Unlike the homeless population at large, homeless college students are largely indistinguishable from their peers. Many live out of their cars. Some spend nights in the school library pretending they fell asleep studying; others couch-surf at friends' houses. The rest shack up on the streets or in shelters or motels.
According to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid from the 2012-2013 academic year, there are over 58,000 homeless college students in the United States. This marks a 75% increase over the past three years. These numbers can be attributed to parents losing jobs, the lack of affordable housing, and the ever-increasing tuition costs. Homelessness is where you least expect it. In every town, city, and neighborhood, there are people who are experiencing not having a permanent place to live, and that can affect the rest of the population living there. Read the full story here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/26/college-student-homeless-boston_n_6145980.html and be aware of the fact that anyone, even students going to college and getting an education, can be affected by such serious living conditions.
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The video above tells the story of a girl, Veronika, who saw a need in her community, and set out to solve it. She started by making coats to give to homeless people living on the streets. The coats transformed to include a pocket that the user's legs could slide into, resulting in a sleeping bag. While the idea is fantastic, and definitely doesn't hurt, it also didn't really help that much either. It solved A problem, but not THE problem. As she says, it just put a bandaid on the real issue. After hearing from someone living in a shelter, she realized that the real need homeless people have is not amenities and resources, but JOBS. So, she gave them jobs.
Veronika started employing homeless people to sew the coats/sleeping bags. This gave them the opportunity to make some money and get out of the shelters and into their own homes, all while helping people who are in the exact same position that they used to be in. Watch the video to learn more! "On Sunday, December 26, 2004, a significant earthquake occurred off the western coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island. The powerful earthquake triggered a tsunami (or tidal wave) that radiated-out across the Indian Ocean for almost 2,000 miles.
Hardest hit were Phuket Island, Thailand, the southern coastlines of Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and India. As the series of waves continued west, they lightened in intensity, but reached the Maldives, Seychelles, and the eastern Coastlines of Madagascar and Somalia in Africa." Source: http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/tsunami.htm Global wealth is at $262 trillion this year, up from $117 trillion in 2000. "That comes to $56,000 for each adult on earth." Now doesn't $56,000 sound like a decent living wage? It does if you ask me. Now I'm not advocating that we gather up the entire world's wealth, and then split it equally down the middle and give each adult the same chunk. No way. I understand that people work hard for their money. Shoot, I know I do. I'm saying that maybe there is another approach we could take to how we handle the extremely complicated issue of wealth and poverty. I am also not advocating that I know what we should do. I have no idea. I'm not an economist, or any other professional who knows what to do with money. I'm a college student for goodness sake. I just want everyone to understand that today, 94.5% of the world's household wealth is held by only 20% of the world's population. "You need just $3,650 to count yourself among the richest half of the world's population." Now, as I said, I'm not an economist, but I do know that $3,650 is not a lot of money, and it is by no means enough to live off of. Yet, that small amount warrants the status of being in the richest half of the world's population? I don't know the answer to these questions, or how to find the solutions. I do know that this is something that we should be talking about, and trying to find the solutions to. $3,650 is not enough to live off of in many societies. What can be done to close the wealth gap? Source of statistics and image: http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2014/10/daily-chart-8
Homelessness is a problem. "an estimated 100 million people worldwide are homeless." The above statistic is from the 2005 United Nations Commission on Human Rights. 2005. That is almost 10 years ago. That number has increased dramatically in the past decade due to a variety of influences, including natural disasters, war and conflict, increased poverty, and others.
