All posts by Emily T

The Wicked Problem of Homelessness

Solutions to Homelessness

In the livestream from USC’s MSW program COBI (Community, Organization, Business, and Innovation) on “The Wicked Problem of Homelessness” guest speaker Mollie Lowery speaks on the systemic issues of homelessness. She discusses the transitions between groups, organizations, and systems and how each has tried to change the course of homelessness, but ultimately, failed. What I found to be most interesting from her speech is the emphasis on the empty promises of HUD to produce more affordable housing, as well as the governments claim to build more mental health clinics, while shutting down shelter systems. She touched on how social workers have spent years building the proof, hard facts, data to statistically show how/why homelessness is an issue and the fact mentioned that shocked me is that those who are homeless die thirty years younger than those who have homes. She speaks on the international right for every human to have housing.

One thing about this speech that can help us advocates of ending homelessness is the idea Lowery brings of ending the epidemic called “homelessness crisis” and calling this new issue “ending the housing scarcity” which will bring more empathy, and more efforts from outside forces besides HUD. Lowery explains the essence of what we have been learning in our course for quite some time now: we need to shift from pathologizing individuals for being homeless, and work on the systemic issues at hand. It is not their fault, yet we place blame on the individual all too much. If we can shift to focusing on ending the housing scarcity, we can eliminate homelessness at its core.

LA Going Against Human Rights

About being poor

In our class last Wednesday we spent the last five minutes going over articles from LA Times that completely contradict each other. One article states that LA is moving forward with their housing first program and other program to alleviate homelessness, while the other exposes the brutality that police and city officials are enabling by taking away the belongings of the homeless people in LA and completely destroying their personal items.

In an editorial from the LA Times in between these articles lies the fight back against the taking of homeless peoples possessions. Over the last year this editorial states that LAPD has removed up to 1,355 tons of material owned by homeless people. This caused an uproar in social activist groups and social service organizations so much so that another lawsuit was filed March 14th stating that taking away the valuables of homeless people violates human rights and the only reason the city should be taking away any items of homeless people is if it causes a threat to the city. We also discussed during class that they have been able to store homeless peoples items once confiscated to specific storage spaces and the person has 90 days to retrieve their items. Once again the lawsuit states that this has not been put into effect considering they destroy homeless peoples items and then arrest them for stolen items when no proof is given to do so. Incarcerating the homeless does not do the city or the person any good and is a step in the wrong direction.

The city originally was mandated to provide storage and if it could not do so, the homeless person would be allowed to keep their possessions. Clearly we know that this does not stand true and now the city is claiming that all homeless persons must not carry anything more than a backpacks worth of their belongings or a cart if they cannot find storage. This editorial stands as an expose of the LAPD as well as city officials disobeying the laws and mandated rules that they claim to have created for the benefit of homeless people.

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-0317-homeless-sweeps-20160316-story.html

Blog Post Final Internship Summary

Anti-Poverty Programs

To protect this non-profit social service organization the names of the staff, and the social service organization have been altered.

In previous posts I have not touched on my own experiences but rather more about what my social service internship has been about. In my experiences at Small Social Service I have realized that I enjoyed my time there, but will most likely not return to any position in case management or at a non-profit small organization such as SSS. SSS has the potential to be a great social service however it is lacking efficiency/ professionalism from staff and funding as well. The SSS has amazing goals and I would love to see them go into action such as providing shelters and affordable housing around the city of Redlands. However, in this social service it is dangerous to dream of such things becoming a reality.

From our course we speak on what we can do to solve homelessness and Kay, Small Social Service’s executive Director as well as many of the case managers I have spoken with agree that housing first needs to happen, but it wont happen in Redlands… However, SSS has one of the strongest volunteer and support centers in Redlands. Educational institutions, small/large businesses, restaurants, and companies are all in support of the history of SSS and the work it does to protect those families in crisis.

