This post was originally published last January,
but I think it is worth a repost!

This is a debate that will go on and on and on because homelessness may never TOTALLY end.  But, as I was reading a blog post on Chang.org’s Poverty in America section, I noticed a good analogy on how we could go about starting to end homelessness.

This blog author, Eric Sheptock, is speaking about ending homelessness in Washington, D.C., and brings up the point that “[Mayor] Fenty focused on housing only the most vulnerable homeless – those who might die if not housed soon. As noble and necessary as this might seem to be, it meant that the more capable homeless who needed the least help in order to become self-sufficient were being ignored and allowed to stagnate in the shelter system.” His analogy to go along with this is that of a leaky pipe.  The first thing you do is not mop the floor or try to fill the crack.  The first thing you do is shut off the water!

When put in perspective with homelessness prevention and ending homelessness, the right way to stop the leak is to help house the more capable homeless.  Housing, first, the homeless who may just need a temporary but stable place to live in order clean up and get a new job.  Or, focusing on the increasing number of homeless families which has become a large part of the homeless population.

There are many tools that can help to stop the leak of capable people becoming homeless.  Tools such as employment training, affordable housing, and case management are a few of the things that HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program provides.

You can help support our program by spreading awareness about the need for these options to be sustained or by making a simple $25 donation to HIP and helping us reach our goal of $10K by March 10.

This blog author, Eric Sheptock, is speaking about ending homelessness in Washington, D.C., and brings up the point that “[Mayor] Fenty focused on housing only the most vulnerable homeless – those who might die if not housed soon. As noble and necessary as this might seem to be, it meant that the more capable homeless who needed the least help in order to become self-sufficient were being ignored and allowed to stagnate in the shelter system.” His analogy to go along with this is that of a leaky pipe.  The first thing you do is not mop the floor or try to fill the crack.  The first thing you do is shut off the water!

When put in perspective with homelessness prevention and ending homelessness, the right way to stop the leak is to help house the more capable homeless.  Housing, first, the homeless who may just need a temporary but stable place to live in order clean up and get a new job.  Or, focusing on the increasing number of homeless families which has become a large part of the homeless population.

There are many tools that can help to stop the leak of capable people becoming homeless.  Tools such as employment training, affordable housing, and case management are a few of the things that HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program provides.  Help support our program by spreading awareness about the need for these options to be sustained or by making a simple $25 donation to HIP.

Homelessness can happen to anyone because of tragedy, fighting with addiction, or many other reasons.  One of the most disheartening reasons is what often makes most children and teenagers homeless.

“First, his parents, whose marriage had imploded, disappeared. A few days later, Brewer came home from school to an eviction notice posted on the front door.”

This quote, taken from an article in the Washington Post, shows just one case; however, for many homeless youth, the reason they are forced to their street is not their choice, but one made by the people they trusted.  According to a report done by First Focus, federal data shows that the number of homeless children and youth identified in public schools has increased for the second year in a row, and by 41% over the past two school years.

Homeless students enrolled in Indiana schools has risen by 26% in these past two school years!

These reports are only able to capture the number of youth who are ENROLLED in school.  Assistance for students is hard to find because like the story from the Washington Post, many students enrolled in school are couch surfing with friends and family.  Youth who do this do not qualify as homeless under the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition.

There are a few resources that do help Indianapolis’ homeless youth, namely HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program, Outreach, Inc., and Schools on Wheels.  Do you know of any more resources for homeless youth?

Check out Preventable Tragedy: A Hawaiian Teen’s Suicide after Foster Care,” an article written by Natalie Wendt.  In this article Natalie Wendt speaks about a 19-year-old from Hawaii who had just committed suicide.  Natalie further explains how the 19-year-old had just been phased out of foster care and fell on hardship when his Medicaid coverage ended on his 19th birthday.  So, he was without the possibility of mental health treatment because of the expenses.

This article got me thinking about other hardships that young adults who are too old for foster care may come across when they are suddenly thrown into the real world.  Luckily, Natalie linked back to an article written by her colleague, Josie Raymond.  The article was called “Foster Care Fosters Homelessness,” and this struck me as pretty logical.

Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago actually did a study on former foster youth, and the results follow the logic that is pointed out in Raymond’s article title.  Foster children were followed starting when they entered foster care at 16, were still in care at 17, and were placed because of a reason other than delinquency.  The Executive Summary reports the outcomes of these children when they were interviewed at the ages of 23 and 24.

• 24% of these kids were homeless at least once since they left foster care; half of these were homeless MORE THAN ONCE in that time
• Only 48% were currently employed
• 57% had health insurance; and two-thirds of these were insured by Medicaid

There is a gap here.  A gap that needs to be filled by support services of some kind.  Read the articles above, become aware, and spread awareness.  Help our community fill this gap.

Learn more about what services HealthNet’s programs provide.  Or, donate directly to one of their programs by clicking here.