 | Another Way |
| Individual Advocacy *Steps |
| Have a Great One! A Homeless Man's Story *Chapter Excerpt *Reviews *More Pictures *J.C.'s Grandchildren *Events *About the Author |
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Summaries |
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Homeless individuals that have mental illness and substance abuse problems need a different approach than traditional shelters can offer (study by Shelter Partnership). | ||
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On an average night, 21,000 men, women and children sleep in New York City shelters.. In an average year, more than 80,000 different people use the shelters. | ||
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A family
might sleep in a church or in a storage space of an apartment building, waiting to get
into a shelter. |
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According to a new policy under Guillani in New York City, homeless people will need to work in order to obtain shelter. | ||
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The fear that exists between the homeless and the town--how can acceptance and compassion be encouraged?. | ||
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Low wages make it nearly impossible for some to afford housing. | ||
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There is a high risk for tuberculosis in shelters. Homelessness is a public health crisis. Diseases such as tuberculosis, aids, and hepatitis are related to homelessness yet the homeless aren’t getting the necessary treatment. | ||
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The difficulty with opening shelters without community support
is discussed. "No one quite knows how many homeless people live in San Francisco; estimates generally range from 6,000 to 14,000. But the demand for emergency shelter regularly outpaces availability. Normally, there are 1,520 emergency shelter beds available on any given night; the number is boosted another 432 during the winter. Last month, there were several days when those seeking shelter were turned away." |
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"In order to obtain a shelter bed, you have to be determined eligible. If you aren’t eligible, you reapply the next day. If you are eligible, you wait for your name to be called, and then you are shuttled from shelter to shelter, trying to find an open bed. If you find one, your sleep is interrupted in the early morning (5:00 am) and you are taken back to the Intake Center to wait in line for a bed for the next night. Some people will just sleep in chairs or on the floor of the intake center to avoid this grueling process. This intake process, however time-consuming and demeaning, must be done in order to enter into the shelter system". | ||
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". . . homeless people prefer private shelters and even the streets than to take shelter for the night at either the Franklin shelter in the Bronx or the Atlantic Avenue shelter .. . those are dangerous places; not fit for humans. | ||
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"A shelter is frequently run like a correctional facility, with numerous rules and regulations, including what time to get up, when to wait in line for food, when to shower, and what bed to sleep in. This kind of environment can undermine self-esteem. "There’s a culture of violating clients’ rights and disrespect for them. It’s like a jail." | ||
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"A person gets tired sleeping on the street. Men are lucky to get a shelter bed once or twice a month. Women fare a little better with a couple nights a week. After awhile you need to sleep in a real bed . . . but you don’t have money for a hotel room." |
Crackdowns Shelters Mental Illness Poverty
About Homelessness Unemployment Panhandling
Housing and Welfare Agencies Families and Children