It is very difficult to know the exact number of homeless people, in any community, but especially worldwide, as different countries have different qualifying characteristics that would classify someone as homeless or not. Homelessness is a problem. There are statistics and numbers and data that can clearly outline why homelessness is a problem. The important thing to note about that data however, is that it focuses primarily on the economic aspect of homelessness, and not the social aspect. Homelessness is a social problem. A homeless person is not a problem. He or she is not a situation or an event. They are not issues. Homelessness is the issue, and the way society views a person living in homelessness makes up a significant portion of the problem. Society finds it hard to talk about homelessness. It's hard to talk to a homeless person. Why? Below are a few of the responses that I got from my survey asking about societal views on homelessness in local communities. The question: "What is your first reaction when you see a homeless person on the street?" The responses: "Uncomfortable." "I feel bad." "There are times where I'm scared." "Sad." "I make sure to avoid them to avoid talking with them." "Keep my distance." "Depends- sometimes pity and sometimes disgust- especially if they are looking for handouts." "Normally do not make eye contact." "I am skeptical." "Ignore them." "Don't ask me for money." "Awkwardness." "Pity." "Please don't bother me." "Suspicion." "That sucks..." "I wonder if they are actually homeless or not.." Those are a few of the answers that I received. Take a moment to let those sink in and think about how you might respond to that question. If you ask me, those answers sound extremely harsh. And yet they're true. THAT is the problem. We are too scared, judgmental, untrusting, or simply self-absorbed to realize that homeless people are, wait, what was that? Homeless people are PEOPLE. And thus have as much right as any other person on the planet to be treated as such. Those feelings and responses are natural. Feeling uncomfortable, sad, guilty is normal because homelessness is a problem that we do not want to acknowledge. Acknowledging it would be admitting that we are doing something wrong in the way we look at and view homelessness and the issue as a whole. If you want to know what you can do to help, treat the next homeless person you see as a person. Don't intentionally avoid eye contact, don't conjure up feelings of disgust, don't rush by. Smile at him or her. That person is a person and by making a little bit of difference, you will make a lot of difference. My research is largely focused on the comparison of homelessness in both the United States and in Sri Lanka. One underlying factor that I wanted to look at in both case studies in the presence of natural disasters and how they have contributed to the homeless rates in both countries, and then look at resulting consequences of those disasters, as well as the efforts made to alleviate the effects of the events.
To give you some background information on Sri Lanka, and to see where it compares to the US, here are a few statistics taken from the CIA World Factbook pages about both countries. Total Population United States: 318,892,103 Sri Lanka: 21,866,445 GDP United States: $16.72 trillion-- country comparison to world: 1 Sri Lanka: $134.5 billion-- country comparison to world: 65 GDP Per Capita United States: $52,800--country comparison to world: 14 Sri Lanka: $6,500-- country comparison to world: 145 Unemployment Rate United States: 7.3%--country comparison to world: 79 Sri Lanka: 5.1%--country comparison to world: 49 Population Below Poverty Line United States: 15.1% Sri Lanka: 8.9% These statistics can help you get a basic understanding of where both countries stand in the world and how each might be able to dedicate funds to different sectors, such as homeless needs. While Sri Lanka is a considerably smaller country compared to the United States, both in physical size and population, and has a smaller GDP both in Purchasing Power Parity and Per Capita, Sri Lanka has a lower unemployment rate and the percent of the population living below the poverty line is almost half that of the United States. The natural disasters that I have been looking at in my research include Hurricanes Katrina (New Orleans 2005) and Sandy (Northeast US 2012) and the 2004 tsunami that hit much of southeastern Asia on December 26. Before going any further, one must realize that the 2004 Asian tsunami was a disaster of a much larger scale than either of the hurricanes studied, resulting in a wider area affected with much more total damage done. This does affect the research outcomes, as the results of the disasters themselves were different. "The latest count in boston estimated 458 homeless vets on any given night in 2013, a drop of 15 percent over the past three years." A team of formally homeless veterans roams the streets of Boston, helping homeless veterans get off the streets, just like they did. This team identifies homeless vets, helps them get involved in the program, and spends the rest of their time making sure that they stay involved. "it's easy to put someone into an apartment, but it's not as easy to keep them in one." A lot of the participants in the program have mental health issues or problems with substance abuse. The biggest goal is to get them into housing, and then keep them there by establishing a relationship with them and someone who has previously been in their shoes. The team has regular visits from fellow veterans to make it harder for them to go back to their old life.
President Obama's administration pledged to eliminate veteran homelessness by the end of 2015. The federal government currently estimates that the vet homeless rate has dropped about 25% in the past three years, but close to 58,000 vets still remain on the streets or in temporary housing. By putting housing as the first priority in assistance programs, treatment, rehab, and other services become more effective along the way because their primary need is being met first. Read the entire story here. In eight years, Utah has quietly reduced homelessness by 78 percent, and is on track to end homelessness by 2015. "How did Utah do this?" you may ask. Simple really. By giving homeless people homes. Now that it's been said, it seems like such an obvious solution. This may seem like an expensive decision, but according to calculated costs, the State of Utah determined that the annual cost of E.R. visits and jailings for the average homeless person was $16,670. The cost of providing that homeless person with a home AND a social worker? $11,000. Participants in the program work with their caseworker with the goals of becoming self-sufficient. What happens if they fail? They still get to keep their apartment.
