 Change.org's End Homelessness Blog
| Report |
|
Who's Fighting for the Homeless In Rancher Housing Battle?
|
 Last week, Daniel De Vaul was arrested for the conditions in which he was housing the homeless on his ranch in San Luis Obispo. California. Since this story broke, many people have been divided on this issue. Should the rancher be lauded for providing housing to the homeless? Or punished because of the awful conditions of his property?
Yesterday, I traveled out to Sunny Acres Ranch to meet Dan Du Vaul and provide an exclusive first look into the ranch and the story behind the headlines. I was excited to talk to Mr. De Vaul because I was told he'll be appearing on Larry King Live and Good Morning America later this week. That said, I am not the mainstream media. I wanted to move past the media spin and hear the voice that matters most: the formerly homeless people living the ranch. Though there are a few notable exceptions, the people living on the ranch have largely left out of the media discourse surrounding the rancher debacle.
When I hear the word ‘ranch' I think rural. Actually, Sunny Acres is not rural at all. It's only a few blocks past a golf course, a middle school, and shopping. His neighbors are just 500 feet away and a housing development sits directly across the street. As you'll see in the pictures and videos below, the ranch looked like a junkie country barn. Although people are recovering from drug and alcohol addictions here - which is critically important - this should not trump important health and safety issues. These issues must be addressed. I was relieved to hear that the ranch does not accept children.
 I understand that the city has tried to work with Mr De Vaul on several occasions to clean up his ranch. But as a stubborn and ornery man (both good traits in my book), Dan won't play any game but his own. This is unfortunate. Sometimes, for the good of everyone, you have to compromise.
Jimmy and Randy - two of the Sunny Acres residents I interviewed below - were a pleasure to meet and talk to (watch the interviews here). But this is precisely why I found their substandard living environment unacceptable. Sunny Acres charges $300 a month per person to live there in a 10x12 shack with no plumbing that is not up to code. Sure, it's affordable. But it is far from safe or decent housing. I don't think that because a person has experienced homelessness or addiction they should have to "get by" in sub-standard living conditions.
After visiting the ranch, meeting Dan, some of the residents, and case managers, I'm still torn on this issue. Clearly, Dan's intentions are in the right place. He doesn't just talk about fighting homelessness; he is in the midst of battle. Though he should be chided for the conditions in which he is housing people, this remains a critical and unmet need.
Our federal and local governments have tried to mend the safety net, but the system remains broken. As the social worker I interviewed, Jennifer, points out, often homeless services are so segmented people fall through the gaps in the safety net. What's more, the communication breakdown between nonprofit and government agencies often results in a confusing mass of services that is impossible to navigate. Maybe this is why Sunny Acres works; it fills gap because Dan takes everyone (but kids) and there is very little bureaucracy.
 Perhaps the community can learn from De Vaul. Clearly he has a program that is working; people are finding stability and sobriety on his ranch. It's cost-effective and I bet the "Sunny Acres Model of Recovery" can teach us a few things about saving lives and money (that is, beyond neglecting physical housing conditions... but I digress).
The biggest concern I had after visiting the ranch is the political hornet's nest this is creating. Several locals said the attention on this story is polarizing a community that is already divided on this issue. And who will inevitably lose this battle? Those without a home in San Luis Obispo.
If you really care about the people living on your property, Mr. De Vaul, give them the safe, decent and affordable housing to which we are all entitled.
Mr. De Vaul: Please clean up this ranch!
Watch the stories from the ranch and see a slide show here.
Images: InvisiblePeople.tv
Read more >>
|
|
Stories from the Ranch
|
 Last week, I covered the story of Daniel de Vaul. For eight years, he has operated a residential sobriety program on his 72-acre ranch in San Luis Obispo. While many formerly homeless addicts credit de Vaul with their sobriety, he was arrested last week for building code violations that violated the terms of his probation.
Since this story broke, many people have been divided on this issue. Should the rancher be lauded for providing housing to the homeless? Or punished because of the awful conditions of his property?
Mark Horvath of Invisible People traveled out to Sunny Acres Ranch this weekend to get the real stories behind the headlines. His goal? To move past the media spin and hear the voice that matters most: the formerly homeless people living the ranch. Here are there stories. -Shannon
Read Mark's perspective on this story, including his visit to the ranch, right here.
