Homeless article
If anyone has a few extra minutes, would you mind reading through this and letting me know what you think? (Brooke, that means you :))
My Homeless Article--headline yet to be determined....
Sitting on an overturned gray grocery cart, Tony, 30, takes a deep sigh and begins to roll himself a cigarette.
He takes a small portion out of the red Midnight Special Cigarette Tobacco bag and places it in a small, white piece of paper, pressing each end together very carefully.
Tony, who asked to be identified by only his first name, has been homeless for three weeks, after getting kicked out of the house by his girlfriend. He says he wants to get a job but has been procrastinating it. Instead, he is making his living by selling cocaine.
“It’s not cool,” he says, with a laugh. “But it does have its good points.”
Tony said he got introduced to cocaine through a mutual friend who also uses the drug. Since then, he has started using it several times a day and has entered into, what he calls, “a game of sex and drugs.”
But Tony is not alone. On any given night, there are at least 4,000 other people across Utah who are homeless - many of who are having the same struggles with alcohol and drug addictions.
And because of these addictions, along with potential mental illness, numbers of homeless are still on the streets years later, unable to get out of the system and into a life off the streets.
The Problem: Chronic Homelessness
Nineteen years ago, Gloria RedBear, 43, was in and out of homeless shelters. She, like many others, used to be addicted to drugs and alcohol. She came to the shelter to get away from an abusive boyfriend.
However, after a short amount of time, she said she realized she needed to get out.
Since then, RedBear has worked at the shelter and currently works as a nurse.
Now, almost 20 years later, she comes to Pioneer Park with her husband twice a month to see some of her old friends - people who had once been like herself but who never made it out.
“They need to wake up and get back on the right road,” she said. “There is a light, but they don’t see it.”
Most of RedBear’s friends can be classified as chronically homeless, a group which accounts for about 12 percent of Utah’s homeless population, according to a July 2004 survey on Utah’s homelessness.
This group includes individuals with disabling conditions who have been homeless for at least a year, along with others who have been homeless at least four times in the past three years. Although they do not represent even half of the total homeless population, they account for 50 percent of the total resources used by the homeless, according to the Department of Housing and Utah Development.
In her opinion, RedBear said she thinks the main factor relating to chronic homelessness is the mindset of the people.
“They’re denial people,” she said. “They’re trapped in their own minds. It’s time for them to get up now.”
Since her experiences on the streets, RedBear said she has realized that life is precious and that she is lucky to have legs and arms to use while she can.
“You can quit,” she said. “There is a way out. It’s time to smell the coffee.”
***
Earl Ficklin, 40, moved from Mississippi to Utah in 1993. When he first came to the state, he had nowhere to go, so as a result, he, too, lived in the homeless shelter for three months.
He said he didn’t get to know many of the other people on the streets then because he was looking for a job.
Luckily, one day a woman drove by him and was looking for someone to work for her. He helped fix her house and eventually found a place to live, he said. Now he lives just a few blocks away from the shelter.
Ficklin, like RedBear, also goes for walks periodically in Pioneer Park. He said he sees some of the same faces now that he used to see 12 years ago.
Because of the drug and alcohol addictions, many people are unable to take advantage of the available resources, he said.
“It’s hard because a lot of people don’t care,” he said. “You get a lot of help, but mostly you have to do things for yourself.”
After recognizing this, Ficklin was also able to break out of the homeless life and into a life off the streets.
How to Overcome Homelessness
For those, like Ficklin, who are looking for a way out of the homeless life, shelters, rescue missions and health centers can provide the assistance necessary to overcome addictions, to gain job skills and to obtain a better life.
For example, The Road Home, Salt Lake’s community shelter, served a total of almost 1800 households last year, equaling to about 160,000 provided nights of shelter.
Walking into the white-walled family wing of the shelter, the structure at first seems similar to a college dormitory or a hospital.
Each family is given a small, square-sized room consisting of one bunk bed, one full-sized bed and a closet. All the families on the hall share a communal restroom and shower area, and two families each share one refrigerator. The families are encouraged to cook for themselves and to become self-sufficient.
Individuals, however, stay in separate men’s or women’s wings, consisting of hundreds of bunk beds, similar to the fashion of a European hostel.
