#21: Falling Through the Safety Net.
Meeting immediate as well as systemic challenges.
A version of this post appeared in the December 20th issue of The Commons.
It’s a little longer than usual. There was a lot to cover.
I appreciate questions, comments, and corrections,
Often people feel that it’s necessary to choose between giving money to someone holding a cardboard sign and donating to a non-profit organization. From my perspective, it’s not an either/or choice.
Nonprofit organizations do their best to provide long-term solutions to chronic issues of shelter, hunger, transportation, clothing, medical care, etc. When you give cash (or a gift card) to someone on the street, you’re helping address a more immediate need.
First, let me assure you that those immediate needs do not usually involve getting a dose of some drug (I admit that, if you count sugar and caffeine, the percentage goes up). Over the last few months, I’ve talked to well over a dozen of my neighbors who live on the street by day and wherever they can by night. So, I’ve learned enough to give at least general answers to some common questions about why or why not to give them money.
Why don’t they just get a job? My biggest surprise when I started getting to know my friends was how many don’t have any kind of picture ID—and may not have, or remember, their Social Security number. You cannot get work without an ID unless someone is willing to pay you under the table. The logistics of getting an ID are very complex; they are different in different states; and they often require jumping through enough hoops to get you a job teaching at a circus school.
Also, if they do have an ID and can get a job it’s often part-time, seasonal, and/or has unpredictable hours—i.e. usually not enough to pay the rent. My friend Bruce now has a job working around 15 hours a week. You can see him walking downtown with his heavy-duty sleeping bag having been outside another night as he saves enough to share a room somewhere with someone. (Now that it is December 15th, he and some of my other friends might be able to get a housing voucher—a process that isn’t as straightforward as you might think.)
My friend Melissa is an experienced machinist, but she’s told me employers don’t like hiring people who don’t have a home, particularly if they suspect the applicant may have had addiction issues in the past.
Why don’t they just go to the shelter?
Usually, our shelter is filled and there are several dozen people who are literally left out in the cold. It’s not just the number of beds. If a person has a history of showing up drunk or stoned or is violent, obstreperous, or disruptive, they can’t stay that night—and maybe not any night.
Doesn’t the shelter give out tents and sleeping bags? Sometimes. Until they run out. There are several places people tent around my town. But when the areas get too visible or presumably when enough people complain, those in tents are given 24 hours to leave their site. I admit I’ve been appalled by the trash that accumulates around some tents. One couple was very appreciative when I gave them construction trash bags so they could keep their site clean. Not to be overly dramatic, but I mean we have free trash bags for dogs, right?
Aren’t there tent heaters? Yup. You can get a heater and propane for about $100. Those little green propane tanks cost $8-$10 and last a few days. If you can scrounge up the money for a larger tank it’s way more cost-effective. However, if you run out of propane in the early evening, the nearest place to get it filled might be five or ten miles away. Plus, heaters are worth a lot on the street. I know one guy who carried his with him everywhere he went to keep it from being stolen.
Aren’t there places to get free food? Yes. Some days. Some times. Our local restaurants are very generous and, as best they can, provide food to those who need it. The “soup kitchen” serves free lunch from 11:30-12:30, four days a week. Our food bank is a great source of food for many low-income people. It’s open three hours a day, five days a week. Tents don’t have refrigeration and only minimal (probably illegal) ways to cook. Plus, animals love crawling on top of and tearing apart tents with food inside.
BTW: I hear that dumpsters behind supermarkets are good places to find free food.
There are lots of places to get free clothes, right?
That is true. In my town, we have a great used clothing store. It’s open 7 hours, 5 days a week. One Sunday evening a friend of mine was offered a construction job for the next day. The high daytime temperature was forecast to be 35 degrees. He needed work boots and gloves. It’s hard to get those items at 5 pm Sunday without money to buy them or gas to get there…
Why do they need gas money?
I confess that requests for gas money always make me a little suspicious. My friends can usually borrow a car in exchange for filling an empty tank. I know them well enough now to believe they are usually going where they claim. Although, sometimes, it does seem they ask for more money than they should strictly need for gas.
Where do they need to go?
Wal-Mart at 8 pm Sunday to buy those boots or warm gloves.
A trip to someplace for a short, supervised visit with their children in foster care. Like my friend Carol, a single mother whose house burned down. She needs to build her life back from nothing before she can care for them safely again. [This topic deserves an article of its own.]
To get to the Methadone or Suboxone clinic in the morning and back. Until they get “take-homes,” they have to go every day. From towns as much as 30 miles away. They may be eligible for Medicaid rides. But getting one is hit or miss.
To visit a partner in a hospital who has been taken for surgery or, perhaps, yes, an overdose. One of my neighbors just wanted to go to see her grandfather in a hospital 60 miles away before he died.
Doesn’t Medicaid Pay for Healthcare? Not to be crude but if you are living on the street and don’t have Medicaid you’re screwed. Why wouldn’t you have Medicaid? Undoubtedly you’re income-eligible. But maybe you didn’t get the renewal notice because you’re no longer at your latest temporary address. (Many people use the shelter address.). Or you’re stuck in a gap between losing insurance and getting approved for Medicaid. Or, you’re being investigated for Medicaid fraud. Or you just missed an appointment because you weren’t clear when to go where.
My friend Jake had a bad bike accident. No Medicaid. The hospital treated him but he needed the $40 for the follow-up doctor visit. Hopefully, the hospital will forgive the $10,000+ charge.
Becky needed emergency surgery across the border in another state. She was released with a prescription for an antibiotic that the drugstore in her home state said they couldn’t honor.
Getting an ID.
How could someone not have a picture ID? Well, maybe they never had a driver’s license, let aone a passport. More likely, they lost it as they moved from place to place or someone stole their wallet or bag and threw it away after taking out any cash. Or they got evicted and the landlord threw everything into the dumpster. It may have even been confiscated by the police after a misdemeanor arrest. And they never had the means (or understood how) to retrieve it.
What can we do right here right now?
I don’t know what’s legal or practical—or what funding is available—in your town. But, in mine, three things in particular are worth exploring:
Have someone(s) work with the appropriate service agency to focus on helping people get IDs.
Have someone(s) trained to understand how to negotiate available services spend time in the downtown and other parts of town1 several evenings a week to ask people about their immediate needs. They could even be given blankets, protein bars, etc. to hand out.2
Set aside an area for camping that has a water supply, trash receptacles, and other basic shelter needs. Some cities do this with varying degrees of success.
A lot of what I’m talking about might seem more appropriate for a big city than a small town. But many small cities and towns, including mine, are dealing with similar challenges. It’d be great to get ahead of the curve.
Around here, the police know where these areas are and do their best to keep the peace there. I imagine they would appreciate the help.
Note: I haven’t read all of Tracy Kidder’s book Rough Sleepers, but there are ideas in there of how that’s worked in Boston.
Free trash bags for dogs! That is a classic David insight. Keep up the good work, buddy.