Helping the Homeless

P1. No matter how much money is available, no one will be entitled to a home without other problems along the way. In this case, many groups have an idea in order to get the homeless off the streets, but the mechanics behind it are not clear. Even though we are able to see and realize the passion people have in order to help this obstacle, they do not fully understand the problem altogether. By helping these homeless people from living on the streets, it involves more than building a few homes. That is only the first step to rebuild the homeless. Yes, getting them in a stabilized home will make their lives better, but from there, there is still more to be done. These people are affected with mental illnesses, life-threatening diseases, and most commonly, traumatic brain injury. Without the help of others, they cannot help themselves. In both articles the problem is realized, but the idea behind it is not fully processed to its capability.

P2. As much as everyone wants to help, we cannot overlook the fact that the homelessness’s injury causes them all of this trouble. David Bornstein points out that the  “estimated 40 percent of the long-term homeless people he’s met had such a brain injury.” With this setback, it causes mood swings and behaviors leaving anybody with this complication without a job. This is where the result of becoming homeless occurs. In order to help effectively, people as a whole have to gain the understanding of one’s root to homelessness. Without knowing what they went through to get where they are, they will not know how to help to get them back on track.

P3. If the construction of building homes takes place, we need to realize people with traumatic brain injury have “difficulty to maintaining housing.” Meaning, once they are in a home, they will not necessarily be able to take cares of oneself.  There are a handful of  homeless that have mental illnesses and life-threatening diseases which require the care from others. If we want them to have the ability to stabilize their life, many people will need to be involved to get it done. This is their chance to rebuild their life, and they need to get it done correctly. Gradually, they will grasp the understanding on how to be responsible and live on their own.

P4. Some will argue that this money is being wasted to be put into something that requires so much work. On the other hand, helping and putting the money into these organizations will help many people around the world. It will give them a new start and they will be able to build their life back as they left it. Many of these organizations are being recognized and spread from city to city, resulting in many volunteers and donations, housing many homeless along the way. Besides the fact of helping people fixes their life, this “permanent supportive housing” will also be good for society. If more people are off the streets, there are less, noninsured hospital visits and criminal activity taking place, saving the society as a whole money. There may be money being spent to get this improvement done, but there is a gain to it.

P5. Once the works begins, there will be no visible outcome from spending this vigorous amount of money towards housing, but in the long run, it is totally worth. Not only will it be helping people get into a home, but giving them the opportunity to set their life back, creating the goodness in it all. It sounds counterintuitive to help the homeless try to get back on their feet but only give them a home, and nothing else to build their life back up. Some have been struggling for months and even years, not knowing how to use any other skills so by teaching them useful information, they will not end back on the streets. These organizations are not wasting any money or time by helping thousands of homeless people not only get off the streets, but to teach them how to live an everyday, normal life. Just because it does not directly help you, does not mean it does not helps others.

Works Cited

Barnes, Sean M., Leah M. Russell, Trisha A. Hostetter, Jeri E. Forster, Maria D. Devore, and Lisa A. Brenner. “Characteristics of Traumatic Brain Injuries Sustained Among Veterans Seeking Homeless Services.” Project MUSE. Meharry Medical College, 1 Feb. 2015. Web. 30 Jan. 2017.

Bornstein, David. “A Plan to Make Homelesss History.” Opinionator. The New York Times,  20 Dec. 2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.

Bornstein, David. “The Street-level Solution.” Opinionator. The New York Times, 24 Dec. 2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.

Topolovec-Vranic, Jane, Naomi Ennis, Angela Colantonio, and Michael D. Cusimano. “Traumatic Brain Injury among People Who Are Homeless: A Systematic Review.” BMC Public Health. N.p., 8 Dec. 2012. Web. 30 Jan. 2017.

