All the Things

The mayor of Portland took one look at a village, an opportunity for people on the street to get some stability and a path off the street and he said, "No effing way," and sent his police to clear us all out. We can shake our heads or cry out against him for his rejection of a positive way of providing real help for houseless folks.

But any advocate who rejects the plans of the county or of business people or of neighborhoods to do what they can, how are they any better? Sure, administration is imperfect, placement is imperfect, it doesn't work for everyone on the street, but I've heard very few plans that doesn't help enough people on the street to make the effort worthwhile. As for the imperfections, rather than rejecting the effort, let's work with people to improve their work.

We are in an emergency. We can't afford to reject efforts. We need them all.

The Simple Answer Isn't Really Simple

How to end homelessness

The simple answer:

Find a homeless person. Give them a place to live. Tell them, "This is your place. As long as you don't harm anyone, you are welcome to stay here. No one will take it away from you." Then give them time. They will find out how to thrive on their own, because that's what they want to do. It just takes time.

Then, do that with all other homeless people.

The more complicated answer:

-Not all homeless people are ready for a place.  They have been abused and thrown into addiction and harmed and experienced trauma that they might not trust any place that you give them.  It will take time.  And they may not stay.  But in time, if they feel safe, they will heal and grow and become ready to give back.

-Not all homeless people are safe.  If you have an extra room and you want to host a homeless person, that's fantastic.  But in reality, unless you know them, they may not be safe.  NEVER, NEVER take in a homeless person unless you really know them.  This means spending time with them on the street.  Listening to them.  Understanding them.  And then deciding if they would fit into your housing situation.

The Six Point Plan to End Homelessness

Daniel Hong, Jose Serrica, Michael Withey and others in Portland have presented to the Mayor of Portland a six point plan to end homelessness.  I think that this is a significant approach to actually accomplishing the goals of Portland to end homelessness.  The one-track approach of trying to get some of the homeless housing, even the most needy, has not worked.  A less expensive, multi-faceted approach is necessary.  Here is their proposal, as found on Facebook "The Six Point Plan to End Homelessness":

Homeward Bound, otherwise known as the "10 Year Plan To End Homelessness" has failed. Non-profit corporations that were paid to put themselves out of business, could not bring themselves to do so. Tens of millions have been squandered on new buildings that temporarily help few, while real solutions are offered at no charge to the public and are quickly put to an end by City government or members of the homeless industry.

One case that immediately comes to mind is Right 2 Dream Too. This small "camp" hosts up to 80 individuals nightly at no cost to the city. This "camp" has saved Portland tax payers millions of dollars in emergency room visits, legal costs, etc. More importantly, it saved lives. Unfortunately, R2DToo is fined over $1200/month because no good deed can go unpunished. Another case in point would be the new "Bud Clark Commons" Building. At it's initial cost of $40 million, there could be housing for 2,750 individuals in self sustainable, community supportive "Eco-Villages." Bud Clark no longer allows showers or laundry past 2:00pm due to budget cuts.

While some may wish to stay on the street indefinitely, most do not. The public typically will see the "chronically homeless man" and think that that is the face of homelessness. Most do not see the family living in a van or the women that just lost her home to foreclosure, sleeping on her daughters couch. This segment of homeless do not want to be seen but they do want to be helped. We all need to ask ourselves, what would I do if that was my sister or my brother? Would you care enough to get involved then?

With the help of the homeless community, homeless advocates and the general public, this document was formed. You will find within this document, some of the answers to the issue of homelessness.

Here are some ideas to ponder:

1. Eco-Villages

Small communities that are self sustaining already exist in Portland, Oregon, successfully. Homeless advocates have been working hard to bring their plans to fruition, lacking only the support of our city government and members of the homeless industry. These Eco-Villages are our least expensive and most favorable option for a long term solution.

2. Americorp Relief Camps

Americorp comes in after natural disasters to bring immediate relief and temporary housing. Federally funded and volunteer run. Relief camps would offer all of the things that you would expect including lodging, meals, laundry, storage, employment assistance, educational assistance, counseling, ect. etc. Those staying at a relief effort would have a case worker that would actively participate in securing the needs of client, with the end goal of permanent housing. I would like to remind everyone that Americorp is a Federal program and the Federal Government should by all means, be utilized whenever possible for it's vast amount of resources.