Interview with Dan De Vaul. Jennifer, a mental health case worker for Santa Barbara Count, joined us for the interview.
Photos from the ranch. (If the pictures look dark, it's because the flash would not work inside the barns.)
Randy has lived in a 10x12 ‘garden shed' for four months now. He credits Sunny Acres for his sobriety.
Jimmy is a Vietnam veteran who has lived on the ranch off-and-on for seven years. He has been clean and sober for two years.
Image: invisiblepeople.tv
Read more >>
|
|
Are Jobs the New Homeless Prevention Strategy?
|
 Will connecting individuals with jobs prevent them from returning to the streets?
You've heard of Housing First, a best practice for quickly moving homeless people into their own apartment. Now, a Boston organization is piloting another program that focuses on not wasting any time: Work First.
As far as public policies go, the Housing First approach was a grand slam. The strategy was a bold diversion from the typical trajectory of a homeless person in the "system" (streets, to emergency shelter, to transitional shelter, wait for a section 8 voucher, move into subsidized housing, etc.). Housing First turned this system on its head by taking a person on the streets or in emergency shelter and moving them directly into permanent housing. Here, the individual would work with a case manager to address any personal issues that were barriers to financial independence. Housing First has been popular among federal and local government officials because of its significant cost-savings and success in breaking the cycle of homelessness; 80% of Housing First clients do not become homeless again.
Now, a Boston-based nonprofit, HopeFound, hopes to duplicate the success of Housing First with a pilot program called "WorkFirst," according to the Globe. The $1 million pilot project will quickly connecting newly housed individuals to jobs in hope that being gainfully employed will help prevent them from returning to the streets. The program will serve 140 clients within 90 days of their placement in housing. Their progress will be compared with a control group that doesn't receive these services.
Could this program be the next big homelessness trend? I sure think it has legs. Just as housing is much more than a structure in which we live, a job is much more than just a place to earn a paycheck. For many people, it's a way of re-integrating in society, a part of one's identity, and a reason to get up in the morning. Furthermore, it's the most sure-fire way of becoming financially independent.
Sure, housing is the only solution to homelessness. But working for a paycheck is the only way to sustain that housing.
Image: Life.com
Read more >>
|
|
Dreaming of College from Skid Row
|
 Kenneth Chancy is 17 years old. He is a high school honors student, the starting quarterback on the football team, and student body president. Oh - and until recently, he was a resident of the Union Street Rescue Mission in the heart of Skid Row.
CNN covered his inspiring story several weeks back. Chancy's homelessness was his secret. He would organize community service activities for the homeless on Skid Row and none of his high school classmates knew that he himself was living in a shelter.
Chancy's story - his courage, his drive - is extremely moving. So moving that it caught the eye of the highest paid running back in NFL history, Nnamdi Asomugha of the Oakland Raiders. The NFL star is pretty impressive himself; at 28, he runs a foundation, the Asomugha College Tour for Scholars, that takes talented inner-city kids on tours of college campuses they otherwise would never be able to see. According to CNN, he's helped get 25 teens into college over the last four years.
Once you hit play on the video below, you'll be glued to your seat. Kenneth Chancy's tenacity will make your day. And we can all learn a lesson from Nnamdi Asomugha's decency. Watching these lives collide will brighten up your Monday afternoon.
Read more >>
|
|
Why You Should Skip the Office Swap and Support the Homeless
|
 If you're looking for an excuse to can the office holiday party and inject a little activist energy into your cubicle maze this year, look no further. Here are five reasons your office should consider bucking its holiday traditions in favor of providing a healthy dose of goodwill towards the homeless.
Reason #1 - You already have a Snuggie.
If that statement doesn't apply to you, insert the name of some other pointless product or unnecessary diet-busting baked good. The point is, we have enough stuff. Too much stuff, in many cases. And while I may be overgeneralizing a bit here, office swap gifts - fruitcakes, Easy buttons, desktop action figures, etc. - aren't usually the most meaningful exchanges. But supporting a family, child, or shelter in need? That's powerful.
Reason #2 - Your timing is wonderful.
If there were ever a time to nix your office's Secret Santa tradition, this is it. In light of rising unemployment and the economic downturn, homelessness in the U.S. is at crisis levels. Although the weather this November has been mild, shelters are already packed to the gills. Many service providers are afraid they will be unable to meet demand when the cold weather brings the inevitable surge in shelter guests. What's more, schools are seeing more homeless students than ever before.
