A Conversation about Homelessness was held in Longview, WA, on May 4, 2017, by

Transcription

1 Conversation on Homelessness Longview May 4, 2017

2 A Conversation about Homelessness was held in Longview, WA, on May 4, 2017, by Washington State University Vancouver and the Thomas S. Foley Institute s Initiative for Public Deliberation. Conversations at each table were captured by audio and written notes, and comments were later transcribed without attribution to ensure anonymity. Throughout the discussion the facilitator sought to find areas of commonality and disagreement among the group. Following is a summary of the main themes, some unique findings, and concluding thoughts. The group discussions began with defining what the term, homelessness meant and how they would define it. The participants suggested definitions such as not having a stable shelter, feeling a lack of security, not being able to have access to long term appliances (e.g kitchen, shower, bed), and not feeling like they can call a place their home. The participants then explained that they had a hard time recognizing who a homeless person was. They mentioned that only a small portion of the homeless population actually looked homeless which made it hard to identify; most people are only conscious about the stereotypes of homelessness and that is not a way to base what a homeless person is like. Some of the characteristics that they felt they could point out was the way an individual dressed, the way their living quarters were set up, and if they saw them standing on the side of the street asking for money. They also mentioned that it was difficult to identify those who are homeless but still hold a job or attend school. When asked about the root causes of homelessness, the participants concluded that it is oftentimes a chain of events that are out of people s control. Those events all revolve around financial instability such as the economy, job loss, medical emergencies, or an unexpected life events with financial consequences. Another perspective that was highlighted was the lack of support of people with mental disabilities or substance abuse. Individuals are unable to receive

3 the treatment they need, resulting from a lack of proper medical service and the difficulty of navigating the resources and services that are available; this is especially inconvenient if they don t have someone to help them obtain access to those resources. The conversations were then lead to talk about what made addressing homelessness difficult or challenging. The participants noted that it is a complex issue with many moving components. There were questions about where and if we should find a stable place for homeless people to go to. It was mentioned that the homeless community has, in some ways, created a community of its own and are unsure if they want to be moved to more stable housing. For those who did want to pursue solid housing, asked, how would we be able to address these cases and get them to the right place with the limited resource that are available? It was mentioned that, in general, there is already a lack of affordable housing. Due to this, it makes it hard to offer numerous amounts of resources to those who need it because of the housing crisis that the participants explained that we are in. It was expressed that politicians had a role to play in this issue but that the topic has become divided and biased. They explained that often one side will be set on one solution without considering alternative solutions. Due to recent political events, people expressed an increased willingness to get involved with their community and help in ways that they can. There were questions about what level of politics needs to be focused on this issue; whether that was at the city level, county level, or state level. It was concluded that on every level it has not been made a priority and if everyone were to be on board to address it, it has the potential to be a less drastic problem.

4 The conversation then shifted to expanding on how we can address the challenges presented. The participants brainstormed on ways that we can get different groups to come together. Some of the solutions including continuing to hold community conversations around this topic and even attempting to get homeless individuals to participate in these conversations to gather their perspective. Having them attend the forums would give the community an idea of the type of resources that we can offer them. An example that was given of this was providing them with marketable skills to help them get hired for jobs. Key players throughout the community, such as city councilors, commissioners, state representatives, law enforcement, and others, would need to work together to provide them with these services. Those same individuals should be involved with attending the forums so they can broaden their perspective on the issue. All the participants mentioned that there is no one responsible figure for homelessness, but instead a collaborative and continuous effort on everyone's part to aid in any way possible. Although they agreed that it was a collective effort, they expressed that specific policies did need to be discussed and proposed to make the process of solving this issue one that is effective and manageable. They explained that if there are no specific policies that can aid in preventing the increase of the homeless population, then more funding can be reserved to finding and buying land to develop housing for homeless and low income families. The final portion of the conversation focused around what is currently working in our community to help the issue of homelessness. The participants shared that Mission Services have been helpful in offering resources and support. This organization helps people get connected with agencies and services through a step by step process to help them get back on their feet, provides people with rooms to sleep in, and helps with the organization of people s finances. Another helpful step towards a solution is encouraging conversation with the different

5 stakeholders involved with this issue and making sure that all opinions and ideas are gathered to make effective change. In conclusion, the participants explained that because being homeless meant not having anywhere to stay or a safe space to call your own, there needed to be more of an effort to help people feel like they are supported and have the resources that they need. There were many moving components of the issue which the participants mentioned would make it strenuous if everyone was not on the same page as on how the issue should be addressed. Each root cause that contributed to this problem ends up having similar repercussions that continue to contribute to the issue homelessness. The most difficult aspect to tackle was the lack of affordable housing in our community and before we begin offering housing for homeless communities, there needed to be more proposals to set funding apart to buy land to build housing to aid the homeless. The participants ended with the thought that the homeless community needed to know that there were various groups, organizations, and companies, and church organizations that were working to help them have access to materials and resources that could help decrease the number of homeless people and prevent the number from rising in the future. If they knew that there were people out there to help, it could increase the amount of involvement they had in the community and decrease the amount of isolation that they experience.