3. Rest Stations

A "Rest Station" is a place in which one would erect a tent in which to sleep, from dusk till dawn. While at a Rest Station one would not be allowed to consume alcohol or drugs. One would not be allowed to roam or visit with others. One would be there to sleep and only to sleep. Rest Stations could be located throughout the city in "Low Key" areas so as not to disturb residents or business. Rest Stations would be monitored by security officers.

4. Existing Buildings

City or privately owned buildings could be transformed into housing using volunteers and donated building materials. Millions of tax dollars would be saved on construction costs.

5. Campgrounds

City or privately owned land could be leased and a permit to operate a campground could be granted. A fee could be charged to residents that would cover costs including security. Dodge Park is a camp ground operated by Portland Parks and is closed to the public between October and May. This park should be made available to a responsible entity that can guarantee that the park will remain in its pristine state and that this camp be a safe, clean and cooperative environment.

6. Day Centers

A "Day Center" would serve the immediate needs of a person experiencing homelessness by providing vital services that one would need to be able to become gainfully employed. One would have the ability to shower, store their belongings and be assisted with job searches.

Another service that would be offered at a "Day Center" would be Education. Volunteers would assist with enrolling those desiring a GED, collage courses and vocational training through Pell Grants and all other types of financial assistance.

I fully support this proposal.  As an advotate of the homeless in East Multnomah County I've been talking about the need of a multi-faceted approach for years.  This proposal comes the closest I've seen to the desires of the homeless that I have spoken to.

I have two suggestions beside the six proposed above:

1. The distribution of street-ready mobile homes made to attach to bicycles.

2. A campaign to Multnomah County home-dwellers and especially police officers to treat the homeless as fellow citizens and not criminals, so as to reverse the trend of dehumanization.

In order to follow the outcome of this, or to support this proposal, please follow their Facebook page. 

The Bud Clark Commons

Pretty, isn't it?  It's the Bud Clark Commons, and it is a fine-looking addition to Portland's downtown area.  It has a day shelter, a 90 bed shelter and a hundred and thirty single resident apartments.  Those hundred and thirty apartments went to the most needy homeless residents of Portland, mostly to folks who struggle with both mental health issues and addictions. This has been and is a noble project. The idealism and care for the most needy is truly inspiring. 

What is also inspiring is the price tag.  Altogether, it cost the city fifty million dollars to build it.  I don't know how much it will cost to maintain it, but that's got to be a pretty penny.  The city plunked down 29.5 million dollars for it and they obtained other grants for the balance.  *Loud whistle*  That's a chunk of change. It must show how much Portland cares about homelessness. 

That's certainly what Steve Rudman, Excecutive Director of Home Forward said:  "This new building underscores that homelessness is at the forefront of our community's priorities. We are excited to be part of the solution that continues the city's momentum towards ending homelessness."  

Hmmm.  That's interesting.  The goal of the city is to end homelessness?  And this is part of the solution?  Wow, that's really generous of the city.  So their goal to end homelessness is to provide housing like this?  That's great.  However, that comes with quite a price tag.  

In Multnomah County, according to the latest street count, there were 4655 people sleeping on the street or in shelters on January 26.  Of course, there are less people homeless in the winter than in the summer when people don't feel as guilty putting family members on the street, but let's just work with that figure.  If the city was going to spend as much money on all the homeless as they did on the 220 people they just provided housing and shelter then that would be... $1,057,955,815.  A billion fifty eight million dollars.  That's more than half of Portland's annual budget.

That doesn't seem rational, especially in these times of tight budgets and frugal spending.  This must not be Portland's plan to help the homeless, to provide them all with housing.  Perhaps what Steve Rudman said is completely accurate: Homelessness is a focus of the city, not the actual population of homeless people. 

I suspect that the Bud Clark Commons wasn't developed at the request of homeless people.  Frankly, homeless folks are pretty frugal as a group. If the city were to ask them-- the actual people who are homeless, not the "experts" on homelessness-- how to help the homeless, they would have gotten a lot of answers.  "Tell the police to leave us alone," some would have said.  Others would say, "Get us jobs."  Some would say, "Let us have our own space to build up and to keep secure."  Perhaps some of the less thrifty would say, "Rent us all apartments."

