housingandhomelessnessla-blog

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International Migration and Refugee Crisis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvOnXh3NN9w

Kimberly Ortega

Soc 290

Professor Miller

01/23/19

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION AND REFUGEE CRISIS

Everyday people are being displaced from where they are from. Whether it be immigrants facing violence in their own countries or LGBTQ youth having to leave home, many face homelessness. Being homeless is defined by the National Health Care for the Homeless Council as “an individual without permanent housing who may live on the streets; stay in a shelter, mission, single room occupancy facilities, abandoned building or vehicle; or in any other unstable or non-permanent situation” Additionally, it stated “An individual may be considered to be homeless if that person is “doubled up,” a term that refers to a situation where individuals are unable to maintain their housing situation and are forced to stay with a series of friends and/or extended family members.” Refugees are people fleeing their country or power to escape danger or persecution. Refugees can also be seen as immigrants, people who come to live permanently in a foreign country.

In recent news thousands of Central American migrants have traveled 2,500+ miles and settled at the US-Mexico border “fleeing persecution, poverty and violence in their home countries of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador” (BBC 2018). Migrants and refugees making the journey and seeking asylum are lacking food, lacking jobs, and lacking shelters and are barely surviving. Sound familiar? Migrants and refugees outside of the US experience the same struggles as homeless inside the United States.

In 2013 on a national scale, “there were approximately 610,042 homeless” (COHRE 2018). Included in this number are US citizens, immigrants, and refugees. Many homeless people are not counted for so finding the percentage of homeless that are refugees and immigrants was difficult. However, an article by the Seattle Times reveleaved that in King County of Washington in a 2010 homeless count, families of refugees and immigrants equalled to 978 adults and children “living in shelters and/or in transitional housing”. Through the fact that people staying in hotels or couch-surfing and not being counted for, one can only imagine how many refugee and immigrant homeless there are today after an increase in homelessness.

Immigrants and refugees experience a harder experience being homeless due to often not knowing the language, lack of marketable job skills, and change of culture. In addition to these disadvantages, “immigrants face an extreme amount of discrimination and persecution in their home nations and seek out the United States in hopes of fleeing those behaviors. Many times, when immigrants arrive in the US they are continuously faced with discrimination and are forced into low skilled, low paying jobs” (COHRE 2018). Many immigrants experiencing homelessness undergo harder struggles because they are unwilling or unable to receive assistance due to fear of deportation. As a result, displacement is maintained due to the inability to find stable housing, income, or assistance. This creates an inevitable cycle of poverty, lack of stability, and security here in their new “home”.

People should have the protected right to their own space to live and survive. For those who agree, the United Nations created a document of human rights called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Under article 17 it reads “(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.” Unfortunately, even though these are rights, many people never get to own property or have their property being taken away. If ending homelessness starts with housing and everyone has the right to own property, why isn’t anything being done? Referencing Dr.Miller’s Housing and Homelessness in Los Angeles lecture, property ownership and citizenship go hand in hand. Those who were able to own land first were white, male, and citizens. As early as 1933 the federal government created the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation to “help American homeowners”. (Tse 2016) Instead this corporation practiced red lining and residents of color were left in less desirable neighborhoods and given less access to financial services. To break down this system rooted in racial oppression, affordable housing must be created.

Trump’s government shutdown is caused by Trump’s desire to build a wall. It is costing many employees their lives. Many employees are furloughed and are not being paid. Not only does Trump want to waste 5 billion dollars on a wall instead of spending it on the homeless population, he is also unaccepting of refugees and immigrants in need. Both citizens and non-citizens are being affected negatively by the wall and/or the government shutdown. As a result, Americans should be passionate and understanding of immigrants and refugees and work together to impact public consciousness and end homelessness.

Bibliography

BBC News 2018. “Migrant Caravan: what is it and why does it matter?” Retrieved January 23, 2019 (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-45951782)

Center On Human Rights Education 2018. “The Connection Between Homelessness, Immigration, and Displacement” Center on Human Rights Education. Retrieved January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019 (https://www.centeronhumanrightseducation.org/connection-homelessness-immigration-displacement/)

National Health Care for the Homeless Council 2019. “What is the official definition of homeless?” Nashville, TN. Retrieved January 23, 2019 (https://www.nhchc.org/faq/official-definition-homelessness/)

Tse, Cameran. 2016. “These Maps Document the History of Housing Discrimination in Los Angeles” Retrieved January 23, 2019 (these_maps_document_the_history_of_housing_discrimination_in_los_angeles.php)

Turnbell, Lornet 2010. “Refugees face homelessness all over again in U.S.” The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 23, 2019 (https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/refugees-face-homelessness-all-over-again-in-us/)

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Many people looking into Skid Row from the outside believe that a large amount of its  inhabitants are either drug users or drug dealers. While there are those that use drugs or alcohol, a majority of Skid Row residents that partake in substance abuse did not enter Skid Row due to addiction. In fact, homelessness in Los Angeles’ Skid row is due to a multitude of factors. Examples include such as lack of affordable housing, loss of operational jobs that minorities once had, gentrification, low wages, mental health issues, family problems, and addiction. The stereotype that all homeless people are drug addicts is incorrect and is further perpetuated by the ignorance of onlookers.

A numerous amount of Skid Row drug users did not enter Skid Row with the intentions of turning to drugs. Plenty of people did not even enter Skid Row due to drugs. They tend to use substances to cope with their environment and health issues they have ended up with. Mental health is a huge concern among the homeless community in Skid Row. People tend to self medicate with drugs because they are not able to afford medicine that could help them, and they may not have access to health care. Lack of access to health care and money ties in with self medication for physical pain as well. Many people throughout the entirety of the United States, throughout all economic classes, are found to self medicate for physical pain thus causing the opioid addiction epidemic we are seeing today. Residents of Skid Row face a lot of horrible occurrences on a daily basis, such as abuse at the hands of police, sexual assault in the missions, or violence from other residents. In order to manage their physical and mental pain some people may turn to drugs to suppress those memories or to numb the pain. In order to get along better in the streets some homeless residents could also use drugs to deal with the stressors of daily life in skid row. One could imagine the difficulties of having to sleep outside on the ground and have endless time to think about where they're going to get their next meal from, where they are going to sleep, if they will survive throughout the night, or if they are going to be arrested at any point in time. Because of the stresses of every day in Skid Row, one could understand why people turn to drugs in order to carry on.

Skid Row is an open market for cheap drugs with a multitude of dealers available to target vulnerable residents. The average cost of a single dose of heroin (0.1g) is $15-$20 in the United States. For one gram of crack-cocaine it costs $100. Because weed is now legal in the state of california, it is easier for people to gain access to it. This causes the amount of weed dealers to deplete, thus causes dealers to sell harder drugs for cheaper. Many drug dealers target Skid Row because they know the residents are at risk for drug addiction or are battling with addiction. Along with this, the access to the internet and the Dark Web causes drugs to be easily accessible for dealers and they are able to distribute their product throughout Skid Row.  

The criminalization of drugs has affected more than just addicts in Skid Row and Los Angeles. The “Drug War” in Skid Row has caused the city to allocate more police officers to the Central Division, thus causing taxpayers and the city more money. The harsh illegalization of drugs affects other skid row residents that are not drug users, As mentioned in Forrest Stuart’s book, Down, Out, and Under Arrest: Policing and Everyday Life in Skid Row, the street vendors are greatly affected by addicts. People dealing and using in front of vendors attracts negative attention from police, consequently bringing the police to the vendors area. Once the police are done dealing with the drug users, they usually turn to the vendors and ask them to pack up their work because they are blocking the sidewalk. Vendors hold a sort of animosity toward drug users and therefore end up policing them themselves. Steel and his crew are also affected by negative attention drug users bring, causing Steel and his members to hide away in their hotel rooms, walk down different streets, and take different buses in order to avoid police attention.

The issues of drug addiction throughout Skid Row ultimately stem from an abundance of issues the Los Angeles government has created. Lack of affordable housing, loss of jobs for factory workers, and low wages with high housing prices are a few among the many issues our government could fix in order to end the homelessness issue, and in turn the drug dilemma in Skid Row.

