My website

To learn more about homelessness in the U.S. and specifically in Morgantown, W.Va., visit http://www.pwehomelessness.weebly.com

Living as a homeless student

Though it's hard to tell the true financial status of many college students - since we mostly engage in the same activities and wear the same comfy clothes to class, many are struggling more than just the average complaining twenty-something.

While many financially needy students get through school through merit based scholarships such as The Promise, and need based state and federal funded programs like The Pell Grant, some need more to get by.

Here is a story I wrote for The Daily Athenaeum in 2010. It's about a WVU student named Cletus, who lives by crashing couch to couch at friends' house, performs as a musician for money and tries to keep jobs here and there while going to class using aid.
You're walking down High Street and see a crowd of people, pitching money into an aspiring young singer's guitar case – not an unusual scene for a college town like Morgantown.

As the crowd starts to grow, you realize the voice you hear singing is unlike any other High Street performances you're used to – it's the unique voice of 18-year-old acoustic/folk singer Cletus Bean.

With a personality as eccentric as her self-chosen stage name, Bean has been singing and playing the guitar throughout the streets of Morgantown and in and out of venues like the Blue Moose Cafe and 123 Pleasant Street for about seven years.

"I usually don't come across people who don't like my music because I can sense what sort of music different types of people will like," Bean said. "The songs I choose to play at a certain performance are based on the vibe I am getting from the people I‘m performing for."

Taking influences from a wide range of artists like Alison Krauss, Nirvana and The Beatles, Bean's raspy, strong voice is far from that of the average teenager.

This unique sound and her outgoing personality have attracted attention to Bean that has formed her a fanbase within the Morgantown community.

Despite her musical talent and the ability to read her audience, Bean has never had formal voice or guitar lessons.

"I still don't know how to play the guitar," she said referring to correct technique. "I don't know how to read music; I do everything by ear," she explained. Bean claims that she can hear a song once through and have it mastered by the next try.

Bean admits to being somewhat of a troublemaker, having been kicked out of venues in the past. She claims her music is the only thing that has kept her strong while struggling to live on her own for the majority of her teen years.

"I've had a lot of freedom, but the guitar has really helped me stay away from trouble," Bean said. "I'll never do anything to sacrifice my music.

"My closest meaning to home is my music. High Street has become a home to me, too, and I think the guitar finds you good people to be around" she added.

These "good people" that Bean refers to includes Gary Tannenbaum, owner of The Blue Moose Cafe and a musician himself. Tannenbaum has watched Bean grow up through her participation in his cafe's Open Mic nights over the years.

"I remember the first time she played here. I could tell she had something by the way she belted out and got everyone's attention," Tannenbaum said of Bean at age 15.

Although Tannenbaum has issues with the rowdy, non-paying crowd that tags along with Bean when she plays at his cafe, he's never had a problem with her and enjoys her musical talent.

"Cletus is a mysterious and a curious girl, but I see a lot of potential in her as a musician," Tannenbaum said. "She just has that stage presence that gets your attention. People enjoy her.

"Her voice can go from trill and sweet to belting out something edgy," Tannenbaum spoke of Bean's sound. "It's very unique."

Former employer of Bean's, Burke Manning, owner of the local Pita Pit, is also a fan of her music.

Manning claims that Bean would sing and play the guitar outside of his store while on the clock, adding that it would bring in business.

"She would go out there and play for a little while, and the next thing you knew, we'd be packed," he said.

Bean has recently created an album covering songs like "Push" by Matchbox 20 and "Earth Angel" by Cat Stevens. The album also includes a rendition of Rihanna's "Umbrella," combining melodies and even beatboxing.

As for her goals as an artist, Bean claims she's not in it solely for the fame.

"I just want to play my music and inspire people the way that the music I've grown up around has inspired me," she said.

Bean plans to continue using music that she is so passionate about as a way of support, saying, "if I'm hungry and running out of money, I just go out to High Street and start playing."

Who's at risk?

Many people don't consider the possibility of being homeless or view particular situations as putting them at risk of becoming homeless. In today's society, those who are homeless are often viewed as someone who has made a bad, or irresponsible, decision a long the way. What people don't stop to realize is that homeless people are human beings just as much as someone living in a million-dollar home. Here are possible at risk situations to keep an eye out for:

-Family Loss: Many young adults, and sometimes older adults, stay at home and live with their parents to save money. If these family members that some are dependent have a falling out or pass away, they can find themselves on the streets.

