What Homelessness Is NOT: A Disease, a Crime, an Invisible Problem.
What Homelessness IS: A highly ignored epidemic and marginalized problem that deserves informed education; a serious problem demanding Americans’ attention.
My intent is to raise awareness of the nation’s homelessness problem. This is just Part 1 of a series I plan to share.
Today was my first day at Marion House Charities Soup Kitchen. For 4 hours, myself and a team of several other volunteers served approximately 402 meals to Colorado Springs’ homeless and working poor. I was assigned to the Family room. What I witnessed today was both shocking and humbling, sad and eye opening.
A mother of two with clothes covered in dirt, pants ripped, shoes untied, her hair probably not having been washed in a week. Her daughter, probably age 5, was also wearing stained and unwashed clothes. A 10 month old son with no socks or shoes–it was 30 degrees this morning when they came in… Before leaving we pack them a “snack bag” from the many items graciously donated to the kitchen. In doing so, she told me I could leave the packets of oatmeal out of the bag as she did not own a microwave but asked instead if I had any formula I could give her because she was almost out. Additionally, she sheepishly requested to keep the baby spoon I gave her as she didn’t have any at home. Not even a baby spoon at home…
A couple with two young sons. Their mom was shy in asking for snacks, not wanting to ask for too much but hesitating on the baskets of goods as we passed. I assured her she could have as much as she wanted but embarrassed, she didn’t want to.
A family of 5, three young boys, the youngest 5, with autism. It smelled as if they had not had showered in days.
A family of 5, all three children under the age of 10, and the mother pregnant again with a fourth. All 3 children crying and a mother too spent to intervene and a father at his wit’s end.
A father with his daughter named Autumn. Autumn’s clothes were dirty and tattered, her hair unwashed and unbrushed. She was sick with a cold and only a light jacket to keep her warm. She was shy toward strangers but adored her father; she didn’t leave his side.
A family of 5. All 3 children under the age of 10. Their clothes were filthy, wrinkled and mismatched. Their mother was very ill and because of this had been kicked out of an overnight shelter the night before. Her voice was gone and one had to lean in very close to hear what she was saying. The kitchen serves meals 8:45-10:00AM on Sundays and because they arrived late, security personnel sadly had to rush them to finish their meal. I prayed that they at least left full.
Some of the above families are categorized as working poor–living in low income housing with minimum wage paying jobs. Others are indeed living on the streets. My heart broke for them. When I returned home–to the roof over my head, to the heated inside, a stocked refrigerator and pantry, my microwave, a shower with warm water, and a blanket and pillow on my bed, the Christmas decorations I just put out, I felt so immensely grateful for the blessings in my life. I just had to stand and take it in for a moment reminding myself to never take any of it for granted.
We may or may not solve the problem of homelessness in this generation. We may not be able to accomplish great things at all but to quote Saint (Mother) Teresa “we CAN do small things with GREAT love”. This holiday season and really, all throughout the year, please think about giving your time to those less fortunate; consider doing something small with great love.
Read on for more information provided by the “National Alliance of Ending Homelessness” regarding specifically homeless children and families.
NEXT WEEK: Part 2: Homeless Military Veterans
From the National Alliance for Ending Homelessness – endhomelessness.org
“On any given night in the United States, more than half a million people experience homelessness.”
“Adults and children in families make up about 35% of the homeless population. Every child deserves a home. Homelessness is devastating, regardless of age. But for children in particular, it can have serious physical, emotional, and psychological implications.
How Man Children and Families Experience Homelessness?
On a single night January 2017, an estimated 184,661 people in families – or 57,971 family households – were identified as homeless. Almost 17,000 (16,938) people in families were living on the street, in a car, or in another place not meant for habitation. Over the course of 2016, roughly half a million people in families stayed at a homeless shelter or transitional housing program – 292,166 were children, and 144,991 were under the age of SIX.
Why Do Families Experience Homelessness?
Families experiencing homelessness are similar to other families that are also poor, but who have a home to live in. Both may struggle with incomes that are far less than they need to pay for housing. In fact, it is often some jolt to this precarious situation – a lost job or work hours, conflict with family members they are staying with, an unanticipated bill or violence within the home – that leads families to seek help from homeless service programs. Homeless families are usually headed by a single woman with limited education, are typically young, and have young children.
The Impact of Homelessness On Children
Homelessness can have a tremendous impact on children – their education, health, sense of safety, and overall development. Fortunately, researchers find that children are also highly resilient and differences between children who have experienced homelessness and low-income children who have no typically diminish in the years following a homeless episode.
When compared to low-income and homeless families, children experiencing homelessness have been show to:
- Have higher levels of emotional and behavioral problems;
- Have increased risk of serious health problems;
- Are more likely to experience separations from their families; and
- Experience more school mobility, repeat a grade, be expelled or drop out of school, and have lower academic performance.
Ending Homelessness for Children & Families
Housing is the solution to homelessness for low-income families. Most families would benefit from assistance to help them rapidly reconnect to permanent housing. Rapid re-housing provides help with housing search, financial assistance, and case management services to help families quickly transition out of shelter and back into housing of their own. A small subset of families may require more intensive or long-term support, through the provision of transitional housing, permanent rental assistance, or permanent supportive housing to escape homelessness. Families can also benefit from connection to other supports designed to strengthen and improve their lives, such as child care, employment assistance, early childhood services, income support, or mental health counseling.” (National Alliance for Ending Homelessness – endhomelessness.org)