The Homeless: An Analysis of Indifference and Solutions to the Issue - by Christopher Hughes

Homelessness and the indifference shown to the homeless are significant issues in the world and our community today. We as a society face indifference every day, even if we do not realize it. What does it mean? According to dictionary.com, it is “lack of interest or concern; unimportance; little or no concern” (Random House, INC). People can come to the point of being indifferent to the plight of others through varying factors. It is essential to recognize and find the causation of this feeling and then work on changing it.

The negativity of mainstream media, television, print, or online, could be a cause of the feeling of indifference. In Steven Pinker’s book “Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress” he states:

Consumers of negative news, not surprisingly, become glum: a recent literature review cited “misperception of risk, anxiety, lower mood levels, learned helplessness, contempt and hostility towards others, desensitization, and in some cases, ... complete avoidance of the news” (Pinker). And they become fatalistic, saying things like, ‘Why should I vote? It’s not gonna help,’ or ‘I could donate money, but there’s just gonna be another kid who’s starving next week.’

With so much negativity in national and local news, there needs to be a shift in viewership to more positive news versus negative news. Media outlets tend to show negativity more because it is what society tends to crave. The correlation between negative news and the number of views it receives is undeniable. Seeing so much negativity desensitizes the population to the plight of others.

Another reason for indifference may be the overwhelming difficulties in our lives, families, communities, nations, or world that make us feel powerless to bring about change. This means that even though we are aware of something happening around us, we feel powerless to change it. As a result, we simply shrug it off and carry on. In reality, even the smallest acts of kindness and compassion could have a lasting impact on someone’s life. For the homeless population, it does not always have to be monetary. It could mean even just a conversation with someone, showing them that you see them and that you actually care.

Homelessness is an issue our cities, nation, and the world face. The world today seems to treat the homeless differently than the non-homeless population. This shows the indifference many individuals have toward the plight of people on the streets. Many times, we, as a society, look at the homeless population as less than human. We treat them a certain way and avoid interaction with them or make it the least amount possible. We see them and think, “Get a job!” or “Do something to change your situation,” but in reality, there are many reasons for someone to be homeless, and some are out of their control. Some of these reasons are as follows:

1. Lack of safe, affordable housing.
2. Loss of employment and inability to find another stable job that can pay the bills.
3. Medical issues and the inability to pay for treatment.
4. Mental health problems.
5. Addiction.

In the post-covid world, we are seeing many people that were never homeless before are now homeless. This is due to a few factors. When the world shut down due to COVID-19, many people lost their jobs, and those who did not have an economic cushion were forced onto food stamps and other government financial help programs. Those programs helped with sustenance issues but did nothing to help with the overwhelming lack of resources to pay rent, mortgages, and car payments, amongst other things. Policies were implemented so that nobody could be evicted as long as the Federal Government had declared a national emergency. Each company had the policy to stay payments until the end of the pandemic. Some had policies that would move the missed payments to the end of the installment loan; others had a policy in effect that at the time payments would be required to resume, there would need to be a balloon payment made to make up for the missed payments. While COVID is still an existential threat, many governments and societies treat it as if it’s over, and in effect, the side effects are overlooked. This stay of payments helped while COVID was still treated as a significant threat, but once governments stopped helping out with many of the problems caused by the pandemic, it proved to be a big issue. When that happened, banks and institutions started calling in the missed payments, leaving many people unable to pay those payments due to a lack of gainful employment. Many wound up in foreclosure or were evicted from their apartments for missing so many payments.

I interviewed Angela Murphy, an expert that has worked with the homeless for eight years and was previously homeless herself, Peer Support Coordinator for El Rio Health, and Director/Cofounder of TCIT (Tucson Community Impact Team).

She had this to say about the issue:

Rents have risen 25% over the last year and are expected to rise another $1,000 in the next five years. This is a leading cause of homelessness right now. The dynamic has shifted. Where in previous years, the average homeless person was between the ages of 30 and 50 years of age and predominately male, now has shifted to much younger and much older that have now become homeless. Many of the older population, ages 60 years to 80 years old, had never before been homeless. Because of the rising cost of living and rents and many of these vulnerable people being on social security or pensions, they are found without enough to pay for their housing and wind up out on the streets.

