Who are the homeless?
The face of the homeless
When we start talking about the homeless we must admit that we have a certain image or picture that comes to our minds. More often than not this image comes from stories we’ve heard about the homeless, from what we’ve seen or heard in the media, from our own observations or assumptions and if we’re honest with ourselves we have to admit that this image often perpetuates the myths and fears that we have about the homeless. These myths and fears spiral into feelings of apathy, lack of compassion and support and disconnection of understanding and care for the homeless.
Homelessness is a complicated, multifaceted problem. We often want to pin the sole responsibility on the homeless individual. As advocates we have to encourage people to take an inventory and ownership over their own lives and the decisions they make, as well as take responsibility for choices that have sometimes put them in very compromising positions. This step can have empowering effects on the way an individual navigates his or her life and the future choices that are made in order to leave homelessness. We should not stop there when grappling with the issues of homelessness. We as people of privilege and networked into organizations, churches and government programs should help provide more opportunities to journeying along side the homeless-- even when the results don't turn out as we expect them to. As members of this society we have the responsibility to hold up our brothers and sisters in need. In order to do that holistically, empathetically and with dignity we must understand who are homeless. We must ask ourselves, “Who is the face of the homeless person”?
When we are talking about the homeless we are not just talking about one situation, story or scenario. When we talk about the homeless we are talking about a multitude of stories, histories and issues that one must face if they have the misfortune of becoming homeless. We cannot generalize people and say, 'Well if the homeless would just get a job that would solve the problem or if the homeless would stop drinking then they would no longer be in the situation that they are in'. we shouldn't do this with any people group and we cannot do this with the homeless population. In my work with men and women who suffer from chronic mental illness or alcohol abuse what I've found is that there is a history of abuse and abandonment and it is a tough situation to just tell someone to get over it and just get on with it. The coalition for the homeless in Seattle sites that, "Fifty to sixty percent of the women and children who are homeless are victims of domestic abuse. There are also homeless men, including fathers with children, who are fleeing abuse". In understanding this element of homelessness we should feel the call to rally and unite around the need to help build and sustain and dream about the possibility of something outside of homelessness for each person. Just because it is complicated and difficult does not mean that it is time to disengage or grow apathetic to the need.
Several people wonder, 'Why don't the homeless just get a job'? As stated earlier, the homeless have to be proactive in their quest to get back on their feet but sometimes it not as simple as just asking the above question. In fact statistics show that 44% of the homeless worked in the past month but did not make enough to afford housing-- the fact is there is not enough affordable housing available for low-income individuals and families which puts this population at grave risk. In Seattle, a minimum wage worker has to work more than 3 full-time jobs, or work 126 hours to afford fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment. In our economic climate we cannot expect that this problem will be remedied any time soon. The National Coalition for the Homeless states, "Two trends are largely responsible for the rise in homelessness over the last 20-25 years: a growing shortage of affordable rental housing and a simultaneous increase in poverty".
The reality is that the visible homeless community is just a small window into the complexity and full spectrum of this population. What is meant by the term ‘visible homeless’ is those that you regularly see or would recognize as homeless just by observing them from an outside perspective. The fact of the matter is that most of the homeless community remain invisible to us-- that man or woman we see on the street corner or the panhandler only make up about 8% of the total homeless population. Under the HUD (Housing and Urban Development) definition of homelessness a person is considered homeless if they are in one of the following situations:
-Places not meant for human habitation
-Emergency shelter
-Transitional housing
-In any of the above places but is spending a short time in a hospital or other institution
-Being evicted from a private dwelling
-Being discharged within a week from an institution.
-Is fleeing a domestic violence-housing situation.
We generally attribute homelessness with a particular image. Here is a picture of who is homeless:
-Children under the age of 18 accounted for 39% of the homeless population, 42% of those children were under the age of five (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty 2004).
-Men comprise of 51% of the homeless population and single women comprise of 17% (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2005).
-The number of homeless families with children has increased significantly over the past decade. Families with children are among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population. The U.S. Conference of Mayors found that families with children comprised of 33% of the homeless population.
