Posted on Dec 5, 2015
Do you know the Answer to Resolving Homelessness?
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Do you know the Answer to Resolving Homelessness?
This not only about our veterans that are homeless, but all Americans. Let's see what Carrie Nowocin, CEO, Carry Me Productions (affordable housing) ahs to say about it
I posted the entire article here for your review and feedback.
Over the last 10 years many large cities have been promising to end homelessness, and now we have a “crisis”. Sorry but this is NOT a crisis, this is a social epidemic and anyone can fall victim to it. A crisis typically has a solution/plan within a few days. A crisis is Katrina. A crisis is the BP oil spill. Homelessness is NOT a crisis. Since we got that out of the way, we can discuss a “cure” to this epidemic.
To find a cure for anything, we must first assess the issue.
Who experiences homelessness?
People don’t always become homeless overnight.
Not everyone who is homeless is mentally ill or has a drug addiction.
The majority of those who are experiencing homelessness work.
The majority of those who are without a home are not counted in the “city” counts.
What are the causes of homelessness?
1. Lack of affordable housing.
2. Low wages.
3. Mental health takes its toll.
4. People do not have health coverage.
5. Addiction
6. Lack of support services (family, social, economic)
What do most city officials want to do about those who are homeless?
1. Decentralize services within major cities.
2. Tear down living spaces so people leave the area.
3. Shame those who feel hopeless.
4. Hide people. Out of sight, out of mind.
So then, what is needed?
1. More affordable housing.
If we do the math, a single person living off minimum wage makes an estimated $18,720 a year (without taxes). In order to be able to live alone comfortably, a 1 br needs to be $416/month.
Uh, I don’t know any major cities where anyone can find a 1br for that price. No wonder people are homeless.
2. Stop thinking of only housing those who are “chronically” homeless. If nonprofits only focus on those who are chronically homeless (3 yrs or more), then more individuals will become chronically homeless. The whole idea is counter-productive.
To find a solution to homelessness, I have listed the types of homelessness by Tiers. 6 being the least at risk of health concerns and 1 most at risk of health concerns:
(a) Tier 6 (Preventative care) – Just like we do with healthcare, preventative homelessness care would teach people how to manage their money and live within their means. If someone can only make minimum wage, they need to not try to live in a large city. I know that sounds mean, but really it’s not. When I was in college, I did an internship in Rochester, MN. My rent was $230/month. Guess how much money I saved. Oh, plus I didn’t have a car. I took the bus everywhere.
(b) Tier 5 (Intervention) – See someone on the verge of becoming homeless, help them. Move them out of their current situation and provide social services to help with money management and financial planning.
(c) Tier 4 (Transients) – Build hostels for them to stay in. There are many transients in cities like Venice Beach, CA where all they need is a room. There are some hostels, but not enough for those just “passing through”.
(d) Tier 3 (Newbies) – Emergency shelters should only be serving these people. Shelters should be segregated as such:
Sex
Families
People with pets
Veterans
Disabled (physical and mental separated)
These are the folks and families that are just out on their own. Life took a turn where they lost everything and no one was there to intervene or help to prevent it from happening. Provide social services to help these people get back on their feet. A lot of the time, these people know what happened, but just don’t know how to get back on track. Support groups and counseling would be great for this tier.
(e) Tier 2 (Hotel dwellers or couch surfers) – Once identified, this tier needs to be moved into temporary housing. The housing would consist of homes converted into a “transitional home”. The housing should also be segregated as presented in item d.
This group usually consist of families with young children. They stay in hotels at the first of the month, until their money runs out. Then they typically live in their car or crash at a friend or family member’s house for a few months.
(f) Tier 1 (Chronic) – These people have been homeless 3 or more years. Typically they have become “stuck” in this system because they were brushed aside. Most of those who are chronically homeless are struggling with multiple physical and mental health issues, which can all be helped.
3. Stop making people feel bad because something caused them to become homeless.
4. Stop handing out Band-Aids. Blankets and tents are not going to solve anything. I’m appreciative for those who help others in need, but people need to stop believing that blankets and tents are a solution to problems.
