come on rise up

[keryx]

Y'all, I learned something awe-striking this week. Richmond? Does not have to have homeless people.

About 1500 people don't have permanent housing in the area each day. Only about 4000-5000 people are homeless each year. A MILLION people live in Richmond and its counties (though a lot of our homeless neighbors are in the city proper - but still, 5000 out of maybe 200,000). And some of those people are kids, right? So Richmond needs like, what? 4000 decent-paying jobs and apartments that cost less than ridiculous Fan rents? We should do that.

Thursday I volunteered at this homeless connection thing with Homeward, and I've been waiting to write about it till I could even talk about it without being flooded with emotion. The event brought together a bunch of services for folk who don't have permanent homes (this includes a fair number of people who are staying in long term shelters and transitional housing), and volunteers walked each person through whatever services they asked for. Jobs. Healthcare. Photo ID - that was a popular one. Haircuts. I about lost it when my last client, who is my age, needed a place to stay for the night [Done. 2 minutes.]. The folk I worked with were fantastic, gracious people. Yeah, a couple of them were unmotivated, maybe a little whiny (as homeless people tend to be stereotyped) - but you know what? So are some of y'all (and me, sometimes). We make poor decisions. Some people make a lot of them. Some people get caught in bizarrely bad circumstances. That? Is what community is supposed to protect and rescue you from: poor decisions & shitty circumstances.

Anyhow. It was an intense experience, and it spurred me to find out how to take more systemic action. You should do the same.

Comments

[vagal-nerve.livejournal.com]

*nods*

[ellebeowe.livejournal.com]

Not to be a downer. But Homeward has got some issues!

[arovd.livejournal.com]

name an agency that doesn't. seriously.

besides i didn't read the post as she was talking about homeward specifically, i read it as she was talking about the systemic issue of homelessness and what the experience was like for her...

[keryx.livejournal.com]

So? Find another agency, then. I'm not talking about how awesome Homeward is (though they deserve props for making stuff like this happen, particularly for doing it with the engagement of the homeless community).

[ellebeowe.livejournal.com]

This is for both you and Arovd, since they are basically the same response.


I am not saying you are a bad or horrible person for writing about your exp. That's great you are working with the homeless population, it's even better that you are encouraging others to, too. Homeward is not all bad. However, if I was working with an organization and someone with similar political beliefs told me that they had some issues, I'd want to know. I am sorry to assume that you might want to, too. It wasn't meant to offend or hurt feelings, seriously. Honestly, thinking about it, we probably don't have completely similar political thoughts, anyway.


I was really not being a jerk. This is how I would've responded to any person I was talking about Homeward with, in person or via internetland.

[keryx.livejournal.com]

See, this response? Is open and polite. This makes me interested in understanding what your concerns about the agency are.

That other post, where you just tossed out a "hey, they have issues"... not so much either. This is just feedback on your communication style, since you, like me, are interested in sharing info & persuading others to think your way. Starting off with "hey, they suck" comes off as dismissive of everything I was saying, ya know?

So, what are the issues you have with Homeward? I was kindof excited about them, since they're a rare mostly non-faith-based homeless group, and seem to have engaged the community rather than doing the "charity for the deserving poor" shtick that so many groups do.

[arovd.livejournal.com]

eactly what keryx said.. this answer just made me go - wait a minute, what kind of issues? is this something i need to be concerned about?

so... what are the issues? now i'm curious!

[arovd.livejournal.com]

I worked in a homeless shelter for a year. The major difference I noticed between folks who become homeless and folks who don't? Take a guess.

wasn't brains. wasn't experience. wasn't money. wasn't jobs!

you know what it was?


family/community support. That was the major contributing factor that I found. folks who become homeless are just like everyone else... they just have a more dysfunctional support system than the rest of us.

[keryx.livejournal.com]

Yep. Totally.

Though, you know, jobs would make a big difference if you could make a living wage with a high school or lower education.

[arovd.livejournal.com]

i didn't say brains, experience, money, and/or jobs at a living wage didn't HELP! :) I just said that wasn't the determining factor in whether one becomes homeless or goes and lives with your sister/mom/friend until you get back on your feet.