07/14/10 Why do we actively avoid people who we think are homeless?
I have been conditioned to believe in the boogeyman from a young age. The boogeyman is a symbol for all things scary. I suspect that I am not the only person who has been brought up on this principle. The logic begins to skew when adults use the boogeyman to represent all things bad. The new spin is created when adults inject their own beliefs into the equation. The boogeyman then begins to represent the opposition of the social norm. This discriminatory method can be used to slander any outcast of any denomination. Any person who doesn’t adhere to the social norm is by way of logic, a scourge of society. The scourges do things that are bad like committing petty crimes while under the influence of malt liquor and illicit drugs. They are the visible stereotype of a person experiencing homelessness.
I’ve come to the conclusion that not all people experiencing homelessness are necessarily boogeymen (or boogeywomen, boogeykiddos, werewolves, etc). The hidden homeless are a perfect example of people who may in fact be trying their hardest to make ends meet, but just can’t catch a break. The individualist in me suggests that breaks are a natural occurrence just like unfortunate events happen to everyone. The trick is to be in position to take full advantage of the breaks when they come, and prepared to recover resiliently when the shit inevitably hits the fan. Some people don’t get the luxury of opportunity. It’s an unfortunate, but true statement. My vision is a result of being blessed with more opportunities than 60% of people. I’m glad that my parents worked for their wealth and have instilled a set of values in me. Their hard work has given me ample opportunities to succeed. Intergenerational opportunity exists, and my education thus far is a product of it.
When looking through my third eye, the boogeyman I see is a man in a suit. I imagine agent Smith from the Matrix movies. His freshly pressed black suit is complemented by his starch stiff white shirt, his face, expressionless. This boogeyman represents corporate America and sits at the end of the spectrum opposite that of a man experiencing poverty and food insecurity. There's something to be said about the enlightenment found in a minimalistic lifestyle. I bet buddhist monks and ascetics live much happier, fruitful lives than all of us caught in the rat race. Maybe all the boogeymen have it figured out, and it's the agent Smiths who have the formula wrong.
07/19/10 My feelings on TANF post 1996
I am completely supportive of TANF post 1996. Putting limitations on assistance is the first step in removing the allure of remaining on assistance perpetually. The emphasis on preparing the worthy poor to enter the workforce is the best solution. Doling out money without requiring any output from the party receiving the funds is like giving a man a fish. Giving the worthy poor the skills they need to find a job is like teaching a man to fish. By cultivating a work first, assistance secondary mentality, we are feeding the worthy poor for life. Forcing people who are in need of assistance to participate in work related activities is a system of checks and balances that insures that people who are given assistance are doing whatever is in their power to help themselves.
I believe that 24 months is plenty of time for anyone to receive technical training which would enable them to join the workforce as a trained, able bodied, asset. Even a stay at home mother of 3 has time to take online classes. These classes should be designed to give the student a marketable skill set. In the case of a needy head of household, vocational training is more important that higher education. Anyone in need of assistance should first be concerned with gaining skills which will allow them to find a job. The assistance should be used as supplemental income to help the needy families, not the primary source of income.
There are always exceptions to the rules, and I'm sure that some people need more than 5 years to get back on their feet. Those that need more than 5 years should be observed more closely to make sure they are still on the path to independence.
07/21/10 Reflections and a proposed solution
This class has definitely opened my eyes a little more to the problems associated with poverty in the US. An article published in the NYTimes back in 2007 says, “Children who grow up poor in the United States cost the economy $500 billion a year because they are less productive, earn less money, commit more crimes and have more health-related expenses.” (Eckholm). I believe the solution to poverty is in helping those in need, with an emphasis on children. In order to break the cycle, the culture of poverty needs to be broken. I believe change starts by giving those experiencing poverty the opportunity to succeed. On the first day of class, it was said that one way individualists would suggest to help people is to give them human capital. If communities were to work together to address the problem instead of sweeping it under the rug, perhaps more would get accomplished. I suppose by assisting parents, we are essentially assisting the children.
One day, I hope to own and operate a non-profit organization that takes the Sisters of the Road concept a step further. I envision a café with the same business model (hot meals for $1.25 or a negotiated amount of labor) as SotR, but with the addition of a bank of computers with free internet access. The bank would be comprised of recycled technology available at low cost via companies like Garten Services, Inc. (www.garten.org). I would use open source software on all the machines in order to save on licensing cost. These computers would be used to assist in job searching as well as cultivating job skills. Volunteers could teach classes on everything from basic computing tasks (ie: this is how you check your email) to administering a wireless network using a Linux server and client machines. I would approach Google with a proposal to use GoogleVoice to create a community voice mail service. A corporation like Google whose slogan is “do no evil” should be eager to showcase their product while helping a non-profit accomplish a noble task. To go along with a free voice mail box, I would dedicate a portion of the cafe to a P.O. Box system where I could give access to 100 or so individual mail boxes. The café would basically be a cross between the Worksource office in Vancouver and the Sisters of the Road café in Portland. By giving people the opportunity to cultivate job related skills, I would be teaching them to fish.
I could continue to speculate, but for the sake of brevity, I will conclude with a link to a song from the latest album from The Roots. I purchased, yes, I still purchase CDs, this album right around the time I started reading There Are No Children Here. Every time I listen to this song, I think about the Rivers (Walden?) family. I've enjoyed the perspective this class has given me.
If you're frightened of clicking a link forwarded by a student, I'm sure you can find a link to the song on YouTube.
The Roots, “How I Got Over”
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/114875/06%20How%20I%20Got%20Over.mp3
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