5. Stop trying to hide the homeless. If they are hiding, we can’t help them. Hire them to clean the streets they live on. Give them hope, not hate.
6. Stop focusing on decentralizing services and start focusing on the gaps of the services.
7. What is and isn’t working? That’s the first assessment I would conduct if I was in a large city. If nonprofits are going to join an alliance or coalition, have a solid plan to address the needs of the people.
8. Think about converting abandoned buildings in to dorms. (We have a program for this if interested.)
9. An alliance (what we call partnership) should consist of the following and no more than one of each:
Social service provider
Financial planning assistance
Legal counsel/assistance
Housing provider
Mental health provider
Disabilities provider
Education/Job training
Liaison for all to work together
Outreach group
I don’t tell people we are experts in this sector, but to be honest, it’s not rocket science.
The solution is to forget about making a ton of money and go back to the reason your nonprofit was started, to help people.
So now the breakdown in spending.
This is how I envision it going down (if I was a big leader with 100M to spend):
1M for staff which would include all providers listed under item 10.
40M two additional emergency shelters (Tier 3 above). These shelters will include all services under item 10.
20M for Tier 5 and 6. This would be considered more community investment money. Help people move out of the expensive locations and find jobs and education options to help them become successful. (We have a plan in progress for these Tiers but what we do won't cost nearly as much because we have partnered with others who are experts.)
10M for Tier 4. Build clean places for people to stay short term. Provide police protection and get people off beaches and county parks.
15M for Tier 2. Invest in transitional and permanent living spaces which families and individuals can stay in for low cost until they get back on their feet. (We have a program in progress for this tier as well, but at a fraction of the cost.)
14M for Tier 1. This might be used for rehab for substance abuse and mental health. Offer nice places for people to recover from their illnesses. This would be an investment in the community. The cities can partner with some private centers to help those who really want the help but can’t afford it. The county could purchase distressed land to build ranches and therapy centers for those recovering from homelessness.
If you or anyone you know are interested to learn more about any of these Tiers and how I suggest they be implemented, contact me [login to see] .
I’d be happy to share. I just want to help people get OFF the streets and make some of these nonprofits get out of the housing business, including Carry Me Productions. If you’re tired of social Band-Aids, please consider donating to our cause. Invest in your community. Our passion is to carry people to safety and independence.
This not only about our veterans that are homeless, but all Americans. Let's see what Carrie Nowocin, CEO, Carry Me Productions (affordable housing) ahs to say about it
I posted the entire article here for your review and feedback.
Over the last 10 years many large cities have been promising to end homelessness, and now we have a “crisis”. Sorry but this is NOT a crisis, this is a social epidemic and anyone can fall victim to it. A crisis typically has a solution/plan within a few days. A crisis is Katrina. A crisis is the BP oil spill. Homelessness is NOT a crisis. Since we got that out of the way, we can discuss a “cure” to this epidemic.
To find a cure for anything, we must first assess the issue.
Who experiences homelessness?
People don’t always become homeless overnight.
Not everyone who is homeless is mentally ill or has a drug addiction.
The majority of those who are experiencing homelessness work.
The majority of those who are without a home are not counted in the “city” counts.
What are the causes of homelessness?
1. Lack of affordable housing.
2. Low wages.
3. Mental health takes its toll.
4. People do not have health coverage.
5. Addiction
6. Lack of support services (family, social, economic)
What do most city officials want to do about those who are homeless?
1. Decentralize services within major cities.
2. Tear down living spaces so people leave the area.
3. Shame those who feel hopeless.
4. Hide people. Out of sight, out of mind.
So then, what is needed?
1. More affordable housing.
If we do the math, a single person living off minimum wage makes an estimated $18,720 a year (without taxes). In order to be able to live alone comfortably, a 1 br needs to be $416/month.
Uh, I don’t know any major cities where anyone can find a 1br for that price. No wonder people are homeless.