-Lack of Fixed Mortgage: Many families who don't have a fixed mortgage rate on their homes can come across unexpected debt while owning a home. In attempts to save money on interest, home owners can find themselves unable to afford the home they once could.

-Broken Marriages: As most of us know, the divorce rate in our country is ever increasing. Time passes and people change. Though many enter a marriage confident that they will live co-dependent lives, divorcees often find themselves in a financial rut after the split.

-In this economy: Any and all of us have been affected by the economic downturn in recent years. Many have lost jobs or received major pay cuts.

-Domestic Violence: Those who are in unhealthy and unstable relationships may only have one option to survive, and that is to flee. Many single mothers are forced to live on the streets in order to escape violence at home.

Before we judge the homeless community, we need to think more about who is homeless and how they got that way. Hopefully, we will never have to face these challenges, but since we don't - let's learn more about what we can do to help the less fortunate.

Profile: Michael McCawley

Michael McCawley may seem like a Jack of all trades to many, but one aspect of his life has always remained the same: a desire to help others. Though the salt-and-pepper haired, jolly 60-something has spent the past 30 years as a professor at West Virginia University in the Department of Community Medicine teaching a variety of subjects from air pollution to occupational health, he got his start at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. There, he received a bachelor’s degree in zoology. He then acquired a master’s degree in environmental engineering from WVU, and later a doctorate in environmental health from New York University.
Now, McCawley currently works as a faculty organizer for MUSHROOM: The Multidisciplinary UnSheltered Homeless Relief Outreach Of Morgantown. The program is comprised of WVU faculty and students from medical and social work backgrounds who reach out to the local homeless population by offering them basic needs and medical care.
Though the group dedicates every other Thursday to making “street rounds” to provide the homeless with items such as food, water, clothing, toothbrushes and blankets, McCawley believes one of the most important things MUSHROOM offers the homeless is something as simple as acknowledgement.
“Many students try not to make eye contact with a person who looks homeless because they’re afraid of being panhandled. I’d like to ask everyone in the community not to do that. A smile or a nod is sufficient. Don’t pretend the homeless aren’t there. It’s demeaning - they don’t want to be ignored,” McCawley said.
The MUSHROOM group is dedicated to providing on-the-spot medical care the homeless community and to creating awareness of the homelessness epidemic on the WVU campus and throughout the Morgantown community. “The first thing for the students to understand is that the homeless are just people. They’re not saints. They’re not monsters. They don’t want to be hassled. Awareness is important because you may see opportunities to help. There’s no one size fits all solution to homelessness or poverty or mental health. Many eyes looking at the problem, though, may result in many solutions,” McCawley said.
McCawley believes in the power of the next generation and the ability of his students to make a difference. According to McCawley, a large part of the Morgantown homeless problem can be blamed on the lack of areas that accept Housing and Urban Development (HUD) vouchers. Because Morgantown is a seller’s market when it comes to housing due to the students in need of off-campus housing, landlords are more resistant to accept such government funded programs.
“Students should do what they came here to do: study. Become the educated voters who can influence the opinions of lawmakers. This is not an easy issue. It is an issue that needs to remain the focus of the citizens of this country of and countries around the world,” McCawley said.
McCawley also believes the local homelessness issue could be decreased and prevented through efficient and good institutional care, since a large majority of homeless people suffer from some sort of mental illness. “There’s not an easy answer to this conundrum. Many of the homeless also have problems associated with mental disorders. In decades past, people with mental disorders would have been placed into institutional care for the duration of their lives. A very large percentage of the people we see on the street could benefit from this care. Whether being in an institution is better than being on the street may remain a debatable question, but the Supreme Court decided in favor of releasing people from institutions if they were not a danger to themselves or others,” McCawley said.
Project MUSHROOM has grown from four hundred thirty-four patient encounters per year in 2006 to eight hundred seventy-two in 2010 and has spent six thousand dollars in the past year providing supplies to the homeless, while the value of the medical care provided based on the going rates of professionals was equivalent to thirty thousand dollars. Though, to McCawley, these are merely numbers and statistics. “It’s hard to say what the worth of the student participation may be, but to steal a line from a popular commercial, I’d say…priceless,” McCawley laughed.
MUSHROOM has recently been performing flu vaccinations and tuberculosis testing in areas such as the Bartlett House, a local homeless shelter. With help from the Monongalia County Commission have helped assist the group in providing opportunities to do so, as well as the County Commission and the Mayor of Morgantown. “Making sure that people are immunized or at least checked periodically can help alleviate some of these problems. When people work together, it benefits everyone. I think that helping to keep the government informed is crucial in helping them make the right decisions when the time comes,” McCawley said.
The MUSHROOM group provides regular, although rudimentary, care to the homeless on a scheduled basis and works towards fighting disease, discovering problems early, and understanding what’s required for follow-up care that may reduce the number of times a homeless patient has to be admitted to a hospital for the same ailment. McCawley hopes this dedication and routine can create a sense of stability for the homeless community, something he claims can have many positive effects. “It’s easy for a person who is out on the street or sheltering in a homeless shelter to lose hope. MUSHROOM provides a glimmer of hope. It is a constant in lives that have no constancy,” McCawley said.

