Last week, one of our exercises for class was to complete an overview of a homeless count and what system was used to complete the homeless count. As a class, most of us chose different cities and areas to look up, many students chose the areas in which they are from. This past summer, I lived in Pasadena, CA and worked in Glendale, CA. In a park near my apartment, I saw many homeless people on an almost daily basis.

When I completed the homeless count exercise, I chose to look up Los Angeles count. In the Los Angeles report, it is noted the Pasadena reports its numbers separately from the rest of Los Angeles county. I decided to investigate further and see what that was about. According to a report in the San Gabriel Tribune, Pasadena homelessness has decreased from 1,216 in 2011 to 632 in 2015. While these numbers have noticeably decreased, the pervasiveness and complaints of homeless in Pasadena has increased. According to those quoted in the article, there is an issue of lack of availability of affordable housing in the area. The article states that if affordable housing can’t be found in Pasadena, those in need will be moved to areas that do have housing.

Based on what we’ve learned in class, and the idea that poor and homeless often get pushed to other areas, I find it interesting that Pasadena isn’t doing more to find a permanent and local solution to the homeless and housing issue.

If you’d like to read more, here is the link about homelessness in Pasadena.

http://www.sgvtribune.com/social-affairs/20151025/complaints-about-homeless-behavior-on-the-rise-in-pasadena

This week in class, we will be reading, learning and discussing about the practices and methods behind homeless counts. I came upon an article published today, Monday, Feb 8, 2016 titled “New York City to Embark on Annual Count of Street Homeless.” New York City will be undergoing the HOPE count later tonight with several thousand volunteers. In recent years, the homeless problem has been a serious issue in New York City and has been a frequent topic in the news.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently launched a new program called HomeStat, a program that covers 7 blocks in the city each day, making contact with the homeless in that area. The outreach workers make efforts to encourage the homeless to gain access to the shelters and services in the area. However, many of the homeless do not believe that the services offered are affective.

The volunteers will be trained for a few hours prior to heading out on the streets to count. Last year, the count recognized about 3,200 people as homeless. However, recently, many have noted that there are probably much more homeless that have gone uncounted. I find it interesting that there are so many issues and controversy surrounding homeless counts. While I do not know much about the processes around homeless counts, it seems that it will be interesting topic to continue learning about. I am anxious to learn more about homeless counts and hear from some experts about the counts.

Here’s the link of the article if you’d like to read more. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/york-city-embark-annual-count-street-homeless-36790261

For my first group book project in class, I read the book “Tell Them Who I Am, The Lives of Homeless Women” by Elliot Liebow. Liebow spent two years getting to know women in homeless shelters in the Washington DC area. He worked alongside them and gained their trust during this time. Many of these women had sad, and to me, unimaginable pasts. Many of these same women hoped for change, and fought for change in their own lives every day. They fought for change by working several jobs, maintaining some dignity, and attempting to receive services. While some women had mental or health problems, addiction issues or were not attempting to work, many were not. Many of these women worked hard, on a daily basis, because they had several jobs and lives to upkeep.

One of the most striking things I read was when one woman claimed that she wasn’t “homeless,” rather she was “famililess.” This idea to me is a new one, and such an interesting idea. The woman repeatedly said that she didn’t lack a home, she simply lacked a family. Her claim was that if she had family to lean on for support, she would not be out on the streets and forced to live in shelters. Many of the women agreed with her, saying that if they had a family that they were still in contact with, they would be able to have a home to return to as well. An interesting idea to me, that having a family would supposedly fix their situation.

Thus far, most of the reading we have done has been personal accounts of either hunger, homelessness or both. I have come to believe that in order to truly gain an understanding of these issues, we must learn of the issues from the people that live them every day.

In class yesterday, a fellow student brought up the idea of hope and that in reading the stories, noted that many of the authors had difficulties holding on to hope. Whether it be hope for the future, hope for some immediate relief, it seemed that many of these people in the stories simply had no hope left, as they had been repeatedly knocked down.

As I thought about the subject of hope more, I began to think of the children in the stories, and wondered if their attitudes were and are different. Maybe the kids aren’t as pessimistic about the future because they have yet to have or realize the same struggles as the adults have. I want to believe that the kids do have hope, and that their parents still hold out hope for their children. That the children’s lives will be bettered and that there is a way to break the so called “cycle” of poverty.

To hear the stories of how children are affected by the extreme conditions that they live in can be disheartening. At this point in the semester, I don’t have a complete understanding of what kids in poverty undergo on a daily basis, however, I am hoping by the end of the semester to further understand the issues and limitations of children in poverty situations.