All posts by Sara

Importance of Accurately Counting Homeless Populations

Homelessness, Reflections on our Reading

As the Applied Survey Research website states, “The United States federal government … requires counties to count their homeless populations every two years in order to be eligible for continued federal funding” (ASR ). Because of this, counties are required to complete a Point In-Time count of homeless individuals in their county every two years. Other than requiring that this process be carried out, counties have few limitations or guidelines to follow.

While Point In Time counts seem like a good idea in theory, the truth of the matter is that each county has a high level of autonomy when it comes to deciding how these PIT counts are to be completed. While some counties perform entire canvasing techniques of counting, others do partial counts and sampling methods. This illustrates the potential flaws of these counts and their accuracy, as counties can very well represent the number that they want to represent their city versus the actual counts. The key problem is that some cities believe that high levels of homelessness in their region points to structural problems in the city, reflecting negatively on them. Because of this, their goal may be to find a very low number of homeless individuals.  However, this is not a good strategy in the long run because they will not obtain information on the main issues the homeless are facing or what services they require.
When it comes to counting in these Point In Time counts, each county has the option of deciding how they will carry out their counts of the homeless population. Another issue that surrounds each individual county gathering data in the ways that they want is that it would be incredibly difficult to compare two cities who have obtained the data in such different processes. While one city may place high importance on gathering the most accurate data on their homeless, another may downplay their amount of homeless by minimalistically sekking their data.
Some of the issues with gaining an accurate count, even if the cities are very concerned with obtaining good data is the lack of funding. Although these counts are a requirement of the Federal Government does not provide the funding to make these Point In Time counts happen. This means that the financial burden of carrying out these counts lies on the country itself. While counties and some non-profit organizations sponsor the counts, it seems that if there is a high importance of gathering accurate data on the amounts of homeless individuals, there needs to be additional government funding. Otherwise, each city can skimp by and gather their counts and other data as minimalistically as possible without any reprecussions. While it is very important to continue to produce these counts of homeless individuals, it is also important to gather reliable data and counts that are as accurate as possible. Without increased attention to the accuracy of these counts, it will be nearly impossible to offer the services and care that adequately serve the needs of the homeless.

 

http://www.appliedsurveyresearch.org/homeless/

“How I See Homeless People Now”

About being poor, Books and Films, Homelessness, Portraits of Homeless

In the article “ Anderson Cooper: How I See Homeless People Now”, he describes how his perception of homeless individuals has changed because of his encounters with dozens of people living on the streets of Nashville while working on a projects for 60 Minutes. Cooper expresses his surprise at the candidness and honesty shown by these homeless individuals when asked personal questions about their situations. He was stunned by the fact that the majority of these homeless persons seemed more than happy to share their tragic stories, with most of them just being glad to have someone take an interest in what they had to say. These series of interviews quickly proved to be eye-opening to Cooper and his team because of the diversity of stories, with many of the homeless coming from a variety of different backgrounds.

Cooper admits that prior to this project, he was guilty of walking past homeless people and simply pretending that they are not there, something that most people in society do because facing these people has the tendency to make others uncomfortable. He discusses the fact that to the majority of the population, these homeless individuals are invisible and ignored, and that is the way that they feel. This was a lesson learned by Anderson Cooper that he considers a huge source of personal growth. In his interview for 60 Minutes, he explains that there is a man who camps and panhandles in front of his residence and has been there for some time. Before this story, Anderson felt annoyed and uncomfortable with the man being there and never spoke to him at all. However, after completing this project Anderson has since spoken to this man almost daily, at least greeting him kindly as they pass one another. He has also taken an interest in this homeless man and learning about his past and the road that has lead him into homelessness.

This story relates to the course material that we have been covering because it reinforces the key theme shown throughout all the books, that homeless people have a story to tell and these stories are worth hearing. Individuals who take the time to listen to the stories of the homeless grow in understanding and compassion for those living on the streets. Whether these individuals are addicts, suffer from mental illness, have come from backgrounds of abuse, have suffered from a physical injury, or any of the other reasons that they have ended up in the situation of living on the streets, they deserve to be heard and taken seriously. In Morrell’s text Voices From the Street and many other course readings, the stories of homeless individuals and their daily struggles are heartbreakingly portrayed and they definitely change the perspective of outsiders. As Anderson Cooper concluded, homeless people are just like any other individuals that you may meet, they have hobbies, interests, fears, and struggles, the same as everyone else, but they just happen to live without a home and therefore are constantly disregarded and invisible. The opinions of people who discount the homeless as unimportant would undoubtedly be changed if they took the time to listen to the voices of those who are on the outskirts of society.