Take a closer look

I've included this YouTube video of Ted Williams, a homeless man from Cleveland, Ohio. Ted lost his job in the early nineties when he became addicted to drugs and alcohol and has been living on the streets every since.

He held a sign up on the street and claimed to have a "golden radio voice." A reporter with the Columbus Dispatch gave him a chance, and the next thing Ted knew he snagged a job as a sports announcer for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

I chose to include this video because it solidifies a lesson our parents have taught us since day one: don't judge a book by its cover.

This is an important virtue to remember when asking people to help out the homeless because it's hard for most of society to see past the negative stigma associated with this group of people.

It's important to remember that the homeless are people too and deserve the same human rights that we all have - they've just gone through negative life experience that have led them to this lifestyle.

Like Ted, the lives of homeless people can be turned around if someone cares enough to take the time to listen.

fact sheet

Prevent Homelessness in America

A study by the American Coalition for the Homeless in 50 cities found that in most every city, the city's official estimated number of homeless people greatly exceeded the number of emergency shelter and transitional housing spaces. It is our job as more fortunate members of society to contribute what we can to this population and work to not only decrease the number of homeless citizens, but to prevent anyone and everyone from becoming homeless by reducing risk factors before it’s too late.

Who is homeless?

- On an average night, 94% of people living on the streets were single adults, 4% were part of families and 2% were unaccompanied minors.

-Battered women who live in poverty are often forced to choose between abusive relationships and homelessness. Approximately 63% of homeless women have experienced domestic violence in their adult lives.

-40% of homeless youth are of gay, lesbian or bi sexual orientation. 27% of male teens moved away from home due to conflict. Half have ran away from home at least once.

-16% of the adult homeless population suffers from some form of severe and persistent mental illness.

-For families and individuals struggling to pay rent, a serious illness or disability can start a downward spiral into homelessness, initiated by a lost job, depletion of savings used to pay for, and eventual eviction. 1 in 3 Americans are uninsured. Of those uninsured, 30.7% are under 18.

-The relationship between addiction and homelessness is complex and controversial. Many people who are addicted to alcohol and drugs are at increased risk of homelessness. Addiction does increase the risk of displacement for the precariously housed: in the absence of appropriate treatment, it may doom one's chances of getting housing once on the streets.

-Foreclosures have increased the number of people who experience homelessness. Since the start of the recession, 6 million jobs have been lost. 40% of families facing eviction due to foreclosure are renters and 7 million households living on very low incomes are at risk of foreclosure.

-Research indicates that 40% of homeless men have served in the armed forces, as compared to 34% of the general adult population (Rosenheck et al., 1996). In 2005, the U.S. Conference of Mayors' survey of 24 American cities found that 11% of the homeless population were veterans – however, this does not take gender into account (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2005).  The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans estimates that on any given night, 271,000 veterans are homeless (National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, 1994). 

-Most studies show that single homeless adults are more likely to be male than female. In 2007, a survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that of the population surveyed 35% of the homeless people who are members of households with children are male while 65% of these people are females. However, 67.5% of the single homeless population is male, and it is this single population that makes up 76% of the homeless populations surveyed (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2007).

-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. In its 2007 survey of 23 American cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that families with children comprised 23% of the homeless population (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2007). These proportions are likely to be higher in rural areas.  Research indicates that families, single mothers, and children make up the largest group of people who are homeless in rural areas (Vissing, 1996).

