“Seven hundred people experiencing or at risk of homelessness are killed from hypothermia annually in the United States. Forty-four percent of the nation’s homeless are unsheltered. From the urban streets of our populated cities to the remote back-country of rural America, hypothermia – or subnormal temperature in the body – remains a leading, critical and preventable cause of injury and death among those experiencing homelessness.” (National Coalition for the Homeless, Winter Homeless Services: Bringing Our Neighbors in from the Cold, 2010)
The above quote was one of the first things I read while researching the affects and conditions that homeless people around the nation are facing during these long and cold winter months. The extreme weather conditions we have been experiencing lately all over the country are bound to affect those who are living on the streets or do not have access to permanent residences. I wanted to know what organizations are doing to combat the risks faced by the homeless during weather like this and how homeless people find shelter and warmth during the winter. After exploring the website for the National Coalition for the Homeless I came across their “winter report”. This report gave data and graphs showing how different organizations respond to the inclement weather and also gave tips on how to spot and avoid different types of illnesses and medical conditions that can come during the winter months.

I thought it was worth looking at this report since our entire nation has been experiencing worse weather than usual this winter, especially the east coast, Midwest and south. I looked at states with different winter shelters and how low the temperatures had to be for those shelters to open and across the board the shelters would have to be open by now and be providing extra care for the homeless during these extremely cold winter months. My findings were not terribly positive, and in many states the care for the homeless during these months left much to be desired. This quote from the website for the National Coalition for the Homeless explains these findings further, saying “In rural areas, shelters often have no outside resources to help them cope with the increased demand caused by cold weather conditions. Many shelters or cities offer expanded winter services only during certain months or only when the temperature falls below a pre-determined and arbitrary cut-off temperature. Above those cut-offs (hypothermia can occur in weather as warm as 50 degrees Fahrenheit) many cities do not offer resources to help the homeless people escape from the cold.”

“There’s a fine line between not doing enough and allowing homelessness” (Samantha Green, ASR). How do counties, more specifically cities, walk the line and find a common ground that neither promotes or admonishes homelessness? We all know that there are wrong ways to help the homeless, but is there a right way? If so, what would the “right way” look like?

Through her work as a case manager for Applied Survey Research, Green suggests that one of the best places to begin to assist the homeless is by conducting detailed homeless counts. Each county that receives federal funding is required to conduct homeless counts. However, since there are no universal guidelines and no funding allocated for counties to administer the counts, the counts tend to lack consistency and depth. If the state or federal government allocated money to conduct homeless counts then our society would offer more effective care strategies for the homeless.

Many counties fear that offering more services to the homeless draw larger groups of displaced individuals to their cities. Known as the Magnet Theory, Green implied that the reason why a large number of counties refuse to do accurate counts is because they don’t want to “attract” more homeless people to the area. Though services are an added incentive, most homeless people migrate for reasons of safety, job opportunities, weather, etc.  What do inaccurate homeless counts mean for the homeless people residing in the community?

After discussing the “Housing and Urban Development: Homeless assistance Programs” and PIT counts in class, I became more educated on the several methods the government practice to identify the number of chronic homelessness occurring in our communities.  Counting and Surveying the homeless population is an efficient strategy to understand and assist the homeless needs to improve their access of social services.  One of the factors that was disturbing to recognize was the large number of unsheltered homeless people in counties were homelessness seemed to be seen hidden from the population.  Therefore, it brought to my attention in what way can our communities can express the voice of the homeless to reach the others the necessary help to stabilize their lives and our communities to become a better society.  Many people get educated of the causes of homelessness by the observations and experiences they have encounter with a homeless person, but they disregard the facts that homelessness is expanding annually in our neighborhood.

I believe that encouraging people to get involve in our communities and educate them in HUD assisting programs and its outcome towards the reduction of homeless can improve the reliable services families obtain.  Being able to be informed more about in depth homelessness have broaden my thoughts in understanding homelessness through another  vision of what I was accustomed to, and learning more about the complexities of the subject.

https://www.onecpd.info/resources/documents/UnshelteredCountsGuide.pdf

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

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/14/portland-homelessness-illegal_n_4790205.html

I was reading the news and came across an article about a group of activists in Portland, Oregon, who held a demonstration protesting the mistreatment of homeless people in their state. Their action was in direct response to the mayor’s recent action to bring back a bill that would permit the police force to awaken slumbering homeless people on the streets and force them to move elsewhere. In the eyes of the Portland activists, this act makes being homeless a crime – something they deem to be inhumane and unfair.