However, not a single homeless person would say, "Spend fifty million dollars on a facility to house 220 of us."  

The Bud Clark Commons only makes sense if you take actual the actual homeless population of Portland out of the equation.  It seems like a great opportunity for the city to show that the city of Portland has the issue of homelessness as a focus.  But more than 95 percent of the homeless population aren't touched by the fifty million dollars spent.

I think next time the city wants to spend fifty million-- heck, even 29.5 million-- dollars on the homeless, they should get together the leaders of the various homeless communities in Portland (yes, there are leaders), and create a series of project that could help literally thousands of homeless folks.  When we see that happening, perhaps I would believe that Portland is actually interested in helping the homeless instead of just creating an expensive facade of care. 

Ending Homelessness, Final Stage: Getting Housing

After the homeless are accepted by the community and begins to accept the community around them, the final stage to ending homelessness is getting people homes. However, this is more complicated and more individual than any of the other stages.

Why is housing the final stage? Because if we don't meet the stage of meeting survival needs, the homeless don't have the time to take care of their housing properly. And if there is no community involvement there is no support to keep them in housing. And if the homeless aren't educated and trained, then they will not stay in housing. If we just give the homeless an apartment, most of them will lose it unless there is adequate foundation.

And even at this final stage, there is still work to do before housing is obtained...

Intake:
An experiences social worker needs to sit down with every homeless person to determine a program to get them inside, permanently. An interview will need to be done, discussing the homeless persons’ struggles, needs, employment history, family, housing history, health and more. After the interview, the social worker might make an overall recommendation for a track that the homeless person might go in. One track might be employment, another mental health, another rehabilitation and another social security. Then the social worker and the homeless person can determine what specific programs the homeless person might need in order to reach the goal of escaping poverty. The overall plan might include many steps, including obtaining ID, support groups, a mental health evaluation, addiction assistance, volunteer work, education, employment assistance and a housing recommendation.

Rehabilitation—
There are many different kinds of addiction helps out there, and every person has different kinds of needs that the rehabilitation could assist. For many people, especially serious alcoholics and hard drug users the first step is a detoxification program—this assists a person with a medical detox so they don’t die in the midst of kicking their addiction. After this, there are many options for those struggling with mental addiction. There are work rehabs that offer a combination of full time work and twelve step programs (Salvation Army’s ARC). There are religious programs that work on relationship and religious education (Victory Outreach). There are outpatient rehab support that offer the most flexibility (Many hospitals). There are other kinds of in-patient facilities that provide basic structure and some freedom (DePaul Center) There are also low-key communities offering support and help with life skills. And, of course, there are 12 step programs and other kinds of support groups, religious and secular. For those seeking rehabilitation, the right program should be sought. This means that familiarity with all the programs in a broad area should be known and discussed with the person seeking rehabilitation.

Housing:
Like rehabilitation, housing is not something that can be determined on a cookie-cutter basis. For some, an apartment is too complicated or too enclosed. There are a variety of different kinds of housing that might work for someone who has lived on the streets for years. Some might want to live in a drug and alcohol free community camp (Dignity Village). Others might want to live in a “halfway” house, which offers some of the flexibility of homeless culture, but some of the security of the middle class (Anawim Christian Community). Others might need to live in homes that focus on living in a clean and sober environment (Oxford Houses). Others might prefer to live with family, if that is offered. Others might want to live in religious communities (The Simple Way). Again, the many options should be available and sought.

Support:
Post-homeless counseling-- One of the greatest crisis periods for a homeless person is when they are able to obtain housing. Often, when the homeless get housing, the recently homeless develop depression, guilt, illness and recurring addiction issues. An additional support group helping the post-homeless to deal wit their issues is essential if the homeless are to remain housed. A post-homeless plan should also be laid out and support should be given to achieve it.)

Ending Homelessness, Part II: Community and Independence

It is easiest just to provide basic services, but poverty will not end for those in need if their basic needs are just provided for them. There must be larger support networks. Just as one of the ways people become homeless is by not having a support network, even so, a support network of community must be formed if the homeless are to escape poverty and to be accepted in the community. So this means that the there must be a variety of ways that the community and the homeless can associate and be educated about each other and how to live together. Also, besides simply providing for the homeless, the community must be providing means for the homeless to help themselves, so they can be independent, even if they are still living an alternative lifestyle.

