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.