I completely agree with this group of people. I think it is abominable to criminalize homelessness. How can any person with a heart seek to punish someone because they don’t have somewhere secure to lay their heads at night? If the mayor wants people off the streets then he needs to stop talking about investing more money in shelters and actually do it. This article reminds me of the film, “Taylors Campaign,” that we watched in class several weeks ago. In the documentary, one of the primary issues that the street people who were interviewed mentioned was mistreatment and both physical and verbal abuse suffered at the hands of the very people paid to protect citizens and their rights. Being homeless does not mean that you have to relinquish your rights or your dignity and so I find it infuriating that these people are treated so poorly. The way homeless people are forcibly removed reminds me of the way farm animals are rounded up and shipped elsewhere. That is why I found the work being done by the Portland activists to be admirable. I am so glad that so many people in the United States are working to improve conditions for our fellow citizens who have fallen upon hard times and could use a hand in getting back on their feet.

The Federal Government requires counties to do a Point In Time count of homeless people in their county. However, they do not provide funding to make these counts happen and they do not look into the results any more than seeing if it was simply completed or not. One question you may ask, how do they fund these counts if the federal government does not provide any funding? These counts are sponsored by non-profit organizations and some cities and counties contribute money. Another question that may occur, if the federal government is not taking these counts very seriously then why should the counties that are doing the counts take them seriously? Through the results of the PIT counts over the last decade or so there are trends that demonstrate which counties are counting just so they can check off the requirement and those who are actively counting to make sense of the data collected. There are often counties who are in denial about the number of homeless and they claim they have less than what they really do have. Then there are also some counties who collect more data beyond just if someone is homeless or not. They look into other demographics so that they can better understand why homelessness is a problem and what they can do to fix it. For example, cities with better social services attract homelessness. This is something worth looking in to because that would be an explanation of why a cities number of homeless is high.

There are multiple different methods that Applied Survey Research uses to count homeless, which include; street count, shelter and institution count, telephone survey, and homeless survey. With these different methods, PIT counts are not always accurate and it would be hard to compare two cities counts if they are using different methods.

PIT counts are important for counties to participate in but only if they are doing them accurately. With the right funding and the proper method of counting we could understand homelessness better.

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

The Hearth act was passed in 2009 but not implemented until 2013.  The Hearth act looks at how the population can be broken down into sub-populations. I also learned through this Skype session that if you want good data, you have to pay for it. Methodology is different for all communities. A team of three goes out early in the morning before sunrise and has a map of the area that they are supposed to cover; one being a driver, one being the recorder, and one being the looker. They drive around counting their best looking under bridges, inside coffee shops, etc. Some counts may be counted by sheriffs or city police in more difficult places like in San Francisco on the Golden Gate Bridge. Learning all of this information has showed me that our society takes importance to our homelessness. These facts really show you how much consideration our society should be taking for the homelessness. Such as in California let alone, “there are 45,554 homeless people that are sheltered which makes up 33% of California. While there are 91,272 unsheltered homeless people which make up 67% of California” (Samantha Green).

While reading the ASR reports, listening to past presentations, and beginning internships, the main problem that seems to be throughout each is how homeless people can escape homelessness. Homeless people face many societal and personal challenges each day. Communities will offer various forms of assistance, but often there is a lack of resources available. In two of the ASR reports (which provides statistical information about the homeless population in a given city) both had populations of 50% that were ‘chronically homeless’. Those who are homeless may have strategies to help them survive, but there financial stability is almost impossible without proper resources to successfully transition out of homelessness.

In Tell Them Who I Am by Liebow, he argues that there are structural and policy based obstacles to homelessness and that a main factor is providing housing assistance as a stepping stone out of homelessness. A recent 60 minutes special addresses the need for such stepping stones as the ‘100,000 Homes Campaign’ is discussed. This campaign works with non-profits and local governments to provide permanent homes for those who are chronically homeless and have health problems. A person is not discriminated against if they are alcoholics or drug abusers, the main goal is to house those who are considered to be high risk. So far they’ve raised funds to house about 80,000. This campaign encourages people to join through compassion but also finances. The organization promotes that it cost taxpayers more than to help them afford homes, “The inability to tend to your basic healthcare needs, results in people on the streets ending up in emergency rooms and ending up in in-patient hospitalizations. And one night in the hospital is a whole month’s rent on most places.”

We have learned about many examples where the homeless are ignored, forced out of public spaces, and dehumanized. This campaign is a prime example of a positive way to help people out of homelessness. They are bringing communities together to raise funds and directly address the issue.