Bibliography: 

What Are the Causes of Alcoholism & Alcohol Abuse? (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2019, from https://www.alcohol.org/alcoholism/the-causes/

Am I vulnerable to opioid addiction? (2018, February 16). Retrieved January 23, 2019, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prescription-drug-abuse/in-depth/how-opioid-addiction-occurs/art-20360372

Bluthenthal, R. (2018). Homelessness among people who inject drugs in Los Angeles. Retrieved January 23, 2019, from https://www.provost.usc.edu/files/2018/05/Ricky-Bluthenthal-Keck-School-of-Medicine-of-USC.pdf

KARLAMANGLA, S. (2016, August 25). 'The cheapest buzz you can get on skid row': Officials try to stop homeless from smoking spice after dozens sickened. Retrieved January 23, 2019, from https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-spice-skid-row-20160824-snap-story.html

Poston, B. (2016, August 19). 18 hospitalized after becoming ill on skid row. Retrieved January 23, 2019, from https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-18-hospitalized-on-skid-row-by-unknown-sustance-20160819-snap-story.html

Castañeda, N. (2017, December 13). Drugs rule Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles. Retrieved January 23, 2019, from https://apimagesblog.com/blog/2017/12/13/homeless-crisis-on-the-coast-drug-addiction

Ravitz, J. (2017, October 28). What two current heroin addicts want you to know. Retrieved January 23, 2019, from https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/26/health/heroin-addicts-allie-johnny/index.html

Life Transformation Programs at Union Rescue Mission. (n.d.). Retrieved January 23, 2019, from https://urm.org/services/ministry/

Lopez, L., & Drechsler, P. (2018, March 19). Gangs of LA on Skid Row. Retrieved January 23, 2019, from https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Gangs-of-LA-on-Skid-Row-474531353.html

Mental Health. (2010, May 24). Retrieved January 23, 2019, from https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/res-vatreatmentprograms.asp

[housingandhomelessnessla-blog]

LA Tenant Rights

Renters in California are granted numerous legal and quality-of-life protections that aren’t available to residents of many other states. However, Many people lack the knowledge and resources to effectively exercise their rights as tenants and protect the places they call home. This article will go over some of the basic rights given to Californian, and more specifically Angeleno, renters and increase awareness of what they��re entitled to as a tenant. To begin with, all humans are obviously entitled to habitable, non-slum housing conditions. This shouldn’t have to be said, but, as a humane issue, people have the right to live in housing with basic resources and amenities such as hot and cold water, heat, non-leaky buildings/without holes in walls and ceilings, pest-free conditions, a working bathroom, etc. While many low-income Angelenos are subject to conditions like this and don’t complain out of fear of getting kicked out, these conditions are absolutely illegal and should be reported to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or, on a more local level, the Housing and Community Investment Department (HCID) to bring the landlord to justice. If these are new or temporary issues, landlords are given a reasonable amount of time to fix the issue (i.e. hiring an exterminator or plumber, buying a new sink or heater, etc.), but are required to start on fixing the problem as soon as possible. Now here’s where the confusing part comes in. Under the California court case Green v. Superior Court, tenants have the right to withhold rent payments as long as their home has a major/emergency (not just an inconvenience) issue that the landlord hasn’t addressed. However, doing so is still considered a sticky situation legally and could result in eviction, landlord retaliation (though this is also illegal! Landlord retaliation for a tenant exercising their rights can also be reported to the HCID) and doing more harm than good in the end. In order to avoid all legal potholes in this process, it’s critical to follow these steps. Keep a paper trail, keep dated correspondence between you and your landlord reporting the issue and any response you get in return. In addition, keep paying your rent during this time and document the issue to strengthen the trail of evidence. It’s also important to take a look at your lease, as this often spells out plainly everything your landlord is responsible for, all in one contract. If they still don’t help, report them to HCID, who will send an inspector and most likely will reprimand your landlord and force them to fix it. If they still don’t fix it, you’re legally in the clear to withhold your rent. You then would sue your landlord for the rest of your paid rent in court, which would be an extremely easy case to win. In addition, there’s also a form of withholding rent where if they refuse to fix the issue, as long as it’s less than your monthly rent, you do this no more than twice a year, you didn’t cause the damage, and you inform your landlord and possibly the court, you can withhold rent equal to the damage caused in order to hire someone to fix it yourself. For when there’s repairs needed or if you’re moving out and your unit is being toured, you have the right to be given 24 hour notice of your landlord entering your home (unless it’s an emergency) and can only come in during normal business hours. If you are moving out, your security deposit is due within 21 days and if there’s any deductions you have the right to a detailed receipt of what exactly they’re for. Rent control and stabilization laws in California are notoriously complex, but for the most part, apartments on lease can only have rent raised once per year, and only by up to 3%. Month to month buildings can have rent raised whenever, but require a 30-day notice usually and a 60-day one if the rent has been raised more than 10% in the last year. Newer buildings and month to month apartments, however, have less protections overall and some even have none altogether. Finally, for those who don’t have the time or resources to fight against landlords on their own, government departments like HCID provide a platform to deal with evictions and report landlords. In addition, groups like the Housing Rights Center provide free counseling and resources to those struggling with their landlord. To add on, if worst comes to worst, local groups like LA Tenants’ Union and Defend Boyle Heights collectively negotiate with landlords, stage rent strikes to protest unfair rent, and provide support to the Angelenos that need it the most. Works cited Anon. n.d. “Defend Boyle Heights.” Katie Couric - You Can Watch #GenderRevolution Right Here,...Retrieved January 20, 2019 (https://www.facebook.com/defendboyleheights/posts/tenants-go-on-rent-strike-in-solidarity-with-mariachis-who-received-eviction-not/1336873686429622/). Anon. n.d. “HCIDLA.” Resiliency: Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Planning | HCIDLA. Retrieved January 21, 2019 (https://hcidla.lacity.org/). Anon. n.d. “LA Tenants Union.” Los Angeles Tenants Union. Retrieved January 21, 2019 (https://latenantsunion.org/en/). Anon. 2018. “Tenants Rights: I-Team Investigation.” NBC Southern California. Retrieved January 18, 2019 (https://www.nbclosangeles.com/on-air/as-seen-on/Tenants-Rights-Iteam-Investigation_Los-Angeles-482747881.html). Anon. n.d. “Your Guide to Renter's Rights in Los Angeles | Doorsteps Rent.” Doorsteps. Retrieved January 18, 2019 (https://www.doorsteps.com/articles/your-guide-to-renters-rights-in-los-angeles). Kuznia, Rob. 2018. “Los Angeles Tenants Increasingly Engaging in Rent Strikes amid Housing Crisis.” The Washington Post. Retrieved January 20, 2019 (https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/los-angeles-tenants-increasingly-engaging-in-rent-strikes-amid-housing-crisis/2018/06/02/6b91c340-65af-11e8-a768-ed043e33f1dc_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.ea0b6706335b). Moskovitz, Myron. 1974. “The Implied Warranty of Habitability: A New Doctrine Raising New Issues.” Retrieved January 20, 2019 (https://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2527&context=californialawreview). Stewart, Marcia. 2015. “California Late Fees, Termination for Nonpayment of Rent, and Other Rent Rules.” Www.nolo.com. Retrieved January 19, 2019 (https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/california-late-fees-termination-nonpayment-rent-other-rent-rules.html). Stewart, Marcia. 2016. “California Tenant Rights to Withhold Rent or ‘Repair and Deduct.’” Www.nolo.com. Retrieved January 19, 2019 (https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/california-tenant-rights-withhold-rent-repair-deduct.html).

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Homelessness Resulting from Natural Disasters

Brandon Tran & Elijah Cooper

Some of the top natural disasters among the United States are Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Maria, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Irma and the Northridge Earthquake. They all cost more than 40 billion dollars in damage with both Katrina and Harvey costing 125 billion dollars. The effects of natural disasters are drastically different for each of the socioeconomic classes. For the people who are in the upper class or the people of extreme wealth are often affected minimally by natural disasters because they are able to evacuate their homes with all of their expensive belongings in a safe amount of time an even if their house is destroyed, they can stay at one of their other homes. Emergency services are also always the quickest in these rich neighborhoods. The middle class contributes most to homelessness during natural disasters because many people that fall under this category own their own home but when it is destroyed, then they have nothing else and nowhere else to go. Emergency services are just as quick, so fatalities are not as high. The lower class is where fatalities are high, people under this class are less likely to have access to shelter in the first place and the emergency services are slow.

Jamie O'neill suddenly became homeless due to the forest fire called The Camp Fire that wiped out Paradise and Natalia, CA but he still had his car and good credit. He was not wealthy enough to buy another home but his status in society had changed drastically and eventually others began looking at his family with a “oh-you-poor-people” look. This felt very unfair because he and his family were not responsible for this misfortune that they faced, in fact it was fully due to the fire. He then suffered from a bad cold after becoming homeless and the factor of being unsheltered from the weather made it even worse.