What does this mean? That there's no shortage of goodwill to be done to help those who are hurting in your community. Which brings us to...
Reason #3 - There is a way to help that suits you.
When it comes to helping the homeless, there's no limit to the number of ways you can become involved. Whether you work in an office of 2 people or 200, there is a way for you to help. Whether you want to make a personal impact on a small family or reach out to as many folks as possible, there is a way for you to help. Whether you have a lot of resources or none, there is a way for you to help.
So here's a few options to get the wheels turning. Consider adopting a family in your community for the holidays: collect money, find out what's on their holiday lists, shop, wrap, and deliver! Or find out what your local emergency shelter needs and host a sock, blanket, or canned good drive. Deck the halls of a local shelter with holiday decorations. If your office loves to party, prepare a kick-ass holiday dinner at a shelter with music, gifts, and even karaoke. Why not?
In other words, it doesn't have to take a lot of people, time, or money to help the homeless during the holidays. The best way to find out what is needed is to talk to your local service providers. Call 'em up, find out what their needs are, ask what shelter guests would enjoy. And be creative. Helping people should not be lame and boring.
Reason #4 - It's good for everybody.
Many people volunteer because it makes them feel good. That's important. It's also important to know that the beneficiaries of these acts - those who are being served - are much better off as well. In other words, when it comes to volunteering, everybody wins. And if you - the volunteer - learn something new about homelessness along the way, that's just icing on the cake.
Reason #5 - This could be the start of a beautiful friendship.
Sure, today your office is just collecting cans for the local shelter. But perhaps next month your office recruits new hires out of the local job training program for formerly homeless individuals. Today your office adopts a homeless family for the holidays. But next year maybe your office adopts family-friendly workplace policies thanks to their new-found appreciation of the hurdles faced by single mothers. You never know what kinds of great things can happen when you start bridging connections within your community.
Click here to learn about more ways you can help the homeless.
Image: Manna Food Pantries
Read more >>
|
|
Caring For the Feet Is No Small Feat
|
 The primary mode of transportation for folks experiencing homelessness is shoe leather. I recently spent a 3-day 40 hour weekend on my feet working for an Operation Stand Down event and remember clearly that by the end of each day, my ole dogs were barkin, sore, and ready for some 4-wheel relief as I drove home.
But none of the guys who attended that event had such luck; those that participated for the day but chose not to sleep over spent just as much time on their feet as I did, yet they still had a good walk in front of them to get to a place they could lay their heads without fear of hassle, arrest or attack.
Several years ago, I put together a map that illustrated the distances folks had to travel in Nashville to receive services and calculated that in a single day, to eat, take a shower and find a place inside to sleep, the average person would have to walk almost ten miles.
That's 70 miles a week, 3,640 miles a year. That's akin to walking from Los Angeles to just outside of Halifax, Nova Scotia each year!
Given the typically poor nutritious quality of most of the foods served to the homeless and the lack of medical care they receive, it's a wonder they can walk across the block, let alone across the country.
Clearly, the need for decent footwear for those on the street cannot be overstated, yet many of our less fortunate brothers and sisters are walking around with shoes that are ill-fitting and/or worn out, and many must endure those shoes without the comfort of socks to cushion the bone-crushing impact of the approximately 2100 footsteps they must take for each mile walked.
The B-Love Foundation, Soles 4 Souls and a number of other groups have worked diligently to assist people on the street with clean fresh socks and decent footwear. As we enter the holiday season this year, why not consider donating to an organization that helps put socks and shoes on the feet of the homeless? It's a gift that will bring many hours of pleasure to someone and the cost is nominal, not to mention tax deductible.
Image: Angelina:)
Read more >>
|
|
Ohio's Homeless Could be State's 7th Largest City
|
 If you put all of Ohio's homeless people in one place, it would be the seventh largest city in Ohio.
That caught your attention, eh? Same thing happened to me earlier this week when I read a similar headline. That's a lot of people, I thought to myself. See - I was familiar with Ohio's homeless counts. I'd read the statistics, I knew the numbers were growing. But to think that all of those without a home could fall right between Dayton and Parma to be the 7th largest city in the entire state? That gave the number a whole new meaning.
