Nickelsville and the barriers of homelessness...

So I've been following the Nickelsville situation for a few weeks now, as they've been getting more attention and press here in Seattle. It seems that the Nickelsville community which has just been relocated to Discovery Park from South Seattle will be having to move again... to get more info on the situation you can read here.

As an advocate for the homeless, I find myself very frustrated not only with circumstances of Nickelsville, but about the responses I have been reading from the larger community. In generally, things I've read from people's comments regarding the situation have been apathetic, unsupportive and down right negative towards the homeless community. It really doesn't surprise me I hear many of these comments from folks when they learn I work with the homeless. Yet, it still frustrates me to hear how little compassion people have towards the homeless and the barriers that so many of them face in leaving homelessness permanently.

Homelessness is a complicated, multifaceted problem. More often then not, I hear people wanting to pin the sole responsibility on the homeless individual. Having advocated for the homeless for eight years I would agree that each individual has to look at themselves, 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. However, I do not believe that is where we should stop when grappling with the issues of homelessness. I believe that organizations, churches and government funding should help provide more opportunities to journeying along side the homeless-- even when the results don't turn out as we expect them to. And I believe that as individuals of this society we have the responsibility to hold up our brothers and sisters in need.

You see the thing is-- when we are talking about the homeless we are not just talking about one situation 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.

In the King 5 news coverage on the homeless, people commented to the article with statements that there were enough beds and that the homeless community's reluctance to go to shelter because of violence or exploitation was silly and unfounded. Well 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 was 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.

Several people wonder, 'Why don't the homeless just get a job'? As stated earlier, I do believe that 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 can not 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 I mean by the 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 a 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 make 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 this 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.

Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions to the problem of homelessness. Some have commented to the King 5 article with cynicism, blaming organizations like Tent City and Share Wheel for perpetuating the cycle of homelessness. I don't believe there is any one model or solution to the problem. I do support the mission of Tent City and Share Wheel because I believe in their advocacy and their consistent support of the homeless. They have been on the front lines in several situations advocating and providing support to the homeless community. I can't say I know all of the intricacies of their services, but I respect that they value the homeless and they value the voice of the homeless-- allowing men, women and children in the community to share their stories, their experiences and their frustrations with the barriers that they must face. 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.