One day he heard two women talking about the fire that he had lost his house in and one of them said how she wanted to donate to the fire victims, but then the other woman said that the “regular homeless” are taking advantage of the situation and then said how she wouldn’t even know where the money was going if she donated and that it could be given to the people who choose homelessness as a lifestyle. O'neill believes differently. He thinks that if you don’t have assured access to privacy, shelter, warmth, a toilet, or a bed, then you do not choose that lifestyle, rather that misfortune made that choice for you.

In hurricane Harvey and Maria, many Puerto Ricans that were affected and lost their homes did not have flood insurance, so they either had to pay from pocket or apply for FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) aid. FEMA provides disaster assistance that includes emergency medical attention and housing assistance for those that lost their homes from a presidentially declared disaster. If you get a FEMA grant then you receive a check or a direct deposit of money and a letter describing how to spend it. During these two hurricanes, 80-90 percent of homes in Puerto Rico were destroyed.

Hurricane Sandy, which took place on October 29th, 2012, struck New York City and caused large amounts of physical damage along with the disruption of healthcare services and the overall peoples health. There was an increase in visits to the ED (Emergency Department) in areas most vulnerable to flooding in NYC. There was also a statistically significant increase in ED visits regarding homelessness or inadequate housing in the week after Hurricane Sandy. Those accessing the ED for homelessness / inadequate housing were more often the elderly and insured by Medicare after versus before Hurricane Sandy. By tracking the ED visits for homelessness, it can act as a surveillance mechanism to assess post-disaster impacts and how to prepare for them. Homelessness emerged above most medical conditions in ED diagnoses and by conducting this study, they were able to show how emergency departments after natural disasters should not only provide essential medical care but of other needs such as homelessness.

Homeless people are the most vulnerable group in a community when it comes to natural disasters. In addition to the homelessness being exposed and unsheltered to the natural elements, most do not know where to go. In Houston, during Hurricane Harvey, local organization came together and reach out to those unsheltered and let them know their available options. Since those suffering from homelessness most likely are not paying attention to the news, they fall behind in preparation for natural disaster. The emergency shelters relaxed their rules by allowing more in and not turning away anyone. Some homeless people did not want to relocate but because of the threat, the police took them against their will to save their lives. Hurricane Harvey cause Houston’s first rise in the number of individuals experiencing homelessness since 2011, according to the Coalition of the Homeless.

Bibliography

Blumberg, Antonia. “When The Fire Comes And There's No Home To Evacuate And Nowhere To Go.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 16 Dec. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/california-thomas-fire-homeless_us_5a3408a6e4b0ff955ad29a0f.

“The Camp Fire Took My Home. Now I Understand That No One Ends up Sleeping under an Overpass by Choice.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2018, www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-oneil-homelessness-from-the-camp-fire-20181207-story.html.

Guarnieri, Grace. “Natural Disasters Destroyed Thousands of Homes, Worsening America's Housing and Homelessness Crisis in 2017.” Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2017, www.newsweek.com/affordable-housing-homeless-natural-disasters-767129.

“Individual Disaster Assistance.” Emergency Support Function Annexes | FEMA.gov, www.fema.gov/individual-disaster-assistance.

Irfan, Umair, and Brian Resnick. “Megadisasters Devastated America in 2017. And They're Only Going to Get Worse.” Vox.com, Vox Media, 26 Mar. 2018, www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/12/28/16795490/natural-disasters-2017-hurricanes-wildfires-heat-climate-change-cost-deaths.

“Natural Disasters and Homelessness.” National Coalition for the Homeless, National Coalition for the Homeless, nationalhomeless.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Natural-Disasters-and-Homelessness-Fact-Sheet-2009.pdf.

“Natural Hazards Review.” ASCE Library | Civil Engineering and Its Practical Applications, ascelibrary.org/doi/full/10.1061/%28ASCE%29NH.1527-6996.0000208.

“New York, NY.” Local Weather from AccuWeather.com - Superior Accuracy™, www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/what-options-exist-for-the-vulnerable-homeless-community-during-natural-disasters/70005966.

Roos, Dave. “The Deadliest Natural Disasters in U.S. History.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 22 June 2018, www.history.com/news/deadliest-natural-disasters-us-storm-flood-hurricane-fire.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFZc4wCe_wQ.

Roos, Dave. “The Deadliest Natural Disasters in U.S. History.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 22 June 2018, www.history.com/news/deadliest-natural-disasters-us-storm-flood-hurricane-fire.

Lapin, Tamar. “California Wildfires Could Worsen State's Homelessness Crisis.” New York Post, New York Post, 15 Nov. 2018, nypost.com/2018/11/15/california-wildfires-could-worsen-states-homelessness-crisis/.

Video Links:

NewsHour, PBS. “California Housing Shortage Adds Stress for Now-Homeless Fire Victims.” YouTube, YouTube, 20 Oct. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFZc4wCe_wQ.

Pipeline, Hollywood. “Gerard Butler Talks About Losing His House in the California Fires.” YouTube, YouTube, 13 Nov. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xERVJHtNXrU&feature=youtu.be.

Peer Reviewed Sources:

https://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=19&sid=27190583-9d27-4496-a59c-1479e11a89fb%40pdc-v-sessmgr01&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=123449571&db=edb

https://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=4&sid=09edeb66-b172-460b-96bb-75aac68d8874%40sessionmgr4010&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=114604899&db=ofs

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Mental Health and Homelessness

By Nadia Contreras & Moanni Leos

One’s mental well being is vital to their way of life as this affects how they carry out daily activities- such as handling work, maintaining social and personal relationships, but even endangering their own physical health as well. Previously in the early 20th century, the institutionalization of the mentally ill was the norm; but as the development of psychiatric medications increased, so did the advocacy for the abolishment of psychiatric hospitals. These prescription drugs were meant to ease and moderate the symptoms, and with Federal Medicaid and Medicare coming into play, access to these medications became increasingly easier to obtain. In the 1950s, the phenomenon known as deinstitutionalization began, pushing for further rights and better care for patients. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Community Health Act; this caused state mental hospitals to soon cease its practices, and have have patients treated locally in their own communities. But as he was assassinated one month after signing this law, it was never fully funded, ultimately having those who are mentally ill become a societal issue. The New York State Office of Manhattan indicated in 1981 that 75 percent of their homeless population suffered from mental illnesses- 37 percent were alcoholics and 19 percent were schizophrenics.  In 1985, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) estimates that from the 12,000 homeless population of the District of Columbia, 50 percent struggle with “severe mental disorders” (Taylor 1987:207).  Although these numbers may vary, what it tells us that a large quantity of any homeless population suffers from a mental issue. The House of Representatives states that “the vary state of homelessness can cause varying degrees of mental illness in relatively short periods, there may be even larger percentages of the homeless” (Taylor 1987:207). Just the idea of being homeless, can stress anyone out.

Tying this back to our present day, the large number of people visibly on the street has yet to extinguish, but we can clearly see the link between the increasing numbers of homeless along with the number those suffering with a mental illness. In Los Angeles downtown area lies a 50 block of the highest concentration of the homeless population known as Skid Row. According to the Los Angeles Chamber’s Homeless Brochure, 42 percent of the Los Angeles’ homeless resides in Skid Row. Many flock to Skid Row in search of cheap housing and needed resources. Some programs that specifically help the ill include LAMP and the Skid Row Housing Trust. Services include: free meals, laundry and shower services, support groups, individual and group counseling, assistance in obtaining disability, Social Security and other government entitlements, recovery support (including substance abuse counseling and treatment), physical and mental care, chronic disease detection and management, case managers, and job trainings and educational programs. The downside to these programs is that they do not cover all the residents of Skid Row as they are only able to take in several in at a time. As described in the film,  Lost Angels,  Skid Row is seen as an “open asylum”, due to the large quantity of mentally ill taking refuge in its streets. According to LAHSA’s Homeless Count 2018 Report, from the total homeless population of 52,765, 26 percent report a serious mental illness, 15 percent report substance use disorder, and 10 percent report suffering from both. This is only the number that is reported, not everyone is completely honest with themselves nor with surveyors, resulting the exact percentage to be a potentially higher variable.