Welcoming communities—The homeless need communities that they can feel welcome in. There are so many communities that look at them askance or are so formal or well-dressed that the homeless don’t feel comfortable. Some communities need to be open and willing to even seek the homeless to join them. This could be churches, synagogues, or other faiths. It could also be book clubs or chess clubs. It could be 12 step meetings or other kinds of help groups. As long as the homeless know they are welcome, a few will seek the shelter and comfort of community. As well as the coffee.

Community education—Every community has their own misinformation about the homeless, and most housed communities are fearful of the homeless. Education pieces in churches, community groups (such as the Optimist Club) are essential. But to connect to the entire community, it would be helpful to have newspaper articles or even television ads.

Advocates with local government—The homeless and those who work with the homeless should have a group that communicates their needs and concerns to city hall, local police, neighborhood associations and even the state government. This may not change policy, but it can communicate that the homeless are equal citizens with everyone else.

Volunteer Training: For those working with the homeless in day or night shelters, there should be training opportunities, or even required training in the following areas: Basic information about homelessness, preventing prejudice against the homeless, conflict resolution and preventing conflict, relational v. service mentality, preventing burnout.

Service opportunities—It is essential that the homeless feel ownership in the services that are providing for their needs. This gives them self-esteem and it assists how they are seen by the community. Not only that, but the services themselves benefit by having those receiving the services providing input in how services are given. This means that the homeless should be volunteers in shelters, serving food, working on community projects and being on advocacy and networking groups.

Labor—Since one of the most important issues for the homeless is un- or under-employment, there should be programs to give the homeless opportunities for employment. However, different homeless have different labor issues. Some need day labor, but others can’t even work for a whole day. Also some are able to have full time jobs and so just need employment services to assist them in obtaining labor, who will help with resumes, interviewing and other job seeking skills.

Financial services—Some of the homeless cannot trust themselves with finances. They know that they will waste their finances when they get some from labor. They might benefit from some financial services that could help their bills get paid.

Counseling/Support Groups: There are many issues that can be dealt with in a support group level. Not only living homeless in general, but it would greatly assist the homeless to have support groups or counseling services dealing with anger issues, addiction issues and stress management.

Education: Some of the homeless simply need some education to help them get a new start on life. One of the basic classes a number of the homeless could use is basic computer skills. But other classes that might prove beneficial is critical thinking skills (which might be taught through a literature course or a course on everyday logic) or basic life skills, especially in preparation for living indoors. It might be good if a local community college could offer job training skills to those seeking other full time employment. Also, for homeless teens there may need to be a program to get them into public school or to help them obtain a GED.

Pieces of the Puzzle to End Homelessness, Part 1

Ending homelessness is like a puzzle. Each puzzle has areas of the puzzle that are easy to see and to put together, and other parts that aren’t as obvious and more difficult to fit together. But all are necessary if we are going to finish the puzzle. Even so, ending homelessness is complex and some parts of the solution are difficult to piece together. But if we do not have all the pieces together, then the goal of ending homelessness will not be accomplished. If we put someone in a apartment, but don’t give them assistance with food and counseling, they will not be able to sustain their place in a home.

Basics:
The basic steps of providing the needs of the homeless is fundamentally providing survival for the homeless. It is meeting their basic needs so they can go on with the business of putting their lives together. It is best if an entire community work on this as a whole, rather than piecemeal. A piecemeal approach will mean that there is a lot of overlap and unnecessary redundancy. It also means that where some services will be provided in abundance, other services will not be provided for at all. For this to happen, one of the foundations of helping the homeless is a networking group that will keep all the groups in communication with each other.

Survival:
Food: Providing food is the easiest and most basic level for most people who want to help the homeless. Many churches and community groups provide meals, sack lunches, sandwiches or simply snacks for free. With only a few exceptions, food is the one need that is met for most homeless people in urban areas.

Clothes: This used to be a basic resource for the homeless, but having room to store a variety of clothes is becoming more difficult.

Showers: No one can find a job or feel good about themselves without a shower. For most of the homeless, a shower is an occasional luxury, rather than a part of a daily routine. Only a few centers have the resources to provide showers, so this continues to be a need.

