The current proliferation of separate court systems often referred to as “restorative justice” within the US criminal justice system tells us all we need to know about how government is addressing the health care and housing needs of America’s poor.
In 1933, when over a million Americans were homeless, President Roosevelt’s New Deal made their economic and social well-being a Federal responsibility. In 2008, an estimated 3.5 million Americans will live without housing; homeless children in school number more than 900,000 according to the Department of Education. Ironically, in this election year—which marks the 75th anniversary of the New Deal—neither major party nor presidential candidate has acknowledged a Federal responsibility. It is time that they do so.
The current hot trend in addressing homelessness in the United States’ cities is, once again, to remove panhandlers from downtown corridors. Lately the Bush administration—through its Interagency Council on Homelessness—has lauded Denver, Colorado and its ten-year planning process for coming up with one of the 20 “Major Innovations” this year. This major innovation that President Bush is so enamored with? Have people put change in old parking meters that the City then collects for the United Way, rather than giving alms directly to people who are panhandling.
Clearly another case of “Mission Accomplished!”
By 7 a.m., the mechanism of this metropolis that we call New Orleans had begun to slowly churn. The temperature the night before was said to be in the 30s; last night, maybe only in the 40s. The sounds of motorists impatiently blowing their horns; cars coming to a screeching halt; the noise of the streetcar ringing its bell and that occasional “pop” as it raced down the rails could be heard several blocks away. But I guess you get used to the sounds of traffic when you live under a freeway.
Our society’s current insatiable appetite to see homeless people disappear from our parks, streets, business districts, and tourist areas requires us all to go back to one of the very first lessons we are taught as infants:
Just because you can no longer see it, doesn’t mean it no longer exists. Think of this the next time you play peek-a-boo with a toddler. Now you see the homeless people. Now you don’t. But either way, we’re still here: Peek-a-boo!
The Executive Director of the Coalition on Homelessness, Jennifer Friedenbach, spoke on NPR’s Talk of the Nation this morning. Check it out here.
On Wednesday, Alfonso Jackson, Secretary of HUD, borrowed a few pages from Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Phil Mangano as he released a HUD report claiming an 11.5% decrease in the numbers of chronically homeless people from 175,914 in 2005 to 155,623 in 2006. He claimed 20,000 people moved into transitional and permanent housing between 2005 and 2006. This is directly attributed to HUD and local continuums of care creating more supportive housing units and, “breaking the vicious cycle of homelessness for those who have lived on the streets as a way of life,” as well as better data collection. He further claims HUD awarded “$286 million to 1,100 programs that house and serve individuals experiencing chronic homelessness… creating 4,000 new units of permanent supportive housing.” (You might be tempted to ask how 20,000 people fit into 4,000 units but wait we’ll get to that.) He also claimed that since 2001 the Bushies, “have awarded $9 billion to support thousands of local housing and service programs throughout the nation and is seeking a record $1.6 billion… for FY 2008.” He says this is a 41% increase compared to 2001. He then refers to the, “comprehensive shelter and street point in time snapshots,” as a, “powerful tool to gauge the progress in meeting the homeless challenge and creating innovative housing solutions in response.” He then repeated the mantra of, “754,000 persons homeless on any given night.” Note that the last two sentences are the only ones that say “homeless” with the chronic label in front of it.
So, now a little fact checking:
HUD’s mission statement says they are, “the nation’s housing agency”..”… creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans.” So let’s start there. We’ll use the 2001 timeline that is referenced in the press release since that is when Bush took office:
One person is lit on fire while he sleeps, another is shot for panhandling, two older men are attacked by three teenagers who smash one in the face with a cinderblock, and another person wakes up in a coma after being beaten (also while sleeping) with a baseball bat. While these crimes are all recent, a 2006 National Coalition report on violent, random, hate-filled attacks on homeless people shows a 65% increase from 2005, including five rapes, six people set on fire, and 20 murders. In all, 142 reported attacks. Everyone at the front lines of homelessness is scared shitless of what the next set of numbers is going to show. Sleeping, eating, panhandling, loitering and trespassing have been the focus of local government efforts to eliminate homelessness, and local press have shown their support of this focus with absolutely horrid depictions of who homeless people are. As a result, local animosity and loathing have gotten steadily more brazen, racist and, unfortunately, acceptable.
People are said to be in denial when they refuse to own up to issues that are confronting them… Issues they may refuse to own even though by not addressing them, they stand to lose loved ones, jobs, or the respect of family members and friends. In extreme cases, families pull together for interventions, or a boss may give the person an ultimatum: “Deal with your drinking or find another job.” Life in denial is way more common than most people think, and since most interventions are of a personal nature, the details are, and should be, nobody else’s business.
Unfortunately, when a large cumulative group of individuals band together with a collective case of denial and set public policy that effects all of us, that intervention must be very public and carried out with a firm ultimatum: Get over your denial or find another job.
Our government is in denial. (more…)