-Battered women who live in poverty are faced to choose between abusive relationships and homelessness. 50% of all women and children experiencing homelessness are fleeing domestic violence (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2001).
-Research indicates that 50% of homeless men have served in the armed forces.
-Approximately 16% of the single adult homeless population suffers from some form of severe and persistent mental illness (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2005).
-The U.S. Conference of Mayors number in 2005 was 30%, for current addiction disorders among all single adults who are homeless.
The implication of these statistics makes it clear that we cannot use one generalized description in identifying the homeless. However, the homeless do have some certain shared basic needs including: affordable housing, adequate incomes and health care. Based on these descriptors we see that the homeless share in the need of dignified care and resources just as we all do. This should align our stories with the homeless not create barriers that relegate us to a dichotomy of us vs. them.
With that said, we must remember what resources are available for the homeless. In January 2008, operation night watch conducted their annual homeless one night count and found that there were 8,439 homeless people in King County-- a 15% increase from last year of that, 5,808 beds were utilized, as well as 140 mats which were made available due to severe weather. 139 beds were made added in transitional housing programs for families with children. However, 173 units of transitional housing were removed from the 2008 inventory. In addition, there was essentially no change in the number of year-round emergency shelter beds available in 2008. So although the homeless count has increased by 15% the beds available to accommodate this increase is not there.
Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions to the problem of homelessness. There are a variety of barriers and challenges that are faced in being homeless. One of those barriers happens to be us-- the larger society and culture. It is rare to find people who genuinely and with conviction find the homeless a value to our society. We dismiss them with a glance. And the ones we don't see-- well we find our alliances on other issues rather then learning and educating ourselves on why this is a problem and how we can use our gifts to be a source of hope. It is possible to leave homelessness permanently-- I've seen it time and again but that process can span over weeks, months and into years and it is easy to lose hope and faith that their is an alternative. Perhaps part of that dream for an alternative can be our faces (those of us who live in privilege)-- perhaps we could be that face of hope, that beacon of light, that voice that says, "You matter". But it has to start somewhere-- that somewhere is you and me.
When we start talking about the homeless we must admit that we have a certain image or picture that comes to our minds. More often than not this image comes from stories we’ve heard about the homeless, from what we’ve seen or heard in the media, from our own observations or assumptions and if we’re honest with ourselves we have to admit that this image often perpetuates the myths and fears that we have about the homeless. These myths and fears spiral into feelings of apathy, lack of compassion and support and disconnection of understanding and care for the homeless.
Homelessness is a complicated, multifaceted problem. We often want to pin the sole responsibility on the homeless individual. As advocates we have to encourage people to take an inventory and ownership over their own lives and the decisions they make, as well as take responsibility for choices that have sometimes put them in very compromising positions. This step can have empowering effects on the way an individual navigates his or her life and the future choices that are made in order to leave homelessness. We should not stop there when grappling with the issues of homelessness. We as people of privilege and networked into organizations, churches and government programs should help provide more opportunities to journeying along side the homeless-- even when the results don't turn out as we expect them to. As members of this society we have the responsibility to hold up our brothers and sisters in need. In order to do that holistically, empathetically and with dignity we must understand who are homeless. We must ask ourselves, “Who is the face of the homeless person”?
When we are talking about the homeless we are not just talking about one situation, story or scenario. When we talk about the homeless we are talking about a multitude of stories, histories and issues that one must face if they have the misfortune of becoming homeless. We cannot generalize people and say, 'Well if the homeless would just get a job that would solve the problem or if the homeless would stop drinking then they would no longer be in the situation that they are in'. we shouldn't do this with any people group and we cannot do this with the homeless population. In my work with men and women who suffer from chronic mental illness or alcohol abuse what I've found is that there is a history of abuse and abandonment and it is a tough situation to just tell someone to get over it and just get on with it. The coalition for the homeless in Seattle sites that, "Fifty to sixty percent of the women and children who are homeless are victims of domestic abuse. There are also homeless men, including fathers with children, who are fleeing abuse". In understanding this element of homelessness we should feel the call to rally and unite around the need to help build and sustain and dream about the possibility of something outside of homelessness for each person. Just because it is complicated and difficult does not mean that it is time to disengage or grow apathetic to the need.