In addition to these opportunities for shelter, The Road Home also provides an emergency assistance program for critical needs, a children’s program to help children receive beneficial educational and recreational opportunities, and a special needs program for those with debilitating mental or physical illness.
The shelter has case managers on hand to help clients find jobs, get help with drug and alcohol addictions and become self-sufficient.
“We all have the potential for experiencing poverty,” said Melissa Peach, development assistant at the shelter. “The reality of that should make us, as a community, more willing to give and participate in helping people who are experiencing homelessness.”
Peach said her opportunities at the shelter have given her the privilege to see people for who they are.
“Just like everyone in the rest of the community are different, so are homeless people,” she said. “They all come here for different reasons, none of which are exactly the same.”
The shelter provides housing up to 90 days for individuals. But those who are intoxicated are not allowed to stay.
As a result, many of those who choose to get involved with alcohol and drugs remain living on the streets, continuing the cycle of addiction. According to national data, 32 percent of the homeless population has an alcohol problem, and 13 percent has a drug problem.
“Once you’re in that cycle, it’s terribly difficult to get out,” said Celeste Eggert, director of development and community relations at the shelter. “It just feels like you’re spinning out of control.”
On top of drug and alcohol addictions, many mental health issues often go unaddressed, Eggert said.
Many of those with mental health illnesses are not seen by caseworkers.
Currently, the Wasatch Homeless Health Care Program provides the most health treatment for Utah’s homeless, with almost 6,000 people served annually. Of these people, the majority are males from Utah, according to the program’s Web site.
Resources that Integrate Religion into the Programs
In addition to The Road Home and Wasatch Homeless Health Care, two rescue missions in the city also provide other resources for the homeless.
The Salt Lake City Mission serves breakfast to about 1,000 people a week in Pioneer Park, one of the city’s main homeless camps, Mondays through Saturdays. The mission also provides long-term recovery programs, counseling sessions, furniture and clothing for those in need.
Its goal is to “help the homeless become independent, productive members of society through a life centered in Jesus Christ,” according to its Web site.
The Rescue Mission of Salt Lake City provides similar services.
Every evening after a non-denominational church service, volunteers for the shelter feed meals to anyone in need. The program requires people to attend the service before they are able to eat each dinner meal.
“We’re in the business of restoring lives, restoring marriages, and restoring hope because that’s what Jesus did,” said Don Rivera, assistant executive director at the Rescue Mission.
On any given day, the shelter feeds about 300 people. Out of that number, at least 50 percent come every night, he said. The people in this group are the chronic homeless, while the other 50 percent are transient - looking for work or passing through Utah.
At the evening service, almost all of the dark brown, metal chairs are filled in the room that smells of a mixture between smoke and body odor.
“God is good all the time. All the time, God is good,” chants Rivera as he leads the rest of the men in repeating the phrase.
The service begins as a few men pass around small wooden baskets for offerings.
While some men try to sing along, many others just look down at the ground while the songs are sung.
Throughout the service, several men continue turning around and looking at the clock on the back wall. At 7:55, one man even stands up and starts putting on his jacket. He knows it is almost time to eat.
After the service is over, the individuals are called by rows to walk downstairs to eat. Several of the men jump up when they are called and run to get in line. Once downstairs, the individuals have the opportunity to as many servings of the meal as they may choose. All of the food is donated from individuals and nearby businesses.
In addition to meals, the shelter also provides a Bible study program each weekday morning and a spiritual training program for up to 35 men.
Rivera said one time, a man showed up at his door and ended up going through their spiritual training program for six months.
“He humbled himself and fell in love with the Lord,” Rivera said. “He worked hard.”
After the man graduated, the leaders from the mission helped him fill out an application for Wal-Mart.
Since then, he has bought a car, paid off all of his fines and cleared his record. He also is now free from alcohol and has a driver’s license.
Although there are many other success stories, there are also others who do not take the situation as seriously, Rivera said.
Some just want “three hots and a cot,” he said, referring to the desire that some have just for three meals and a place to sleep. These people are one foot in and one foot out.
The Future for Homelessness
Although many of the chronic homeless population do not take advantage...
