Posted on August 16, 2011
This blog was written by VSH’s summer PR intern, James Denison
At one point during Richmond Registry Week, I was walking down Chamberlayne Road with a flashlight and a clipboard at the ungodly hour of 4:30 in the morning. Actually, that phrase “ungodly hour” seems ironic to me. It’s as if nothing good happens at that time, as if the only people out and about then are drug dealers, or gang members, or witches. But my team and I were out trying to locate homeless individuals before the sun rose, because they tend to be on the move early too.
We were out as part of the 1000 Homes for 1000 Virginians campaign, seeking to identify the most vulnerable homeless folks in Richmond, and looking for individuals sleeping on the ground or under bridges was a pretty good place to start. So the first thing I learned this week was how early homeless people have to get up. By 6:30 at the latest, they are generally awake and starting their days.
You’d think that folks would be grumpy or hostile about being woken up by a pack of strangers shining lights and asking questions, right? Well, a couple of people did want to go back to sleep. But for the most part, the individuals we met were perfectly willing to complete the vulnerability surveys, which took about 15 minutes. And to thank them for their cooperation, we made sure they knew where their next meal was coming from by giving out McDonald’s gift cards.
All in all, we surveyed more than 150 folks in three mornings, and about half of them fit the criteria for vulnerability, which was based on a combination of age, repeated homelessness, and chronic physical and mental health problems. Personally, I got to interview one man (I’ll call him Jerry) who was living under a bridge and had previously been involuntarily committed to a mental hospital. This means that at one time, he must have done something destructive enough to be classified as an imminent danger to himself or to others.
Previously, I wrote a blog about how overcrowded conditions in mental health facilities had led to hundreds of patients being turned away, which led to many of them becoming homeless. At the time, I thought I understood the issue; I thought I cared about getting these individuals off the streets. And I did. But as I watched Jerry mumble to himself and tell me about spirits and spells, the weight of his situation and the necessity of getting him into supportive housing was made real for me.
As a society, we simply cannot allow individuals like Jerry to be left out on the streets to fend for themselves. Jerry may be mentally ill and homeless, but his life is not worthless. With Richmond Registry Week and many other efforts, VSH is committed to standing alongside folks like Jerry in their hard times. The dream is that one day, Jerry and people like him will be able to spend their ungodly hours in the security of their own homes.
You can help make that dream a reality. To find out how, click here.
Posted on August 10, 2011
Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our Richmond Registry Week staff and volunteers,
one hundred ninety-six two hundred eighteen homeless individuals in the Richmond area were located and surveyed last week, more than half (118 or 54%) of whom qualified as medically vulnerable and at increased risk of death.
Who are they? 31 are veterans. 6 are over 70 years of age. 17 suffer from kidney disease. 64 report being the victim of a violent attack since becoming homeless. They have spent an average of 3.2 years on the street, living under bridges and in wooded areas along the river.
Each of them has a name and a face and a story. They are our neighbors and friends, maybe even our brothers and sisters, our mothers and fathers and even our grandparents. And now that we know who they are, it is up to us to give them the housing & support they need.
We accomplished a lot last week, but there is still much to be done.
If you want to be a part of the solution to the problem of homelessness in our community, just click here or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Posted on July 26, 2011
On the evening of July 14th, I welcomed my brother, who serves as a pilot, home from a six-month deployment aboard the aircraft carrier Enterprise. My three-year old daughter and I waited anxiously in the hangar with my parents, as well as my brother’s eight-month pregnant wife and his two small children. Finally, my brother and the rest of his squadron approached in their planes and performed a flyover. As I watched the planes land, the canopies open in unison, and these travel-weary young pilots get roses to hand to their anxiously waiting wives and families, I could hardly contain my pride and joy. However, I could not help but wonder how many of these men would soon face what so many veterans in this country are forced to experience: homelessness.
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates that there are already more than 9,000 Iraq and Afghanistan vets who have been homeless. New research is showing that this group of veterans is becoming homeless much more quickly than veterans from Vietnam. On average, it took Vietnam-era veterans eight to ten years to progress from military life to homelessness; recent data indicates that present-day soldiers are ending up on the streets within a year of coming back to the States. Increases in redeployments, combat stress, and brain injuries have all contributed to this rapid fall into homelessness for veterans. In addition, our country is not fully prepared to deal with the mental health and basic living needs of these veterans. With an increase in women serving in the armed forces, there has also been an increase in women vets, many of whom have children.
The VA has been very forthcoming with data about this problem and has vowed to do something about it. While most communities, including Richmond, have launched ten-year plans to reduce and end homelessness, the VA has committed to end veteran homelessness in five years. It has also begun to develop and target new funding streams to make this happen. Historically, the VA’s limited funding for homeless vets had been focused on transitional housing and services; this provided a “Band-Aid” to veterans experiencing homelessness, but it did little to provide the permanent housing those individuals needed.
However, in 2008, the VA partnered with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program. In this program, veterans who meet certain guidelines can receive a rental subsidy for housing, as well as case management to assist them with maintaining their permanent housing. And in 2010, the federal government approved funding for the Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF) program. This new VA program will award grants to private non-profits and consumer cooperatives to provide supportive services to very low-income veterans and their families residing in or transitioning to permanent housing. The grantees will provide a range of supportive services designed to promote housing stability.