Although they don’t exactly reach the expectations of their mission, SSS provides a non-judgmental and safe space for those who don’t know where else to go. And although they cannot pay their staff more, and can barely keep afloat during crazy holiday times and try to provide the most for the community, they are a social service that is just as important as any shelter, rapid-rehousing, or large public policy change. Because the city of Redlands needs them. There is no doubt in my mind that if they had the funding they would put it to use for the greater good of their clients and the people of Redlands and surrounding cities that need assistance. It is frustrating to look at the potential of a social service organization that has been around for so long, but know that social/political change needs to happen in order for them to reach their full potential of improving the cities they provide for.

California Wage Increase

About being poor, Working poor

In the LA Times yesterday, I read a news article on how California is working towards approving the minimum wage increase to $15.00. For us in this class, this seems like great news considering we know that no one can survive just on the current minimum wage anymore. However, for business owners all over California this is serving as a huge problem. Moving the wage from $10.50 to $15.00 means that their prices need to go up and staff needs to be cut in order to continue paying staff members of their restaurants and businesses. This has been a repetitive cycle for many business owners who just cannot afford to pay their workers higher than they already are unless they have a higher demand for their business and raise their prices. But, the problem I see in this article is not what happens to those who lose their jobs from the wage increase, it is the fact that these owners have people already making $15.00 an hour and cannot afford to pay them even more. It is the lower class competing for higher wages and the same issues we have been seeing time and time again.

When you increase the minimum wage it gives better opportunity for those in the lower class to actually live in decent low-cost apartments, if they can find them, but this is temporary. It is temporary because when you increase wages, prices and demand increases almost in every other aspect of the economy too. If people are getting paid more, housing prices and food prices increase too making it essentially impossible for those in the lower class to make a proper lifestyle for themselves still! Not only are prices going to increase but, staff will be cut in many businesses and the hours of those who don’t get cut may decrease. If you cannot afford to lose your job, or in the case of many in this article, both of your jobs, this wage increase is cause for panic.

If the wage increase occurs and these businesses do make their cuts to employees, it will decrease the job opportunities even more. Hopefully the wage increase will not bring this much negative change with it as the people in this article are suspecting, but I guess we will find out.

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-me-ln-minimum-wage-hikes-and-businesses-to-re-engineer-labor-force-some-say-20160327-story.html

Income Inequality: What About the Homeless?

Uncategorized

In this article written by columnist Michael Hiltzik, he cites the Pew Research animation of household income comparisons from 1971 to 2015 to expose the growth in income inequality. The main issue in this article is the worry of what will become of the middle class, but what I focused on when looking at this chart is the issues this brings for the lower class/people living below poverty line. Hiltzik writes:

“The percentage of adults in the highest-income segments grew from 14% in 1971 to 21% in 2015, while those in the lowest two income categories grew from 25% to 29%. Middle income households as a percentage shrank from 61% to 50% in that time.”

Lower class to middle class shows a $10,000 increase between the two, yet the income range within the middle class is $41,000 – 125,608. I am not in full understanding of these ranges, but what I do know is that as the middle class thins out, the harder it becomes for those in poverty to rise up and be successful. What is positive about this article is that by debunking the myths and denials of the wage gaps and diminishing of the middle class, people can make educated decisions on what they can do to prevent this from furthering by voting for a candidate that best fits their needs. Unfortunately, those who do not have a voice in this election could be the ones to improve income equality, but our society does a wonderful job at masking this truth. I highly suggest looking at the animation and focusing on the far right to visually see the increase in the upper class. What can we do to improve voter turnout for those who believe they are not being heard? How do we improve income equality among the lower class as well?

http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-ft-graphic-20160320-snap-htmlstory.html

What L.A. can learn from a Portland homeless encampment

Uncategorized

In late January, Portland claimed to be having issues of homeless disturbing neighborhoods and ultimately being too visible to the public eye. The homeless would sleep under the multitude of bridges, on park benches, and under any shelter they could find. Police eventually began shooing them to other areas and that is when a few of these homeless became exhausted. They were tired of moving and wanted to have some sort of stability. They created an encampment originally close to a neighborhood, and got removed by police, the city continued to chase them from spots around Portland, until finally giving these homeless people a city-owned deserted parking lot. These homeless people came together and created a community with security, rent, and the start of some infrastructure. The city was in awe. Believing this encampment would be a disaster, with people with mental illness, drug abuse, and other sorts of experiences, the city was hesitant. But in fact, the homeless of Portland created a better and close-knit community than many communities we see in general.

