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Adam
F L I N T O I D
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Instead of putting homeless drug addicts into jail should we put them in rehab and vacant land bank homes instead? What is that b.s. politicians like Obama say about affordable housing when we are tering down all our dirt cheap affordable housing in Flint?
Beyond Ted Williams: Homelessness and second chances
Tens of millions of Americans got to know Ted Williams this week. On Monday, a video of Williams showing off his impressive radio voice to a journalist from the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch began to spread across the Internet. By Tuesday, it was so popular that job offers from radio stations and even the Cleveland Cavaliers started to roll in. By Thursday morning, he'd been flown to New York City by the national media to do a round on the morning and late-night talk shows. And by the end of the week, MSNBC had announced that Williams would be doing voice-overs for the cable network's "Lean forward" promotional campaign.
But on Sunday, before this all began, Williams was just one of more than 600,000 Americans who spent the night without a home. The feel-good redemption of Williams' story has captivated national audiences, but it's also a reminder that many Americans are still struggling with the challenges of homelessness -- and will continue to do so without the benefit of viral media attention.
Williams' relatively normal life fell apart when his abuse of drugs and alcohol ruined his marriage and career. His substance abuse moved from booze to cocaine, including, eventually, crack. He has said he's been clean for two years but remained homeless nonetheless. That trajectory is not uncommon for the most visible homeless in the U.S. -- those who live permanently on the street -- advocate for the homeless Neil Donovan told The Lookout.
But that's not representative of the broader and less visible U.S. homeless population, says Donovan, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. Most become homeless because of economic hardships like job loss, he says. And increasingly, homeless Americans are families with young children.
Homelessness is not even exclusively an urban problem. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has found a significant rise in the proportion of homeless people in rural and suburban areas.
On a single night in January 2009, more than 643,000 people in the United States were homeless, according to the most recent HUD data. About two-thirds were in emergency shelters or transitional housing programs, and the rest were on the street or in other places not meant for residency.
Throughout 2009, more than twice that number -- about 1.5 million -- used emergency or transitional shelter.
The figures for homelessness have stayed relatively constant in recent years, but according to Donovan, experts think the 2010 numbers will rise 3 percent thanks to long-term joblessness and other effects of the economic slow-down.
The stubborn sources of homelessness make it easy for observers to throw up their hands. But homelessness isn't a hopeless problem. In recent years, cities such as Denver, Norfolk, Va., and even New York City have succeeded in significantly reducing their "street" homeless populations, the New York Times' David Bornstein asserts, by reversing the longstanding practice of withholding permanent housing until agencies make the determination that a candidate for placement is "housing-ready" -- mainly meaning drug- and alcohol-free. Now these cities are steering their homeless populations into such housing as soon as possible, allowing them to focus on finding jobs and other support systems to help turn their lives around, Bornstein says.
Tim Marx -- executive director of Common Ground, which supplies housing to homeless -- told The Lookout: "Ted Williams has an exceptional talent, and it's wonderful that he now has the opportunity to transform his life. But there are hundreds of thousands of homeless adults and children in our country on any given day, and they too deserve second chances. Supportive housing provides that second chance to thousands of struggling people every day." |
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Adam
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Mysearchisover.com
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FB
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Fri Jan 07, 2011 1:52 pm |
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Dave Starr
F L I N T O I D
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| Flint does have a big homeless problem. Some with mental issues, some with drugs, some just fell on hard times. If there was a way to get some of them into housing it could really help them. There would have to be a way to find them a job, and assist them with utilities, etc. |
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I used to care, but I take a pill for that now.
Pushing buttons sure can be fun.
When a lion wants to go somewhere, he doesn’t worry about how many hyenas are in the way.
Paddle faster, I hear banjos. |
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Fri Jan 07, 2011 3:18 pm |
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Adam
F L I N T O I D
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Sat Jan 08, 2011 11:17 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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When communities use MSHDA money, there is a provision that that community must assist by finding ways to employ homeless. They also promote recycling and ask communnities to recycle things worth recycling from homes being demoes. In Flint the metal thieves and other vandals beat them to it by stealing everything, including good windows.
When Heartland manor was torn down with MSHDA money, nearly all of the aluminum frame windows were long gone. |
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Sun Jan 09, 2011 7:31 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| There are a number of individuals that are now 99ers who were in the construction busioness. |
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Sun Jan 09, 2011 7:32 am |
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Adam
F L I N T O I D
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How close are you?
Down and out in Flint MI. How close are you to living out of a shopping cart. Saturday 01/09/11 block behind S. Saginaw and the Pawn shop I met Glenn. Passing him I turned around and stopped. From the Van I asked his permission to take a picture. He said with clarity that I did not expect that he did not mind. He gave willing permission for me to take his picture, video and upload. I asked what brought him here and he answered " I am waiting for my HUD application to be approved. " His face was shallow of hunger, appeared warm his cart filled with our throw aways and road trash. They were packed in his cart as we would pack gifts for Christmas. leaping out was the impacted grease and dirt on his hands. He was on his way to some where as I guess he always is. I offered him change after discovering I had nothing else, my guilt ,but he was quite appreciative. I wished him well and he gave me as pleasant of a farwell as any of our friends after the Christmasd party. Best wishes Glenn my FLINTOID OF THE WEEK. More pics and video will be posted here. |
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Sun Jan 09, 2011 11:57 am |
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Cornbread Maxwell
F L I N T O I D
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Would love to see some real dialog on this topic in the local media and thoughts of our local leaders. We have one of the most philanthropic organizations in the world who's dedication to societal building is unmatched literally in this city's corner. Lets do it. Lets once again flip the script and challenge conventional wisdom, but this time on the topic of homelessness.
What about training people to work in and run urban gardens as part of educational and occupational development? All this vacating land in Flint can be flipped to a profitable resource rather quickly with enough gumption and know-how if a system were put in place. Im guessing we are close enough right now with the resources needed to start up a sample program pretty quickly if it hasent already been done. We have urban garden experts all over the city that could be convinced to train others. They could maybe form a kind-of urban garden college for the homeless completion of which gets you into a coached team of like minded individuals living together in a communal setting with oversight of an urban garden. Name everything this kind of setup would help the homeless: a safe environment, group therapy, a new skill, pride in ownership ("I made this"), pride in hard work, pride in self.
I know a lot of homeless couldn't/wouldn't take this opportunity if it was offered, but I bet a lot would jump at the chance. So as a humane society that wants the best for his fellow man, should we give it a try? Im sure it has probably been tried before with mixed results presumably, but Im just saying, its better than nothing. |
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Thu Jan 13, 2011 10:45 am |
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