Ok, so obviously I'm not finished with it yet...I'm planning on tieing back into Gloria RedBear from the beginning somehow...
My Homeless Article--headline yet to be determined....
Sitting on an overturned gray grocery cart, Tony, 30, takes a deep sigh and begins to roll himself a cigarette.
He takes a small portion out of the red Midnight Special Cigarette Tobacco bag and places it in a small, white piece of paper, pressing each end together very carefully.
Tony, who asked to be identified by only his first name, has been homeless for three weeks, after getting kicked out of the house by his girlfriend. He says he wants to get a job but has been procrastinating it. Instead, he is making his living by selling cocaine.
“It’s not cool,” he says, with a laugh. “But it does have its good points.”
Tony said he got introduced to cocaine through a mutual friend who also uses the drug. Since then, he has started using it several times a day and has entered into, what he calls, “a game of sex and drugs.”
But Tony is not alone. On any given night, there are at least 4,000 other people across Utah who are homeless - many of who are having the same struggles with alcohol and drug addictions.
And because of these addictions, along with potential mental illness, numbers of homeless are still on the streets years later, unable to get out of the system and into a life off the streets.
The Problem: Chronic Homelessness
Nineteen years ago, Gloria RedBear, 43, was in and out of homeless shelters. She, like many others, used to be addicted to drugs and alcohol. She came to the shelter to get away from an abusive boyfriend.
However, after a short amount of time, she said she realized she needed to get out.
Since then, RedBear has worked at the shelter and currently works as a nurse.
Now, almost 20 years later, she comes to Pioneer Park with her husband twice a month to see some of her old friends - people who had once been like herself but who never made it out.
“They need to wake up and get back on the right road,” she said. “There is a light, but they don’t see it.”
Most of RedBear’s friends can be classified as chronically homeless, a group which accounts for about 12 percent of Utah’s homeless population, according to a July 2004 survey on Utah’s homelessness.
This group includes individuals with disabling conditions who have been homeless for at least a year, along with others who have been homeless at least four times in the past three years. Although they do not represent even half of the total homeless population, they account for 50 percent of the total resources used by the homeless, according to the Department of Housing and Utah Development.
In her opinion, RedBear said she thinks the main factor relating to chronic homelessness is the mindset of the people.
“They’re denial people,” she said. “They’re trapped in their own minds. It’s time for them to get up now.”
Since her experiences on the streets, RedBear said she has realized that life is precious and that she is lucky to have legs and arms to use while she can.
“You can quit,” she said. “There is a way out. It’s time to smell the coffee.”
***
Earl Ficklin, 40, moved from Mississippi to Utah in 1993. When he first came to the state, he had nowhere to go, so as a result, he, too, lived in the homeless shelter for three months.
He said he didn’t get to know many of the other people on the streets then because he was looking for a job.
Luckily, one day a woman drove by him and was looking for someone to work for her. He helped fix her house and eventually found a place to live, he said. Now he lives just a few blocks away from the shelter.
Ficklin, like RedBear, also goes for walks periodically in Pioneer Park. He said he sees some of the same faces now that he used to see 12 years ago.
Because of the drug and alcohol addictions, many people are unable to take advantage of the available resources, he said.
“It’s hard because a lot of people don’t care,” he said. “You get a lot of help, but mostly you have to do things for yourself.”
After recognizing this, Ficklin was also able to break out of the homeless life and into a life off the streets.
How to Overcome Homelessness
For those, like Ficklin, who are looking for a way out of the homeless life, shelters, rescue missions and health centers can provide the assistance necessary to overcome addictions, to gain job skills and to obtain a better life.
For example, The Road Home, Salt Lake’s community shelter, served a total of almost 1800 households last year, equaling to about 160,000 provided nights of shelter.
Walking into the white-walled family wing of the shelter, the structure at first seems similar to a college dormitory or a hospital.
Each family is given a small, square-sized room consisting of one bunk bed, one full-sized bed and a closet. All the families on the hall share a communal restroom and shower area, and two families each share one refrigerator. The families are encouraged to cook for themselves and to become self-sufficient.
Individuals, however, stay in separate men’s or women’s wings, consisting of hundreds of bunk beds, similar to the fashion of a European hostel.