This got me thinking. As homeless numbers continue to grow this winter, it's absolutely necessary to report the statistics. But perhaps equally critical is giving these numbers some kind of context that's easy to grasp. Something that's representative of the scope of the problem. Something to catch people's eye and force them to pay attention.
So 150,000 homeless people in Ohio? Why that's the population of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Or the amount of money spent on Sarah Palin's clothes by the RNC during last year's presidential election. Or the number of people who get cancer in Turkey each year.
Yes, the message is important. But how we say it and put it in context cannot be ignored, either.
How would you quantify your community's homeless population in a way that is interesting and eye-catching? Leave it in the comments below.
Image: SouthernGaming.com
Read more >>
|
|
Hipsters Mock the Poor
|
 American culture is weird.
Thanksgiving is a perfect example. Put aside all the token rhetoric about gratitude and think about the mainstream reality: a) An already morbidly obese and diabetic population rush to buy busloads of meat, etc. using credit cards that will later bankrupt them, b) then spend more money they don't have in order to watch movies that holiday night meant to advertise a lifestyle they can't afford, then c) wake the next day to march in droves to Best Buy, etc. to purchase refrigerators to pack away whatever their traumatized digestive systems can't process. Mixed in with this is also an amusing tip of the hat to the virtues of putting in time at the local soup kitchen.
American culture is weird. Think of children in elementary schools making construction paper feathered head dresses to celebrate the holiday. Think of white kids mimicking their fantasies about American black culture. Think of the website Hipster is the New Homeless. This is exactly what it sounds like: a website devoted to comparing the voluntary fashion trends in Williamsburg or the Mission to the involuntary realities of homelessness. Super bizarre-o.
Hold up, Patty Protest. Before you freak out about the tastelessness and insensitivity of this website, remember a phrase oft-appropriated from Ice-T: don't hate the playa, hate the game. It's easy to react a la knee-jerk and condemn the website itself. But spend a few minutes with it. What you'll find isn't so much a collection that renders heroic or even credible an upper class impulse to mimic/mock the very people it rejects. It's documentation of weird America. So forget about the website for just a moment.
Fault lies with hipster culture itself. The word hipster used to imply a declawing of dominant commercial culture through satire, mockery, whatever. But even that sarcasm was swallowed by malls and movies years ago. Now hipster, at best, is code for connoisseurship. It's what you buy. What's being sold, in this case, is the sublimation of guilt about homelessness into fake irony. But there's nothing ironic about it.
It's just America at it's weirdest, appropriation at it's most repulsive. So tell your friends to put on a clean shirt.
Image: LA Times
Read more >>
|
|
Homeless Woman On the 5 O'Clock News
|
 The stories of the mobile homeless often go untold, their day-to-day struggles go unnoticed. Hiding is the name of the game, as being invisible is the only way to stay safe from those who may want to hurt (or arrest) them. It's a cruel irony, since most of us will never know the devastation of losing everything and living in a car until we come face-to-face with somebody else's story.
We typically do not see the stories of the homeless on the five o'clock news. We see the reporting of larger trends - long lines at the soup kitchen, youth groups volunteering at the shelter, etc. But rarely does this include the personal stories and struggles of the people who are homeless.
At least, that's how it used to be.
Yesterday, I came across the story below from the Twin Cities. I had mixed feelings after watching it. Obviously, I felt for the woman in the story - Adamma Chukwudi Anya. I felt sad as I worried about her safety, her future. But at the same time, I was optimistic that her story made the news. People saw it. They know she exists, that others like her exist in their community.
Adamma's story made the 5 o'clock news. Therefore she is a little less invisible. Homelessness in the Twin Cities is a little less invisible. And maybe - just maybe - this will compel someone to act.
Read more >>
|
|
Bluster and Indignation after Alleged NYC Charity Scam
|
 There's something off about the recent vilification of a homeless charity in New York City.
State attorney general Anthony M. Cuomo filed suit this week against the United Homeless Organization alleging fraud. Cuomo accuses the organization of taking advantage of "the good intentions of people who thought that their charitable donations were helping to fund services for the homeless...instead, their donations go directly to U.H.O.'s principals and workers, who abused the organization's tax-exempt status to line their own pockets."
If you live in NYC, you know that these "workers" are the homeless who stand at a table with a bucket and the U.H.O. sign asking for donations. Here's how it breaks down, according to one homeless man who works the tables, "I only get about $25 a day. I give them (UHO) $15 and I keep $10 for myself. It's not that much money." Supposedly, this $15 went to advocacy and treatment programs for the homeless. But this turns out not to be the case.