-In its 2006 survey of 25 cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayor found that the sheltered homeless population is estimated to be 42%  African-American, 38% white, 20% Hispanic, 4% Native American and 2% Asian. 

-The ethnic makeup of homeless populations varies according to geographic location. People experiencing homelessness in rural areas are much more likely to be white; homelessness among Native Americans and migrant workers is also largely a rural phenomenon (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1996).

How many are homeless?

In 2007, 12.5% of the U.S. population, or 37,300,00 million people, lived in poverty. The National Coalition for the Homeless report that 1.6 million are living in used transitional housing or emergency shelters. Another study done by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty states that approximately 3.5 million people, 1.35 million of them children, are likely to experience homelessness in a given year. The Center estimates that 6.3% of the population are homeless at some point.

Why?

A study by the National Coalition for the Homeless found two factors to be most accountable for the increasing poverty rate in America: Eroding employment opportunities and a declining availability of public assistance.

This means, that although greater economic forces are at hand, we can still do our part to provide for the less fortunate by volunteering at existing public assistance outlets and work to create our own organizations which provide for the homeless.

-Decreasing employment opportunities:

-According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, for 12 million Americans, more than 50% of their incomes go towards housing costs and utility bills. This can lead to an obvious lack in money for savings and healthcare and other necessities.

-In 2007, a survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that approximately 17% of homeless adults in families were employed.

How are we affected?

A 2009 report by the National Coalition for the Homeless states that approximately 1,667 people in West Virginia are homeless.

How to help?

The Morgantown area offers many outlets to students and members of the community to contribute to the homeless population. The following is a list of organizations that are dedicated to fighting the local homelessness epidemic.

-The MUSHROOM group (Multidisciplinary UnSheltered Homeless Relief Outreach Of Morgantown) brings together medical, social work and other health professional volunteers on "street rounds". It goes by foot to those places where they are needed most: along the rivers and creeks, down the back alleys of downtown, and under the bridges. Visit http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/fammed/mushroom/ for more information.

-The Bartlett House addresses homeless issues by providing for emergency food, shelter and medical referrals first, then one-to-one comprehensive case management to break the cycle of homelessness. It is committed to providing shelter that meets a person’s basic needs in an atmosphere where people are treated with dignity and respect. For more information visit http://www.bartletthouse.org/.

-The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Charleston, West Virginia is dedicated to offering the homeless a range of federal services. It also offers the community many opportunities to contribute to programs. Visit. http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/homelessness.

-The Scott Place Homeless Shelter located near Morgantown, in Fairmont, West Virginia, raised $335,00 in 2009 for the local homeless community. The shelter teams up with organizations like the United Way to offer the homeless a variety of programs to assist their conditions and strives to campaign to involve as many citizens as possible in decreasing this homeless rate. To do your part, visit http://www.uwmarion.org/.

Works Cited

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Economic and Community Development. Rural Homelessness: Focusing on the Needs of the Rural Homeless, 1996.

Rosenheck, Robert et al. "Homeless Veterans," in Homelessness in America, Oryx Press, 1996. National Coalition for the Homeless.

U.S. Conference of Mayors. A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America's Cities: 1998. U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Who is homeless?

Sometimes it's hard to support a cause, no matter how informed you are about the subject, without knowing more about who exactly it is you're helping.

People are far more likely to donate their time to a good cause if they can associate faces and names to the numbers of statistics.

The following is a quick fact list on those who are currently homeless, or are most likely to become homeless in the future, provided by the National Coalition for the Homeless. Hopefully, this list will help you relate to those who are homeless, whether it be by identifying with your own personal experiences, or it hits close to home with someone important in your life.

-- Domestic violence. Battered women who live in poverty are often forced to choose between abusive relationships and homelessness. Approximately 63% of homeless women have experienced domestic violence in their adult lives. 50% of the cities surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors identified domestic violence as a primary cause of homelessness.

-- Mental illness. Approximately 16% of the single adult homeless population suffers from some form of severe and persistent mental illness. Most homeless people with mental illness do not need to be institutionalized, but can live in the community with the appropriate supportive housing options. Many mentally ill homeless people are unable to obtain access to supportive housing and/or other treatment services.

