Absolutes can be tricky because there is usually an exception that "proves" or breaks every rule. We have often heard the expression, "Never say never!" We generally know in our hearts that in the world of human beings, no one is perfect, no rule remains unbroken and no expressions are absolute.
The same is true with homeless people. There are no absolutes. Just based on what we intuit about the world around us, we know that each homeless person is a unique person – just a housed person without the home.
Whether a person can be called a bum actually depends upon how, of course, we define the word, "bum." However, anyone chooses to define that word, I think most of us would agree that children are not bums under any definition.
In my experience, I have found that approximately 25% of homeless people are children. Together, women and children make up close to 40% of homeless people and are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. They have not chosen homelessness as a life-style; rather, homelessness has been forced upon them.
Escaping battery is one reason why women become homeless. When women leave their batterers, they generally take their children with them. Battered women’s shelters are testaments to this experience. Not unlike homeless shelters generally, most of the battered women’s shelters are full.
Another reason women and children become homeless is the impact of a challenging economy upon single mothers. Since the first working mom sought employment, finding a job and arranging for childcare so she could go to work have been huge issues. In the past, however, some of these working moms had family that they could rely on to some extent for support.
Today, large distances separate many family members and extended family finances have dwindled due to a host of economic circumstances. Thus, poor mothers often find they are unable to get help from their already overstressed family support system.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009, will hopefully help prevent more people from becoming homeless. On October 8th, LaDonna Pavetti, director of the Welfare Reform and Income Support Division of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support that the ARRA "prevented millions of Americans from falling into poverty and has helped some states to forgo significant cuts that would have weakened the safety net for very poor families with children."
Part of ARRA, the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) as administered through the States and their continuum of care may help homeless women and children become housed. Since applications for assistance are just now being made available to potential participants, the impact of the HPRP is yet to be felt.
The opinions that some housed people may have of homeless people may be understandable, but their opinions are uneducated. For example, some housed people may see homeless people sleeping in public during the day and conclude they are lazy.
In truth, many homeless people choose to sleep during the day because it is too dangerous for them to sleep at night because that is when they are most vulnerable.
Some time ago, I accompanied students from Crossroads High School in Santa Monica as they made a short film about homelessness in their city. I introduced them to my friend, "Charles," who spoke to them very frankly about his experiences since he became homeless.
Charles shared that although he was over 6 feet tall and weighed over 230 pounds, he was afraid to sleep at night.
"Why?" asked the surprised students.
Charles was slightly embarrassed when he confessed that when he slept at night he was afraid someone would hurt him. Instead, he chose to sleep during the day and in well-trafficked areas because he felt that the constant flow of people would provide him with an additional measure of safety.
Charles asked the students if they had read the reports of some young people who had killed homeless people while they slept.
Bums or people protecting themselves? You decide.
I look forward to your comments. Thanks,
Christine
About Christine Schanes J.D., Ph.D.
Christine Schanes, J.D., Ph.D., is a consultant and public educator on the issues of homelessness. Christine is director of two departments within Nos Amis/Our Friends, Inc.: (1) the new Center for Justice and Social Compassion (
www.centerforjusticeandsocialcompassion.org) and (2) Children Helping Poor and Homeless People (
www.chphp.com) which she and her children, Chrissy, age 8, and Patrick, age 6, founded over twenty years ago. Today, CHPHP is a nationally recognized educational outreach program conducted by children and teens with adult advisors that encourages direct service. Its goal is to help end hunger, poverty and homelessness. For more information, please visit
www.chphp.com.
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Excellent Christine! You nailed it. A few years ago there was a mini-epidemic of my homeless brothers getting beat down by some punks, in the middle of the night of course! Thank you for bringing light to the darkness. Peace sis!
Thank you for this article. I found it opened up a new perspective and was compassionate.
Mallika,
Thank you for you kind words.
I am very grateful to you for hosting this amazing website and inviting me to blog.
This was probably my most challenging post to date. The title was the most difficult part. Having to say the words that are so often heard by homeless people made me very concerned about offending housed and unhoused people alike.
However, after much thought, I concluded that the words of the post and its title had to be said so that the light of day could dissolve this myth.
Thank you for providing me with a forum to discuss issues of homelessness. This wonderful opportunity has help me to decide to become a consultant in the area of homelessness for the purpose of public education.
With your help, I have come to realize that after 20 plus years as director of Children Helping Poor and Homeless People (www.chphp.com), perhaps I can help at the policy level and help educate the public about homeless people. It is my belief that through education, understanding can develop and then compassion can be re-awakened.
I'm going to call my consulting project, The Center for Justice and Social Compassion.
I would appreciate your thoughts about this endeavor.
Many thanks for all of your efforts and for the efforts of your wonderful editor, Yumi Sakugawa,
Again, I would appreciate your thoughts. Perhaps you have some guidance you could share with me about my consulting effort. If you would prefer to contact me personally, my email is: chphp@earthlink.net.