As a leader in permanent supportive housing in both Richmond and South Hampton Roads, Virginia Supportive Housing (VSH) has been actively involved in these new funding streams, in addition to serving numerous veterans in our existing programs. Because the HUD VASH funding stream is not able to cover security and utility deposits, VSH was able to use Federal Stimulus Funds to cover this cost, allowing qualified veterans and their families access to this vital resource. In addition, VSH was recently awarded $84,000 through the Virginia Wounded Warrior Program; this funding will be used to provide housing and services to veterans in our existing programs. Finally, VSH served as the lead applicant for a Richmond community application for the SSVF funds, as well a partner agency in an application submitted in South Hampton Roads. This funding will allow VSH to begin to both prevent and homelessness in ways that specifically target veterans and their families.
Are these measures enough to end homelessness among veterans? Only time will tell. I sincerely hope that soon there will not be another veteran in this country who has to spend a night on the street. These brave individuals volunteered their time and well-being to protect mine; I just hope that through VSH, I am able to return the favor.
Posted on July 6, 2011
This blog was written by VSH’s summer PR intern, James Denison
Recently, a CNN article brought the idea of homeless individuals using Twitter to national prominence. When they became homeless, Rd Plasschaert and AnnMarie Walsh started Twitter accounts as ways to release their feelings and search for information. However, their tweets eventually led to permanent housing when they caught the eyes of case managers and concerned individuals. Mark Horvath, who has experienced homelessness himself and who helped Plasschaert find housing, later started WeAreVisible as a way to inform homeless folks about social media and give them a platform to share their stories.
WeAreVisible inspired three interns at a New York advertising agency to create Underheard in New York; they gave four homeless men prepaid cell phone and taught them how to use Twitter. In a month of tweeting, the four men each gained about 2,000 followers; they were also showered with encouragement and gifts. One man, Danny, even used social media to reunite with his daughter and grandchildren, whom he hadn’t seen in more than a decade.
These stories are inspiring; everyone can be glad that Danny was able to find his daughter and that Plasschaert and Walsh are housed now. And with the advent of WeAreVisible, more and more homeless folks will probably start accessing social media as a way to share their lives with others. As Danny told one of the Underheard interns, he always had wanted to tell his story, but he hadn’t before because he thought nobody would be interested.
But these social media initiatives emphasize an underlying irony. Danny’s story was waiting to be told the whole time. Twitter gave him a way to package and publicize his feelings, but it didn’t change the content of his story in the slightest. Why is it that we want to hear about him now that his thoughts are neatly packaged into 140-character limits? Why is it that we walk past destitute individuals on the streets without even acknowledging them, but we offer encouraging words and job tips to homeless folks over the Internet? Is Twitter a nice, sterilized way to deal to homeless people without actually having to meet them, or smell them, or touch them?
Twitter is a powerful tool that can give homeless people a voice and allow them to network and make connections. But we as a society should already be listening to these individuals; they shouldn’t feel like they need a Twitter in order to be heard. For every tech-savvy homeless person who uses Twitter to share his feelings, there are dozens of others who lack the know-how or access to social media. We can – and should – always bring a listening, meek spirit when we interact with homeless folks, whether we’re on Twitter or on the street corner.
For a year, VSH has been using Twitter to connect with homeless individuals and service providers, including WeAreVisible. To find us on Twitter, click here. We also provide a wide range of tangible assistance to homeless individuals, including housing, mental health support, and financial workshops. Whether through social media or physical housing, our goal is to transform and give a voice to formerly forgotten lives.
Posted on June 28, 2011
This blog was written by VSH’s summer PR intern, James Denison.
In the last few years, America’s economic recession has put the squeeze on everyone. However, for homeless shelters and housing services, the recession has been a double-edged sword. With more people out of work and a drop in federal and corporate funding, many non-profit services are struggling to stay afloat.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment percentage is 9%. 6% of Virginians are out of a job, as compared to less than 4% in 2008. Since the recession, the Virginia General Assembly has cut its health and human services funding by $360 million. And according to the Giving USA Foundation, national charitable giving fell by 6% in 2008, which was the first drop in giving in more than 20 years. Put these facts together, and you can easily see why many soup kitchens and homeless shelters are facing hard choices. As Chuck Bean, executive director of the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington, says, “A downturn in funding accompanied by a surge in demand means a homeless shelter, food pantry, or job-training program is going to feel it first. Then you get into the tough decisions: Do you thin the soup, or shorten the line?”
Numerous homeless shelters and soup kitchens have been forced to shut down because they couldn’t cover their costs, leaving impoverished people out of aid. Some shelters have begun charging residents to stay there in an attempt to save money and remain in operation. Yet even in these unsteady financial times, many communities have rallied around their local non-profits. In Danville, Virginia, after the House of Hope, which had been in operation for 15 years, closed due to a lack of funding, city citizens held a drive to raise money. After an anonymous donor gave $20,000, residents reached into their hearts and wallets and doled out $23,000 to more than match it. Now the House of Hope and its 20 beds is open again to serve homeless folks in Danville.
For more than 20 years, Virginia Supportive Housing has cared for the most underprivileged individuals in the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas. We’ve worked to provide housing and support services to folks dealing with chronic homelessness, substance abuse problems, and mental illness. But we need your help to keep doing it! Whether you donate resources or take a weekend to help move a client into his new apartment, you are giving specific care and attention where it may never have been felt before. You are saying to a formerly forgotten person, ‘I’m investing in you because I see the person you can be, not who you are now. Your life has value to me.’
To learn how you can donate to VSH, click here. To learn about volunteer opportunities at VSH, click here. To learn about our upcoming project 1000 Homes for 1000 Virginians and how you can get involved, click here.
