There is a story behind every homeless person in America. A story that demonstrates what made them fall so hard that they are unable to pick themselves up once again. Barbara Ehrenreich goes out into the world in an attempt to understand the story behind people who are barely getting by in America. She does a tremendous job at portraying for her audience a reality that they have not seen. Her book Nickel and Dimed is specifically designed to expose a social reality that is a major part of the United States that is predominantly ignored by many.
I was extremely surprised by the attitudes of the workers whom she encounters. For example Holly who apologizes to her boss for breaking her foot and Colleen who does not react to the abuse in her workplace. These two very real scenarios demonstrate how when an employee has so many disadvantages they cannot risk speaking up much less rebelling. Ehrenreich shows her audience that doing this means that there would be no food on the table tomorrow. She is able to point out how even those who have jobs are having a difficult time covering their costs and barely getting by. Her novel made me realize that people working these low paying jobs cannot simply take a day off because they run the risk of not being able to pay their rent. They are constantly on survival mode because their salaries simply do not permit any other kind of lifestyle.
Throughout my entire life this idea of the “American Dream” has been drilled into my head; this idea that hard work is the only key to success. It is a beautiful idea in which everyone has the opportunity to succeed in America. Too often people come back to the reality that this “American Dream” is only a dream, especially when so many people work long hours for several years only to get nowhere. How much does a family have to work in order to not be so vulnerable to an economic downturn or simply not having to live day by day? This is a difficult question to answer when access to basic resources becomes racialized. The United States has a long way to go in order to improve the lifestyle of its people yet it is not an impossible task.

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.

How do we really know what people are homeless? What categorizes people as being homeless? How does our society and community around us look at homeless people?

Our image of the homeless population is seeing people with raggedy clothes and dirty and pushing around a shopping cart on the side of the street, Or the people that are sleeping on park benches and under freeways. We never think that a lot of people that don’t look like that image are homeless. Being homeless has a broad definition it can be people that are sleeping on a couch at a friends or relatives house or it can be a person that is living in a motel, or can even be people that are living in a shelter for the night. Being homeless is seen different in many people’s eyes and is mostly seen as the people on the side of the road. Our community and society I feel has put a bad name on homeless people and has not really looked at them as people but more as an outcast and as they are worthless. The homeless population should be treated and looked at as equal because everyone has gone through tough times and some have it worse than others, our society has a way of out casting people who don’t fit the norm and puts a bad name and tag on them which makes them looked down upon.

“Lets escape to the outdoors!” Almost all of my weekends as a child growing up in Washington State started with this phrase. I grew up trekking thorough trails in Washington’s mountain ranges, camping during the summers, and learning from my family how to escape the suburban lifestyle. Giving back to my outdoor childhood, I now work seasonally at an outdoor recreation co-op called REI. It wasn’t until leaving Washington State and attending college that I began to think more critically about my enthusiasm for the outdoors. Re-locating to sunny southern California was my brilliant idea of a great recreational move. Until the financial strain of college depressed my bank account, I did not fully understand why I loved the outdoors so much, and also why I could afford it.

To escape from reality to a more natural and primitive way of life is my way of relaxing. I am allowed to forget the pressures of urban life and build for myself a “primitive” shelter in the woods. I began to think more about the customers I assist at REI and the people I encounter on the mountain. They’re primarily white, have enough gear to make their adventures safe and enjoyable, and have the time and energy to commit to the lifestyle. This revealed my privilege to be able to stay comfortably outdoors short term and return to my home afterward.

Poor and homeless people do not have this option. Many of them do not get to choose to live outside. They don’t have the money to purchase comfortable gear or the time to think about a relaxing escape.

When the outdoor enthusiast encounters the homeless, do they recognize the irony of outdoor living that is akin to their very own? Can privileged people imagine what its like to live outside unwillingly? Should we all be more critical of our costly outdoor adventures? What do homeless people think about the more fortunately housed outdoor enthusiast?

