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Think Homelessness Can't Happen To You?

Think homelessness can’t happen to you? That’s what Susan Schneider of Alexandria, Virginia thought….until it happened to her. 

In 2008, Schneider, the former owner of a mortgage business, was evicted from her home after a precipitous downward spiral triggered by the real estate bust. All the comforts of her middle class lifestyle – a new Honda Accord, nice restaurant dinners, and expensive salon hair treatments – disappeared in a blink.

Read her story, and an exploration of this common myth concerning homelessness, in the March 13 entry of 100,000 Homes’ weekly blog.

At Virginia Supportive Housing, we know that homelessness is a problem that can affect anyone. And it does affect the lives of more than 8,800 Virginians every day. To find out more about the state of homelessness in Virginia, and read Governor McDonnell’s recommendations, click here.  To find out more about how you can be a part of our proven, permanent solutions to homelessness, click here.

Rebuilding Lives and Realizing Potential

This week’s blog was written by VSH’s spring PR intern, Jonathan Glomb.

As an adolescent growing up in an upper- middle class neighborhood in Arlington, Virginia, I was fortunate to have a prim and proper life free of adversities. My biggest hardship probably consisted of parents who worked too much. I went to a good high school with well-to do teachers that were very good at teaching what we needed to learn in order to pass the standards of learning exams. In general, I did not like high school course work, except for one class in particular, photography. Sure, part of the attraction had to do with using creative expression to escape the confines of suburbia and the monotony of high school life. In reality it was not what was being taught so much that motivated me, but rather who was teaching it.

Mr. B was seemingly an average middle-aged white man with dirty blonde, curly hair and a “soul patch”.  He was relaxed, composed and never raised his voice to the class because he never needed to. To me, he was initially just a laid-back teacher whose class would provide an easy “A” and a sound environment for socializing. Mr. B was straightforward and did not sugar coat things like other teachers. He spoke to us about real life issues in a manner that transcended public education and pierced the realm of true understanding. I soon realized that he was a valuable person to have as a mentor and would be very influential on my life.

One day in casual conversation, he rocked my suburban world when he told me that he had been homeless for a period of his life. He lived in his van on the side of the road for a period of eight months or more.  I didn’t know what was more shocking – the fact that my teacher had been homeless or that he had just divulged information to me that was so personal. I wondered how this was possible. How did a person that I admire once find himself living in such desperate conditions?  With my experience as an intern at Virginia Supportive Housing, I have learned that homelessness has no boundaries and can happen to anyone, so now this does not come as a surprise.

Mr. B’s life on the street, like that of so many other homeless people across the country, was due to a combination of things. He had no money, no job, and nowhere to go, thus leaving him with no choice but to do what he needed to do to get by. No one could have known that, years later, our paths would intersect in a classroom where he would share his story of determination and hard work. But I have never forgotten it and never will.

Since I began working with Virginia Supportive Housing, I have frequently thought back to my teacher’s story and the impact of his presence in my life. Once I thought stories like his were uncommon, but I am starting to realize just how common his account actually is. The truth is that there are many smart and talented people with much to give out on the streets. My teacher’s example has shown me that, with the proper support network, people can and do persevere through the hardest of times, and very often they go on to influence others in extraordinary and valuable ways. My encounter with Mr. B made me a different person, a better person. This is why what VSH does is so significant. It’s about rebuilding lives, realizing potential, and reminding one another every day that every life matters.

From Homelessness to Happiness

Meet Myra Bellamy. Myra, who is 48 years old, moved into South Richmond in November of 2010. A few short weeks later, she found herself face-to-face with Mayor Dwight Jones, sharing her experiences at VSH’s most recent ground-breaking ceremony on December 7. This is her story.

Myra lost her job in 2008 when the company that employed her went through a massive layoff after being bought out. She had ample skills to work in any factory or physical maintenance job and was eager to work, yet the only jobs she could find were temporary, leaving her unable to support herself.  In today’s economy it is hard enough under the best of circumstances to find a job, but Myra was at an even greater disadvantage due to a seven-year-old criminal conviction. She recognizes that her past created an obstacle for her to find work and she takes ownership for that mistake, which eventually led to her homelessness.  “I guess you could say the pivotal point that caused me to reach homelessness was no money, no income, nowhere to live…That’s rock bottom,” she reflected. “When you don’t have those three things, you are at the end of your rope.”

Myra has never struggled with drug or alcohol addiction. “It wasn’t about that. It was about me getting myself together.”  With no source of income and no place to live, she alternated for a while between staying with friends and staying with her adult children. As her job layoff turned into protracted unemployment, she finally sought out emergency shelter, where one month turned into two and then three months turned into six.

From 6 am until 6 pm, she looked for work, wandered the streets, and endured the weather while waiting for the shelter to open. She was fortunate not to have health problems while on the street, but her basic obstacle to housing stability remained the same. She needed a job. Myra constantly struggled to overcome discouragement and stay positive, forcing herself to continue searching for openings every day, patiently submitting her resume at every opportunity and asking if businesses were hiring.