The Biggest Priority for the Homeless: Support

P1. We often make the mistake of putting the homeless population into one category, and do not look at the individual. People are homeless for different reasons, and treating them all the same will  fail to keep them of the street. We have to look at each person’s story of how they ended up without a home, and come up with solutions that will actually work. There is, however, common ground that exists among a good portion of homeless people. Nearly half the population has experienced some type of blow to the head in their lifetimes.

P2. According to David Bornstein in “The Street Level Solution,” forty percent of all homeless people have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) at some point in their lives. Most homeless people have lived fairly normal lives until they suffered a blow to the head that changed them forever. According to Hwang et al., some of the main symptoms of TBI include mood swings, explosive behavior, cognitive impairment, attention deficits, and impulsivity. With these types of symptoms,  we can see how it’s easy for people to lose their jobs and ultimately become homeless. Not only does TBI have detrimental symptoms by itself, but can lead to other negative outcomes for the health of homeless people.  For people who are homeless and have TBI, there are many more problems they have to deal with other than finding a place to live. Mackelprang states that “TBI occurs frequently among homeless young people and is a marker of adverse outcomes such as mental health difficulties, suicidal behavior, substance use, and victimization.” Although TBI is a major factor in people who are homeless, it is not the only factor that makes it hard for people to adapt to living in a new house.

P3. When people are chronically homeless, it is difficult to come to back to the reality of living a normal lifestyle. When housing becomes available, many people need lots of help adjusting to their new environment. They also need constant support to help them with mental disabilities and addiction problems. When someone starts living in a new place after being on the street for years, it is easy to imagine how they can get lonely. They are not surrounded by people on the streets anymore, but isolated in their own living space. Day-to-day thoughts are no longer about just figuring out how to survive in that moment. Bornstein notes in the “The Street-Level Solution,” that instead, people now have to try to figure out how to get job, form relationships, manage finances, and other normal daily activities.

P4. Homeless people are costly to keep around. On average, they spend four more days in hospitals per year than people who have homes, and are constantly in and out of shelters. According to Topolovec-Vranic at al., they are also more likely to be in and out of jail, and have to use addiction treatments that are expensive. In Los Angeles, the chronically homeless, which is about ten percent of the homeless population in LA, cost half a billion dollars in services annually. Since they cost more money than people with homes, it makes sense that the government would want to fund programs that find them somewhere to live. Although this seems like the obvious solution, the assumption that putting homeless people in houses will solve everything is not entirely correct. According to Bornstein in “A Plan to Make Homelessness History,” the government-run programs also don’t seem to help the chronically homeless, since the public systems they put in place are complicated and make it harder to help people who need it the most.  Housing is definitely an important step that helps the homeless start to rebuild their lives, but it is not enough. If they were not able to keep their houses in the past, something different has to be done or else the cycle of homelessness is likely to repeat itself. When someone is taken off the streets and thrown in a house without any type of support, chances are that they will end up right back on the street. Although there are people who think a house is good enough, there are also people who understand the consequences.

P5. An organization based in New York called Common Ground has worked hard on trying to making programs for housing more effcient. In Common Ground residences, having adequate support is one of its main priorities. Residents have access to social services, communal gardens, cooking classes, yoga, and photography classes. In “A Plan to Make Homelessness History,” the organization rarely has any problems with its residents since they have so much support, and the majority of them even get jobs. Organizations like Common Ground set homeless people up for success after they find a place to live. It has support systems in place that help people with TBI and other mental disorders. They understand that homeless people can’t be looked at as one group, but as individuals who all have different needs.

Works Cited

Bornstein, David. “A Plan to Make Homelessness History.” Nytimes.com. N.p., Dec. 20. 2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.

Bornstein, David. “The Street-Level Solution.” Nytimes.com. N.p., 24 Dec. 2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.

Hwang, Stephen W. et al. “The Effect of Traumatic Brain Injury on the Health of Homeless People.” CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal 179.8 (2008): 779–784. PMC. Web. 30 Jan. 2017.

Mackelprang, J. L., Harpin, S. B., Grubenhoff, J. A., & Rivara, F. P. (2014). Adverse outcomes among homeless adolescents and young adults who report a history of traumatic brain injury. American Journal of Public Health, 104(10), 1986-92.