In addition to these opportunities for shelter, The Road Home also provides an emergency assistance program for critical needs, a children’s program to help children receive beneficial educational and recreational opportunities, and a special needs program for those with debilitating mental or physical illness.
The shelter has case managers on hand to help clients find jobs, get help with drug and alcohol addictions and become self-sufficient.
“We all have the potential for experiencing poverty,” said Melissa Peach, development assistant at the shelter. “The reality of that should make us, as a community, more willing to give and participate in helping people who are experiencing homelessness.”
Peach said her opportunities at the shelter have given her the privilege to see people for who they are.
“Just like everyone in the rest of the community are different, so are homeless people,” she said. “They all come here for different reasons, none of which are exactly the same.”
The shelter provides housing up to 90 days for individuals. But those who are intoxicated are not allowed to stay.
As a result, many of those who choose to get involved with alcohol and drugs remain living on the streets, continuing the cycle of addiction. According to national data, 32 percent of the homeless population has an alcohol problem, and 13 percent has a drug problem.
“Once you’re in that cycle, it’s terribly difficult to get out,” said Celeste Eggert, director of development and community relations at the shelter. “It just feels like you’re spinning out of control.”
On top of drug and alcohol addictions, many mental health issues often go unaddressed, Eggert said.
Many of those with mental health illnesses are not seen by caseworkers.
Currently, the Wasatch Homeless Health Care Program provides the most health treatment for Utah’s homeless, with almost 6,000 people served annually. Of these people, the majority are males from Utah, according to the program’s Web site.
Resources that Integrate Religion into the Programs
In addition to The Road Home and Wasatch Homeless Health Care, two rescue missions in the city also provide other resources for the homeless.
The Salt Lake City Mission serves breakfast to about 1,000 people a week in Pioneer Park, one of the city’s main homeless camps, Mondays through Saturdays. The mission also provides long-term recovery programs, counseling sessions, furniture and clothing for those in need.
Its goal is to “help the homeless become independent, productive members of society through a life centered in Jesus Christ,” according to its Web site.
The Rescue Mission of Salt Lake City provides similar services.
Every evening after a non-denominational church service, volunteers for the shelter feed meals to anyone in need. The program requires people to attend the service before they are able to eat each dinner meal.
“We’re in the business of restoring lives, restoring marriages, and restoring hope because that’s what Jesus did,” said Don Rivera, assistant executive director at the Rescue Mission.
On any given day, the shelter feeds about 300 people. Out of that number, at least 50 percent come every night, he said. The people in this group are the chronic homeless, while the other 50 percent are transient - looking for work or passing through Utah.
At the evening service, almost all of the dark brown, metal chairs are filled in the room that smells of a mixture between smoke and body odor.
“God is good all the time. All the time, God is good,” chants Rivera as he leads the rest of the men in repeating the phrase.
The service begins as a few men pass around small wooden baskets for offerings.
While some men try to sing along, many others just look down at the ground while the songs are sung.
Throughout the service, several men continue turning around and looking at the clock on the back wall. At 7:55, one man even stands up and starts putting on his jacket. He knows it is almost time to eat.
After the service is over, the individuals are called by rows to walk downstairs to eat. Several of the men jump up when they are called and run to get in line. Once downstairs, the individuals have the opportunity to as many servings of the meal as they may choose. All of the food is donated from individuals and nearby businesses.
In addition to meals, the shelter also provides a Bible study program each weekday morning and a spiritual training program for up to 35 men.
Rivera said one time, a man showed up at his door and ended up going through their spiritual training program for six months.
“He humbled himself and fell in love with the Lord,” Rivera said. “He worked hard.”
After the man graduated, the leaders from the mission helped him fill out an application for Wal-Mart.
Since then, he has bought a car, paid off all of his fines and cleared his record. He also is now free from alcohol and has a driver’s license.
Although there are many other success stories, there are also others who do not take the situation as seriously, Rivera said.
Some just want “three hots and a cot,” he said, referring to the desire that some have just for three meals and a place to sleep. These people are one foot in and one foot out.
The Future for Homelessness
Although many of the chronic homeless population do not take advantage...
Ok, so obviously I'm not finished with it yet...I'm planning on tieing back into Gloria RedBear from the beginning somehow...