2. Stop thinking of only housing those who are “chronically” homeless. If nonprofits only focus on those who are chronically homeless (3 yrs or more), then more individuals will become chronically homeless. The whole idea is counter-productive.
To find a solution to homelessness, I have listed the types of homelessness by Tiers. 6 being the least at risk of health concerns and 1 most at risk of health concerns:
(a) Tier 6 (Preventative care) – Just like we do with healthcare, preventative homelessness care would teach people how to manage their money and live within their means. If someone can only make minimum wage, they need to not try to live in a large city. I know that sounds mean, but really it’s not. When I was in college, I did an internship in Rochester, MN. My rent was $230/month. Guess how much money I saved. Oh, plus I didn’t have a car. I took the bus everywhere.
(b) Tier 5 (Intervention) – See someone on the verge of becoming homeless, help them. Move them out of their current situation and provide social services to help with money management and financial planning.
(c) Tier 4 (Transients) – Build hostels for them to stay in. There are many transients in cities like Venice Beach, CA where all they need is a room. There are some hostels, but not enough for those just “passing through”.
(d) Tier 3 (Newbies) – Emergency shelters should only be serving these people. Shelters should be segregated as such:
Sex
Families
People with pets
Veterans
Disabled (physical and mental separated)
These are the folks and families that are just out on their own. Life took a turn where they lost everything and no one was there to intervene or help to prevent it from happening. Provide social services to help these people get back on their feet. A lot of the time, these people know what happened, but just don’t know how to get back on track. Support groups and counseling would be great for this tier.
(e) Tier 2 (Hotel dwellers or couch surfers) – Once identified, this tier needs to be moved into temporary housing. The housing would consist of homes converted into a “transitional home”. The housing should also be segregated as presented in item d.
This group usually consist of families with young children. They stay in hotels at the first of the month, until their money runs out. Then they typically live in their car or crash at a friend or family member’s house for a few months.
(f) Tier 1 (Chronic) – These people have been homeless 3 or more years. Typically they have become “stuck” in this system because they were brushed aside. Most of those who are chronically homeless are struggling with multiple physical and mental health issues, which can all be helped.
3. Stop making people feel bad because something caused them to become homeless.
4. Stop handing out Band-Aids. Blankets and tents are not going to solve anything. I’m appreciative for those who help others in need, but people need to stop believing that blankets and tents are a solution to problems.
5. Stop trying to hide the homeless. If they are hiding, we can’t help them. Hire them to clean the streets they live on. Give them hope, not hate.
6. Stop focusing on decentralizing services and start focusing on the gaps of the services.
7. What is and isn’t working? That’s the first assessment I would conduct if I was in a large city. If nonprofits are going to join an alliance or coalition, have a solid plan to address the needs of the people.
8. Think about converting abandoned buildings in to dorms. (We have a program for this if interested.)
9. An alliance (what we call partnership) should consist of the following and no more than one of each:
Social service provider
Financial planning assistance
Legal counsel/assistance
Housing provider
Mental health provider
Disabilities provider
Education/Job training
Liaison for all to work together
Outreach group
I don’t tell people we are experts in this sector, but to be honest, it’s not rocket science.
The solution is to forget about making a ton of money and go back to the reason your nonprofit was started, to help people.
So now the breakdown in spending.
This is how I envision it going down (if I was a big leader with 100M to spend):
1M for staff which would include all providers listed under item 10.
40M two additional emergency shelters (Tier 3 above). These shelters will include all services under item 10.
20M for Tier 5 and 6. This would be considered more community investment money. Help people move out of the expensive locations and find jobs and education options to help them become successful. (We have a plan in progress for these Tiers but what we do won't cost nearly as much because we have partnered with others who are experts.)
10M for Tier 4. Build clean places for people to stay short term. Provide police protection and get people off beaches and county parks.
15M for Tier 2. Invest in transitional and permanent living spaces which families and individuals can stay in for low cost until they get back on their feet. (We have a program in progress for this tier as well, but at a fraction of the cost.)