Topolovec-Vranic, Jane, et al. “Clarifying The Link Between Traumatic Brain Injury And Homelessness: Workshop Proceedings.” Brain Injury 27.13/14 (2013): 1600-1605. Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.

Helping the Helpless

P1. Our country faces an epidemic of chronic homelessness and our attempts to solve it have failed. Although our government streams about 1.18 billion dollars to Continuum of Care, the governments solution to help the homeless, approximately 170,000 people are still considered homeless according to Shawn Moulton. The numbers are disproportionate and point directly towards the governments inability to accurately identify the problem says Bornstein. Our chronically homeless are fighting the battle of substance addiction and mental illness and because of these battles, they are not capable of sustaining the support being provided to them. We all bear some cost with this misplacement of funds but our homeless are hung out to dry.

P2. Its cleat after viewing the data presented by David Bornstein and a few others that the money from our government is wasted by building houses and trying to create jobs for those who mentally cannot sustain them. It has long been the philosophy of our country that those who are homeless must first prove themselves worthy of government assistance. What’s flawed here is that those who need government assistance often do not have the necessary tools to prove such a thing. Not only do they not possess the necessary tools, but they require government assistance to start building upon those tools. Where does this leave them? In an empty paradox of miscommunication. A freshman in college is not asked to take the MCAT due to the fact that they have not yet had time to take the required classes. So why ask someone who is homeless to behave a specific way without providing them the tools or information to do so. I consider this philosophy to be extremely counterintuitive. It is not only beliefs and thoughts that support my argument as there are also several studies that back up my claim. 

P3. Bornstein studied the correlation between those who are chronically homeless and head injury, his results were astonishing. According to his study discussed in “The Effect of Traumatic Brain Injury on the Health of Homeless People,” 53% of all chronic homeless suffered some level of traumatic brain injury. For 70% of those who suffered brain injury, they suffered it before becoming homeless. It is likely that in most circumstances, their brain injury was a leading factor in their homelessness. A second statistic noted by Cottrell in his article “The Role of Societal Norms in Shaping Mental Health Care Responses to Chronic Homelessness,” is one derived directly from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It states that an estimated 26.2% of homeless adults receiving shelter services have a serious mental illness and 34.7 % have a substance abuse disorder. These different studies reflect each other very well. With such a large portion of the chronically homeless suffering traumatic brain injuries, it only makes sense that these same people are suffering from mental disabilities or substance abuse disorders. So if the government is completely missing the target when it comes to funding, where does their funding go and how could it be better spent?

P4. Based upon Shawn Moulton’s article, funding from the federal government is all over the place. Moulton wrote “The C of C system includes three competitively funded homeless assistance programs. In 2005, $1.18 billion of federal funds were distributed through local C of C systems to the Supportive Housing Program (SHP) (73%), the Shelter Plus Care (SPC) Program (25.7%), and the Section 8 Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Program (1.3%).” Similar to most encounters with the government, that was a lot of acronyms and percentages so let me brake it down. The Supportive Housing Program also known as the SHP received 73% of  the federal funding towards homelessness. That totals out to be about 863 million dollars which is then separated into another 5 subsections. (For simplicity reasons, I will just explain what the funding goes instead of explaining each subsection.) About 23.4% of the $863 million goes to longterm/permanent housing along with supportive services to homeless with disabilities. 35.3% of the funding goes to temporary 24 month housing to assist homeless in the transition from homeless to a place for them to live. 

P5. Next is the Shelter Plus Program or the SPC. This receives about 304 million dollars to provide housing and supportive services to those with substance abuse disorders, mental illness, or HIV/AIDS. A major flaw with this program is that it does not directly provide housing but gives rental assistance that can be used at sponsored locations. The second thing I would like to point out is that even though a whopping 60.9% of chronically homeless have either a mental disability or an alcohol addiction, they are only receiving about 25.7% of federal aid under this program. The numbers just do not add up. Finally, the Single Room Occupancy Program or SRO receives 1.3% of the federal aid fund. The $15 million they receive is used to provide renovations to nonprofit and public housing along with assist in paying rent (Moulton).