-- Lack of affordable health care. For families/individuals struggling to pay rent, a serious illness or disability can start a downward spiral into homelessness, beginning with a lost job, depletion of savings to pay for care, and eventual eviction. 1 in 3 Americans are uninsured. Of those uninsured, 30.7% are under 18.

-- Addiction disorders. The relationship between addiction and homelessness is complex and controversial. Many people who are addicted to alcohol and drugs are at increased risk of homelessness. Addiction does increase the risk of displacement for the precariously housed: in the absence of appropriate treatment, it may doom one's chances of getting housing once on the streets.

-- Lesbians/Gays/Bisexuals/Transgenders. 40% of homeless youth are of gay, lesbian or bi sexual orientation. 27% of male teens moved away from home due to conflict. Half have ran away from home at least once.

-- Foreclosure. Foreclosures have increased the number of people who experience homelessness. Since the start of the recession, 6 million jobs have been lost. 40% of families facing eviction due to foreclosure are renters and 7 million households living on very low incomes are at risk of foreclosure.

Other causes include, but are not limited to, eroding work opportunities, decline in public assistance, lack of affordable housing.

How to help (if you're a broke college student)

It's easy as college students struggling with rent and loans to find a handful of excuses as to why we can't help out the less fortunate.

Everyone sees the homeless throughout the town, and almost everyone has been confronted by them and asked for spare change. Now, if we knew the real percentage of those who have actually given money from their pockets, we might all be a little dissapointed in ourselves.

But it's not our fault. It's not that we don't feel bad for these people, we just can't understand how or why they've gotten to be in the positions that they are and we avoid the unfamiliar.

The majority of the student body is financially struggling and it's very easy to understand why we don't want to fork up that little bit of extra cash to donate to someone we don't know instead of putting it towards something we can personally benefit from.

While money is a legitimate excuse, time isn't.

Yes, we're all busy, we're all trying to study and pass finals, but there's always down time and in that down time, there are plenty of opportunities to help others.

Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer.

The Morgantown area has a variety of programs that are constantly looking for student volunteers, whether it be to help serve food at a soup kitchen for organize goods at a food drive.

The Multidisciplinary UnSheltered Homeless Relief Outreach of Morgantown, or MUSHROOM, is a West Virginia University student group primarily focused on reaching out to the homeless.

They meet once a week and wander the streets of Morgantown with supplies like water, food and socks (donated from community businesses) and offer them to the homeless.

One particular goal of the MUSHROOM group's is especially intriguing though. Its first and foremost goal upon locating the needy is something totally free: conversation.

The group's main goal is to offer friendship by having general conversation like "How's the weather?" and "Where are you from?"

I think the groups' idea is very touching and should speak to all of us. Just to say hello or offer a warm smile to help brighten someone's day more than we know and that human-to-human interaction is something we all take for granted.

A not-so-familiar familiar face

As a student at West Virginia University, Morgantown is a place you have to get used to.

The college town is a lot different from most of our hometowns and we slowly become familiar with the city's odd hours, the intricate study halls and its busy traffic.

However, something we've also become well adapted to (though, we may not admit it) is the appearance of homeless people in the community.

After my three years here, these citizens have become familiar faces, though I haven't given enough of my time to become more familiar with them.

My goal is not only to urge others to reach out to those who are poverty stricken, but to better allow society to perceive them as who they are: real people, with personalities and a story, and hopefully: a desire for a better life.
I’ve heard it all before: “I don’t feel sorry for them – they’ve chosen that lifestyle,” “Not my problem,” or “Why don’t they just get a job?”

Though I don’t judge anyone negatively for not understanding or relating to situations they’ve never been in – I do want people to view those who are less fortunate in a different light and stop to ask themselves these questions:

How did they wind up here?
What has happened in their lives that they are now living on the streets?
Where is their family?
Do they have anyone who cares for them?
What would I do if I was in their shoes?

There are many compassionate people in the world – and many in this community. However, it’s hard for people to find the initiative to support a cause they don’t know much about and to help others they don’t really know.

This blog’s main focus is to urge the community to be more observant of their surroundings and introduce them to organizations they can support, like the local Bartlett House, and to give advice on how to help others if you feel like you don’t have much to give financially (like the majority of struggling students living on loans and paying rent, like myself.)

Just because we’re college students struggling ourselves doesn’t mean we can’t make a difference. Just remember – it could always, always be worse.