14M for Tier 1. This might be used for rehab for substance abuse and mental health. Offer nice places for people to recover from their illnesses. This would be an investment in the community. The cities can partner with some private centers to help those who really want the help but can’t afford it. The county could purchase distressed land to build ranches and therapy centers for those recovering from homelessness.
If you or anyone you know are interested to learn more about any of these Tiers and how I suggest they be implemented, contact me [login to see] .
I’d be happy to share. I just want to help people get OFF the streets and make some of these nonprofits get out of the housing business, including Carry Me Productions. If you’re tired of social Band-Aids, please consider donating to our cause. Invest in your community. Our passion is to carry people to safety and independence.
Homeless
Problem Solving
What Would You Do
Fixing Things
Edited >1 y ago
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 45
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I'm going to go into a "cold logic" mode here, and I am going to sound VERY heartless for a moment.
Let's draw a parallel.
World Hunger, and Clean Water. It's not that the world doesn't have ENOUGH Food & Water to support the people, it's that we are Logistically set up to get that Food & Water to the people who need it. We have an ABUNDANCE of resource, but a LACK of Logistics.
Imagine for a moment you are on a patrol, and in a firefight, and you are 300 meters from your outpost. You are out of ammo. There is MILLIONS of rounds at your basecamp, and all the help you could possibly need to deal with the situation... but it is "just too far away," in both distance and time to help you NOW.
Now, let's look at housing in the same way. We have plenty of SPACE. The US is mostly empty space. It is. Additionally, we have plenty of available housing. We do. Conservatively speaking the number of empty BANK OWNED homes more than doubles the number of homeless families.
So this is NOT a resource problem. That makes it a "Logistics" problem (at first glance).
After we acknowledge that, we have to start looking at the where's and who's. Where are the "epicenters" of homelessness? And who are major "victims" of it?
We can assume the vast majority will be near our city centers, which helps the logistic problem somewhat, but we do have to account for "cost."
We cannot just give homes away (or we can). We need a program to marry people up to homes, and figure out why they don't have them. Is it a cost issue. Is it an employment issue (also cost). Is it another secondary issue? But we first have to get past the Logistics concept.
Were it ME in charge, I would have bailed out the Mortgage companies by "purchasing" those empty houses as "real-estate for Americans" whether as Writing off Debt (just get rid of foreclosures on predatory loans) or Homeless Housing (like Section 8). Keep in mind this is a "Swag plan" with 15 seconds of thought. I sure as hell wouldn't have given them a blank check to keep profiting off the American's investment.
Let's draw a parallel.
World Hunger, and Clean Water. It's not that the world doesn't have ENOUGH Food & Water to support the people, it's that we are Logistically set up to get that Food & Water to the people who need it. We have an ABUNDANCE of resource, but a LACK of Logistics.
Imagine for a moment you are on a patrol, and in a firefight, and you are 300 meters from your outpost. You are out of ammo. There is MILLIONS of rounds at your basecamp, and all the help you could possibly need to deal with the situation... but it is "just too far away," in both distance and time to help you NOW.
Now, let's look at housing in the same way. We have plenty of SPACE. The US is mostly empty space. It is. Additionally, we have plenty of available housing. We do. Conservatively speaking the number of empty BANK OWNED homes more than doubles the number of homeless families.
So this is NOT a resource problem. That makes it a "Logistics" problem (at first glance).
After we acknowledge that, we have to start looking at the where's and who's. Where are the "epicenters" of homelessness? And who are major "victims" of it?
We can assume the vast majority will be near our city centers, which helps the logistic problem somewhat, but we do have to account for "cost."
We cannot just give homes away (or we can). We need a program to marry people up to homes, and figure out why they don't have them. Is it a cost issue. Is it an employment issue (also cost). Is it another secondary issue? But we first have to get past the Logistics concept.
Were it ME in charge, I would have bailed out the Mortgage companies by "purchasing" those empty houses as "real-estate for Americans" whether as Writing off Debt (just get rid of foreclosures on predatory loans) or Homeless Housing (like Section 8). Keep in mind this is a "Swag plan" with 15 seconds of thought. I sure as hell wouldn't have given them a blank check to keep profiting off the American's investment.