Finally, a call came from her case manager. She had qualified for VSH services and was on a waiting list for a unit at South Richmond. After a few more months, she was notified that a unit was available and she joyfully moved in.  Soon after that, she completed an interview with a construction site supervisor not 100 yards from the residence.  Out of 8 people that were trying to get the job, Myra got it.

Tears stream from her eyes as she attempts to express her sense of gratitude. With a clean, safe, and supportive environment to live in and a job not a stone’s throw away, she feels blessed and cherishes life more than ever. She also knows that she can be an example of success for the disheartened. “By being homeless I found my reason that I am here, I was put here to help other people.”

As she puts her hard hat on and prepares for another day of work, a smile lights up her face. “The best thing to say is I’m happy, I’m at peace.  [VSH] took a chance on me and I hope I can give back to them…by helping other people. This is my story. I went from Homelessness to Happiness.”

Take The Time To Listen

This week’s blog was written by VSH’s spring PR intern, Jonathan Glomb.

Having moved to Richmond from the suburbs of Northern Virginia in order to attend university, the last few years have given me the opportunity to explore this city and get to know its positive as well as negative aspects. While Richmond boasts many beautiful characteristics that I have come to love, I have also become accustomed to the city’s misfortunes as well. While listening to the 6 o’clock news, I’m no longer surprised to hear of a shooting in South side, a home invasion in Church hill, or an armed robbery in the Fan.  These events seem every bit as commonplace as its many festivals and community events. Likewise, the homeless men and women that stand at street corners throughout the city seem as basic to the landscape as the street lights and fire hydrants.

I feel guilty to say that this is how I saw – or didn’t see – these homeless individuals, though I had never realized it until recently. One morning as I was sitting at a traffic light on my way to class, I was startled by a homeless man when he abruptly knocked on my driver’s side window to get my attention. At first I was a little angry at being taken by surprise. I opened my window, gave him a dollar, and headed on to class. The rest of the morning in class, I couldn’t help but wonder how many countless times I must have stopped at that exact street corner without ever noticing him. Or how many other people must’ve done exactly the same thing. It really bothered me. This was a Human Being standing on the corner toughing the weather, not some inanimate object.

Since starting my internship with Virginia Supportive Housing, I have come to understand the beauty of simply paying attention and listening. I have seen how VSH clients are known by their names and recognized. After going unnoticed by people just like me for so long, something as simple as a brief conversation can mean the world to them.

In the short time that I have been with VSH, I have come to realize how easy it is to judge someone when that person has no identity in your eyes. All you know about them is what a card board sign might say. But when you take the time to get to know the details of their lives and listen to their concerns and opinions, you  give them a voice and a face. You give their life identity and meaning. And it is the least that they deserve. I have no doubt that this internship will benefit me professionally. But for me, I’ve already learned one of the most important things I will ever learn: that opening your eyes and ears can lead to beautiful things.

Do The Math!

As the rhetoric in Washington heats up over the annual budget, it seems as if most lawmakers are still applying the same old equations to the problem of reducing the deficit. While it may be appropriate in some ways to cut spending by cutting services, many of us know that short-term savings now very often translate into long-term spending increases later. This is especially true for services that benefit vulnerable populations. When very low-income individuals lose access to fundamental programs that they can’t otherwise afford, the overall financial burden to the community actually increases. This is just an economic reality that we desperately need to face.

As the budget conversation moves forward (or not), it is important to remember that there is more than one way to save money. In January of 2011, Virginia Supportive Housing skillfully demonstrated this fact when it released a report on the success of one of its programs, A Place To Start.

A Place To Start is an innovative program that serves chronically homeless individuals who have serious mental illness. By providing permanent housing and support services for these individuals, the report clearly shows that a substantial amount of money can be saved. Given the report’s outcomes, only one conclusion makes sense. When it comes to homelessness, the solution is cheaper than the problem. We need to invest in – not cut – services that get the job done right.

The APTS report specifically tracks the costs associated with four “events” common to chronically homeless individuals: emergency room visits, hospitalizations, arrests, and incarcerations. The occurrences of these events were documented among the program’s fifty-two participants during a forty-month period (twenty months prior to entry into the program and twenty months following entry into the program).  A comparison of the two time periods reveals an astonishing $320,000 in savings to the community.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, more than 112,000 individuals experienced chronic homelessness in the US in 2009. It’s easy to extrapolate this local data to conclude that if fifty chronically homeless individuals cost the community $320,000 over a twenty-month period, then 112,000 chronically homeless individuals must cost taxpayers at least $716,000,000 just in terms of those four common events. This is real money being spent right now without much to show for it. On the flip side, if these individuals had access to permanent supportive housing, the country could and would save at least that much within less than two years. Although that doesn’t completely solve our deficit woes, it does go a very long way AND it addresses a problem that our country has been struggling with unsuccessfully for decades.

So yes, lawmakers, let’s exercise fiscal responsibility by reigning in spending. But let’s do it in a way that won’t backfire on us three or five years down the road. There is a way, right now, for us to reduce the enormous cost of homelessness. Do the math. Invest in permanent supportive housing.