Laundry: Because of a limited amount of clothes, the homeless desperately need laundry facilities. Especially during wet weather, when their bedding and clothing is in need of drying.

Basic Supplies: Some of the basic supplies the homeless have are razors, deodorant, sun screen,

Day shelters: The homeless need a safe place to be during the day where the police and the community won’t be harassing them, and a place where they can have some structure. It is also good to have a central place where they can be found to do labor or provide services.

Night Shelters: Of course, the homeless are most vulnerable to the weather and those who wish to harm them at night. A place where they can sleep safely is important.

ID assistance: Every community should have one or two experts in obtaining one’s identification if it is lost or destroyed. The homeless are especially vulnerable to losing ID, and will need to have both assistance and small financial help to obtain their ID back.

Health--
Health clinics: Free health care with doctors on staff is important for any group that does not have insurance.

Mental health clinics: Given the large number of mentally ill on the street, it is important to have a mental health clinic, which includes mental health evaluations, available to those without insurance.

Dental health clincs: A significant area of health that is often missed is dental health. Poor dental health can not only effect one’s teeth, but lead to other kinds of illness and mental health issues.

Medication aid: Most hospitals and clinics don’t have a program for a full run of medicines, even antibiotics. A program should be established for those with low income to obtain prescriptions at low cost.

What Causes Homelessness?

When we ask this question, we are usually asking behind it the question, “How do we end homelessness?” Because we believe that if we know what causes homelessness, then we can just reverse the process and voila! Homelessness is taken care of. However, this discounts the fact that once a person is homeless for a period of time, they change. Almost no one wants to be homeless, but everyone, in a given situation, adapts to their environment.

Even so, this doesn’t mean that the cause of homelessness isn’t an important questions. It tells us the kind of person who is likely to be homeless—apart from just a person with a low income—and it gives us an idea of how to prevent homelessness, possibly, which is key if, in the end, we wish no one to become homeless.

To answer the issue of what causes homelessness, we would have to do something more than simply interview every homeless person and ask them how they became homeless. We need to pay attention to the stories of the homeless and make a determination of the common elements. If we see the elements that all homeless people have in common, then we might have a deeper understanding of this problem.

a. Loss of housing
Of course, a person becomes homeless when they lose their housing. That seems obvious. So the cause of homelessness is inadequate housing. But how do people lose their housing? Many in apartments lose it because they weren’t able to pay their rent within thirty days. In an age of managed apartments instead of dealing directly with an owner, renters are seen as debtors instead of people. They are given a notice which the renters are obligated to fulfill. Perhaps the renter might appeal, but they would often rather be looking for ways to pay the rent instead of spending time in court.

The other issue is inadequate housing for people with particular difficulties. If someone has a severe mental illness, one which, perhaps, occasionally causes them to tear out the walls of their apartment, or if someone has a social dysfunction, like an addiction, then even if the rent is guaranteed, they may not be able to stay in housing which has close quarters with others. Since low income or subsidized housing is often put together, that means that those who have difficulties are often housed on top of one another, which increase the difficulty of housing even those with a mild dysfunction. In this way, loss of housing is often due to a disconnect with other people rather than simply the lack of four walls and a roof.

b. Labor difficulties
Almost everyone who is homeless have problems either obtaining or keeping a job. In order to have housing, one must be independently wealthy, have multiple incomes, have a regular social security check or be able to obtain and keep a forty hour a week job. Thus, if one is single and a forty an hour a week job either isn’t available to one or one is unable to keep that job, then housing isn’t possible. Many people on the street are hard working, but they can’t find enough work. Many people have social or mental issues that do not allow them to work forty hours a week. Some can find work, but their personal issues don’t allow them to keep a job for more than a month or two. The basic standard of a forty hours a week job isn’t always possible, and any little disaster for a minimum wage earner can tip the balance and push them on the street. Work isn’t always easy.

c. Lack of community
However, we note that many people who are mentally ill or jobless often do not become homeless. This is not because they are smarter than others, but usually because they have family or friends that help them in the tough times. They have friends who will drive them around and help them figure out the system when depressed. They have family that will keep them until they get on their feet. Those who are homeless often tell of broken ties with family, or having been deeply hurt by those they loved. Often they are people who are released from prison and no one will help them get back on their feet. Or they have such severe social problems that no one feels adequate to the task of helping them. Thus it is that the homeless are the outcast—because they already were before they even became homeless.