“Painfully Invisible”

About being poor, Books and Films, Homelessness, Poverty, Reflections on our Reading

In the film watched in class, Taylor’s Campaign, a man who has suffered from homelessness himself is running for city council on a fifty dollar budget. The aim of his film is to show his feelings towards the mistreatment of the homeless population of Santa Monica.  In this film, there were many themes seen that relate directly to the other readings that we have done so far in this course. However, it was also very eye-opening in many ways because it focused on a small group of homeless individuals and allowed an inside look into their daily lives and the stuggles that they face.

While some of the residents of Santa Monica who were interviewed expressed extreme negative opinions towards the homeless population, saying that they are a waste of life, shouldn’t be allowed to live in their nice neighborhoods, and all-around lazy individuals who are looking for a hand-out, this is not what the footage revealed. On the contrary, these homeless individuals worked hard daily, collecting cans and doing what they could to make the money necessary to buy essential items. This example illustrates how the mainstream society passes judgement on the homeless population without knowing their stuggles or understanding how many times, it is outside forces that have pushed them into the homeless situation. One homeless woman expressed that she wanted out of the situation she was in but that it seemed impossible. Time and time again through this film  well as other readings, the homeless population expressed that they are not looking for a handout, as many people belive.

In many ways, the themes seen in this film directly correlate to the book Voices From the Street: Truths about Homelessness from Sisters of the Road (Morrell 2007). In this text, Morrell writes “when you become invisible to mainstream society, the myth is that you stop being human, that you’re somehow made up of different stuff. But you’re not. Your humanity doesn’t go away because society doesn’t see it” (Morrell 105). This shows how mainstream society treats the homeless as if they are outcasts to which they cannot relate. It is not surprising that many homeless persons feel a strong sense of not belonging when they are ignored or clearly looked at with disgust by those not in their situation and unwilling to try to understand their plight. This is recalled by Morrell when she discusses the homeless and poverty-striken population, stating “they feel painfully invisible to others in the larger society” (Morrell 35).

“Homelessness is a Crime”

About being poor, Portraits of Homeless, Poverty, Reflections on our Reading

In  Kenan Heise’s The Book of the Poor (2012 Edition), he discusses the topic of impoverished women being put in jail for simply trying to act in ways necessary for survival. As one narrator named Betty recounts, “People don’t comprehend. My child was hungry. I took him to the A&P, and I took a can opener and a spoon along. I fed him right there in the store. They called the police. They took my child from me and sent me to the 11th and State” (Heise 40). This is an important epidemic to bring to the table and examine more in depth, as it is a topic that not many consider. While some people view any aspect of law-breaking inexcusable and punishable, I think it is important to first put oneself in the shoes of these women and mothers. Without any help or education on the means of support that is available, it seems that the desperation of these women lead to law-breaking as a means of basic survival. The fact that an increasing number of women are coming into contact with law enforcement in order to obtain fundamental necessities to live off of shows that programs to work with these individuals is crucial. As a direct result of lack of options, these women see no other path besides crime in order to get by, an issue that is both heartbreaking and frustrating, knowing that there is so much more assistance that could be provided in order to avoid this unfortunate fate for these women.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect learned from The Book of the Poor and other reading so far, is the comparison of the image society holds of those who are poor and the reality of those who are impoverished. While most members of mainstream society have the misconception that the poor are people who are unintelligent and without basic skills, in actuality this is not always the case.  It is so surprising to learn that many people who fall into homelessness are educated and some of which used to maintain a high quality of life, having an education and earning decent pay. Some people in society are ignorant to the true facts of homeless and poor individuals, thinking that they are freeloaders and law breakers who are constantly looking for handouts and refusing to be productive. However, this is simply not the case. “I held up my end of the bargain. I worked, paid taxes, and mistakenly believed I would be protected by a safety net should the need arise…caseworkers have lost compassion and are forced to look for scams more than to a person’s needs.” (60). This illustrates perfectly how people who find themselves in positions of homelessness and extreme poverty can become discouraged, a viewpoint that others rarely consider. Overall, this quote shows how much society has failed these people, many of whom have worked hard and been productive members of society throughout their lives.

Another interesting topic that came up throughout my readings this week was the issue of crime and homeless individual’s experiences with police.  As Jessica Morrell’s book Voices from the Street (2007 Edition), a collection of interviews with homeless individuals, illustrates most homeless individuals have negative experiences with law enforcement. She recalls a story shared by a woman about a well-respected police officer that she knew who had been involved in brutality towards homeless individuals. She recounts “with tears in her eyes, she shared with us that he and some fellow officers had more than once come to Old Town/ Chinatown to beat up people who were homeless” (Morrell 52). This raises awareness to the fact that police officers in some instances use their force and power over individuals who are unable to fight back or seek help. As the book goes on to say, those who are homeless are given tickets for sleeping, told to leave public parks, are physically abused, and basically singled out in ways that other members of society are not. As one homeless interviewer sums up his experience with the law, “homelessness is a crime” (Morrell 69).