You actuallly give them a place to live and then deal with their issues. And you save money in doing so. Check out this link:

http://www.pathwaystohousing.org/

Here in PDX, we have Join

www.joinpdx.com

that has essentially the same approach. It's board is comprised of community leaders and former clients, and they do great work.

A large percentage of my customers are homeless and they all speak highly of Join. It seems the biggest challenges for the program (aside from funding) is finding cooperative housing sources and willing employers for clients.

Join is rumored to have something in the pipeline regarding a small business start-up in house to address the employment situation...

There are generally 3 types of homeless people.

1. People that are hard working, responsible, but lose their incme for some reason, could be sickness, layoffs etc. i am all for giving these people short term help.

2. People that dont want to work,that would rather spend their money on booze or drugs, I have no sympathy for them.

3. Mentally disabled, the courts have ruled they can't be forced to live in group homes, etc, and many take their medications, and live good lives, with some assistance, others refuse their medications, and while I have sympathy for them, there is not much any can do, except provide shelter and food, when they will take it.

...and then we have Reach, also highly regarded.

www.reachcdc.org

Both organizations always welcome donations and volunteers, and are a worthy investment, in either circumstance, IMHO.

Let me throw in Outside In, an agency that targets homeless youth:

http://www.outsidein.org/

I became acquainted with this organization briefly when attending a benefit of which they were the beneficiary. A few people from the group spoke (including a current board member and former client) and it sounds like they do great work. I have heard 2nd hand good reports of them as well.

Andrew

I respectfully disagree, Nwokie. The people that fit into those descriptions are not in the majority of homeless that I interact with all day, 7 days a week.

I would suggest that the descriptions you posted are more like degrees of the same situation.

Person #1 or #3 becomes Person #2 after the initial disaster, typically, and if they DO get any sort of help from the system, it's taken away if they get even a minimum wage part-time job, essentially leaving them less than what they started with.

Now let's talk about the automatic denial from SSI and SSD, upon first application. Many of my homeless folks can't afford a coffee in the morning, much less an attorney to wrestle with THAT process. If they get indoors after submitting their application, it gets rejected again because housing is considered income, no matter who's paying for it.

Andrew2: Outside In is a great program! I know quite a few of their clients, and the changes in them since they started participating is amazing to see.

Also, Sisters of the Road Cafe

www.sistersoftheroadcafe.org

deserves a mention. "Will work for food" is put to the test there. It's a great place to eat, as well as doing the community a good deed.

People don't just wake up one day and become homeless. They must slide into it. How does it happen, typically? I see homeless people constantly in Portland (many of them asking for spare change). How did they get that way? Has this been extensively studied?

It would seem that a good approach to dealing with homelessness is to prevent it in the first place, whenever possible. Of course, some people abuse drugs or alcohol and get caught in a downward spiral. People using illegal drugs will by default be living outside the system from the start, so that puts them away from any potential help. Not everyone who uses drugs/alcohol does so with no reason. People who lose their jobs, families, careers may turn to drugs/alcohol out of hopelessness and that leads to their spiral.

Of course, a good number of homeless are mentally ill. Should we just let them do their own thing on the streets?

Andrew

Homelessness happens in as many ways as there are homeless people: each story is different.

Some of the common factors have already been mentioned: financial distress, substance abuse, family upheavals, etc. They all add up to the biggie I hear most often: Disaster struck, and I had no support system, from friends or family. Makes me really appreciate the people in my life, and more vigilant for trouble within my circles...

You're right: no one stands up in class and says, "My goal for the future is to be alcoholic, drug addicted, and homeless!" No one thinks it can happen to them. Most of them say they didn't recognize the spiral until there was no one and nothing left. Addicts of many stripes don't: everyone else is wrong...they're still in control...

It's amazing how these folks respond to true kindness when the recieve it. They are the most appreciative people I know. When I'm training new employees, I try to instill this thought to guide them: "You might be the only friendly person this person meets all day, the only smile going his way. Give yourself that opportunity to feel good and do something nice for a stranger. They're here every day, and won't be strangers for long." If the trainee doesn't get it, they don't work here. Most of the time, it changes their perception and they go forth and get involved!

Thanks, Chris, for putting this up. Winter is really hard on these folks and alot don't make it through the winters here.

Entre_nous-

You're welcome. Homelessness is not a black and white issue it has many facets. And it's good to note all the wonderful local organizations doing all they can to help.

Like Andrew I do see many homeless people all over the place. I don't feel comfortable giving money because I don't know how they'll use it. However I do keep some pre-package energy bars and small bottles of water in my van. I will hand out this food if I have the time and don't disrupt traffic. It's not much but it might be the only food they get that day.

Here's a video about the Pathways To Housing project. It's a CBS News story about the man who had the idea and how it really helps.

http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/content/view/2894/34/

Great video, Chris.

The traditional model of "clean and sober first" doesn't work, because the relapse rate / despair ratio is too high for most folks to overcome. Two things stand in the way: peer pressure to use drugs and alcohol, and the fight to just survive the homeless community itself (theft, violence against each other, etc.)

Also, many of the treatment centers, like Hooper, won't take couples at the same time, so someone remains outdoors. The one going in doesn't want to leave their partner, who is often the only person they have left in the world. It's hard to get into two different in-patient programs at the same time, as well. Kicking your habit is hard together, even harder alone.

A real blessing for these people, crazily enough, is such inexpensive cell phone service these days. At least you don't have to be indoors to get a phone! Potential employers don't have to know you're homeless. Join allows mail to be sent to their address, gives personal references and connects with their corporate sponsors to get entry level jobs, like gas stations and housekeeping at hotels.

Agreed regarding the destination of cash. I don't either: I'd soon be known in the community as the "Bank of E_N" (or something like that) I do help in other ways, with food and stuff. Something else that's very much appreciated: warm clothes, blankets, and pet food. You can't get pet food at the food bank (typically) or places that serve meals. Nearly all of them have dogs and cats, either from their former life or wandering animals they've adopted. One of my cats was given to me by a homeless couple who couldn't keep him: he was dumped from a car at five weeks old and they scooped him up, then brought him here. Caring for animals is one of the things that brings these people back to life, and this couple would not have gotten their housing with the kitten.