How LAPD deals mental health with on Skid Row (and other parts of L.A. and the nation), is unjust. Rather than providing resources or sending them to new homes, these homeless are victimized and most often incarcerated in prisons and jails. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, over 50 percent of state incarcerated males and 70 percent females deal with mental health issues.  This has vastly increased the number of people placed into prisons, making the U.S. number one in the world in prison populations. This is linked to the idea that Forrest Stuart defines as “therapeutic policing”-  when police attempt to outreach  residents back onto their feet and into society, similarly to a social worker. Rather than aiding them, this puts the homeless at a disadvantage, giving them criminal backgrounds that many did not have prior. These homeless sweeps do not solve any issues, simply displacing them. These sweeps increased in Skid Row due to the 2006 Safer Cities Initiative, which prompted to reduce crime. Inversely, this caused the relationship between Skid Row residents and police to negatively intensify as fear was spread throughout the community. In 2018, a similar program comprised of LAPD police had assembled, forming the group known as “HOPE”, funded by LAHSA’s Homeless Count Statement. They work to disassemble homeless who live in other areas of Los Angeles, such as Hollywood, Echo Park, Venice, and Koreatown. These “sweeps” destroy people’s “homes”, causing them to lose the few possessions they had and even their personal documentations. The police will publicly blame and shame these citizens. On one account, an anonymous unhoused Angeleno said, “I tried to commit suicide the other  night because (sanitation) took my stuff. I was freezing outside. I was freezing. I thought the only way I could stop this was to cut myself. . . they left me with no money in my pocket and all my stuff gone.” The ones who should be present in these situations, social and mental health workers, are never there during these aggressive sweeps. These sweeps can be seen as people “sweeping the homeless under the rug”. This hides the real issues occuring, rather than solving them simply because those in more affluent communities aren’t too keen on the idea of seeing the homeless in “their backyard”. Police are not social workers, Stuart said during our Skype call, “We have people, social workers, who are trained for stuff like this, happily looking for jobs.” Hiring those who are certified not only benefits the homeless, but it is ultimately also cheaper to hire them rather than using police who are suppose to be protecting us.

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Hope-Team-Seeks-Out-Services-for-LAs-Homeless-497628651.html

(Clearly doesn’t know what’s actually happening)

In order to resolve the homeless crisis, those in politics must also do their part to create policies that effectively aid those who are suffering. Many of the problems that the homeless face are due to the lack of affordable housing, jobs, and the right people handling and “helping” them. We need more places like LAMP and Project 50 to take action and aid more of those lost in the streets with insanity.

Bibliography

Bassuk, Rubin, Lauriat. 1984. “Is Homelessness a Mental Health Problem?”. 1-5.

(http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.477.3953&rep=rep1&type=pdf)

Center For Health Justice. “Lamp Village”. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved January 20, 2019.

(http://www.healthjustice.net/homepage/resources/all-resources/item/22-lamp-village)

Greenberg, Rosenheck. 2008. “ Jail Incarceration, Homelessness, Mental Health: A National

Study”. (https://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/ps.2008.59.2.170)

James, Doris and Glaze, Lauren. September 6, 2006. “Mental Health Problems of Prison and Jail

Inmates”. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved January 20, 2019.

(https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=789)

LAHSA. 2018. “Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count” 2018 Results”. Retrieved January 10,

2019.

LA Chamber. “Homeless Brochure”. Los Angeles, California. LA Chamber. Retrieved January 20, 2019. (http://www.lachamber.com/clientuploads/LUCH_committee/102208_Homeless_brochure.pdf0).

Link, Bruce, Jo Phelan, et al. 1996. “Public Attitudes and Beliefs About Homeless people” in

Homelessness in America ed. Jim Baumohl, Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press. Retrieved January 14, 2019.

Lost Angels 2010. 2015. Youtube. Retrieved January 21, 2019

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB_P3eljq1Y).

Napper, Thomas. 2010. Lost Angels: Skid Row Is My Home. [Documentary]. USA. Retrieved January 14, 2019.

National Public Radio 2009. “'The Soloist': Living With Mental Illness On Skid Row” Retrieved

January 21, 2019 (https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103198515).

Skid Row Housing Trust. “Current Programs and Services.”  Retrieved January 22, 2019

(http://skidrow.org/work/services/current-programs-services/ )

Taylor, Gregory. 1987. “Bitter Freedom:Deinstitutionalization and the Homeless.” Journal of

Contemporary Health Law & Policy 3(1)

Retrieved January 22, 2019 (https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/75ea/5dec7ad18fae84a3648c6aa799af6d03093f.pdf )

The People Concern.” Mental Health Care.” Retrieved January 22, 2019  

[housingandhomelessnessla-blog]

Gentrification in the United States

by Ileana McDonald and Emily Echeverri 

Gentrification

The issue of gentrification is not something new to the United States, but it is something that is in full swing in large cities, such as New York and Los Angeles, at the moment and it is taking a toll on those who have lived in these areas for their whole lives. Although the idea of gentrification may be nice to those who benefit from it, the effects it has on those who aren’t are very impactful on their lives. Cities such as Boyle Heights in Los Angeles and Bushwick in New York are being hit the hardest during this competitive time in the market and minorities are being hit the hardest. Gentrification can be a good thing, but all the chaos it brings to the less fortunate weighs out anything that could be potentially helpful to a city.

Explain it to me like I’m 7:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfOqmSXDAD8&feature=youtu.be

By definition gentrification is, “the process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste.” (Merriam-Webster) It primarily benefits those who are affluent and able to afford high prices of living and forces the struggling working class people to have to relocate. Gentrification is one of the telling signs of the growth machine, in that it promotes growth at an cost, even the cost of people losing their homes and their ties to their neighborhoods. Peter Dreier refers to the fuel of gentrification to be the competition of affluent people against poor people for scarce housing. It is obvious, of course, that those who are benefitting from gentrification are white, and they seem to be washing away all the culture and charm of the neighborhoods they are moving into. The rich history these neighborhoods hold is being stripped away from people who have spent decades trying to preserve it.

Boyz-N-The-Hood :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BadSZDpvq-s#action=share

Gentrification not only impacts those who rent or own homes in the areas already, but it also affects those who are looking for homes. In Los Angeles especially, home prices are increasing at a rate in which only those who are financially stable upper middle class can afford homes. According to LAHSA, the average rent price in Los Angeles has increased by 32% since 2000 compared to the median income of the renter household which has decreased 3% since then. The amount of housing combined with the high prices and low income levels of manual laborers is what is driving those who rent in gentrified areas to be kicked out of their homes. Gentrification hurts those who have worked their entire lives for a home and makes them not be able to afford it anymore. The housing crisis is also what contributes to homelessness in competitive  cities such as Los Angeles and New York because people spend their whole lives in one place and then are expected to just leave once they get kicked out, which is something that harms them emotionally. Gentrification just adds to the whole idea of the growth machine and helps those who are in charge.

One of the reasons that certain urban areas are considered to be appealing for land development and gentrification is because of how ample the culture is in that area. This is due to the fact that these inner city and lower income areas are majority minority populated. Cities filled with years of history rich in culture from generations of minorities building cultural legacies are actually beautiful. Neighborhoods that do possess an abundance of black and Latino culture attract white people who lack these cultural aspects in their own neighborhoods. The beautiful music, people, murals and street art along with the delicious food are enough to attract the bravest of white folks even considering the fact that the storefronts are nearly destroyed and crime runs rampant in the neighborhood. They still move in, and begin to leech off of the culture that the neighborhood provides. Thus begins their effect on the neighborhoods, and the articles titled “Top 10 Restaurants in LA You Didn’t Know About” flood in, along with the white people. Eventually renovations follow, as well as higher prices and new businesses.

As much as white people love black culture, they do not love black people nearly as much. When they move to urban areas they can appreciate the street art and good food, but do not want to enroll their kids in public schools with mostly black kids, even if the schools are high performing. This results in a decline in enrollment in public schools, inevitably resulting in the school being shut down. This is where the major harm in gentrification takes place aside from white people being absolute culture vultures. Schools get shut down and big banks open up where small businesses used to be. The businesses that manage to avoid being bought out end up shutting down anyway due to not being able to afford the rent. And eventually, families can’t afford the rent. People who have lived in the same neighborhood for decades are suddenly struggling because their rent went from $1,500/month to $3,500.

After a few years of this, many of the people of color in the community have moved, if not due to unwanted displacement, then due to the fact that they no longer feel welcome or happy. The old barber shops and restaurants that had been there for years are now banks and boba tea spots. And just on the outskirts of town is the same poverty that always existed, horrible schools, and people of color who have to restart their lives all over again

One of the reasons racism runs so rampant in society is due to stereotypes being reaffirmed or seen in real life. What we need to understand is that literally every disadvancement and struggle that black Americans face can be traced back at the fault of White America. The effects of gentrification on people of color are some of the reasons why people of color are so marginalized and disadvantaged in American society and have to work twice as hard as white people to get half as far. Gentrification takes a massive toll on people’s lives and is a huge problem not just in the United States, but worldwide. Gentrification has been especially rampant in New York, but other cities that are especially affected are Boston, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C. (Huffington Post). To support not only the American economy, but also the American people, we must combat gentrification and resist displacement of marginalized people. Unchecked capitalism only leads to deadening abject poverty which means that we have failed our citizens and failed as a democracy.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Stabrowski, Filip. “Social Relations of Landed Property: Gentrification of a Polish Enclave in Brooklyn.” American Journal of Economics & Sociology, vol. 77, no. 1, Jan. 2018, pp. 29–57. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/ajes.12216.