This is what Wasserman and Clair were experiencing in the encampments of Alabama in their ethnographic research on “At Home on the Street.” These encampments are often better ran than some of our social service projects. This could be a sign that we need to shift social service techniques and come up with better more progressive movements in helping shelter the homeless. Clearly they can do it on their own, when allowed the space to do so. What is interesting about the encampment in Portland, is that it cost the city absolutely nothing to give them that empty lot. The encampment is fully functional and disrupts no one in the city. I think one aspect of this article that I found interesting is the belief that these homeless function differently than other humans in society. The discourse in the article shows a dehumanization of these homeless, I suggest taking a look.

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/livable-city/la-oe-0124-totten-portland-homeless-dignity-village-20160124-story.html

Internship Progress Report Summary

Uncategorized

In my months at my social service organization, I have realized a few things. The first being that inefficiency in social services is common and due to the requirements of funding requests, is almost unavoidable. Secondly, the dynamics of this organization could be greatly improved if the hierarchy of positions wasn’t instilled as much as it is. Lastly, to be in this organization, one must have thick skin, a strong sense of urgency, and the desire to help those in need, while jumping through obstacle after obstacle.

The organizations mission is “to alleviate poverty, encourage self-sufficiency, and promote the dignity of all” and by doing so they help citizens far below the poverty line receive rental, food, transportation, and shelter assistance. Due to the funding at this organization, work ethic and documentation are emphasized greatly. The food assistance process is relatively quick for the client, but may take about a week to report for the case manager. Rental assistance, unfortunately, is a much longer process for clients who need the assistance. It can take from two to three weeks and by that time, the client may have been evicted from their home, or lost a deal with a landlord. This type of inefficiency could be changed if funding increased, but because we have to budget out the month based on our funding, it leaves the case manager to decide who is worthy and who is not. In previous classes there has been discussion of the worthy versus unworthy, and I am happy to say that this organizations discourse on those who need assistance is positive, for the most part. Other than frustrations when dealing with paperwork and people who do not qualify for our program, this organization speaks empathetically towards its clients, and tries to make them feel important. They believe homelessness is caused by a series of unfortunate events as well as the surroundings and upbringings of a client. Many of the families they assist, have a history in their family of homelessness, low income, or abuse.

With being introduced to so many struggling citizens, it is no wonder that case managers often become frustrated, stressed, or irritated with the work they do. Then this relays to the program coordinator who believes emotions should be left at the door when entering this field.

Currently, I have noticed the turnover rate for case managers is very high. I have seen two case managers come and go, including my own, unexpectedly. For reasons such as low wages, office coworkers, and micromanagement of caseworkers, I can understand why there is a quick burn out. However, aside from this negative aspect of the work, the organization I interned with is extremely passionate, and those who have the same passion as others within the office are the ones who have worked in the organization for over 30 years and love what they do. What I have noticed is that the people willing to help the less fortunate are successful when they are not doing it for the profit.

On the Streets – Conclusion of a hopeful video series

About being poor, Homelessness, Solutions to Poverty

I have been following the web series “On the Streets” hosted by LA Times contact reporter Lisa Biagiotti as they finish up there twelfth video session to close up the series. Biagiotti seeks out her neighbors Wanda, and more recently, Pepper who have been on the streets for years. Wanda and Biagiotti are close acquaintances ever since Biagiotti struck a conversation with her as Wanda was digging through her recycle bin. Since then, Wanda gives Biagiotti information on her life, and the reality of living on the streets. It was so interesting to see a reporter genuinely interested in the lives of those not spoken for generally in the news.

