There is no state where working a full time minimum wage is enough for a family to afford that size of an apartment. Though minimum wage has risen to about $7.25, inflation makes the conditions basically the same. This low number allows people to be underpaid and overworked with no legal consequences to the employer. Also, with the high cost of daycare, there is no way for a single parent to even work the necessary hours to just afford the apartment. And then there is food, utilities, school supplies, heating and air conditioning, car payments and gas, and clothing for their children. Supposing that a person could earn the necessary money for rent, that is only the beginning of their living expenses. There also are just not enough places to live in this price range. There are about 200,000 families earn under the median income in Chicago but only 38,000 affordable housing units. In Chicago, 8.15% of the homeless are children, there are 26,000 youth who experience being homeless every year. If these statistics don't shock people into doing something about the problem, I don't know what will.


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Most of these people are not lazy or stupid, they just need help getting back up on their feet. A huge number of are veterans (7.22%) or mentally impaired (5.14%) and need assistance. Whether is be from gracious donations, government aid, or job and education programs, something has to be done. The problem is only getting worse, and one day it could be one of us who loses everything in an instant.