Reese, Ellen, et al. “‘Weak-Center’ Gentrification and the Contradictions of Containment: Deconcentrating Poverty in Downtown Los Angeles.” International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, vol. 34, no. 2, June 2010, pp. 310–327. EBSCOhost,

Doi:

Dreier, Peter. “Who Benefits From Gentrification?” KCET. September 2017. https://www.kcet.org/shows/city-rising/who-benefits-from-gentrification

Pastor, Manuel. “Gentrification Is About Power, so What’s Community Got to Do with It?” KCET. August 2017. https://www.kcet.org/shows/city-rising/gentrification-is-about-power-so-whats-community-got-to-do-with-it

Carroll, Rory. “Are white hipsters hijacking an anti-gentrification fight in Los Angeles?” The Guardian. October 2017.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/18/los-angeles-gentrification-boyle-heights-race-activism

REESE, E. , DEVERTEUIL, G. and THACH, L. (2010), ‘Weak‐Center’ Gentrification and the Contradictions of Containment: Deconcentrating Poverty in Downtown Los Angeles. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 34: 310-327. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2427.2010.00900.x

Short, Kevin. “The Top 10 Gentrification Capitals Of America” Huffington Post. November 2013. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/07/most-gentrified-cities_n_4234239.html

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/%28ISSN%291468-2427/issues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BadSZDpvq-s#action=share

[housingandhomelessnessla-blog]

Prevention of Homelessness

by Erik Dimas and Roman Aragon

Homelessness is a problem that every city in addresses. Though the majority of the population have housing, there are still thousands of people that do not even have a place to stay the night. The negative effects homelessness casts upon society are numerous, be it physically or psychologically. However, there are programs that try to help bring people who are homeless back into employment to ensure a more comfortable and normal life. These programs are numerous, but there are not many programs that strive to prevent homelessness in the first place. Preventing people from becoming homeless will significantly decrease the rate at which the homeless population grows. Once the rate at which the homeless population grows becomes minimal, the programs designed to bring the homeless back into society will run more efficiently and effectively decrease the overall population of the homeless. By preventing people from becoming homeless, the long-term effects are numerous and positive to society as a whole.

    There are many causes that can eventually lead people into becoming homeless. The most compelling and somewhat hidden cause is unaffordable housing. According to the 2018 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count conducted by LAHSA, since the year 2000, the median rent in Los Angeles County has increased 32% while the median renter household income has decreased 3%. This means that renters have to pay more to live while their income decreases overtime. If renters cannot afford the ever growing housing crisis, they can be evicted by their landlord and become homeless. The Los Angeles Times posted an article that further supports how increased rents lead to homelessness. The Los Angeles Times writer, Gale Holland, states, “Soaring rents pushed thousands into homelessness for the first time, and skyrocketing costs and red tape cast the region’s goal of building 10,000 units of homeless and affordable housing in a decade in doubt.” Not only has the rent increased, but now 10,000 units of potential housing that were planned to be built in a decade have been delayed. This means that everyday citizens can be suddenly homeless if their income abruptly ends. By making the rent into an affordable amount that is closely regulated, the thousands that Holland mentioned who became homeless could have been prevented. A Los Angeles Times article by Doug Smith talks about one approach the L.A. County did to prevent homelessness. Smith writes, “Those deemed eligible for prevention funds could receive cash assistance to pay for rent, security deposits or moving expenses. They could also receive other forms of help, such as legal aid.” Providing financial assistance may seem as a good way to prevent homelessness, but it is only a short-term solution to a problem that has been recurring throughout history. What if someone is not eligible for prevention funds and still needs the assistance? Will they become homeless because they were not eligible? The answer is yes. Assistance may help a few, but there will be many who are not eligible to the funds. Rather than using prevention funds to pay for rent, make the rent affordable so no assistance is required. LAHSA, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, has a homeless prevention program.

Being homeless is something that no one can expect in their life. The prevention of being homeless is something everyone wants to avoid so they wouldn't end up on the streets. There are many opportunities offered by the city and government to help the prevention of homelessness. Families who are close to being homeless can seek help from CalWORKs. CalWORKs stands for California work opportunity and responsibility to kids program. CalWORKs offers temporary and permanent housing assistance. Temporary housing assistance offers temporary homeless shelters for families who are looking for permanent housing. The shelter is provided for 16 calendar days and each family may receive $85 per day and would increase $15 for each child they have. The most they can receive is $145, but this all come with qualifying for temporary housing assistance. Permanent housing helps homeless families secure a payment or help them provide for two months when they get a rent pay notice or quit notice. The wonders of permanent housing assistance is that they cover the security deposits and they also cover the cost of utilities. They don't cover the first month’s rent and overdue utility bills. All this comes with the family qualifying for CalWORKs. These benefits are available once every twelve months and they are some exceptions that can accommodate families.

Another way that the government helps with affordable housing and shelter is the 211 La county website. They offer shelter for single individuals, runaway youths, domestic violence victims, people with disabilities, and for pregnant women. It's a neat page that is easy to use for the people who want to prevent homelessness. This website also offers rental assistance, mortgage assistance, and affordable housing to prevent homeless in Los Angeles. Another Great source for the prevention of homelessness is the HUD website. HUD stands for Housing and Urban development that helps with the needs of homeless people. They offer privately owned subsidized housing which helps apartment owners offer reduced rents to low-income tenants. They also offer public housing for low-income housing, the elderly, and people with disabilities. These all have links to each bolded title with the information they need to contact those sources and find somewhere to stay for the night or for the rest of their lives. They also offer housing choice voucher program (section 8) that if you find your own place the family can use a voucher to be able to pay for all of it or part of it. This all comes if they find affordable housing in which the government can help them pay for.

The overall idea we wanted to portray is the prevention of homelessness. The way to prevent homelessness is to provide affordable housing for the ones in need. There are certain expectations that the homeless people have to pass to be able to get into an affordable housing. Eliminating homelessness will take affordable housing and endless help from the government to make skid row disappear. What is keeping homelessness still intact is the drug addictions, neglecting shelters, and not receiving funds or permission from the government to create more affordable housing.

Bibliography

Burt, M., Pearson, C., & Montgomery, E. (2009). “Strategies For Preventing Homelessness.” Urban Institute, 8-30.

https://www.urban.org/research/publication/strategies-preventing-homelessness/view/full_report

Explore the City of Los Angeles Amended HHH Terms and Regulations 10-18-18: https://hcidla.lacity.org/prop-hhh-terms-regulations

Holland, G. (2018, December 28). Los Angeles spends big to end homelessness, but the crisis drags on. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-na-yir-homeless-yearend-20181228-story.html

Homeless Assistance(HA) Program Fact Sheet. (n.d). Retrieved from http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dpss/1009938_HomelessAssistanceFactSheet(12-15-16)FINAL.pdf

Homelessness Prevention Program. (n.d). Retrieved from http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/sapc/Event/HomelessServices/050318/HomelessPreventionProgramandContacts.pdf

HUD Affordable Housing. (n.d). Retrieved from https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/homeless

LAHSA. 2018. “Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count: 2018 Results” Multimedia

Link, Bruce, Jo Phelan, et al. 1996. “Public Attitudes and Beliefs About Homeless People” in Homelessness in America ed. Jim Baumohl, Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.

Multimedia (2015). Preventing Homelessness: The Best Return on Investment  [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T9saq8hBcU [Accessed 22 Jan. 2019].

Preventing Homelessness. (n.d). Retrieved from https://www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/homelessness-101/preventing-homelessness

Smith, Doug. (2017, May 03). L.A. Country considers another path on homelessness:prevention. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-homeless-prevention-20170503-story.html

211 LA County. (n.d). Retrieved from https://www.211la.org/housing

[housingandhomelessnessla-blog]

Volunteer and Community Engagement

Destiny Munoz

SOC 290

Due January 23, 2019

Community Engagement and volunteerism is an important factor towards the issue of homelessness, even in Los Angeles, known as the city of Angels. Volunteering is defined as to act in recognition of a need, with an attitude of social responsibility and without concern for monetary profit, going beyond one’s basic obligations. Community engagement is defined as the process of working collaboratively with community groups to address issues that impact the well-being of those groups. Volunteering and community engagement is important because not only is it bringing awareness to the issue of homelessness, but it is also steers away the negative stereotypes of homeless people being dangerous criminals. Despite of the many efforts of volunteering and being engaged, volunteers tries to help provide housing for the homeless, however these homeless people go back to the streets because they feel as if they belong on the streets, due to being outed by society for such a long period of time. There are many opportunities to be a volunteer involving homelessness: volunteering with organizations that focuses on homelessness (Catholic Worker, People Concern);volunteering in soup kitchens (St. Matthais); starting your own service to help the homeless (Pauly’s Project, Beauty 2 the Streetz, possible service learning project); teaching a class about homelessness.