P6. Now take a step back and just absorb that information. About 319 million dollars exists within the government to assist the homeless that must be used indirectly. Most would agree that trying to get help from the government is anything but easy. Trying to correct a tax return error or even dealing with the DMV requires red tape to be cut and hoops to be jumped through. How can those who are mentally ill or struggle with substance addictions navigate through the web of government? The answer is simple. They can’t, and those kind of complications are what prevents the homeless from receiving the aid they require. But imagine if that $319 million  was put towards building longterm homes for the homeless. It’s as direct and simple as it sounds. If someone is homeless, they show up at the house. A room will be provided for as long as necessary until the said person has picked themselves up onto their feet. Many argue that this would be way to expensive but that is just not the truth. 

P7. In his article, Moulton referenced another study which stated that $16,281 is saved on average when a homeless person is provided housing. This is possible because while homeless, the average homeless person that is mentally ill uses about $40,451 in services such as the emergency room or food kitchens while it would only cost $17,277 to house that same person. Providing that person housing would prevent them from being exposed to the elements while also providing a place for them to store any required medications prescribed by doctors so they aren’t lost. Those two factors alone would save substantial amounts of money within the medical system. 

P8. As we speak, their is an epidemic of chronic homelessness. David Bornstein soon realized that our plague stems from a complete misunderstanding the issue of mental illness and substance abuse. The government assumes that since the money is allocated to help, that it does so. The truth of the matter is, the system is too complicated for those who are mentally ill or addicted to alcohol to figure out. Until this is completely understood, the issue will remain. Thankfully, a few groups such as “Common Ground” and “Housing First” have taken the initiative to change the chronic homeless epidemic and it is with these groups that I will leave my faith. 

Bornstein, David. “A Plan to Make Homelessness History.” Https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/20/a-plan-to-make-homelessness-history/. N.p., 20 Dec. 2010. Web. 26 Jan. 2017.

Bornstein, David. “The Street-Level Solution.” Https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/24/the-street-level-solution/?_r=0. N.p., 24 Dec. 2010. Web. 26 Jan. 2017.

Cottrell, Marc. “The Role of Societal Norms in Shaping Mental Health Care Responses to Chronic Homelessness.” Order No. 3533439 Adler School of Professional Psychology, 2012. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Web. 28 Jan. 2017.

Moulton, Shawn. “Does Increased Funding for Homeless Programs Reduce Chronic Homelessness?” Southern Economic Journal 79.3 (2013): 600-20. ProQuest. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.

MPH, Stephen W. Hwang MD, Angela Colantonio PhD OT Reg, Shirley Chiu MA, George Tolomiczenko PhD MPH, Alex Kiss PhD, Laura Cowan BScN, and Donald A. Redelmeier MD MSHSR. “Stephen W. Hwang MD MPH.” The Effect of Traumatic Brain Injury on the Health of Homeless People. N.p., 07 Oct. 2008. Web. 26 Jan. 2017.

Homeless Housing

P1. We don’t know much about homeless people, but what we do know is that we feel sympathy for them, wanting to help but not knowing how to. In order to help the homeless like we wish, we need to become more educated on these citizens. For example, not a lot of us were aware that a vast amount of homeless people are “five times more likely than ordinary Americans to have suffered a traumatic brain injury” (A Plan to Make Homeless History, p.1). And that it would be far costlier to the tax payer for the homeless the not be getting the assistance they need. We need to step up and make a change, such a the organization Common Ground, and get more homeless people back on their feet in the US. First though, to do that, we have to understand how their minds work.

