Over a year ago I wrote what was to become the most popular post on this blog, Should You Give a Homeless Person Money? I wrote it because I felt it needed to be said, many arguments have been made over the years and it was my way of putting a new perspective on the issue. Alas, it seems the argument will never end, I have had personal emails, lots of tweets and comments telling me I am at best misguided and at worst a fool. NOTHOMELESS said:

You’re an idiot. The people that DO give are the ones entitled to judge. Just like with people collecting welfare. I should be able to question what they do with this charity, as it’s coming from my pocket. It’s sad to see all the bleeding hearts on here who are out of touch with reality. If you don’t want to be judged, don’t ask for help. Pretty simple.

Other comments were more polite…. but I still feel people missed the point. I was not asking people to give money to homeless people, I don’t even give money to a homeless person that often, you might find that shocking or hypocritical but I never said we should. I said, we should not be some sort of moral judge because we give a few loose coins or notes. It takes a lot for someone to beg on the street and we should be more worried and more offended that a person has to beg, for their existence. Or drugs and alcohol have so ravaged them, that they have to be less than a human being and take abuse and disgust. We should be judging each other on how many homeless folks we have in our local communities, because then it shows how we have failed each other. How we’ve failed gay kids who can’t be themselves, families who have to live in motels and mental illness that goes untreated. I think this will always be a contentious issues , with lots of different opinions. What are yours?

I didn’t know gay people existed until I came to England in 2000. When I was a Christian, I was a homophobe, I didn’t just think that gays, lesbians and bisexuals would go to hell but that they could ” change” their attraction like changing shoes. They were just sinful and bad. In fact even while I was blogging about accepting the homeless and not being prejudiced, I was reading and watching materials that condemned anyone who was gay and listened to preachers who predicted San Francisco would be wiped off the map. Mark Horvarth of Invisible People wrote a story about gay homeless youths and instead of being completely outraged and disgusted, I felt sad as a normal human would but also sympathetic towards the parents who could not stand having a child that was different. I also thought that Mark was not a true Christian because he supported gay rights and that he had somehow sold out. I have completely changed my view and considered myself as an advocate and hope one day it will be a norm it would not need defending. Sadly many have not changed, cannot change their view or it is all they know. And there is a huge epidemic happening because parents and guardians, those who are meant to protect children would rather have them live on the street than accept them for who they are. Religion As a Source Most religions have homophobia interwoven into it, they like to take the moral codes and holy texts of thousands of years ago and apply it to 21st century modern life. That is why kids who are attracted to the same sex feel that something is wrong with them, that they are bad because politicians and pastors tell them that GOD hates what you’re doing or will destroy your country because of who you love. Many good religious folk support gay rights and I applaud those who speak out especially in America but those who continue to demonize people, you are losing a battle. Dealing with Homelessness So when a young homeless person has to struggle with loneliness, despair and a really difficult situation a gay homeless person has it even worse. Coming to terms with their sexuality and the withdrawal of love and support from family and friends can lead to emotional or mental health problems, such as low self-esteem and depression. They can put themselves in dangerous or exploitative situations to meet their need for acceptance and affection and they can begin to use alcohol or drugs to try to cope with or block out issues arising from being LGBT and their own homeless predicament Failures of Homeless Services The majority of homeless charities are run by churches or religious groups and though a lot choose to serve out of the kindness many still refuse to serve gay youths if they are aware of their sexuality and as many testimonies I have heard state finding a place to help you or stay has to be based on your safety and whether you will be accepted. Imagine if we were back in Jim Crow times where you could turn away or openly discriminate against someone because of their skin colour.And for those who don’t turn away because of sexuality Stonewall in the U.K says:

Lack of awareness among service providers about the sexuality of their clients can mean they are not always aware of the needs of LGB people and do not appreciate that they are in priority need for housing. This can make it difficult for LGB people to get the right help and support and can lead to increased vulnerability

How to Solve It I want to specififcally speak to Christians because I was as devout as they came, up until a year and a half ago, and I know how scary it seems to accept something when the bible tells you it is wrong, I can never make an argument to convince you but I can tell you that these are people like you, and the point of freedom is that we can’t dictate who should or shouldn’t get freedom, and if you really are walking in love you will love those who don’t walk the same path as you, to love who they want to love. Homeless Services also need to recognize sexuality as an important aspect of people’s lives. They also need to provide sexual information, education and support not just to gay youth but to all people who require it that walk through their doors. Here is an incredible video : Credit: Heather Henry Pim

If there is ever a perfect example of a what a homeless person is, it is always the image of a roughed up man who is a veteran.