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LTC Joseph Gross
With all of these solutions we run into the simple human problem also known as the Tragedy of the Commons. People do not care about or take care of things they do not earn. We always have to consider that.
Does anyone know the percentage of homeless who simply won't do what is necessary to not be homeless?
Does anyone know the percentage of homeless who simply won't do what is necessary to not be homeless?
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Maj John D Benedict
Jenn Moynihan - That is a good question, but I think you'd have some difficulty trying to get an accurate percentage.
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Maj John D Benedict
I heard a not so pleasant statistic the other day. I don't think it was Greg Hunter; maybe one of his guests. (by the way, check out his YouTube channel). Anyhow, they said that banks have been holding homes they either repossessed, or were told to not sell them, or not repossess them...all in an underhanded(sorry, perhaps we should use the word subtle) effort to keep the housing bubble somewhat inflated.
I didn't realize there were twice the number of homes owned by banks, as there are homeless people. That needs to be addressed. It seems to me if banks could get some money out of these homes instead of sitting on them, they'd be better off.
I didn't realize there were twice the number of homes owned by banks, as there are homeless people. That needs to be addressed. It seems to me if banks could get some money out of these homes instead of sitting on them, they'd be better off.
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LTC Wayne Brandon
LTC Joseph Gross - Was having the same thoughts, myself. And then there are those who choose to be homeless. That may come as a shock to some, but they do exist and will resist any effort to remove them from the street by what they view as 'heavy handed government'
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COL Mikel J. Burroughs, there's a fella in California that is not talking about it, he is doing something about it! He is able to build them for about $500! What can we do - stop smacking our gums and do something as well! This helps me identify where some of my time will going once I return to the USA! Deeds, not Words!
https://gma.yahoo.com/california-man-builds-houses-homeless-shares-video-homeless-154504719--abc-news-house-and-home.html#
https://gma.yahoo.com/california-man-builds-houses-homeless-shares-video-homeless-154504719--abc-news-house-and-home.html#
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CSM Michael J. Uhlig
Absolutely SGM Mikel Dawson, that is an awesome idea! At USASMA we were very involved with Habitat for Humanity in the El Paso area and made a huge quality of life difference for a half dozen or so families during our 10 months there!
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COL Mikel J. Burroughs
CSM Michael J. Uhlig I look forward to your return and hopefully we can work together on some very good projects - I've dedicated a lot of my spare time to helping veterans! It feels great! Thanks for the link. I'm going to share it with Carrie's Mom Anita Nowocin from Carry Me Productions. They are making a difference too . Check out their website: http://www.carrymeproductions.org
SFC Mark Merino SGM Steve Wettstein PVT James Strait SMSgt Tony Barnes CSM Michael J. Uhlig MAJ Ken Landgren CPT Jack Durish PO1 John Miller SN Greg Wright Sgt Kelli Mays TSgt Julia Faulks] SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Hunter Logan SGT Sara Hodgkiss CPT (Join to see) MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4"
SFC Mark Merino SGM Steve Wettstein PVT James Strait SMSgt Tony Barnes CSM Michael J. Uhlig MAJ Ken Landgren CPT Jack Durish PO1 John Miller SN Greg Wright Sgt Kelli Mays TSgt Julia Faulks] SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Hunter Logan SGT Sara Hodgkiss CPT (Join to see) MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4"
Carrying those experiencing homelessness to safety.
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COL Mikel J. Burroughs Is the way out of homelessness through one's self? The answer could be in changing one's own behaviors. Everyone looks at the factors of "Why are people homeless" "Causes of homelessness" "Factor's contributing to homelessness" It's been looked at in ad nauseum. Let's look at how people got out of homelessness and if we can put a model together to help other's help themselves. Responsibility doesn't belong just to society but it also lies within the individual.
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LTC Joseph Gross
Recognizing there will always be a percentage who won't work even though they can. They are the 10% that ruin any solutions for the rest.
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