How to become a volunteer for the People Concern:

People Concern is a group that helps those that are homeless for different reasons, such as fleeing a domestic violence or facing a financial hardship

1: Complete an online volunteer application form

2: After sending the application, you will receive a list of orientation dates. You have to select a date to attend because it is mandatory for volunteers to attend

3: Provide a proof of negative TB test result within the the past year

4: Complete and submit the background check form provided at orientation. Background takes around at 2 weeks

5: Once paperwork has cleared, a Volunteer Relation officers will contact you to determine the best fit for your schedule

Bibliography

Los Angeles Catholic Worker 2019. “Volunteering.” Los Angeles, CA: Catholic Worker. Retrieved January 21, 2019. (http://lacatholicworker.org/visiting-and-volunteering).

The People Concern. “Volunteer.” Los Angeles, CA: The People Concern. Retrieved January 21, 2019. https://www.thepeopleconcern.org/volunteer.php

Clark, Alfred M. 2016. “Homelessness and the crisis of affordable housing: the abandonment of a federal affordable housing policy.” American Bar Association 25.1:85. Retrieved January 22, 2019. http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.whittier.edu/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T002&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=AdvancedSearchF orm&currentPosition=2&docId=GALE%7CA474547427&docType=Article&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=&prodId=AONE&contentSet=GALE%7CA474547427&searchId=R5&userGroupName=whit75390&inPS=true

Beauty 2 the Streetz. 2018. “Our Mission.” Retrieved January 22, 2019.https://www.beauty2thestreetz.org/

Pauly’s Project. 2015. “About.” Retrieved January 22, 2019.http://www.paulysproject.org/about.html

Snow, David and Leon Anderson. 1993. “The Subculture of Street Life” from Down their Luck: A Study of Homeless Street People. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. 

[housingandhomelessnessla-blog]

The Harsh Reality of Homeless Veterans

Aaron Legaspi

Trevor Seifen

SOC 290

Professor Miller

Due Date: January 23, 2019

                         The Harsh Reality of Homeless Veterans

  Individuals, male or female, who have served our country deserve the utmost respect from every person in the U.S. for ensuring protection from any threat that may exist outside of America. Serving the U.S Army or Navy takes a lot of courage and pride. Every day these veterans are faced with dangers being outside of U.S. soil. When in war with another country, U.S. soldiers were faced with the fact that their lives hang in the balance. A main theme veterans have been through is terrorism. With terrorist attacks occurring on U.S. soil, a main priority when dealing with these issues is with the help of the Army and Navy intelligence. Many of these conflicts solved by soldiers entering dangerous territories outside the U.S. and capturing or in some cases, killing the wanted terrorist. Although their lives were at risk serving their country, these individuals stood up to the enemies and never backed down. Fear was never an option for soldiers. Overall, these veterans knew what was at stake when they joined the Army or Navy. Veterans served the U.S. with honor and understood that their life was at stake when joining the military. With all these risks, why are veterans are being mistreated and ending up on the streets they once protected from all harm outside the country?

    Let’s begin once a veteran decides it’s time to go home for good. After retirement from the Army or Navy, a veteran is qualified to many benefits. One of these major benefits is retirement pay. For retirement pay, a veteran pay is based on how many years he or she serves, and when the individual enlisted into the Army or Navy. Retirement pay can be upwards of $60,000 per year according to The Military Wallet. Others benefits a veteran receives includes health and dental care. Veterans health and dental expenses are covered due to these benefits. With all these benefits being included once you retire from the Army or Navy, there are still thousands of cases of veterans living on the streets and not getting the proper care they deserve for serving the United States. Due to the rise of housing prices and not enough social network support, these benefits can only do so much for veterans to live a normal life outside the Army or Navy.

    According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there were an estimated 40,000 retired veterans that are currently homeless all across the United States. Many of the homeless veterans are between a variety of ages, with data consisting of individuals as early as teenage years. A majority of homeless veterans are single. According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, most of the homeless veterans are male and most the homeless population consist of 45% of African American and Latino race. Many of these men or women who are living on the streets have mental illness, alcohol issues, and other disorders. So why are these veterans not being properly taken care of? For someone who protected the country from any harm, it is hard to believe the after-life is harsh for many veterans. I find it frustrating that there are veterans out of the street in a poverty states and little to none is being done to solve this major issue in the United States. All veterans deserve a better post Army or Navy life and should not be on the streets struggling to survive after protecting our country. In hand with attempting to adjust from non-military life the average homeless person is twice as likely to deal with mental health and/or drug abuse than the average homeless individual. Usually sending them to feel ashamed about needing help or no longer qualify for some of their benefits. If there was a focus on reintegrating all of our veterans into society while regularly checking up on their mental health so that they will not be left on the streets to handle themselves.

This is what the United States Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) is left to handle. The department was established in 1865 with the mission statement: “Honor America’s Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.” The program provides veterans with access to health programs (Dental health, Mental health, and  Sensory aids), Debt management centers, and Rehabilitation programs. Although these programs usually had many requirements that the injured or discharged could not meet because they were waiting for their cases to be processed so they were left on the street without family support especially in Skid Row in 2013 when the veteran homeless population was at its peak. 

The main source of help came from the American Legion who went down the streets helping homeless veterans by understanding their circumstance and providing them with the resources they could like another phone number to call that would handle their injury claims more serious. Stuart stressed the idea when we talked to him in class that we have enough money for the problem, but we need to put it in to all the right places with the correct motives behind each program. Examples with these focuses are found on LAHSA with their mission to redesign VA programs to target chronically homeless veterans and creating a country wide peer network support system.

Once Veteran Affairs gets the proper funding and programs for veterans to be automatically entered into so that there would not be so many delays because the people who are fighting for our freedom, should not have to fight to live in the same country.

Bibliography

National Alliance to End Homelessness, “Veteran Homelessness,” 22 April, 2015

Website: https://endhomelessness.org/resource/veteran-homelessness/

Hjelmstad, Michael, 2015, “A Night on Skid Row with LA’s Homeless Veterans,” The American  Legion, April 2, 2015

Website: https://www.legion.org/homelessveterans/226723/night-skid-row-las-homeless-veterans

National Coalition for Homeless Veteran, “FAQ About Homeless Veterans,” 2018

Website: http://nchv.org/index.php/news/media/background_and_statistics/

Stuart, Forrest, “Down, Out, & Under Arrest,” The University of Chicago Press, 2016

National Alliance to End Homelessness, “Veteran Homelessness,” 22 April, 2015

Website: https://endhomelessness.org/resource/veteran-homelessness/

Military Benefits, “Military Retirement Benefits,” 8 July, 2018

Website: https://militarybenefits.info/military-retirement-benefits/

LAHSA, “Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count,” 31 May, 2018

Baker, Jason F. and Philip M. Roberts. 2012. Women Veterans: Housing and Health Care Concerns. New York: Nova Science. Retrieved January 21, 2019.

Pearl, Libby. 2015. “Congressional Research Service.” Veterans and Homelessness.

US News, 2018, “Officials: US Veteran Homelessness Declines 5 Percent,” November 1, 2018

Website: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/california/articles/2018-11-01/us-veteran-homelessness-declines-5-pct-in-2018-to-38-000

[housingandhomelessnessla-blog]

Special Populations: Youth Homelessness

by Kuala Picon and Maddie Reasin 

The exact number of children, teens and young adults who are homeless in the United States is very difficult to count because many of them sleep in cars, couch surf, or are sleeping on the streets in groups and areas not visible to the whole public. In addition, young adults and teens are highly mobile and do not stay in one shelter, or area for long before moving to find food and shelter again for the next night. That’s why it is impossible to get the exact number of youth who are experiencing homelessness. In 2018, there was 36,361 homeless youth counted on a single night. 89% were between the ages of 18 to 24, 11% were under the age of 18. From this population of homeless youth, 51% are unsheltered; sleeping outside, in a car, or someplace not meant for human habitation.