d. The Gauntlet of Getting Help
It has often been mentioned that many of the mentally ill are homeless because of a lack of funding from the government. This is true, but it is changing. Social security, for the most part, assists anyone who can prove that they are mentally unable to hold down a job. However, to go through this, the mentally ill person, who qualifies, must first fill out the large amount of paperwork, and keep all the appointments they give them. The mentally ill person must wait for a year until the paperwork is processed. And then the mentally ill person will be denied. In the first stage of the process, almost every mentally ill person is denied for disability. At this point, many people who are on the street and mentally ill decides that it is too difficult—if they haven’t already. But perhaps they decide to appeal. If they do, they will need to find a lawyer who will take their case (every town has at least one firm who specializes in disability cases), if they can find them. And then they need to sit in court before a judge while many witnesses—some of them are their friends and family—tell the judge that the person being examined that day is a societal failure and cannot do the minimum of what our society asks of them—to keep a job. Perhaps after that they will obtain assistance from the government. Is it no wonder that many mentally ill people—even those with severe disabilities—choose to stay on the street rather than run through that gauntlet?

Most programs—whether for the mentally ill or for those in prison or for those with addictions—are long and difficult. One will end up on the street while going through them.

e. Fear and Disgust
The main thing that will send someone on the street, however, is the “normal” peoples attitudes toward those who become homeless, even before they get on the street. A felon will have a difficult time finding housing or a job of any kind after they get out of prison. And if they fail in either of these basics, it is considered “their due”. The same for anyone who has a sex tag, even if they were only convicted of a misdemeanor. It is assumed that they are a pedophile or a rapist, even if they are not, and so they will be punished as such. Some people welcome former addicts, but just as many refuse to have anything to do with them. It is so easy to be judged in our society and so many people are willing to hold others accountable for a crime they don’t even know, that living becomes difficult.

It looks like unless something changes in society, homelessness is here to stay.

Illegal To Be Homeless

Every major city in the U.S. have ordinances to make homelessness illegal. Boulder is just one of them. Read here:

No camping means the homeless are illegal

Should we make it illegal to be hungry, also? To be thirsty? To suffer oppression?

Laws are supposed to create justice, not victims.

Feds, States-- make it illegal for local governments to create ordinances that oppress a group in need, without regard to any illegal activity.

Some Reasons Why the Homeless Stay Homeless

This is an article posted on End Homelessness. On the original site, there are links for every reason given:

End Homelessness 18 Reasons

18 Reasons Why the Homeless Stay Homeless
by Joy Eckstine

Keeping people out of homelessness — and thereby preventing the ailments that only going unhoused can cause — is far preferable to asking people to pull themselves out of it. Once people become homeless, the transition back to housing, and sometimes work and society in general, is almost impossibly difficult. Here's why it would be so hard if it happened to you.

1) If your ID is lost and stolen, good luck replacing it, especially since 9/11.

2) If you're employed, you may have to choose between sleeping inside and keeping your job. Many shelters have curfews that do not accommodate swing shifts or night shifts.

3) Until that first paycheck, how will you afford to get to work? Both gas and public transportation cost money.

4) Your job skills might no longer be relevant in today's economy.

5) Once you are looking for a place to live, your landlord will probably question your lack of recent rental history.

6) It's hard enough to save enough money for first and last month's rent and a security deposit. You might be charged a double security deposit if your landlord is even willing to rent to someone who was previously homeless.

7) Good luck finding affordable housing at all.

8) If you are one of the 60 percent of the homeless who are disabled, it is a very long process to receive federal benefits and you need to plan the time to be denied and then appeal. If you work at all during that time period, you will be denied.

9) Do you even know if you are disabled? Severe head injuries (pdf) may affect your memory, concentration, organization, speech and temper. Lack of insight is a hallmark symptom (pdf) for many psychotic disorders.

10) After a period of homelessness, you might have a criminal record from "status crimes." These are crimes that arise from having to do things in public that housed people have the good fortune to do inside, such as sleeping, sitting, eating and peeing.

11) You might get ill and not have access to healthcare.

