"the first and only bit of stability since I became homeless"
May 11, 2021 10:39 AM Subscribe
A few stories of houseless New York City residents who have lived in hotels for the past year thanks to the #HomelessCantStayHome campaign.
Hmmm these stories are all really positive. I think there might be something to be learned from this disaster. Follow me with this, it might blow your fucking mind - the solution to homelessness might be giving people a place to live.
lol nothing will be learnt
posted by adept256 at 1:24 PM on May 11, 2021 [9 favorites]
lol nothing will be learnt
posted by adept256 at 1:24 PM on May 11, 2021 [9 favorites]
Yes, the only solution to homelessness is housing - and the market will not, has not ever in the history of human urban living - provided. Even vouchers obviously cannot provide. We have to build it and maintain it as a simple common good.
I read these and I'm so happy for these people - and so worried about how what they've built will break down if they don't find stable housing. And so angry at a system where someone can work as an upholsterer or a delivery driver (or anything! or not be able to work) and still not be able to afford housing.
posted by jb at 4:47 PM on May 11, 2021 [4 favorites]
I read these and I'm so happy for these people - and so worried about how what they've built will break down if they don't find stable housing. And so angry at a system where someone can work as an upholsterer or a delivery driver (or anything! or not be able to work) and still not be able to afford housing.
posted by jb at 4:47 PM on May 11, 2021 [4 favorites]
This is good news, and what timing. I just learned today that Seattle's been doing the same for the past year, and is going to expand its efforts to housing 1600 people. It feels like the first actual concrete steps we've taken to actually address the issue here.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 10:06 PM on May 11, 2021
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 10:06 PM on May 11, 2021
On The Nib, The Emergency we've accepted by Amber Cortes and Carl Nelson.
posted by freethefeet at 10:33 PM on May 11, 2021
posted by freethefeet at 10:33 PM on May 11, 2021
Chicago didn't do this (some of suburban cook county did, but not in Chicago) . There were isolation hotels for 14 day isolation periods and were explicitly designed to exclude: drug history, mental illness, smoke, have diabetes which required insulin (OK, they stopped that rule) and a bunch of other requirements that made them not options for homeless adults. With the population I work with we pretty much stopped referring b/c no one could get in. They did convert an existing shelter space to meet isolation requirements for covid + adults that was much more lenient in acceptance requirements, and then another one popped up a bit later.
Anyway, at first it was insane because they halved shelter capacity (I'm not sure what the exact numbers were in this case honestly but it felt like halved), and if someone left a shelter for any reason they simply couldn't get back into one. Trains were packed with homeless people who couldn't find places to go. There was no where to go. The shelter system in Chicago is centralized, you call the number, it's assigned and they reach out when a beds available, which means someone needs to stay in the same location or have reliable access to a phone to be able to recieve a bed. When the wait times are past a few hours, homeless people can't wait. Designated pick up spots (prior) where hospitals (and all the reasons why that's a bad idea during a pandemic)Or police stations, and 1) all the reasons why people of marginalized and discriminated against populations don't want to talk to police. 2) getting people to wait at police stations is hard enough 3) police also tell them they couldn't wait there either all the time .
City of Chicago did wise up and waived the pick up location requirement but it didn't solve the communication that is needed for many adults without phones, and also the whole being a place to stay for a few days to acccess shelter isn't really a feasible thing? People don't/didn't have that?
It took almost a year to get sorted and shelters running reasonably again. Chicago did push for vaccination of homeless and lots of testing in the community which has helped. They did a good job of mobilizing health outreach teams to provide masks, health care and things.
They did open a shelter which meets isolation requirements. Some other neat things and initiatives happened for DV shelters and families here and there, but really didn't address the single older adult population that i tend to work with.
Overall I'm really upset that Chicago didn't take the time or effort to try out vouchers more liberally. I wish they had. I hope someone does some analysis on the outcomes between the suburban cook county adults in shelters that did chose the hotel route options vs what happened in the city .
posted by AlexiaSky at 11:42 PM on May 11, 2021 [4 favorites]
Anyway, at first it was insane because they halved shelter capacity (I'm not sure what the exact numbers were in this case honestly but it felt like halved), and if someone left a shelter for any reason they simply couldn't get back into one. Trains were packed with homeless people who couldn't find places to go. There was no where to go. The shelter system in Chicago is centralized, you call the number, it's assigned and they reach out when a beds available, which means someone needs to stay in the same location or have reliable access to a phone to be able to recieve a bed. When the wait times are past a few hours, homeless people can't wait. Designated pick up spots (prior) where hospitals (and all the reasons why that's a bad idea during a pandemic)Or police stations, and 1) all the reasons why people of marginalized and discriminated against populations don't want to talk to police. 2) getting people to wait at police stations is hard enough 3) police also tell them they couldn't wait there either all the time .
City of Chicago did wise up and waived the pick up location requirement but it didn't solve the communication that is needed for many adults without phones, and also the whole being a place to stay for a few days to acccess shelter isn't really a feasible thing? People don't/didn't have that?
It took almost a year to get sorted and shelters running reasonably again. Chicago did push for vaccination of homeless and lots of testing in the community which has helped. They did a good job of mobilizing health outreach teams to provide masks, health care and things.
They did open a shelter which meets isolation requirements. Some other neat things and initiatives happened for DV shelters and families here and there, but really didn't address the single older adult population that i tend to work with.
Overall I'm really upset that Chicago didn't take the time or effort to try out vouchers more liberally. I wish they had. I hope someone does some analysis on the outcomes between the suburban cook county adults in shelters that did chose the hotel route options vs what happened in the city .
posted by AlexiaSky at 11:42 PM on May 11, 2021 [4 favorites]
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As for the article itself.. imagine trying to find housing in New York City for $1,200 or $1,250 per month... the mind boggles at the sheer, callous inadequacy of the vouchers. I'm delighted that those profiled who are experiencing homelessness have been able to remain safe and have accomplished so much (nearly finishing a cybersecurity course! making tie-dye T-shirts as a side hustle! being able to obtain and keep safe needed medications!), yet I'm profoundly worried for what will come next.
posted by cheapskatebay at 1:02 PM on May 11, 2021 [5 favorites]