“Why don’t they just get a job?” “That’s her fault for having so many kids.” “Why don’t they eat healthier?” “I don’t give poor people money because they only use it to buy alcohol and drugs.”

These words sound familiar don’t they? Too many times I’ve heard these words come out of people who criticize the poor and homeless. Linda Tirado eloquently explains in her article the very question as to why poor people make the “bad” decisions that they do.

Tirado was pregnant herself when she was homeless. However, she points out that poor people don’t always have the choice to go to Planned Parenthood for birth control, condoms, an abortion, etc. Planned Parenthoods can often be miles away, and that’s a lot of gas money. Not only that, but in many areas simply walking into a Planned Parenthood is looked down upon. Tirado states, “Nobody likes poor people procreating, but they judge abortion even harder.” As a poor person you must make the choices that are best for the present time.

Tirado goes on to say that the food choices are limited for poor people. The reason they don’t make healthier choices is because they don’t have the luxury of buying vegetables and fruit. To buy groceries and cook meals you must have a kitchen, pots and pans, cooking utensils, etc. If you are homeless you have no access to this, therefore as Tirado puts it, “It makes more sense to get food that you know will be palatable and cheap and that keeps well.”

It’s important to have perspective. It’s easy to judge quickly when you have it all, but there are reasons worth knowing as to why poor people make “poor” choices. This article illuminates the struggles of the day to day life of homeless people.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-tirado/why-poor-peoples-bad-decisions-make-perfect-sense_b_4326233.html

Homelessness is something that is often overlooked. As of recent, homelessness has become something that I ponder whenever I witness it. Essentially, I have been experiencing the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon. Signs such as “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service” in restaurants and “Panhandling Is Illegal” on the window of a business in downtown Redlands, I have become to notice wherever I go. Not that I haven’t seen these signs before, only that they seem to have become noticeably more common. As I sit in the passenger seat riding down highways, I am now quick to spot tarps under bridges and sleeping bags.

It is easy to turn a blind eye to homelessness when one has never experienced it or witnessed it. However, when I see it every time I walk out of the grocery store, it becomes something I try to understand. It is no longer as simple as reaching into my pants in hope of finding shiny circles or apologizing when I only discover a receipt in my pocket. I wonder where they have been and where they are going. I wonder what their story is. I wonder if they think I’m lying when I just spent my last five dollars on tortillas and instant noodles and have nothing in my pockets. I wonder what the lady walking behind me witnessing the whole thing thinks. I always think of how close and how far we are from each other.

Linda Tirado’s “This Is Why Poor People’s Bad Decisions Make Perfect Sense” is what resonates with me in association with homelessness. As I struggle to make it from month to month, Tirado brings my idea of poverty into perspective.

“It is not worth it to me to live a bleak life devoid of small pleasures so that one day I can make a single large purchase….There’s a certain pull to live what bits of life you can while there’s money in your pocket, because no matter how responsible you are you will be broke in three days anyway.”

As I am in a constant financial struggle, I am reminded every time I go to the grocery store that my situation is only temporary.

Heise described how the government has a duty in protecting its people. We implemented in our constitution that we shall “promote the general welfare.” History has shown time and time again that citizens will rebel when they are not being listened to. It got me thinking what would happen if there was a national movement to get the homeless of the streets?  I feel that homelessness is an unspoken and hidden part of society. Today the media has a great influence, they need to focus on social changes! Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; however, this is not the reality for most. Half of those that are poor are in extreme poverty, they make $11,000 per year, as seen with the class exercise this is not a manageable way of life. As Heise mentioned the war on poverty should help lift millions of Americans out of poverty.

Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced his new plan for monitoring homelessness on the streets of New York City. It’s called HomeStat, and the idea is to have outreach workers and police officers in the streets of the city on a daily basis tracking responses to reports of homeless people on the streets in real time. However, the overall goal of the plan isn’t really revealed in the article, and is therefore up to some speculation. For example, Judith Goldiner, head of the Legal Aid Society’s Law Reform Unit, said the increase of outreach workers is greatly appreciated; however, she is unsure whether or not the increase of police officers would be of much help. She stated that getting the homeless off the street and in to shelters is one of the Law Reform Unit’s top priorities, but the last thing they want to do is criminalize homeless people. With Police Commissioner William Bratton’s comment on the matter saying there’s a possibility some homeless people will be arrested for minor crimes, it has yet to be determined how effective the Mayor’s plan will be.

Despite having donated millions of dollars towards addressing the social causes of homelessness, in a recent poll 62% of those who participated disapproved of the Mayor’s plan. It’s been said Mayor de Blasio is not putting enough emphasis on getting people off of the streets. 61 year old Floyd Parks – who has been living on and off the streets for multiple years – believes the city should be focusing on trying to find permanent housing for those out of the streets instead of simply trying to get them in to shelters.

As of right now this plan seems quite ambiguous. It’ll be interesting to see how the influx of outreach workers and police affect the situation, and whether or not there will be any conflict between the two groups trying to accomplish relatively the same goal. Personally I don’t think we’ll hear much more about the plan for a couple months, but I think it’s a good first step towards keeping the public in the loop about the reality these people face, and hopefully it is the foundation for better things to come.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/18/nyregion/mayor-de-blasio-unveils-plan-to-track-homeless-population.html?_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/23/opinion/finally-urgency-on-new-yorks-homeless.html?_r=0

With a title like this, one could be scrolling through the New York Times, a renowned  source for news, and think that a homeless Mecca like New York is taking big steps to address the problem of homelessness.  We might think to ourselves, “there is nothing to worry about, the mayor has it under control.” But if we take a better look, it seems as though the mayor hasn’t actually done much to tackle the issue.  He has merely hired a new colleague to “work” on the issue.  The only proposition that mayor Bill De Blasio mentions is to get a better count on the actual number of homeless individuals in New York.

Is this really necessary?  Sure, it might help us get a better idea of the issue, but is this count doing anything to combat the issue?  We already know that there is an abundance of homeless in New York.  Sure, there are some that we can’t see, and unfortunately are not accounted for.  I would see that a thorough count of homeless would be most effective in less-populated cities, those in which homeless people are very hard to notice.

Maybe this count would be a good start, but it seems that the mayor is not going to do anything beyond this count.  What bothers me is they way this article is presented.  Its presented in a way that shines a light on the mayor.  This, to me, seems like pure rhetoric, a strategy for the mayor to get more public approval and votes.  What are some ways that we can publicly question these people in power, to really “put them on the spot” to actually see what, if any, steps they are actually going to take?  Is this kind of fluff used by those in power avoidable?

While planning out a family with one minimum wage working parent and two children’s budget, I was awestruck at just how impossible it is to live on minimum wage pay. I spent much time tweaking expenses, and no matter what, the family would have to live with small housing, state health insurance (CHIP and Medicaid), and food from government programs and non-profits. While researching the eligibility requirements of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), I came across a recent news article regarding future plans for the Kansas Children’s Health Insurance Program. With the Kansas State budget appearing to have a deficit the governor is proposing to take money from the federal affordable care act; money originally allocated to the Kansas Children’s Health Insurance Program to balance the state’s budget. The governor’s spokesperson is claiming, “Children will continue to be served as they are now, and expenditures remain the same.” Should states really take that risk in shorting the Children’s Health Insurance Program in which countless children rely for their health care? If I were a parent in Kansas dependent on CHIP for my child’s health care, whether they are sick or healthy, I would be furious by the possibility of my child being unable to receive the same amount of care or being unable to register for CHIP due to the loss of the funds. This brings us to a larger issue of policy being determined by wealthy privileged politicians. Balancing the budget may put the governor in a good light, however, is a balanced budget worth the low-income families possibly losing health coverage for their children? Should we be questioning why privileged politicians get so much pull aiding low-income individuals?

http://ksn.com/2016/01/21/low-income-families-worried-about-funds-taken-from-chip-program/