Wanda in this video introduced Biagiotti to her friend Pepper who had spent years in jail, and on the streets but now is a self-employed truck driver doing well for himself. He was very proud and referred to himself as the “mayor of Skid Row” at one point. He is the only one I believe in the “On the Streets” web series episodes that I have seen that has been self-employed and got himself off the streets.

What I love about these web series episodes is that while Biagiotti is learning aspects of homelessness from her friends and neighbors, she uses this to portray the reality of homelessness to the audience.

She also exposes the situation of her friend Wanda who walks around all day recycling and collecting bottles so she can collect her average of $22.00 a day from the recycling company. Wanda has arthritis in her legs and as Biagiotti notes she has a “swagger” about her because of this. She has no SSI although she has been waiting for the request to be approved. Once she gets the SSI Wanda should be able to at least provide enough support for herself so that she doesn’t have to walk all day long in pain. Situations like this make me confused about why there aren’t programs out there that do more community outreach to find people who need the necessary resources.

Murder in the Park – Dangers of Homelessness

Housing porgrams

Lisa Biagiotti contact reporter for the web series “On the Streets” tackles the subject of danger and homelessness in her newly published episode called “Murder in the Park.” She reunites with her homeless friends at Sycamore Grove Park to see if any changes have been made to their housing situation since October. As she speaks with Patricia, Hope, and Jesus, she learns that the park that they have been sleeping in was the same park where 19-year-old Kaelyn Tarin was shot dead. The three homeless citizens were promised housing by January, but nearing February they were told it would be highly unlikely. In the atmosphere that surrounds them, gaining housing would be life changing and remove them from their life threatening “home” in the park. I encourage all who read this post to watch the video series posted in the LA Times – link below. Biagiotti speaks with and for her friends when addressing the cyclical non-progressive actions that have to be taken in order to receive housing as a low-income, homeless member of society.

One aspect of her video I especially want to touch upon is the fact that even when homeless people receive their Section 8 vouchers allotted for housing, there are few places that even accept them in their city due to high rent costs. Even the social worker at the homeless shelter Hope, Patricia, and Jesus were staying in, says she can hardly afford her rent and she is a working citizen. This just highlights the concerns for the widening gap between the upper class, and the middle and lower class. How are social services supposed to help provide shelter and food for the low-income or homeless people if they can barely provide enough for themselves?

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-biagiotti-onthestreets-20151118-htmlstory.html

Social Support: Loss of Family

About being poor, Causes of Homelessness

Last week at my internship I met one of my case manager’s clients I had been completing paperwork for. I formed the client’s rental packet to assist for the January’s rent, so I was surprised that the client visited us a second time in a month. This client was a single mother of three toddlers with difficult family burdens. When she described her situation and why she was back asking for Redlands Family Services to pay a second month of rent, I wanted to give her the world. She was bright, intelligent, and was her family’s punching bag for all baggage and events that occur within the family. With no one to rely on, she was able to rely on our services. This made me think of the loss of family that some people face that leads them to homelessness. I typically think of death as the tragedy that causes the homelessness, along with other factors, but this time I thought about loss of family from a different perspective. What if the loss of family wasn’t physical but emotional? They are not dead, but emotionally you find yourself unable to connect or feel loved by your family, an outcast essentially. This too, is the type of loss people can face that can lead to financial struggle, emotional instability, and depression/anxiety.

I dwelled on this aspect of family life for a while with my case manager. We discussed how it would feel to be in her shoes. Being kicked down, when you believe things will get better, and having family members tell you “you have failed”. How would I react? Would I have others to rely on? These types of hypothetical questions are often dangerous to think about, but I couldn’t help but reflect on what would happen. I also wonder how many of those who have lost family, have lost family due to death or due to the families unwillingness to help. This emphasizes just how deep the boxes we categorize homelessness as really are in our Hunger and Homelessness course. The main point: everyone is in need of social support.