Best Wishes,
Christine
Hi, Craig,
Thank you for your comment.
As you noted, I am aware of a number of assaults, batteries and even deaths of homeless people for the mere fact that they were homeless.
As I wrote to Mallika in my response to her, this was the most challenging post I have written to date. It pained me to write the words of the title because I know that expression is truly a myth.
I am grateful to you and others for confirming that I did the right thing by writing the truth.
And I am grateful to Mallika, Yumi, our editor, and all of Intent.com for the wonderful opportunity to blog here.
Craig, I can't tell by your words, "my homeless brother," whether you were or are homeless yourself right now or whether you are just acknowledging that we are all brothers and sisters, which, of course, we are.
If you have been or are homeless, would you like to share some of the details of your story? If not, that's fine. No pressure, ever.
Best Wishes,
Christine
Hi, Craig,
Thank you for your comment.
As you noted, I am aware of a number of assaults, batteries and even deaths of homeless people for the mere fact that they were homeless.
As I wrote to Mallika in my response to her, this was the most challenging post I have written to date. It pained me to write the words of the title because I know that expression is truly a myth.
I am grateful to you and others for confirming that I did the right thing by writing the truth.
And I am grateful to Mallika, Yumi, our editor, and all of Intent.com for the wonderful opportunity to blog here.
Craig, I can’t tell by your words, “my homeless brother,” whether you were or are homeless yourself right now or whether you are just acknowledging that we are all brothers and sisters, which, of course, we are.
If you have been or are homeless, would you like to share some of the details of your story? If not, that’s fine. No pressure, ever.
Best Wishes,
Christine
Hi Christine,
Thank you for writing about this difficult situation. I have one brother who is currently homeless and another brother who I worry about becoming homeless at some point in the future if he's not adequately treated for his mental illness. Please don't forget about the mentally ill human beings living in the cold (6 degrees for weeks at a stretch last winter) under bridges and in abandoned cars because they are mentally ill and, as such, have no money, no jobs and are often times unqualified for housing or SSI, SSDI. Some people are just too sick to know how to get in the system. Some people are tired of the system. Some people are not sick enough for the system we have but not well enough to take care of themselves.
Thank you so much,
Michelle
Thanks Christine for writing on this and informing us. I had not realized that about homeless sleeping in the day, it makes sense.
I don't live here in Bay Area full time, just visiting my native California, but I have been absolutely appalled at the amount of homeless escalating. It is a travesty.
Why in the world do we- one of the richest countries in the world-feel that we have to run around policing the world/fighting endless wars, when here at home, so many are suffering?
I have seen how the homeless pick the most out of the way sites to try and shelter themselves, camping out on the fringes of public parks.
Much of what I have seen implies much mental/emotional illlness, as the levels of togetherness it takes to hold down a job can grow much more challenging as a person ages, and if you don't catch it young, often the person becomes too far gone to hold any kind of a job. This is not laziness, but an illness exacerbated by this competitive job market/society.
Where I am visiting in Santa Cruz, it seems not a day goes by that one doesn't hear some tragic event: a homeless man living on the bluffs, rolls off the cliff in sleep; a homeless person jaywalks, hit by car. Some drug mishap, shooting. It is all so sad, and scary.
We who have relatives with mental illness need assistance to help keep them off the streets.
thank you for your work, and for putting this in our face.
Let us remember these ones this ThanksGiving, and give all we can.
Bless you, and keep you well, Jas
Michelle,
Thank you for your comment.
Having a loved one who is homeless and another brother who is in danger of becoming homeless is not easy.
It used to be that there were institutions where mentally ill people could go or to which they could be committed, if needed. However, many treatment programs have ended and some mental hospitals have been closed without any substitute treatment centers being made available.
I believe that love is the answer in these situations. If you can find your homeless brother and if you can help your brother who is in danger of becoming homeless, sharing your love with them is the best thing you can do, in my opinion. Find out whatever programs are available in your area and, with love, direct your brothers to these programs.
No programs? Perhaps you can start one.
You have my best wishes.
Please keep in touch.
Christine
Hi, Jasmina,
Thank you for your comment.
I agree with you that having people living without shelter is sad, extremely sad. Our culture has not been kind to people suffering with mental illness. Rather than expand treatment programs and effective mental health institutions, we've closed them. There is so much we could all be doing, but the greed in our society is trumping many efforts to help those in need.
I recommend working, whenever possible, with existing programs or starting a new program to help in the area which is needed. Not easy, but what if we all did it? Then it would get done!
In order to keep up with the news about homelessness, I have started a collection of articles on the topic. If you would be able to share some of the articles you read about homelessness, I would appreciate it if you would email it/them to me at chphp@earthlink.net.
Thank you for your keen insights and all you do for others.
Please keep in touch,
Christine