12) If you have an addiction (pdf), it might spiral out of control.

13) If you have any history of trauma, you might find that being homeless worsens your PTSD (pdf).

14) Good luck getting help from former friends, acquaintances or neighbors. Most people are as afraid of homelessness as they are of a contagious disease.

15) Once you are ill, you might die. Homeless people are four times more likely to die prematurely (pdf) than housed individuals.

16) You might be a child.

17) You might be unable to work or on a fixed income due to your advanced age.

18) Shelter staff, social service providers, prospective employers and landlords might assume you are a drug-addicted mentally ill criminal.

A Law Against Making Homelessness Illegal

Right now, almost all urban areas in the United States have some kind of anti-camping ordinance, a city ordinance that does not allow the homeless to sit or lie down on a public sidewalk or there are police policies to "clean up" the homeless a few times a year, especially during this season, Spring. The homeless are also targeted as being potential criminals for the police and so they are often asked for i.d., and sometimes harassed.

While the homeless are being told to leave or have their camps thrown away and having to pay hundreds-- sometimes thousands-- of dollars in fines, do something positive for them. Encourage your state legislators to make it illegal to make homelessness illegal.

It should be against state law to have local laws or policies that target people simply because they are without housing. This includes camping ordinances, sit/lie ordinances, dumping of camps and police targeting—whether moving the homeless on or specifically checking on someone because they “look homeless”. It should be done for the following reasons:

1. Our state should refuse to be a participant in the dehumanization of any people, but as long as these laws are allowed, then the process of dehumanization of the homeless will continue. See the following website for more information on this: http://www.nowheretolayhishead.org/howarethehomelessdehumanized.html

2. No government should make life more difficult for any people simply because they are among the economically weak. History will judge any government that targets the poor for being poor. On the other hand, history will acknowledge the justice of any government that recognizes any possible injustice of the past and works to eliminate it. And while helping the poor in a good way is justice to refuse to oppress the poor is a more foundational justice.

3. To target certain segments of the poor for continued punishment is to place additional economic hardship on them, making their economic recovery that much harder to accomplish. To have to move every day, to have to pay fines, or to spend time in court or jail is to cause one’s economic situation to deteriorate even more, preventing one from looking for work. As long as this economic segment is targeted, it makes a state economic recovery more difficult.

4. A segment of society that is legally targeted for economic reasons has a right to feel oppressed, and thus separated from “normal” citizens. Such a segment of society, because they are already judged, feels justified to do actions that would justify legal judgment. This society would also not listen to arguments of the community good, for they have already been legally discounted as a part of the community that is to obtain that “good”. This creates a rebellious segment of society that acts not in the interest of the community, thus the laws and policies in opposition of the homeless are a self-fulfilling prophecy.

5. To disallow such laws and policies opens up more public focus on solving the social problems rather than placing blame on those who suffer from it. To move the public discussion from eliminating homeless people to eliminating homelessness is a positive social step.

Please encourage state legislators to pass laws to prevent the targeting of the homeless as illegal group.

What to call the homeless we work with

From "Joan":
Should we really call the homeless we work with "friends". It looks to me that friendship involves trusts, reciprocities, and shared appreciation of having things in common with one another, whereas love is not dependent on, or limited by, such things.

From Angela:
I've had similar thoughts. In some ways, "friend" doesn't
apply. But in lots of others, it does. I'm thinking there are
different levels of friendship. I'd call this one type, even though I
don't run to one person for serious emotional support, or expect another to
want to talk about philosophy and stuff. But having not much in common
does make it different.

Me:
I am connected with a lot of people who call all the folks they know on the street "friends" and I was thinking that either they were seeing their relationship with the all of them as idealistic, or they didn't know what "friendship" means.

I really AM friends with a number of folks on the street. I really appreciate them, have feelings of warmth toward them and enjoy their company. Others, I certainly don't have that relationship with. I agree with the first post that to have a "goal" of friendship for everyone on the street is a high goal. Too high perhaps. I've known perhaps a thousand people on the street over the years, and I am not friends with all of them.

But what do we call the folks we work with? Some people call them "clients" or "guests" which seems too standoffish for me. My wife and I call them "the guys" although many of them are women. "Homeless" isn't he best term, not least because it is so often used in a stereotypical, derogatory way. I like "street folks" a lot.