To review 60 Minutes article click here: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/100000-homes-housing-homeless-saves-money/

To look at ASR reports click here: http://www.appliedsurveyresearch.org/homeless/

Last week the class presented the books that they had been assigned to read. Each group got up and gave essentially a summary of the book while also teaching the aspects of it that they thought were the most relevant to the class or caught their interest. I was extremely excited to present the book I had read by Deborah Connolly, titled, Homeless Mothers. My group and I had all thought the book was incredibly powerful and really provided us with a very human understanding and face for homeless mothers and the reality of their lives. Various cases and people were examined throughout the book by a social worker. The mothers were all white women who for the most part were raising their children on their own. The book highlighted and examined the realities of these women’s lives prior to being homeless. There were patterns in all of their lives from living in poverty as children, to teen pregnancy, etc. However, what really shocked me was that all of them had experienced some from of physical or sexual abuse or a combination of the two at some point in their lives. Most of them continued to be faced with various forms of abuse into their present day lives as well. It was truly heartbreaking to read about all of the appalling things that these women had been through. Not a single one of them had really been provided with an example of what a”good mother” is or should be or provide for a child. I resent the idea of a cookie cutter type of mother. The notion that there is a correct way to be a mother that is sculpted through various socially constructed ideas instead of by mothers infuriates me. However, I do believe that there are certain aspects of motherhood that pertain directly to the relationship of mother and child that can create a positive child and mother experience, and I truly believe that all of these women were not provided with that relationship in their childhood’s. The lived experiences of these women put into perspective not just the reality of homeless mothers, but the reality of motherhood as something that must be cultivated and taught through example. Women are not born knowing how to be mothers. I know personally that all of the ways that I shaped my own understanding of motherhood and the type of mother that I want to be was through being able to see the mothers in my life deal with raising me. Granted, I am able to know the type of mother that I don’t want to be in some ways through some of the practices used by the mother figures in my life, but if I was only provided with a mother that treated me in ways that I would not wanted to be treated or raised, then I still would lack an understanding of what I did want from a mother and what kind of mother I want to someday be.  These women had nothing to base their motherhood of off, in fact most of them were not cared for a all by their own mothers. Their mothers were either, addicts, emotionally or mentally unstable, not present, etc. It put these women in a extremely confusing emotional place with their children because for mother of them, their children were the first thing in their lives that were their own. This created dependent and in many circumstances unhealthy relationships with their children. The day after my presentation I saw Eve Ensler, (the write of the vagina monologues, writer, performer, activist, etc.) speak at my school. She spoke about the crippling effects of oppression and violence towards women on our society and on the women within it. I couldn’t help but connect the ways that she spoke about the abuse in her own life and the lives of the women that she had traveled the world meeting, to the lives of the women in the book. The whole experience really allowed me to think about the lives of these women as mothers and as victims in a very real way. I feel as if in many circumstances violence towards homeless women and mothers is explained as something that is happening in this very separate world from our own. This book and Eve Ensler really put into perspective the reality of how abuse, oppression, and homelessness can happen to anyone. It really made me think about things as both a bigger picture and on a personal level. I was extremely happy to have been able to see Eve Ensler speak, because it connected a lot of the realities of these women’s lives to the reality of the struggles of women everywhere. It made their issues seem less like as result of homelessness and addiction, but one of the severe misfortunes and abuse that tainted their early lives.

This morning’s L.A. Times reports about a new study of affordable housing in California.  There’s less of it.  Andrew Khouri writes that “Nearly 1 million extremely low income California households lack affordable, habitable homes, a need most pronounced in Southern California.”   Rents are up 20% between 2000 and 2012, but median household income has fallen by 8%.  The foreclosure crisis threw former homeowners into the rental market, driving up prices.  The report said that Los Angeles County has 19 affordable units for every 100 extremely low-income household — and Orange and San Diego counties are about the same.  Read about it HERE.

Over the past few weeks we’ve been talking more and more about the harsh realities of life on the streets and what it really looks like to be a homeless person in today’s society. We’ve read books and seen movies and collected data about how hard it is to live even on minimum wage, and how it seems like at times there is no way out for those living below the poverty line. Our in class discussions have been centered around what we’ve witnessed at our internship sites and our own personal stories of economic pressure. And it all feels very hopeless. There seems to be a disturbing lack of focus on what we can really do to help these people. I want to start figuring out ways to change these realities and begin to focus on what we can do within our societies to make a change.

Reading my assigned book “Sidewalk” by Mitchell Duneier was an eye opener, to say the least, and it provided me with a whole new perspective on those who sell goods on the streets. While I was reading the book I couldn’t help but think of how just simply having a job to do, a task to complete, and a sense of independence positively affected the men who were interviewed. This got me thinking: we should be focusing on how to improve these peoples lives, not just analyzing the factors and events that got them there. Understanding their situations is an incredibly important aspect of improving homelessness, but we cannot simply leave it there. There needs to be follow through, and helping others achieve some sort of economic independence could be the deciding factor between hope and hopelessness for someone.