P2. People who do not have stable homes and who live on the streets go through cycles of emergency room visits, psychiatric facilities, addiction treatment, and prison. The costs of these visits are far costlier than providing them with stable housing and care. With this in people’s mind, it has given them more ambition to create housing for the homeless, though only if they are deemed “housing ready” (A Plan to Make Homeless History, p. 7). This means that they have to be drug and alcohol free, which is a contradiction because the shelters are supposed to be helping them get back on their feet, but they cannot do that if they are not getting help out on the street. Again, this falls into people not understanding homeless people, so they cannot get their proper help. They need their medicine, they need their insulin, they need all they can to help them survive but many citizens fail to realize that being homeless is a life or death situation, and the homeless person is most likely not at fault for their situation, it’s their mental health.

P3. In another article, The Street-Level Solution, Bornstein goes on to talk about how most readers “were skeptical, and a few downright dismissive, about the chances of long-term homeless people adapting well to housing” (The Street Solution, p. 3). He says that this is expected, because it takes people a while to adapt to a new environment after being in a different one for so long. That would be like throwing a wild dog into a house and domesticating it. It takes time. This is a reason why people are so skeptical to fund shelters for homeless people because they think their money is going to waste to people who won’t really use it to their advantage. The similar thing goes with even giving a homeless person ten dollars on the street. People’s mind goes straight to drugs or alcohol, when we really have no idea what they are going to use it for.

P4. A head injury can make it even harder for those to adapt to a new environment. The person might not understand what is happening, or they will be afraid of something going wrong, because that’s all they are used to: everything going wrong. Though with proper help and medicine, they can learn to cope with their injury and illness. In “Head Injury and Mortality in the Homeless” the statistics show that homeless people from the ages of 0-34 have suffered a head injury without hospitalization. After that, the numbers are not as intense, but that is due to the fact that they have suffered some kind of mentality issue, which is still a brain injury.

P5. The arguments here are convincing that money is being wasted on the homeless who get housing but do not have the proper tools to dwindle in society. Though just because they are convincing does not mean they are valid. In order to get homeless people, the help they need more research needs to be done to understand why they have become homeless, and grind down to the root problem of homelessness in the United States. Also Trump fucking sucks.

Works Cited

Bornstein, David. “A Plan to Make Homelessness History.” Blog post.
Opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com. New York Times, 20 Dec. 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2017.
https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/20/a-plan-to-make-homelessness-history/.

Bornstein, David. “The Street-Level Solution.” Blog post. Opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com. New York Times, 24 Dec. 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2017.
https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/24/the-street-level-solution/.

Mcmillian, Thomas M., Marie Laurie, Michael Oddy, Mark Mezies, Elaine Stewart, and Jessica Wainman-Lefley. “Head Injury and Mortality in the Homeless.” Journal of Neurotrauma 32.2 (2015) 116-19. Web. 28 Jan. 2017.

1. Ending Homelessness: A Model That Just Might Work

It seems counterintuitive to go searching for homeless people to help, but that is exactly what Rosanne Haggerty is doing. Her plan is to seek out the chronically homeless, the people with mental problems or alcohol dependency, and house them. She says these people do not seek out help themselves, so in order to help them; the opportunities must be brought to them.

The reason why this plan is so radical is that it hasn’t been done before. Previous solutions to the homeless problem have involved the homeless seeking out a job, and turning their own lives around. This new idea involves people seeking to help the homeless. First getting them help in a hospital, then having a place to house them, feed them, and train them for a job. In this plan, the help and housing come first.

Some people think that this is not going to work. That this idea will not change the homeless problem as much as previously hoped. Haggerty, however, is quite confident that her results will prove her plan to be a good one.

2. Housing First Solution to Homelessness: Utah

It may seem counterintuitive to house the homeless with no strings attached, but it is actually more cost efficient for the country. By leaving them on the street, the homeless cost cities thousands of dollars in 911 calls, hospitals, and jails. The “Housing First” initiative is actually cheaper.

