Hidden Soles

04/29/2020

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-03-19/california-rushes-to-try-to-contain-virus-among-the-homeless

This article from USANews showcases the trials the homeless are experiencing with the COVID-19 crisis. California is allocating $150 million to help the homeless move off the streets by providing temporary single-room shelters such as in hotels, trails, or tents. Being in groups is dangerous and states with large homeless populations are trying to address the issue in regards to homelessness. How do you think you can help your local homeless population in this time of crisis?

California officials are rushing to rent hotels rooms and build temporary shelters to isolate confirmed coronavirus cases among the homeless population.

04/29/2020

https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000007111840/cuomo-calls-crowds-of-homeless-on-subways-disgusting.html

Governor of New York, Andre Cuomo, calling homeless individuals disgusting and states essential workers deserve better. Perhaps we all deserve better in this time of crisis? Homeless individuals living in New York are in a state where many services are shut down, many public places are closed and they are struggling more so than others. If we can't support all individuals in a society, but only support those that can provide some basic services for the society, then where do we stand as a country united? To separate others based on their ability to provide and deny other's opportunities for growth and has necessities only reinforces the cognitive dissonance everyone is already experiencing. In a time of crisis, everyone is essential to the success of a nation.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said homeless people sleeping on New York City’s subway trains during the coronavirus outbreak was putting essential workers at risk.

04/29/2020

The current pandemic has shaken up the financial stability, or what little financial stability many of us had, and now has us looking at a future of uncertainty. Millions are now unemployed. There are discussions of another recession and years of restorations from the 2007/2008 recession have been falling apart. Individuals will become homeless during these times of hardship, so please help however you can. We are all experiencing stress and difficulty during this time and the pathway to rebuilding is a long and difficult road.

“How to protect the homeless during the coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic will produce a surge in homelessness. We need to provide for the newly homeless as well as take steps to prevent evictions and foreclosures. https://t.co/YJzCX3MsS3”

03/16/2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oiEDfn-UTk

I have chosen to share this image with you today because there are some individuals who still state that people "choose to be homeless." Let me ask you this; if you were given the option to make your life more difficult to live, would you say yes? This is a prime persuasive message that nobody chooses to live this lifestyle but it forces you to look at the reality of it, people can't always say no to having the lifestyle choose them. Let's end the stigmas of homeless individuals and instead offer our services whenever and however we can.

A TV commercial about family homelessness based on the experiences of Lee, a mother with two young children who found herself homeless following a marriage b...

03/16/2020

Caleb Weeks
3/15/2020

Homeless Assistance
To care about America, we first need to show that we care about Americans, and lately, this is something as a country, we have been failing on. Individuals experiencing homelessness in a country with a surplus of resources are struggling to assist with the basic life care of its most vulnerable individuals. America should focus on the care and assistance of the individuals who are unable to provide for themselves until they are able to provide for themselves. Giving assistance to the individuals experiencing homelessness will save America millions of dollars in the long run, thus opening other avenues to spend government funding, and institutions focused on solving homelessness can then work on preventative measures more often instead of reactive programs, an example of preventative measures being rapid rehousing. While it will cost time and millions of dollars every year, focusing on the issue with greater importance now to address it will shorten the process of resolving homelessness. Likewise, building home for the homeless is the best option available, but many individuals don’t agree with just giving away a home. But that’s not the case. These are smaller home meant for rapid rehabilitation that is incredibly affordable, and will also bring homeless individuals inside and not on the street or in public sectors where in many states, it’s now illegal to be homeless and can have them be sent to prison which will then cost taxpayer dollars. What many of us don’t realize about being homeless however, is that some people see it as “lazy” or giving the homeless individuals free housing/help is mooching off society. Being homeless though, it’s constant work. Making sure you have food, your stuff is safe, a place to sleep, a safe environment, etc. Homeless individuals work while being homeless, the least we can do is to try and reintegrate them into a society that they are being in some cases, forcibly being pushed away from.

03/03/2020

https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/homelessness-statistics/state-of-homelessness-report/

Read about the state of homelessness in Ameria here, studies conducted by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

https://endhomelessness.org/

With so much information about homelessness being out there, the National Alliance to End Homelessness has studies completed and readily available on their website to be read through. Check them out when you have some time to learn about homelessness statistics and if you want to know how you can help! Together, we can all play a part in ending homelessness.

For over 33 years, the National Alliance to End Homelessness has been a front runner in education, awareness, fundraising, and hands-on efforts to combat the effects of homelessness. Based in Washington DC, they have access and resources to studies completed by the U.S Government and active lobbies members in congress to vote favorably on bills that will end homelessness. Likewise, the Alliance has also partnered with other countries to create an International Alliance and is partnered with thousands of national groups. As the largest nonprofit addressing homelessness, their goal is focused on ending homelessness in the United States and thus gives them the credibility they deserve if they've been doing this for over 33 years and have millions of dollars and supporters around the world.