Corporations have come into town and started buying up many properties that used to accept Section 8, housing vouchers, and other programs that help people out with housing. They have renovated these properties and raised the rent. This has left many in this vulnerable population with no choice but to become homeless, as they can no longer afford to stay. When they search for another place, they cannot find any other affordable homes. The younger population has also felt the effects of the rising housing rates. Many times, even with two jobs, they still cannot cover everything. Some are without higher education, but some have degrees. (Murphy)

With the disparity between the rise in the cost of living and the increase of wages in our nation and community, it has left so many more people in our community with the inability to pay their bills, causing many to be on the brink of homelessness or cross the line and fall into this sad way of life.

COVID also caused a significant problem in access to gainful employment. Many people lost their jobs because of shutdowns. Without jobs, people could not pay their bills, and as a result, many found themselves out on the streets. We are still feeling the effects of COVID on employment. The unemployment rate is still high. Without access to jobs, the homeless population cannot supersede the predicament they find themselves in.

A large portion of the homeless population is mentally ill. According to PBS.org, 39 percent of the homeless report some form of mental health problems, with 20-25 percent meeting the criteria for serious mental illness (PBS.org. With the lack of stability, healthcare access, and proper transportation, the assumption that this part of the population does not have appropriate access to mental health services is correct.

A few non-profit organizations are here to help with the homelessness issue and the major contributing factors. There is the Gospel Rescue Mission (GRM) and Tucson Community Impact Team (TCIT), amongst others. There is also a program the City of Tucson is trying to implement that is supposed to help with the increasing number of homeless in our population.

Gospel Rescue Mission is a “shelter” here in Tucson, AZ, but it is more than that. On the ‘About Us’ section of their website, they state, “We welcome the hungry and hurting; we address their immediate needs; we build authentic relationships; and we share the Gospel so that total transformation happens” (Gospel Rescue Mission).

I had the opportunity to tour their facility on Palo Verde Rd this past week. GRM is partnered with the Department of Economic Security (DES), El Rio Health, and Pima Community College. Pastor Juan Peralta gave me the tour. He stated that one of the main issues and why they have partnered with these organizations is that when people are homeless, they have no access to transportation, or it is tough to get from one place to another using public transport. Now they have access to all of the essential services, all in one place; DES for food stamps and AHCCCS (Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System), El Rio Health for physical and dental needs, and Pima for job training. They have partnered with Pima for CDL training, Information Technology (IT) training, and Culinary Arts Training. GRM also offers Recovery Support Specialist (RSS) Training. With these programs, they can meet the homeless people where they are to provide them with help for their basic needs to be successful in life.

This addresses the physical needs of healthcare, sustenance, and job security, but they do more than that. They also provide for the mental and spiritual aspects. They have counselors onsite to assess the mental health of each person that comes into the center. Once evaluated, they can create a plan to get them on track to optimal mental health. They also utilize a spiritual approach to help create a strong foundation, and many patients report getting off of mental health drugs, which is the goal.

I spoke with Mary Barreras, Manager of Women's Recovery at GRM. She had this to say about what they do there to help stem the tide of homelessness:

At GRM, we have a year-long recovery program called the Genesis Process, where we help get to the root cause of the addictions of many of the individuals that come in. What were the traumas that they experienced that made them use drugs the first time? We then provide them with tools to use when they get the urge to use drugs. For the last six months of the Process, they enter what we call the Transformation phase, where they go through the work program where they can try to get a job, or if they do not have skills, then they participate in one of the training programs they provide. We let them stay long enough to save up enough income (85 percent per pay period), so they can pay for their deposit and rent for a new apartment or place to live. We also provide them with furniture and housing supplies from our donations warehouse, so they do not have to spend any of their saved income on furnishing their new home.