Several people wonder, 'Why don't the homeless just get a job'? As stated earlier, the homeless have to be proactive in their quest to get back on their feet but sometimes it not as simple as just asking the above question. In fact statistics show that 44% of the homeless worked in the past month but did not make enough to afford housing-- the fact is there is not enough affordable housing available for low-income individuals and families which puts this population at grave risk. In Seattle, a minimum wage worker has to work more than 3 full-time jobs, or work 126 hours to afford fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment. In our economic climate we cannot expect that this problem will be remedied any time soon. The National Coalition for the Homeless states, "Two trends are largely responsible for the rise in homelessness over the last 20-25 years: a growing shortage of affordable rental housing and a simultaneous increase in poverty".
The reality is that the visible homeless community is just a small window into the complexity and full spectrum of this population. What is meant by the term ‘visible homeless’ is those that you regularly see or would recognize as homeless just by observing them from an outside perspective. The fact of the matter is that most of the homeless community remain invisible to us-- that man or woman we see on the street corner or the panhandler only make up about 8% of the total homeless population. Under the HUD (Housing and Urban Development) definition of homelessness a person is considered homeless if they are in one of the following situations:
-Places not meant for human habitation
-Emergency shelter
-Transitional housing
-In any of the above places but is spending a short time in a hospital or other institution
-Being evicted from a private dwelling
-Being discharged within a week from an institution.
-Is fleeing a domestic violence-housing situation.
We generally attribute homelessness with a particular image. Here is a picture of who is homeless:
-Children under the age of 18 accounted for 39% of the homeless population, 42% of those children were under the age of five (National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty 2004).
-Men comprise of 51% of the homeless population and single women comprise of 17% (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2005).
-The number of homeless families with children has increased significantly over the past decade. Families with children are among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population. The U.S. Conference of Mayors found that families with children comprised of 33% of the homeless population.
-Battered women who live in poverty are faced to choose between abusive relationships and homelessness. 50% of all women and children experiencing homelessness are fleeing domestic violence (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2001).
-Research indicates that 50% of homeless men have served in the armed forces.
-Approximately 16% of the single adult homeless population suffers from some form of severe and persistent mental illness (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2005).
-The U.S. Conference of Mayors number in 2005 was 30%, for current addiction disorders among all single adults who are homeless.
The implication of these statistics makes it clear that we cannot use one generalized description in identifying the homeless. However, the homeless do have some certain shared basic needs including: affordable housing, adequate incomes and health care. Based on these descriptors we see that the homeless share in the need of dignified care and resources just as we all do. This should align our stories with the homeless not create barriers that relegate us to a dichotomy of us vs. them.
With that said, we must remember what resources are available for the homeless. In January 2008, operation night watch conducted their annual homeless one night count and found that there were 8,439 homeless people in King County-- a 15% increase from last year of that, 5,808 beds were utilized, as well as 140 mats which were made available due to severe weather. 139 beds were made added in transitional housing programs for families with children. However, 173 units of transitional housing were removed from the 2008 inventory. In addition, there was essentially no change in the number of year-round emergency shelter beds available in 2008. So although the homeless count has increased by 15% the beds available to accommodate this increase is not there.
Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions to the problem of homelessness. There are a variety of barriers and challenges that are faced in being homeless. One of those barriers happens to be us-- the larger society and culture. It is rare to find people who genuinely and with conviction find the homeless a value to our society. We dismiss them with a glance. And the ones we don't see-- well we find our alliances on other issues rather then learning and educating ourselves on why this is a problem and how we can use our gifts to be a source of hope. It is possible to leave homelessness permanently-- I've seen it time and again but that process can span over weeks, months and into years and it is easy to lose hope and faith that their is an alternative. Perhaps part of that dream for an alternative can be our faces (those of us who live in privilege)-- perhaps we could be that face of hope, that beacon of light, that voice that says, "You matter". But it has to start somewhere-- that somewhere is you and me.