Many people think of homelessness as the result of a personal failure, either you’re lazy or stupid. (In fact in my own personal life and to this day, I have accusations thrown at me and people wondering why I did not do more.) However, in total opposite we see people who are service men and women as heroes, selfless and loyal to their nation. There are appeals and celebrations and we see this everyday. So what happens when the most respected people in society become the most looked down upon. In America the National Alliance to End Homelessness and other sources say that:

• 35 out of every 10,000 veterans are homeless
• 76,000 veterans are homeless on any given night in the United States
• 145,000 veterans use homeless housing programs every year

In the U.K and other European nations the figures do not seem to be high though there are homeless ex service personnel. 100,000 Homes did a survey on homeless veterans, the document is here, its a great tool to read: What they found was that 15% of the homeless population are veterans and that they tend to be homeless for longer periods of time. experiencing chronic homelessness. So what does this all lead to? Why are there so many homeless veterans? My answer is simple and I’m sure many have answered it far more eloquently and with greater depth and detail, my theory is this: Military personnel may struggle to transfer their skills to gain employment opportunities and they may also struggle to adjust to civilian life. As everyone knows war is horrible and soldiers have to see and experience things we are only lucky to never get to see. And this leads to PTSD Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. If left untreated and ignored like it sadly seems to be, it can lead to depression, anxiety and mental problems. And drugs and alcohol seems to be the only way some people know how to escape it. The “wars” in Afghanistan and Iraq are coming to an end and so a new generation of veterans will come home. It is up to organisations, governments, charities and families to not let this happen again. Treat the problems, build more housing, offer counselling, talk to somebody. These are all things that matter, so that in 20 or 30 years we won’t have to have campaigns to end homelessness by a certain date that never gets met, but make it that homelessness becomes a non-issue.

This is a Guest Post by Amber Paley who blogs about the elderly homeless and those in poverty, Amber also writes about nursing home abuse. The Homeless It is difficult for the government to get a definite count of the homeless in the United States. In order to get a general idea, the government does “single night counts.” In 2008, a single night count indicated 664,000 homeless people in the United States. It is unclear what percentage of people over 65 are homeless, but a 1996 Urban Institute study estimated that about 8 percent of the homeless are elderly; and in 2008, for every 1 elderly homeless person in a shelter, there were 22 severely impoverished elderly people. The Impoverished In 2008, there were 39.8 million people living below the poverty level in the United States, and 3.7 million (9.7 percent) of those were elderly. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH), Among this growing population of older adults living in poverty are people forced to grow old in the streets and in shelters, elderly persons who have recently become homeless or who remain at constant risk of losing housing. The number of elderly adults who have become homeless has increased around the county. An example of this increase has occurred in Massachusetts, where from 1999 to 2002, the number of people over 55 using shelters increased by 60% (HEARTH, 2007). Causes of Elderly Homelessness Elderly population is growing. Every year, another group of Babyboomers become senior citizens. High medical bills. Housing issues: Wait lists for affordable elderly care facilities and housing. Social Security benefits are not sufficient for housing costs. Affordable housing is less available as the elderly population grows. Living alone. Poor money management during retirement. Poverty. Some people are unaware of the help they can receive through public assistance. Even if they are aware, the application process is arduous, and therefore difficult for elderly homeless people to complete without assistance. Substance abuse. Uncared for psychological problems. Retirement means that the elderly have no source of income. A Rough Life Homeless elderly people are more likely to: Be ignored by law enforcement. Be victimized. Have generally worse health. Suffer from ailments such as dementia and depression. As people age, they need more care than they did when they were younger. A few effects of aging stated by the Mayo Clinic are: Bones: Lose density and are more likely to break and fracture. Muscles: Suffer deterioration; people become less strong and able to perform everyday tasks. The heart: The muscle becomes less efficient and must work harder to adjust to stiffened arteries. The simple fact is that the elderly already suffer from health strains whether they are homeless or not; living outside puts excessive strain not only on the human body, but on existing medical conditions. It is obvious that the elderly who are homeless not only have a lower quality of life, but obviously have lower life expectancies. A Bleak Outlook As the Babyboomer generation begins to make up the elderly population, solving the problem of impoverished and homeless elderly persons does not seem likely if things remain unchanged. The National Alliance to End Homelessness released a report that is based on current federal housing and service programs, i.e. Social Security, Medicare, etc., for the elderly homeless population; according to that report, by 2020 the population of elderly homeless people will increase by 33 percent, and by 2050, the population will double. Note: All research was collected using The National Alliance to End Homelessness, Mayo Clinic, The National Coalition for the Homeless, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs. Photo by Mark L Edwards

I think a few organisations and people might disagree with me on this . I really believe that if we were to build enough housing for each and every person that is homeless it would not mean the end of homelessness. This is because homelessness is an outward representation of a perfect storm of serious social issues. Drugs, Alcohol, Poverty, Abuse, Neglect and Mental Illness. All these go hand in hand with chronic homelessness. That’s why there are stereotypes of the homeless because sometimes stereotypes are rooted in some form of truth. When we recognize that helping those who are long-term homeless is difficult and will require lots of counselling, rehabilitation, support, and eventually housing, we can then deal with many of the injustices of society at the same time. – Image By Mark L. Edwards Refer to this post.