Starting With Chronic Homelessness

While presenting some of the Street Sense photography group’s work at the 2016 National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference, I was able to meet advocates from around the country while manning our table. And the next week, because she was out of town during the conference’s advocacy day on the Hill, a contingent of advocates including myself was invited to speak with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s office about homelessness.

It was an exciting week. During the conference, I was also able to attend one of the National Alliance to End Homelessness workshops focused on ending chronic homelessness.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines a person as chronically homeless if she or he is an unaccompanied individual with a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for over a year OR has experienced at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years.

On top of all this, in order to be considered chronically homeless, a person must have been sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation or in an emergency homeless shelter.

To maintain any end to chronic homelessness, it was recognized that each community must also have the capacity to immediately offer some form of low-barrier shelter, while assisting people to swiftly access permanent housing.

It was also said that access to shelter and other temporary settings should not be contingent on sobriety, minimum income requirements, lack of criminal justice system involvement, or other unnecessary conditions such as participation in certain activities.

It was undisputed that permanent housing with individually tailored supportive services is the solution to chronic homelessness. The stated goal was to end chronic homelessness by 2017. New investments and housing will be critical for achieving that goal nationally.

Julia Orland — director of the Bergen County, New Jersey Housing, Health & Human Services Center — described her county as a model community: sporting clean, new,  safe, year-round, 24-hour shelter; coordinated outreach efforts; and coordinated entry into Housing First.

Ending homelessness in one’s community requires the engagement of all community members where we collaborate on resources needed to elevate our neighbors’ housing status from homeless to securely-housed.

Let us contribute to ending homelessness in our communities.

In my Annapolis community, there will be a run for The Light House program on Sunday, September 25, 2016! At The Light House, our mission is to help rebuild lives with compassion by providing shelter and services to prevent homelessness and empower people as they transition toward self-sufficiency. Our vision is to serve as a national model for how a community cares for its homeless people.

Locate an opportunity IN YOUR COMMUNITY today where you can volunteer or send a contribution to help house the homeless. Be the change — let us end this!


Issues |Living Unsheltered

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We believe ending homelessness begins with listening to the stories of those who have experienced it.

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