Homeless veteran is reduced to begging; the pup may help him keep warm. BUT FOR GOD'S GRACE...There Go I; Homelessness Below Zero a Tough Gig
February 15, 2015
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We can't remember the last time it was below zero even though this is chilly Michigan.
Sunday's 12 below was a shock; even Birney the cockapoo raced back to the house from his walk, and mine.
The poor little guy's feet were nearly frostbitten. All I could think about, especially after seeing a program on homelessness on PBS, was how many folks are out on the street in our town.
We had first hand experience while working to maintain Soldier's Rest/Pine Ridge Cemetery a few years ago. Two homeless men, one a Viet Nam veteran, were living through the winter in the cemetery. One had a tent and the other slept in a storage shed.
Their campfire to keep warm and do a little cooking often attracted the fire department which discouraged burning.
A wounded hawk showed up in the cemetery and the pair nursed it back to health and turned it over to a bird sanctuary.
The vet was able to get a camper from a relative and had to scramble for propane continually during the winter. Not a great life for sure.
The other homeless man got occasional handyman and carpentry jobs to keep himself alive, but there was little work during the winters.
Finally, both were able to get SSI disability through the Social Security Administration. Unfortunately one of the men died before his 60th birthday and the other is unable to work because of fragile health.
I know Dan Streeter at the Good Samaritan Rescue Mission does a great job, but no doubt their resources, and bed space, are strained especially this time of year.
Destitute folks are lined up at the Salvation Army on Adams Street for meals every day. That's another agency that really serves the community.
Tossing a five spot to a homeless veteran is the least I can do, and perhaps it should be a ten or twenty most of the time.
As we sit in comfortable, warm homes, it's easy to put the homeless out of our minds even though we know we should be doing more.
The Michigan Campaign to End Homelessness has divined trends in the field:
*The number of homeless people under age 30 and over age 55 will grow based on the lack of employment and dwindling critical public resources.
*People over age 55 may end up in nursing care because of health issues and because affordable housing is not available to them.
Some successes are heart-warming; MCEH provides this example:
"Anna and her two boys, ages five and ten months, were in need of housing. She had recently separated from the Navy and was going through a divorce.
"She reached out to the Volunteers of America, MI (VOAMI) during their 1st Female Veteran Stand Down, an event that provides services to end Veteran homelessness. VOAMI staff assisted her with her housing and employment needs. The plan included a coordinated relocation plan to the Volunteers of America Veterans Housing program.
"She and her two boys were provided with their own temporary apartment unit. VOAMI provided counseling, case management and housing navigation services to assist her with her housing goals. They linked her to the local Housing Assessment and Resource Agency (HARA) and other community resources.
"Eventually, Anna received a Veteran Affairs HUD VASH Voucher, and continues her life with her family in permanent, safe, affordable housing. Never Give Up - Housing Solutions Work!"
Nearly a third of the estimated 100,000 homeless persons in Michigan were working poor with very low incomes
* 19 percent have disabilities of long duration, primarily mental health and chronic medical conditions;
* When causes for homelessness are evaluated, common issues are:
* Long term unemployment or unstable employment (45 percent);
* Lack of transportation to work (45 percent);
* Sudden loss of income (35 percent);
* A medical crisis that impacts employment (30 percent) .
Transitional Housing programs served a substantial number of higher risk Michigan residents. Seventy-six percent of households were single, 35 percent had disabilities (65 percent among singles), 53 percent were Black/African American, and 10 percent were veterans.
A total of 15,855 unique persons were served between 7/1/2009 and 6/30/2012. A total of 2,712 consumers were readmitted to shelter/streets following exit from transitional housing. The majority of consumers (52 percent) that went back into shelter did so within the initial half year (182 days) following exit.
Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) programs that report to the system served 9,699 persons in 2012. The average length of stay for clients active on 12/31/2012 was 1,178 days (3.2 years). Those that left the program averaged 729 days (2 years). PSH serves only those households where an adult has a significant disability. 80 percent left for a stable housing environment primarily subsidized housing without additional supports or rentals without subsidies.
Across both active and inactive households, the percentage that exceeded the HUD target of seven months remained high at 88 percent. Only those that left within the first 30 days were more likely to return to homelessness.
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