Let me start by saying I’ve never been homeless. Rethinking homelessness for me is knowing there are people in really tough situations without a home, and knowing I’m a few paychecks away from the same thing. I’m a middle-aged single mom, living in a nice suburban home in what is considered to be a wealthy area. Many people think it’s odd that I ponder this social issue so frequently.
In my community, there are no homeless people on the street corners with cardboard signs, nor are there people living under the overpasses. There are no visible signs of homelessness in many suburban areas, so does that mean homelessness doesn’t exist there? How about poverty in the wealthy suburbs, is that non-existent in suburbia? No. Suburban homelessness does exist. It’s an invisible, underground world, where belonging in your own community is a fairytale and where your very existence is illegal. Read more…
I’ve been conducting recesrah among chronically homeless people for most of the past year under the bridges, along the railroad beds and in the alleys and streets of a New York State community and I do not believe that any of my contacts would feel dehumanized by doing this kind of work.What I have found is that most chronically homeless individuals have multiple and significant disabling conditions. This kind of work offers an independent work schedule and would very likely pay more than collecting discarded bottles and cans.It also offers an opportunity to interact in a positive manner with the general public, which many of my contacts would welcome enthusiastically.In the rehabilitation field, normalization is a priority concept. IMO, being isolated from the mainstream and feeling ostracized due to the highly stigmatized condition of homelessness are far more dehumanizing than providing a useful service and doing productive work for pay.People interested in such work whether homeless or not could advertise that they provide Mobile Hotspot services; they would not have to use the term Homeless Hotspot. I encourage attorneys to focus intensely on any possible conflicts between agencies accepting federal HUD funds and any possible violations of federal laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act. A very significant route to the resolution of homelessness issues may lie within our court system.