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| What is the price of homelessness? |
Lately, as a downtown merchant, I
have been thinking and pondering and seeing what is happening on the streets of
my city of Olympia. I am seeing the homeless issue grow and grow as more and more people are
without jobs or shelter. I want to know why so I can respond in a way that
helps instead of just ignoring these people who are human beings.
Mad props to my friend Chris Hyde who has taken on the task of collecting needful things for these people, socks and soap and hats and candy bars. The little things we take for granted. He decided to not stand by and wring his hands but to do something. Anyone out there who wants to contribute, send me a message!
Back to my pondering, being an Evergreen grad means research is one of my favorite things so I found lots of facts to shed some light on the situation.
Facts
from the National Institute to End Homelessness as of December 2017 : Their best estimate is 553,742 people are homeless every night in the USA, of
these “approximately 34 percent (192,875 people) lived in a place not meant for
human habitation, such as the street or an abandoned building. Single
individuals comprised 66.7 percent of all people experiencing homelessness
(369,081 people), with the remaining 33.3 percent being people in families
(184,661 adults and children). Looking further, 7.2 percent were veterans
(40,056 veterans), and 7.4 percent were unaccompanied children and young adults
(40,799 children and young adults).” One third nationally are people of color.
From 2016 to 2017, homelessness increased nationally by 0.7 percent. The largest increases were among unaccompanied children and young adults (14.3 percent increase), individuals experiencing chronic homelessness (12.2 percent increase), and people experiencing unsheltered homelessness (9.4 percent increase). The number of people in families experiencing homelessness decreased 5.2 percent.”
We assume they are all scary
drug users, because drug abuse can be both the cause and result of
homelessness. 20 to 25% of the homeless are mentally ill. These are people who
cannot hold a job, cannot in many cases practice self-care or make good
decisions. They are the prey of drug dealers and abusers. In the area of alcohol
and drug use about 38% of the homeless abuse
alcohol and alcohol abuse is more common among the older set within the homeless
population. About 26% of the homeless abuse drugs other than
alcohol, drug abuse is more common among younger homeless people. (From a study
by Michael’s house on substance abuse among the homeless). Of course, we provide little if any support to the mentally ill in this country. Oly is lucky to have outreach people on the streets, who bust their butts to help, clean up, and deescalate situations, six days a week.Its not enough and its not a solution to mental health.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) states that "the nation’s homeless veterans are predominantly male, with roughly 9% being female. The majority are single; live in urban areas; and suffer from mental illness, alcohol and/or substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders. About 11% of the adult homeless population are veterans. Roughly 45% of all homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic, despite only accounting for 10.4% and 3.4% of the U.S. veteran population."
Besides the statistics that divide them into neat categories why is this happening? “Many people with low incomes are
at risk of homelessness. Ultimately, this is due in large part to a lack of
affordable housing. The number of poor, renter households experiencing a severe
housing cost burden (i.e., those paying more than 50 percent of their income
toward housing) totaled 6,902,060 in 2016. This is 3.1 percent lower than 2015,
but still 20.8 percent greater than 2007.
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| No Way Out |
According to an analysis of the 2016 American
Community Survey, an estimated 4,609,826 people in poor households were living
“doubled up” with family and friends. This represents one of the most common
prior living situations for people who become homeless. The 2016 rate is 5.7
percent lower than 2015, but still 30.0 percent greater than in 2007.”
I
am reading that the west is getting hit really hard because although the
economy is surging, affordable housing is not. “Median hourly wages in the US have barely budged for
decades, from $16.74 in 1973 to $17.86 in 2016, in terms of 2016 dollars,
according to the Economic Policy Institute. But in New York, for
instance, the hourly wage required to comfortably rent a one-bedroom is $27.29.
In Los Angeles, it is $22.98,” from the Guardian, US Edition.
Vacancies in the housing market for renters in
Los Angeles is at about 2%, and affordable housing is almost non-existent.
Seattle and Olympia and the rest of the West coast are not far behind. Housing
the poor is a huge issue and politicians up and down the west coast seem unwilling
or unable to address what has become a humanitarian crisis.
There are underlying factors at work too.
Witness the past decades of companies taking blue collar jobs overseas to pump up
their bottom line and exploit workers in poorer countries. Those manufacturing and service industry jobs
are gone for good. We demand cheap Chinese goods in our stores congratulating
ourselves on how cheap things are, never thinking of who is paying the price
for that cheap crap. It’s us. I am amazed that voters and fans of the right don’t
see the correlation. If there are not enough jobs people can’t pay rent or
live about a subsistence level, in our American version of refugee camps.
The people hit hardest are the blue collar
white workers who can’t find jobs anymore. It’s the last gasp of the white
patriarchy as these folks cling to their long held beliefs that are failing
them along with those power hungry politicians they have elected. I keep wondering when they will
understand why this is happening?
Politicians are going to have to get out of bed
with the 1% or eventually face an American version of the French Revolution.
The first step for all of us is to stop believing it’s all getting better. The
stock market lies, it tells the story only of the wealthy. Middle class
American is disappearing fast and the disenfranchised poor are growing faster.
America
is like a birthday cake with lots of pretty frosting covering a cake that is
rotting and collapsing. Not on my diet, no thanks. In my opinion \,the best
thing we can do is to become politically active and keep those in charge of the
money focused on the common good. Term Limits and campaign reform are the
beginning.
This is the richest country in the world. Why
are we letting this happen?
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| Patience. It's what I'm out of. |
