America’s Homelessness Epidemic From the Lens of Homeless People Themselves
by Sunjay Muralitharan, November 13, 2021
It goes without saying that homelessness is one of the most pressing issues facing our nation today. Nationally, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that 580,466 individuals were homeless in 2020, marking a 2.2% increase from 2019 and a continuation of the increasing trend that started in 2016. Around 27% of these individuals are chronically homeless, meaning that they have been homeless for at least a year. The other 73% is made up of episodic, transitional, and provisionally occupied homeless individuals who are in far less dire circumstances. In order to inquire more about the personal aspect of homelessness, we will be going beyond the data and looking at the lives of actual homeless people as well as learn their thoughts on the homelessness epidemic.
The Good Samaritan: Karen Lewellen
Souce: Kron 4
Lewellen is a former dental assistant who retired after developing rheumatoid arthritis. She has been homeless for the past 12 years and currently lives in her car by Irvington Park. Her main source of income is her unemployment check of a little over $1,000 monthly. Despite being homeless, Lewellen has done her part to make our community a better place. She spends her days picking up trash around Irvington park, and last year was recognized by the city for saving a teenager from an assault by one of his peers.
“I’m trying to show the community that not all homeless people are threatening and disrespectful,” said Lewellen. “They can give back and be an active part of the community.”
Lewellen credits her inability to afford rent in the Bay Area’s overpriced housing market for her dire situation. Ever since she retired, her unemployment checks have not been enough to keep up with rising rent prices. In her eyes, affordable housing is the way forward, and she looks to the future for homeless individuals like herself with nothing but pure optimism.
“More and more people I’ve been out here with, they’re getting housing,” she said. “It is coming through. There is hope. It might not be my time right now. But maybe in the future, but I am seeing a real effort.”
Lewellen’s story disproves the idea that homeless individuals are societal misfits and threats to our wellbeing. If anything, many of them are regular people who have been forced into homelessness due to the imperfections of society instead of their own actions.
A Hellish Upbringing: David
Source: Soft White Underbelly
David is an 18-year-old homeless resident of Skid Row. As a child, he lived in a small secluded household in New Mexico with his two adopted parents. Commonly, he’d be left alone in his room, with no food or water; his situation was so dire that he sometimes had to drink his own urine to survive. On top of this blatant neglect, he was also subject to regular physical abuse by his parents. In an attempt to escape his hellish life at home, David was in and out of prison throughout his teenage years. When he was 17 he managed to find his biological mother, but after just staying with her for a week he was kicked out after catching his mother doing heroin. Now, he’s managed to hitchhike to Los Angeles and has remained homeless ever since.
“I came to Los Angeles for the dream,” he said, “But I still go everyday just trying to hang in there.”
Being a resident on Skid Row, David has been no stranger to addiction. He’s done just about every drug ranging from weed to methamphetamine in an attempt to cope with his severe PTSD. Currently, he’s been doing his best to avoid hard drugs in an effort to make his life take a turn for the better.
“You know I did a lot of drugs and alcohol in my teens, when I was a minor. Now that I am getting older, its just feels like its getting to old, like I don’t really want to, you know mess with that stuff anymore.”
In addition to avoiding hard drugs, staying clean is a major priority for him as he capitalizes on whatever clothes he’s given and makes efficient use of the limited shower access he has. While staying in Skid Row, his Social Security and forms of identification have been stolen and hence he does his best to look after the little belongings he has. His current plan is to get a GED and hopefully get a job shortly after.
David’s story is a clear depiction of the root cause of childhood homelessness. The abuse, trauma, and lack of assistance that they face are what drive them to the streets. Despite their past, homeless youth, like David, have a strong desire to better themselves and what they require are the resources to do so.
The Success Story: Caroline Ryan
Currently, Caroline is 44 and lives in a house of her own, but she formerly experienced episodic homelessness due to her mental health issues. Her troubles began when she decided to leave her job and stay with her parents; shortly after her dad kicked her out. She then proceeded to stay at a friend’s house but met a similar fate after they witnessed her having a panic attack.
“We love you but you’re starting to drive us mad,” said Caroline’s friends to her.
After being kicked out for the second time, Caroline was starting to get desperate. She went to a local hostel but was then turned away due to her gender. She then reached out to another friend; at first, he turned her down but seeing her growing desperation he eventually caved in. While all this was going on, Caroline had been regularly visiting her local mental health hospital. Not wanting to burden another friend, she begged her psychiatrist to take her in. The hospital admitted her for 6 weeks and their counseling services and medications allowed Caroline to turn her life around. After her 6 week stay, she went on to rent her own room, work part-time, and eventually go back to school.
Caroline’s story proves that there in fact are resources for homeless individuals and they can make a real impact. In her case, a voluntary mental hospital turned her life around. What sets Caroline apart from other mentally ill homeless individuals was how she was able to advocate for her needs, and hence get proper help. Homeless individuals who cannot do this are unable to even find the resources they have available for them, let alone take advantage of them. For this group, we are going to have to go a lot farther than the voluntary assistance programs we currently have.
The Criminal: Cierra Graham
Source: State Journal
At 3:45 am, police responded to a caller in an apartment complex hiding in her bathroom. She told police that a homeless woman had unlawfully entered her house and was currently trying to get inside her bathroom. This homeless woman was Cierra Graham. While she was on the phone with the police, the apartment resident noted she could hear the pleas of another resident who was being assaulted by Cierra. According to the arrest report, Cierra “choked her, drug her by her shirt and grabbed her wrist with such force that it caused pain and obvious swelling.”
Throughout the whole ordeal, Cierra was found to be under the influence of alcohol. She was also found to be in possession of a glass pipe that is commonly used for the consumption of opium and other narcotics. Cierra faces charges of second-degree burglary, a Class C felony, fourth-degree assault (domestic violence with minor injury), and possession of drug paraphernalia; currently resides in our nation’s biggest mental health facility: the US prison system.
Unlike all the other individuals on this list, Cierra throws a wrench into the idea that the homeless population consists of solely good people. There are some mentally disturbed individuals on the street who need to be taken into confinement in order for the safety of law-abiding citizens. While voluntary help can make a difference in some people’s lives, someone like Cierra couldn’t care less about the free resources available to her. Keeping her locked up may prevent her from committing offenses in the short term, but it does nothing to address her alcoholism and mental issues that drove her to commit this crime. What she needs is long-term psychiatric & rehabilitative care, something that may sound radical but is actually already widely popular among researchers.
“The optimal option is long-term care in a psychiatric hospital,” said Dominic A. Sisti, assistant professor of medical ethics, health policy, and psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. The return of psychiatric asylums should be“safe, modern and humane and designed in collaboration with the patient.”
All in all, it is vital to understand that homeless individuals are not a monolith; every individual has their own unique struggles and experiences and if we want to truly tackle this issue, we first need to understand these unique struggles and experiences before we try to improve their situation. Karen, David, Caroline, and Cierra only portray a small slice of the experiences of all homeless individuals, however, learning about their lives is a great place to start to find targeted solutions for the homelessness epidemic.
Sources
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/15/how-i-became-homeless-three-peoples-stories