Read the article here. This is a really awesome video that shows a reversal of roles. It's hard to give, especially when you're giving away something you've worked hard for. This man captures a unique perspective on unsuspecting peoples' interactions with someone they believe to be a homeless person, and instead get a pleasant surprise. This really shows the genuine kindness and love that people have for others. Part of my research explores the social views that exist concerning the homeless population in different cities. Most people surveyed had answers that said they were okay with homeless people sleeping outside or on benches in public spaces, as they needed to sleep somewhere. Some people said they shouldn't be allowed to and instead should go to a shelter, as they would be safer and given more assistance there. Some places, such as Columbia, South Carolina, have adopted major social prejudice against homeless people and have taken extreme actions against them.
The City of Columbia has made it illegal for people to be homeless in the area. Homeless people are being shipped to a camp out of town and are only allowed to leave by the provided shuttle. Any homeless person who is caught within the city will be placed in jail. Columbia has over 1,500 homeless citizens, and the camp can only hold 250 people. Other actions, such as the removal of benches around the city, are taking place so as to ensure that homeless people do not "get too comfortable." Business owners and residents are encouraged to phone a hotline if they see anyone violating the new ordinance. Organizations dedicated to assisting the homeless population must now pay a fee and obtain a permit at least 15 days in advance, making it even more difficult for them to be able to afford to help. Read the entire article here. Right now, the majority of people who have participated in my survey are from Virginia, which is understandable considering that is where I am based and it takes a bit of time for information to spread. I have had several people provide input from other states, such as North Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, and Washington DC, as well as from Mexico and Sri Lanka. A huge thank you to everyone who has participated so far!
Because there is a large representation from Virginia right now, I thought I would provide a few statistics on homelessness in Virginia right now. All of the following data is from the Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness website (www.vceh.org). This is a very small representation of data that exists on homelessness in Virginia, but will help give you an idea of how prevalent it is. Most of Virginia consists of rural areas and small towns, with a few large cities and areas like Northern Virginia and Richmond. Many people may think that homelessness is nowhere near them because they are from rural areas, myself included. However, it is a very real issue in Virginia, and often affects those you may not suspect. "Housing is out of reach for many families in Virginia. A person or family must earn $20.72 per hour in order to afford housing on average in Virginia (National Low Income Housing Coalition)." "12.93 percent of Virginia households pay more than 50% of household income on housing - putting many at risk of homelessness." "For every 10,000 Virginians, 13 experience homelessness on any given night." "85% to 100% of tenants in several of Virginia’s permanent supportive housing programs have not returned to homelessness." "Approximately 8,400 men, women, and children experience homelessness on any given night in Virginia (2012 Community Data)." "One in four Americans lives with a mental health problem each year, yet up to two-thirds go without treatment. There are high rates of mental illness among the homeless population (Data from National Center on Family Homelessness)." "Permanent supportive housing - the solution to homelessness for many including those who experience chronic homelessness - saves money to other systems of care including hospitals and jail." "There are approximately 1,600 individuals who experience chronic homelessness in Virginia. Chronic homeless is defined as an unaccompanied individual with a disabling condition -- including mental illness, chemical dependence, and other chronic health conditions (2012 Community Point in Time Data)." "Over the course of a year, 40,000 Virginians experience homelessness -- some for long periods of time and some for only a few days, weeks, or months." Hi everyone!
As many of you know, I am participating in a year-long research project as a part of my recent study-abroad trip. The trip focused on common issues in the 21st Century, and you can read all about it and my adventures here (http://rachelstraveljournal.wordpress.com/). A major part of participating in this study abroad trip was taking a spring semester class before leaving and now taking a fall semester capstone class. This has been a year-long program and I am now 2/3 done with it. A big part of being in this program is completing a research project. I started my project last semester and am now trying to finish it up. The topic is homelessness. I have gone back and forth on what specifically about homelessness I want to focus on, because it turns out that it is a very broad topic. I eventually concluded that I would focus on natural disasters and displacement-induced homelessness. This is still more or less what I want to study, but I have found that it’s very hard to research something if you don’t have a lot of first-hand experience with it. While I have had a lot of experience volunteering with a multitude of poverty and homeless organizations, I have virtually no experience whatsoever with natural disasters. I still want to focus on that, but I also want to incorporate a social aspect, as I do have a lot more personal experiences on social views of the homeless and it is well within my range of knowledge and capacity to gather data. This blog is going to focus more on the research that I have done and less on the awesome trip that went along with it. While the primary reason for my blog is to organize my research for this class, I am and have always been very interested in studying homelessness and hope to continue to be able to long after this program is over. Hence the name of the title. It incorporates my interest in this topic of research, as well as my desire to continue to travel around the world. If you ever have any information, data, or cool media/pictures/videos/stories related to homelessness, please share them! I would also appreciate it if you all would take a quick survey I made about your general knowledge of homelessness in your hometown area. That can be accessed at this linK: https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1410225800827 Thanks for reading! |