02/28/2020

Caleb Week

Homelessness in America

We all know how expensive it is to buy a house these days. It might’ve been cheaper back in 2007/2008 when the market crashed, but today millions of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. One mistake, and it could mean the end of their housing. However, for individuals experiencing homelessness already, there is a solution. Although housing is expensive, rapid re-housing programs can solve homelessness in America. Rapid re-housing is the premise of giving individuals a home without stipulations. The 3 steps of rapid re-housing are to first: find individuals willing to rent to these programs and homeless individuals/families who want housing; supply the fees/costs for up to 6 months for the housing; and follow up with case management such as financial training, employment opportunities, and child care according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. With so much housing already available in America, rapid re-housing is not too much of an issue when it comes to availability for housing. Likewise, re-housing has been proven to be the most effective strategy for ending homelessness. Many jobs, banks, government agencies, and programs need an address to send information to, so if an individual who is homeless can’t provide that, they are stuck being homeless. But if stability is provided for the first few months so they can have an address, build up savings, send their children to a school, and get the help they need, individuals won’t be experiencing homeless any longer. Each year, the government appropriates billions of dollars in spending to help end homelessness. If rapid re-housing was a focus of the billions of dollars, homelessness could end in a few years and the billions of dollars can then be re-distributed in other programs. And if the individuals who were homeless now have jobs, they are also adding to the local, state, and federal economy. Even though housing is expensive, rapid re-housing will end homelessness and in the long run, save America billions each year and even add more money to the economy.

02/21/2020

https://www.npr.org/2020/02/19/805262017/to-combat-homelessness-spokane-is-starting-to-put-relationships-before-punishmen

Social Learning can be defined as"that what we believe or do usually arises from learning the norms of others." In this article from NPR, Spokane is the highlight of what a woman has accomplished to help the homeless. She learned that there are barriers of re-entry into society, and one such barrier fo entry for the homeless is cleanliness. She has since started a nonprofit of traveling showers for individuals experiencing homelessness that sparked national media attention, became an excellent source of ideas for other states to help the homeless, and has established more traveling showers throughout America. Not only did this woman learn from social learning, but she helped many others learn from her social learning as well. What do you think about her idea and do you have any ideas you could incorporate to help homeless individuals?

02/16/2020

https://www.npr.org/2012/12/06/166666265/why-some-homeless-choose-the-streets-over-shelters

This is an NPR talk show that was hosted by Ari Shaprio, and the main topic is about homelessness. In this article, Ari invites individuals running shelters or individuals who were/are homeless to talk about their experiences in relation to the homeless shelters. The theory of Induced Discrepant Behavior is present throughout the article because the article is talking about why homeless individuals are choosing to be sleeping on the streets instead of the shelters. In one part, there is a shelter director who was all for shelters for single rooms but then had to forcefully appreciate the shelter he ran, which did not have single rooms. There is also a homeless man who was against sleeping in shelters, but after forcing himself to use them he got the help he needed to turn his life around. What are your thoughts on homeless shelters, and how can they better serve the public?

Hypothermia kills an estimated 700 people experiencing, or at-risk of homelessness each year, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless. Every day, street outreach workers in cities across the nation go out into communities to encourage people on the street to take shelter, but many homel...

02/16/2020

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/21/us/california-homeless-backlash.html

There's no denying that there is a lot of homeless individuals living in Southern California. This article, however, focuses on the individuals who live in houses but experiencing seeing the homeless. Members of the communities in Southern California have been experiencing mental distress or what some refer to as "cognitive dissonance." A quote in the article states, "residents say they have found themselves weighing concerns for the less fortunate against disruptions to their own quality of life." Here, the individuals who support liberal ideologies are frustrated with the homeless because although they want to help them, they don't want to be affected by the homeless encampments and are now trying to figure out solutions to stop the homeless from going into their communities. The original purpose was to help the homeless, but now new intentions, such as placing boulders on sidewalks, and enacting new policies, prevent the homeless from getting the help they need. Individuals are experiencing imbalances in their minds and way of life. They want to help, but they don't want to see the homeless being helped. How do you feel about this? Leave your comments below.

02/04/2020

https://www.city-journal.org/san-francisco-homelessness

I chose this article because even in the title there is symbolism used to catch interest in reading the article. The overall feeling throughout the entire article left me thinking about a totalitarian type of solution to homelessness. Not the best way to go about things. In this article, the symbolism spread throughout was one of distaste towards those experiencing homelessness. A prime example of symbolism is in the article's title, "San Francisco, Hostage to the Homeless" Here, the author is comparing San Francisco to being a hostage and the homeless individuals being the ones who are the perpetrators. But the symbolism is one to be imagined by the reader. What in your mind does a hostage situation look like, and after reading this article, what does it look like now? A hostage situation is dangerous, needs to be treaded about carefully, and above all, threatening both in act and description. Homelessness is not a dangerous act and they certainly cannot control a city or hold it "hostage." What is your opinion after reading this article? Leave some comments below.

Failure to enforce basic standards of public behavior has made one of America’s great cities increasingly unlivable.