Homelessness
Brenda knows the stories.
As a social worker for the Providence City School District, she has borne witness to parents’ struggles with homelessness. In her own neighborhood, she has heard whispers of people taking shelter in vacant, foreclosed houses. Her own niece experienced homelessness after her apartment was foreclosed on.
How is this possible?
Some groups of unhoused peoples are homeless by choice. Some would rather roam across lands than be tied to one place. Others would rather live on the streets than rely on rigid public housing regulations.
In Providence—and across the country—the story is more sinister. Often, homelessness is not a choice. It doesn’t entail freedom; it comes with dependency on the state, private individuals, and an underground economy.
It doesn’t mean freedom; it means a lack of access to quality food, healthcare, education, and social and cultural opportunities.
Sometimes, as Brenda points out, it is foreclosure that leads to homelessness. Other times, homelessness is a result of poverty and a lack of social support services.
While the reasons for homelessness are diverse and complex, what is clear is that land and shelter are increasingly hard to acquire without access to capital. And, without the security and safety that shelter brings, homeless people are often subject to poverty.
How can we find a solution to such a complex problem? Looking at oral history, we can see how the homeless themselves have the knowledge and will to produce change.
What would it mean for people directly impacted by homelessness to drive policy? What sorts of stories would Brenda begin to hear?
As a social worker for the Providence City School District, she has borne witness to parents’ struggles with homelessness. In her own neighborhood, she has heard whispers of people taking shelter in vacant, foreclosed houses. Her own niece experienced homelessness after her apartment was foreclosed on.
How is this possible?
Some groups of unhoused peoples are homeless by choice. Some would rather roam across lands than be tied to one place. Others would rather live on the streets than rely on rigid public housing regulations.
In Providence—and across the country—the story is more sinister. Often, homelessness is not a choice. It doesn’t entail freedom; it comes with dependency on the state, private individuals, and an underground economy.
It doesn’t mean freedom; it means a lack of access to quality food, healthcare, education, and social and cultural opportunities.
Sometimes, as Brenda points out, it is foreclosure that leads to homelessness. Other times, homelessness is a result of poverty and a lack of social support services.
While the reasons for homelessness are diverse and complex, what is clear is that land and shelter are increasingly hard to acquire without access to capital. And, without the security and safety that shelter brings, homeless people are often subject to poverty.
How can we find a solution to such a complex problem? Looking at oral history, we can see how the homeless themselves have the knowledge and will to produce change.
What would it mean for people directly impacted by homelessness to drive policy? What sorts of stories would Brenda begin to hear?
| Previous page on path | Brenda, page 1 of 4 | Next page on path |
Discussion of "Homelessness"
Add your voice to this discussion.
Checking your signed in status ...