The initial problem of course is that whoever is making these comments needs educating, but that is a bit of a challenge when someone is no longer around to converse with and you're left trying to quell your own visceral response (which is usually something along the lines of "ya ignorant f*ck,), to the ignorance without hurting feelings and further alienating the person who left the uninformed comment in the first place.
The bigger problem, at least as I see it, is that the majority of comments about homelessness tend to lean heavily towards the ignorant side, which tells me that we as a society have done little to educate the public about the ravages of homelessness beyond the sphere of those of us who work on a regular basis with the population.
Frankly, in this day of instantaneous access to reams of info, volumes of knowledge, a full-on shitstorm of material that is available to peruse and learn from, it's hard to believe that ignorance on this topic is so....pervasive.
But all one has to do is to review the comment sections of any newspaper or blog article anywhere on homelessness and invariably, you will see what I'm talking about.
So in that vein, I present yet another article to help raise awareness of homelessness, and I think I'm going to start another page here that provides the basic facts about homelessness, so that the next time some fool makes him/herself look like an idiot in some comment section, I don't have to spend a half hour writing back an instead can simply post a link.
Sigh. another damn "to-do" added to my list. There is no rest for the weary when it comes to smashing ignorance around homelessness, I'm afraid...
Putting real faces to chronic homelessness
Helping the homeless is a complicated endeavor to address issues that vary from one individual to another. At no time are such efforts more challenging than when dealing with the chronically homeless. These are people who have a disability, serious medical or mental illness and/or addiction to alcohol or other drugs and who are homeless repeatedly or for long periods. Most have been in treatment and still found themselves repeatedly homeless, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
Finding solutions to these issues locally might mean entertaining nontraditional ideas such as a shelter that admits those under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or providing housing first then assistance — it's easier to treat someone if you know where they are. But such solutions also are challenged by funding.
Hope for the Homeless, a coalition that provides services for the homeless, literally has put a face to some of the chronically homeless in this area. As part of its point-in-time survey in late February, the coalition compiled profiles and photos of the 100 most vulnerable. These are people who will die on our streets if we don't do something, says Christa Pazzaglia, the coalition's executive director. In fact, two have died since the survey.
The chronically homeless also are people who, because of the extra support they need, cost a lot more to help than people who are temporarily or transitionally homeless.
The coalition's member agencies review the binder monthly to see if there is anyone they can help. Since late February, they've been able to place only 20 in permanent housing.
One reason for limited results is some chronically homeless distrust the system. "This is a crowd with serious issues and it is very difficult to engage them in services," Pazzaglia says.
The lack of money for support services is another factor. Putting a roof over their heads without providing these services is a recipe for disaster. The chronically homeless need everyday assistance that proves expensive.
Research and experience show that stable housing often is essential to the success of rehabilitation and that this approach is more cost-effective, the National Alliance to End Homelessness says. Hope for the Homeless has housing and vouchers but lacks funding for support services. It is seeking a $400,000-plus, three-year federal grant for that purpose.
Also contributing to the problem here is the lack of a shelter system that meets the needs of the chronically homeless. Existing shelters require you to pass a Breathalyzer test, drug screening and/or mental health assessment. The need for caution is self-evident; but the exclusion of those with such problems leaves them out in the cold or, as is now, the extreme summer heat.
Some other communities have responded by setting up "wet" or "damp" shelters, the overarching goal being to provide shelter first. Wet shelters allow drinking on the premises. Damp shelters don't but also don't test for alcohol or other drug use.
Hope for the Homeless wants to open a damp shelter in an area near downtown Shreveport that is not heavily populated. The concept is in the early planning stages. But someone already has donated some of the needed property and, if its board approves, the coalition plans a campaign to raise the capital necessary for the project.
"It's certainly not going to be an easy thing to pull off," Pazzaglia says. "But they do have these in other parts of the country and pull it off." Case in point, she says, is Cincinnati, where the chronically homeless's absence from the streets has been noticeable since a damp shelter opened there.