The main causes of youth homelessness include poverty, housing insecurity, family conflict, major trauma that leads to mental health issues, substance abuse, and children who had involvement in child welfare or juvenile justice systems. The most vulnerable youth are those who identify LGBT with estimated 1.6 million, between 20 and 40 percent are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, are pregnant or parents, have disabilities, or youth of color, with African-American and Native American youth who are more likely to become homeless than any other group. Here are a few stories from the major groups of youth who are facing homelessness.

JoJo’s shares her struggle being a transgender woman, homeless in LA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIYaiiKcovw

Invisible population of homeless College Students:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/homelessness-on-campus-the-toughest-test-faced-by-tens-of-thousands-of-college-students-in-america/  

Covenant House: Supporting Homeless Youth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUfNbNBFwRI  

Recommend watching a few minutes from

8:20 - 9:40

24:38

36:00

Being homeless takes a toll on children's minds from an early age with the instability of housing that builds distrust and insecurities about themselves and towards those around them. It was found that 1 in 5 homeless preschoolers have emotional problems that require professional care. Some homeless youth have run away from home due to abuse or conflict, with a quarter of them who have witnessed violence and 22% have been separated from their families. No matter the cause of their homelessness, many of these children face mental health issues including anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

One of the most major aspects included in being homeless is being hungry, it was found that homeless children are twice as likely to experience hunger as their non-homeless peers. In 2018, 57% of homeless kids spend at least one day every month without food. Hunger from a young age into adulthood leads to various developmental issues that hinder all aspects of the child's physical and mental abilities. From the begging, a malnourished mother can lead to premature births and developmental delays in the fetus. In infancy to early childhood, the failure to get the right nutrients and necessary amounts of food leads to the failure to grow and reach major developmental milestones, which affects 5-10 percent of American children under the age of three. In childhood, not only are homeless children unable to get the vital nutrients for their growth, but it also is the begging of where hunger not just affects the developmental aspects but reaches out to mental and social aspects of their life. They found in a recent study that hungry children were more likely to exhibits behaviors of fighting, blaming others for problems, having trouble with a teacher, not listening to rules, and stealing because many feel embarrassed or stigmatized for the lack of food.

Along with being homeless, the lack of instability of location and resources hinders their education, where it is often delayed or interrupted, and these homeless children are twice as likely to have a learning disability, repeat a grade or to be suspended from school. Homelessness has a major impact on youth starting with their mental health. The rates of major depression, PTSD and anxiety were found to be 3 times higher than the general population. Many of these homeless youth display self-harming behaviors from cutting, burning, to self-tattooing to deal with the trauma they have faced. Along with self-harm, suicide is one of the leading cause of deaths among street youth where only about 9% of them have access to mental health services. And many of these youth from a young age start to abuse alcohol and drugs as a means to cope with life on the streets and the reasons that put them there. It was found that about 30 to 40% of youth reported to using alcohol and 40 to 50% reposted having used drugs, yet only at most 15% of these youth find treatment and support to fight substance abuse.

Growing up on the streets, homeless youth have to find their own way to meet their basic needs, many youths join gangs, prostitution rings, sell drugs and/ or steal to support themselves. These young adults are often criminalized for minor offenses, and instead of providing housing and basic needs and support to get a job and start a better life which would cost about 5,887$ each homeless youth, the criminal justice systems instead spends 53,765 to place a homeless youth into the criminal justice system. These young might be breaking the law in order to live and survive, but in many cases, homeless youth are more likely to be the victim than the perpetrator and often find themselves the victims of physical and sexual assault and robbery. The rate of trauma and rape among unaccompanied youth are three times higher than the general population

As the homeless unaccompanied youth are also growing up on these streets, they are more exposed to unsafe sex and other problems that come along with it. Especially those “participate” in survival sex where sex is exchanged for money, shelter, food and other necessities. One-third of youth homeless reported having participated in survival sex and was found that of the youth on the streets, 95% said the average age for starting to have sex was 13. Along with survival sex and other instances of sexual intercourse, homeless youth are three times more likely to be pregnant, have impregnated someone or already be a parent. Unsafe sex is caused by having little knowledge or access to birth control, condoms and other contraceptive methods when living on the streets. There are little resources and places to have access to necessary information to avoid pregnancies, to have safe sex without spreading STDs and other sexually transmitted diseases. Unaccompanied youth are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with HIV or die from AIDS and between 5 and 13 percent of unaccompanied youth are living with HIV.

Homeless youth face the cruel cycle of homelessness into adulthood due to little access to necessary resources in education and employment. Little access to education is a major barrier that keeps homeless youth from being able to get a job due to the lack of school degree, skill sets and other necessary requirements set in place for finding and getting a job. With these barriers, many homeless young adults can't support themselves financially in order to leave the cycle of homeless. In other instances, the youth who do get jobs don't make liveable wages and have great difficulty in competing with other young adults who have had access to opportunities for education, stable housing, and other basic needs.

Many of the homeless youth are also ingrained into the foster care system, many whose parents are incarcerated, homeless, or have passed away. In the United States every year, there is about 20,000 youth in the foster care system who are left to care for themselves because they are too old or no longer qualify to be placed with foster families. These young adults mostly have not finished high school and many do not have jobs or experience to keep themselves off the streets. And the rates of unemployment, criminalization, health issues and homeless are much higher, especially when there are no support systems in place by the government to help children who have aged out of foster care. More than 25% of former foster children become homeless within two to four years of leaving the system.

Bibliography

Bassuk, E. L., Richard, M. K., & Tsertsvadze, A. (2015). Review: The Prevalence of Mental Illness in Homeless Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 54, 86–96.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2014.11.008

Homelessness on campus. (2019, January 20). Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/homelessness-on-campus-the-toughest-test-faced-by-tens-of-thousands-of-college-students-in-america/  

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth: An epidemic of homelessness. (2014, October 07). Retrieved from http://www.thetaskforce.org/lgbt-youth-an-epidemic-of-homelessness/  

Lopez, S. (2018, December 22). At 19, he's still searching for the home he's never had.Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lopez-dimitri-20181222-story.html

Mohan, E., & Shields, C. M. (2014). The Voices Behind the Numbers: Understanding the Experiences of Homeless Students. Critical Questions in Education, 5(3), 189. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.whittier.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=99834498&site=eds-live

People, I. (2018, July 07). Retrieved January 23, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIYaiiKcovw

The issues. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.covenanthouse.org/homeless-teen-issues/foster-care

Youth and Young Adults. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/who-experiences-homelessness/youth/

[housingandhomelessnessla-blog]

Housing and Homelessness in South Africa

By Carly Stevens

South Africa’s population is about 53 million with a homeless population of roughly 200,000. The structural mechanisms which cause homelessness in the United States are present in South Africa with many parallels between Los Angeles and Cape Town. South Africa was previously ruled by a system of institutionalized racial segregation. Essentially, the state’s white minority population was in power and benefited from the repression of Black Africans, Asian South Africans, and the Coloureds, which is a multiracial ethnic group. Individuals were classified as White, Black, Coloured or Indian and had limited privileges based on the classification. Most notably, there were many neighborhoods designated white or non-white. Today, the poorest parts of the cities, the townships, are neighborhoods which only non-whites could live in. The impacts of apartheid on neighborhoods in South Africa makes an interesting parallel to the effects of redlining in Los Angeles. The consequences of both policies are seen today.

It is important to understand the difference between street dwellers and shack dwellers in South Africa because shack dwellers are not considered homeless. Shack dwellers typically live in townships, frequently referred to as townships. These cities are typically located in the outskirts of town. Specifically, in South Africa, shack dwellers are less excluded from social policies. They are typically targeted for social security and other government aid, such as child grants and disability. Street dwellers do not have access to these services, because they lack a permanent address. Shack dwellers also have more benefits related to home ownership and increased access to jobs.

I am particularly interested in the parallels between gentrification in Cape Town and Los Angeles. When I traveled to Bo Kaap, a neighborhood designated for Cape Malay, or Cape Muslim under apartheid, the impacts of gentrification were already noticeable. I bought a smoothie for R500, which is roughly $7.00. There is an increasing fear that gentrification will destroy the community as luxury apartments and hotels are planned to be built in the area. Gentrification is also raising the costs of living and forcing people out of their homes in Woodstock, another mixed neighborhood under apartheid. The struggles of these neighborhoods in Cape Town mimic the ones faced by South Central and Boyle Heights in Los Angeles.

Coupled with gentrification, there are neoliberal efforts to improve Cape Town and increase property values. Cape Town, South Africa mimics attempts made by Los Angeles to eradicate homelessness and keep the streets “safe.” Cape Town has City Improvement Districts, also known as a Special Ratings Area. Property owners in these areas agree to pay a higher tax in exchange for supplementary and complementary services to alleviate crime and improve aesthetics. In Los Angeles, we refer to these districts as BIDs or Business Improvement Districts. They are also funded by property owners in a certain area to increase property values. This is basically removing homeless to allow for more gentrification to take place. The CIDs and BIDs are neoliberal examples of therapeutic policing. The people promoting and encouraging these districts are only investing in themselves and their own self-interest, not in the interest of the community.