They argue that this way of helping the homeless is also more effective. What happens is that the homeless people are given somewhere to live permanently, and then services such as rehab are offered to them. The article tells how over 88% of those people were still in their apartments five years later. The idea behind this is to solve the initial problem of homelessness, by simply giving them a home. While the idea seems simple, it proves to be effective.

So this idea is good for the homeless problem, and good for the city. It was reported that New York City saved more than $15,000 by implementing this program. While it is still a rather unorthodox way of doing things, its effectiveness is proving itself.

3. A Plan to Make Homelessness History

It seems counterintuitive to house the homeless before they are drug/alcohol free, but recently more and more cities have been doing this with surprising results. One of the reasons that the chronically homeless are the way they are is that to be eligible for a home, they have to be drug and alcohol free. The old way of thinking is to first have them clean themselves up, then their lives would improve. This new method kind of turns that old way of thinking upside down. The new idea is to first give the homeless a permanent residence. This way, the people who need help can get it. Having a home makes everything easier. Things like storing medication, or properly dressing a wound every day are almost impossible while living on the streets.

When these people are given somewhere to stay, their chance of recovery skyrockets. Staying clean, and keeping a job are much easier with a home. Keeping a body healthy on the streets is not an easy task, and most homeless people are not up for the task. The article reports that the only way to help these people was to go out and beg them to accept the help. That is where past homeless efforts have failed. They have been left up to the chronically homeless to come and seek help, and the homeless simply are not usually willing to put that work in.

This new idea is proving to be an amazing, innovative project. Saving the city money, while solving the homeless problem is not something that ever seemed possible, but Haggerty, and the Common Ground organization made it possible. With more and more cities implementing this program each year, the homeless problem could potentially become a thing of the past.

Trump Hasn’t Said Much About Homelessness—and That’s Making a Lot of People Nervous by Edwin Rios

President Donald Trump hasn’t said anything regarding his plans to help those suffering in the deepest level of poverty, making advocates across the country worried. Homelessness in America has been declining due to improved federal, state, and local homeless services. Advocates are worried about Trump’s statement to cut taxes and rein in government spending which would set off a homelessness crisis. Trump noted that defense and entitlement program will remain the same, but he would have a penny plan to pay for part of his proposed tax cuts. For those that have seen homelessness rise over the past years, mostly in west coast cities, the threat of further cuts is worrying. Adding to potential spending cuts, there’s the Republican promise to repeal Obamacare. Such changes would seriously risk the services that currently support people in housing and medical respite care, as well as limit the much needed expansions of these programs.

The Street-Level Solution by David Bernstein

David Bernstein talks about societies uneducated about the nature of homelessness. Many of the errors in our homelessness polices have stemmed from the thought that the homeless are a homogenous group. Once homeless people return to housing, they’re in a much better position to rebuild their lives. Many organizations have taken this approach to helping the homeless. One of the greatest realizations that Bernstein made while researching was that anybody could become homeless all it takes is a traumatic brain injury. Putting homeless in housing is only the first step, once in housing they can become isolated and lonely. Many experience a disorientation at the outset, may need support with mental health problems, addictions, illnesses, and assistance with everyday challenges. Bernstein found the best solution is to live in a communal residence with special services. This allows the tenants to participate in activities, hobbies, and interact with one another.

Denver Isn’t the Only City Seizing Homeless People’s Gear by Laura Smith

Denver mayor Micheal B. Hancock made an announcement to stop taking items that help homeless people keep warm in the winter. This came after a video was released showing officers seizing blankets in frigid weather. Maria Foscarinis director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty says this happens often throughout the US. Belongings are often confiscated under anti-camping laws or laws the prohibit sleeping in public. In Los Angles  lawyers sued on behalf of four homeless people whose property was destroyed by the city. The Los Angles City Council approved a law limiting the storage of items in parks, alleys, and sidewalks to what will fit in a 60 gallon container. A study by Foscarnis shows that one third of cities prohibit camping citywide, an increase of nearly 70 percent over a decade ago. Many courts have ruled it unconstitutional.

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0886260515570749