Homelessness is an issue that I think about- I think it’s an important societal issue, I think it’s a test case for societal attitudes, and on a day to day level, I feel concern for the people I see who are homeless. In my readings on the topic, I’m particular interested in ideas to help people who are chronically homeless, which from what I understand is often a result of mental illness and/or drug and alcohol addiction.
Programs
to help the homeless are often predicated on people not being on drugs or
alcohol, and also on the premise that people have to be ‘doing something
to help themselves’. Although practical reasons tend to be given for these
restrictions, I feel uncomfortable with them, because to me they are
combining assistance with judgement. Gift giving with strings attached.
That’s why I’m glad to come across programs like Pathways to
Housing. In this New York program, the premise is that housing has to
come first. As the article says, the program “[has] the philosophy that
before someone can work toward recovery or employment, a safe, comfortable
home is necessary.”
posted at 09:15 on Sat, 07 Jul, 2007 |
path: /living
All material copyrighted by Jen Schellinck. All rights reserved.