A Social Problem

Its Labor Day, so I thought it might be an appropriate time to pay homage to the American worker by discussing the importance of sustainable employment. For most of us, the mere fact that we are working signifies a stark contrast between ourselves and the homeless. No matter how difficult our situations become, our lives differ from our homeless brothers and sisters in many ways.

As we begin a dialogue discussing some solutions for addressing the disease of homelessness in Kalispell, it would be beneficial to diagnose this epidemic for what it is: a social problem. Until we can come to terms with and then admit that homelessness is perpetuated by structures in society, we will simply be spinning our wheels with misinformation from a faulty platform. Homelessness has precursors and the pattern of a person’s homelessness reveals possible solutions indicating how we can intervene or reduce potential and future episodes.

Those who are experiencing homelessness for the first time are usually stunned and immobilized by the ordeal. The American dream is not supposed to require Ambien so it can be avoided. There are many times when the episodically homeless become overwhelmed and slips into a catatonic state of denial or depression when all they might need is a basic remedy such as rental assistance, help negotiating with a landlord, or a referral to public benefits or services. The chronically homeless, however, are more likely to require considerably more support for sustained periods of time.

In Montana, there is a homeless survey that is helpful in deciphering the proportion of people displaying a particular pattern of homelessness. Nationally, some surveys indicate that close to a quarter of homeless people report being continuously homeless for at least five years, and about one-fourth say they have drifted in and out of homelessness numerous times. But after that, everyone else reports they are experiencing a first or second episode, which usually lasts less than a year, and in some cases, only a few weeks or months.

Information covering longer periods (one year) captures the plight of those experiencing short-term crises who escape homelessness as well as the additional people entering short-term homelessness.  The problem is that the recidivism rates are high and the hopeful exodus from homelessness ends up being a brief hiatus because the structures of society have not changed. People who weather these episodes tend to leave and return, while the chronically homeless remain without housing or services for the entire period.

One national commentary on the situation says, "By the end of the year, chronically homeless people will make up a smaller proportion of the homeless population during the year than at a single point in time. Conversely, those with very short spells will account for a higher proportion of the population over a year’s time than on any given day. The experience of the past 15 years indicates that the number of very poor people driven into homelessness for at least short periods has not diminished significantly. Families with children are still a large part of the mix. Over the past 15 years, the resources of the homeless service system, which gives people in desperate circumstances a place to go for help, have also increased. While essential, these services make visible and undeniable the severity of structural factors currently operating to produce homelessness."

Homelessness can not be addressed properly unless the structures perpetuating it change. But, how does this happen....?