We provide support to them after they leave GRM also. We help them create a support system around themselves so that if they ever encounter an issue they do not know how to deal with, they have the support they need to solve it. Yes, some use the center as a revolving door. There are times that the first, second, or even third time through the program isn’t enough. Sometimes there are underlying addiction or mental issues that need to be worked through to help them get into their right mind to be productive members of society. (Barreras)

They provide a great way to help address the issues of addiction and mental health concerning homelessness. They help them to heal and get better and provide them with support and ways to again become productive members of society through their educational programs and job training, both important ways to encourage growth in individuals, stemming the tide of homelessness.

I learned that the City of Tucson is creating a program called the “Housing First” program. Alyssa Giroux, Children’s Services Manager at GRM, is starting an internship with them this coming week and told me a little about it:

What the “Housing First” program is, is basically the City of Tucson rounding up people who are living on the streets and placing them in hotels that have been converted into apartments. The heart is right, and the idea is right, but the implementation is not there because most of the people we serve are not needing housing first; they are needing treatment first. So, Housing First’s…vision, I guess…is to get people off the streets, thinking that it is going to solve everyone's problems. For some families, absolutely, all they need is just a roof over their heads, but for most of the people that we serve, we know that they need treatment, and then once they get ‘better,’ housing is what can come next. So actually, I’m starting an internship with them next week to see how we can work together to get that treatment in there as well. But I think the City…the heart is there. The implementation is not super great; I don’t think. That is how people become homeless again. Because if you get them into housing first but do not take care of their treatment, then they can't keep the housing. At GRM, our model is treatment first, then housing. (Giroux)

The model of housing first is just a Band-Aid on the issue. It does not treat the underlying causes of homelessness in our city. Without treating the root of the issue, we cannot hope to solve the problem facing the city, let alone the nation.

According to Angela Murphy, a stigma is put on the homeless population. People look at these individuals not as people, not as fathers, mothers, sons, or daughters, but as bad people in society who made bad decisions of their choosing, or even if not intentionally, they see them as animals. She says that most homeless people do not fall into this category. Most are good people who want to be seen. The indifference society shows the homeless population, though, over time, is what causes some of these individuals to act in other than savory ways. They feel ignored, misunderstood, and many times, not even human (Murphy). They are disrespected and many times treated as less than others. All of this indifference to their plight causes them to try to be seen, even if the way they try seems rude.

As Angela is an expert in the field, I asked her how we, as a society, can combat the indifference shown to the homeless and change how people view them. This is what she had to say.

Get involved. Start a conversation with someone who is out there. Ask them, ‘How are you? You look like you are having a hard time.’ I have had some great conversations with people just because of that statement. They feel unseen. Unheard. Unhuman. Forgotten. We have to be a changemaker ourselves. We have to lead by example. (Murphy)

Treating the homeless as the people they are will effect change in the way they are perceived by society. It will also show them that they are not forgotten and they are not unheard. They are human, and they are seen.

A smile. A hello. A conversation that lets them know you care. Whatever you can do, do it. We don’t have to try to save the whole world all at once; we just need to do our part. Don't hold off, waiting for someone else to do the work. We must have the conviction that aiding the homeless, the poor, the sick, and the disenfranchised is crucial. Let's do it with passion. Let's do it with purpose. Let's do it for humanity, please.

References

Barreras, Mary. Interview. Christopher Hughes. 18 October 2022.

Pinker, Steven. Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress. Viking, 2018.

Facts and Figures: The Homeless. PBS.org. 26 June 2009. 22 October 2022.

<http://www.shoppbs.pbs.org/now/shows...ess-facts.html>.

Giroux, Alyssa. Interview. Christopher Hughes. 18 October 2022.

Indifference Definition & Meaning. Random House, INC. 2022. 22 October 2022. <https://www.dictionary.com/browse/indifference>.

Murphy, Angela. Interview. Christopher Hughes. 17 October 2022.

Solving Homelessness-About Us. Gospel Rescue Mission. n.d. 22 October 2022. <https://grmtucson.com/about-us/>.