South Africa is significantly lacking in research regarding the homeless problem as a whole in their country. Many of the studies I have come across are localized to the larger cities such as Cape Town and Johannesburg, which is not reflective of the country as a whole. Despite these limitations, it is apparent from the research that homeless South Africans are stigmatized by similar misconception as homeless Americans. I do not think it is a stretch to conclude that the same mechanisms that are work in Los Angeles are at work in South Africa, and globally. Understanding transnational similarities in causes of homelessness are vital in working towards a solution.  

Here is a short video to understand how Cape Town is working to get people off the streets. 

Bibliography

Anon. n.d. “Homelessness in South Africa.” Cape Town Project Center. Retrieved January 20, 2019 (https://wp.wpi.edu/capetown/projects/p2015/service-dining-rooms/background/homelessness-in-south-africa/).

Burke, Jason. 2018. “In the Cape Town Enclave That Survived Apartheid, the New Enemy IsGentrification.” The Guardian. Retrieved January 22, 2019 (https://www.theguardian.c om/world/2018/aug/19/cape-town-bo-kaap-muslim-enclave-gentrification).

Cohen, Micheal. 2018. “Homelessness Spreads in Cape Town as ‘Wheels Have Fallen Off’ South Africa's Economy .” Bloomberg.com. Retrieved January 21, 2019 (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-18/cape-town-grapples-with-rising-homelessness-as-economy-flags).

Multimedia (2018). Could this be an Answer to Homelessness in Southern African Cities? [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c0ZqVF00Kw [Accessed 18 Jan. 2019].

Roets, Leon et al. 2016. “A Synthesis of Homelessness in South Africa: A Rapid Critical  Appraisal.” Development Southern Africa 33:613–27.

[housingandhomelessnessla-blog]

Homeless Women in America

By: Bergen Flom and Amelia Bell

In 2017 the City of Los Angeles had a homeless count of 31,285. Two out of three people who are currently homeless are male. The high rate of homelessness among men should show us how our ideas of gender are broken. Gender roles are rooted out of certain behavioral expectation that are based on one’s gender. For example, in our society men who are living on the streets are not living up to the hegemonic ideas of masculinity. Our society tells men to suck it up, be strong, and be a man. We tell women they are pretty, vulnerable, and inherently in need of help. This results in varying survival strategies when it comes to homelessness. Men are less likely to be offered help than women (as reflected in the data) because men are perceived to be more self-sufficient. Both masculinity and femininity can be used on the streets as both a privilege and a weapon depending on the situation and circumstances. For women, they are able to mobilize the resources that come with femininity.

However, once a woman is viewed as less feminine, it's harder for them to have access to resources to getting off the streets. An example of this is when a woman ages.  A 2016 survey conducted to find out homeless women’s needs in DTLA found that more than half of all survey respondents (60.2%) were age 51 and over, a nearly 8% increase from 2013 (52.4%), and a 13% increase from 2010 (47%).  

Police give a lot of attention to “saving” women. Forrest Stuart touches on this in chapter 2 of Down Out and Under Arrest when he talks about the police’s efforts to “protect vulnerable future clients.” The police explained the importance of focusing on women because they are easy targets for crime and victimization on the streets. A cop explained how the longer the women are in Skid Row, the more they get abused and lose trust in people because everyone takes advantage of them. Amelia Bell and Bergen Flom have coined the term “damsel in distress syndrome”. This syndrome is based in gender expectations surrounding a woman’s need to be “saved”. This makes it easier for women in places like Skid Row to have access to resources because they are naturally viewed as more vulnerable and in need of assistance. The men are more likely to be left to “man up” and fend for themselves.

Andy Bales is the CEO of Union Rescue Mission. Union Rescue Mission was founded in 1891 and this Christian organization works to get women and children off the streets of Skid Row. Andy discusses how, “There are over 300 registered sex offenders in just a few block area surrounding Union Rescue Mission.” Due to the alarming rate of sexual offenders in such a contained area, their primary focus is in housing women and children and not men. While it may seem that this organization is supporting the “damsel in distress syndrome in reality it’s not, as women and families are fastest growing homeless population.

Homeless women often require different needs and expenses than homeless men. For example, they may need affordable childcare, gynecological and prenatal care, and health and mental services for those who are victims of domestic violence. People often forget that homeless women still get their periods and would feel more comfortable and dignified in a bra. An organization called “I Support the Girls” is dedicated to restoring dignity in homeless women by donating bras and tampons so they don’t have to compromise between a meal and a box of tampons.  This video made by Bustle’s YouTube channel shows the lengths homeless women are forced to go to to keep up their hygiene when they get their period.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABch4VYOJZ0    

Things such as wage discrepancies and job discrimination sometimes affect women’s ability to find work. This disproportionately affects women of color, specifically black women, who are also disproportionately affected by homelessness. This is no coincidence. The intersectional situation that black women face is unique and especially detrimental to their success at getting out of homelessness. The Downtown Women’s Assessment surveyed women in downtown LA and found that African-American women surveyed were far more likely to experience chronic homelessness and to face violence.

Women are also often seen as solely responsible for children. Taking care of children is wildly expensive and dealing with the emotional stress of losing your child to child protective services is traumatizing. Domestic violence is one of the main drivers into homelessness for women. More than half (55%) of the Downtown Women’s Assessment survey respondents had experienced domestic abuse. Due to a lack of safe, affordable housing options, these women are often forced to choose between remaining with their abuser or becoming homeless. About 6% of the homeless population in the greater Los Angeles area is fleeing domestic violence.  

Places like Downtown Women’s Center (DWC) in Los Angeles fight to provide dignity and resources to homeless women. DWC is the only center in Los Angeles that focuses solely on women’s needs and all women, including trans women, who come through the doors receive 3 meals a day, clean bathrooms & showers, a change of clothes, an address to receive mail, a safe place to socialize, and personal case management services to help connect women to housing. The center is not a shelter but does offer 119 permanent housing units in Skid Row.

While there are lower rates of homeless women than men, it doesn’t imply that their experiences are any easier. They’re just different and tough to compare to a man’s experience. Not all women have access to these resources simply because they are women. Forrest discusses how in South Chicago women are used by gangs to “enhance their performances of innocence” (260). Male gang members would throw their arms around a woman’s shoulder whenever cops drive by, to make the impression that they’re romantically involved. In this sense, women become “props” and are used as objects to keep the police at bay.  Forrest also mentions how street vendors in Skid Row do not want women around because of their heightened police attention usually surrounding around the assumption that women are prostituting.  Prostitution is an easy way for police to criminalize women to get then off the streets and consequently out of danger.  However, men are more likely to experience chronic homelessness than women. It is important to recognize that because some resources cater to only women and children, homeless men can be at a disadvantage because they are seen as a failure to hegemonic masculinity-- therefore solely responsible for their homelessness.

Bibliography:

About the Downtown Women’s Center. 2017. YouTube. Retrieved January 23, 2019 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=59&v=r57Z_fHQmuc).

Bassuk, Ellen L. 1993. “Homeless Women--Economic and Social Issues: Introduction.” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 63(3):337–39.

The Bra Fairy. 2016. Youtube. Retrieved January 23, 2019 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=52&v=5KNrNhg-2lQ).

Buckner, John C. 1993. “Mental Health Issues Affecting Homeless Women: Implications for Intervention.” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 63(3):385–99.

Downtown Women's Action Coalition. 2016. “Downtown Women's Needs Assessment 2016.” Los Angeles Community Action Network. Retrieved (http://cangress.org/publications/community-research/).

DWC. 2017. “2017 Annual Report.” Downtown Women’s Center. Retrieved January 22, 2019 (https://www.downtownwomenscenter.org/2017-annual-report/).

How Do Homeless Women Cope With Their Periods?. 2016. YouTube. Retrieved January 23, 2019 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABch4VYOJZ0).

LAHSA. 2018. “2018 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count Presentation.” Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. Retrieved January 22, 2019 (https://www.lahsa.org/documents?id=2059-2018-greater-los-angeles-homeless-count-presentation.pdf).

Mission, Union Rescue. 2011. YouTube. Retrieved January 23, 2019 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rUpe-bjtl4).

Support the Girls. n.d. “About Us.” Support The Girls. Retrieved January 22, 2019 (https://isupportthegirls.org/).