UPDATE: A name that seems to be coming up a lot are "the Anawimers", for those who attend our church, Anawim Christian Community, but we also use it to summarize those who are like those who attend the church-- people who are a step down from "normal" society. "Oh, that guy's an anawimer for sure." But we like inventing new terms.

The Homeless Evicted

This is an article published on the End Homelessness site:
http://homelessness.change.org/blog/view/how_to_distmantle_a_tent_city

How to Distmantle a Tent City
by Shannon Moriarty

Published April 15, 2009 @ 06:55PM PST



It was a reporter's dream: a state with a Hollywood governor, a city with a former NBA star Mayor. In the shadows of that city's skyscrapers, along the banks of the River America, lay a modern day "Hooverville." In recent months, this tent city scituated on the outskirts of Sacramento attracted non-stop media attention- domestic, international, and Oprah- as the "face of the American economic crisis."

But today, this encampment of 150 to 200-or-so homeless people (most of them chronically homeless) is gone. Mayor Kevin Johnson ordered its removal last Thursday. Today, the last of the people who called this tent city home have no choice but to move on.

Despite the media fascination with Sacramento's tent city, life for its residents has not been easy, according to the LA Times:

The tent city sprawls along the river in small clusters of ersatz neighborhoods. Walker and her neighbor, Charly Hine, 38, have pitched their tents at the distant edge to stay away from noise and trouble.

Gibson's tent is in a separate, small, neat grouping. One neighbor displays an American flag and a goose with the word "welcome" on its breast. It is a favorite subject, its owner says, of news photographers. Another has a mailbox and a gate.

The largest and most raucous neighborhood is composed of about 70 tents closest to the street.

Near noon, Tammie and Keith Day are drinking beer around a cold fire pit, worrying about how she'll get her diabetes medication and fretting about whether officials will shutter the tent city.

"We're homeless and being evicted?" Tammie fumes. "Now I've heard everything."

Clearly, the media glare has left Mayor Kevin Johnson uncomfortable and unsure of how to handle the situation. After an countless of meetings and summits, he announced that the current tent city would be closed. At the same time, he announced, the city is considering the feasibility of a permanent homeless encampment and looking to increase the number of city shelter beds.

Right. First clear out the tent city and then decide what you're going to do with the people. Makes perfect sense.

Suffice to say, Sacramento homeless advocates are not happy. In fact, things got heated today as the clearing out got underway, according to the Sacramento Bee:

Sister Libby Fernandez of Loaves & Fishes, which provides services to homeless men, women and children, led a group of advocates demanding a moratorium on camping citations and pushing for a place where people can camp legally and with basic services including toilets and garbage pickup.

"We've been campaigning for this for more than a year," she said. "Now we're back to square one again."

Fernandez and others said they will engage in nonviolent "civil disobedience" if campers are forced to leave, and will risk going to jail to make their point.

So the big question that remains is this: where are these evicted homeless campers going to live?

The answer? Another tent city, of course.

Most of the 150-200 campers are moving just a short walk down the American River levee to a growing tent city (Sacramento Tent City Version 2.0, we'll call it). Although the encampment is on private property, police stay it still violates the city's law against camping. Could this mean it's just a matter of time before these homeless people are evicted again?

You know what they say. You can take the people out of tent city, but you can't take the tent away from the people.

Stay tuned... this story isn't over yet.

Meet Tony

Please watch this short video of Tony as he explains how he needs to panhandle to make ends meet.

http://homelessness.change.org/blog/view/real_stories_meet_tony

Many people say that panhandlers only are after drugs or alcohol. But that simply isn't true. A job isn't always the best option for everyone (even if you could get one). Many people who struggle with alcoholism or drug abuse, if they get a job, they have a lot of money in their pocket and 40 hours of stress a week-- a recipe for relapse, if there ever was one!

Tony works when he can, panhandles when he must. He explains how much he might get and how the economy effects the amount.

"Get A Job"

Many people think that the homeless should just "get a job". The homeless, especially in holding signs looking for money or work will be told this. However, it is very difficult for the homeless to get a job. I had been planning on writing an essay on this, but Steven Samra has done it for me! Check this out:

http://homelessness.change.org/blog/view/dont_be_homeless_get_a_job