New Yorkers are in uproar, if the dozens of pieces on the scandal are to be believed. The blogging keyboard brigade wants blood. "Lowest Scam in Town," blares the headline of an editorial in the New York Daily News. "The UHO hucksters are still out there," NYD writes, "so we appeal to all good-hearted New Yorkers. Yell the word 'fraud' as you pass them by." Yes, and put the homeless working the tables in irons and sack cloth too. Probably these exposed homeless feel only 65% shame as it is. The whole public scourging thing would ratchet that up to a very nice 99%. NYC compassion is legendary for a reason.
But if those who run U.H.O. are guilty of something, it's only bad book keeping. Though they should have advertised themselves as an organization that primarily gives money to the homeless, what they're accused of is really not very different from the work of many non-profits. Gasp in surprise all you want, but check out the tax returns of any homeless service organization on a vetting site like Guide Star. What you'll find is that the lion's share of an organization's revenue goes to compensation, including benefits, pension and related taxes. Maybe a third goes to operational expenses.
If you consider those working the tables for U.H.O. to be clients rather than employees, and if we believe the above example to be accurate ($25 collected, $15 to organization, $10 to client), then U.H.O.'s balance sheet isn't that different from, say, a large NYC homeless services organization like Urban Pathways. 60% of UHO's revenue went to the compensation of their administration, the rest went to the homeless. Better than average, if it's important to you that a charity get its money to those who need it. And if you break down the alleged $173,000 collected by the two leaders of the organization in the last 4 years, that breaks down to about $22,000 each in yearly salaries. Hardly a high dollar wage.
What this supposed scandal reveals isn't the crime of a visible charity. What's laid bare are some ugly beliefs about the homeless. It reflects a wholly inaccurate claim, that the homeless are largely cons and criminals. Cuomo and those who echo him voice the very worst public sentiment about homelessness, that those who suffer from it are to be feared and suspected, watched closely. This is an irresponsible and indefensible view. Hate crimes against the homeless are on the rise and tearing down U.H.O. can only fuel this trend.
U.H.O. broke the law. They deceived the public. There's no doubt about that. But this story is a distraction. Better to do something about housing NYC's 39,000 homeless instead.
Image courtesy of www.thelmagazine.com
Read more >>
|
| hardlynormal.com
| Report |
|
Who’s Fighting for the Homeless In Rancher Housing Battle?
|
Last week, Daniel De Vaul was arrested for the conditions in which he was housing the homeless on his ranch in San Luis Obispo. California. Since this story broke, many people have been divided on this issue. Should the rancher be lauded for providing housing to the homeless? Or punished because of the awful conditions [...]
Read more >>
|
|
Idea Camp Pacific Northwest Video (edited)
|
Last weekend I was honored to speak at The Idea Camp in Portland, Oregon. I gave some good points and ‘next steps’ for people who have a heart to care for people living on the streets. I edited out the 1st 17 minutes or so to get right to the meat. If you’d [...]
Read more >>
|
|
Giving Thanks!
|
Today my plan was to sleep in and that’s about it. I didn’t want to do anything even remotely related to Thanksgiving. But, like most days of my life God has other plans for me. I believe He often finds great joy in how much He changed my heart. Seriously, I am not that nice. [...]
Read more >>
|
|
The Church Bartender on “The Dirty Church”
|
I think the world of Michael Trent who many simply know as The Church Bartender. Here is a short conversation we had at The Idea Camp on the Dirty Church. Here is a post by Charles Lee, “Is Your Church Dirty”. To contact and hire Michael visit his main site Third Place Consulting.
[...]
Read more >>
|
|
Mike Rusch talks about what YOU did in NWA
|
You’ve heard it from me before, “housing programs were started, feeding programs were started, a farmer gave 40 acres of land all because YOU supported InvisiblePeople.tv”.
Today walking to lunch I asked Mike Rusch from Cobblestone Project what exactly happened in Northwest Arkansas this last July.
[...]
Read more >>
|
|
Dan Merchant from Lord Save Us at The Idea Camp
|
It’s probably not news to most of you that I love the movie Lord Save Us from Your Followers. This summer as I drove across the country I yelled at every stop that you all need to support this movie. What you may not know is Lord Save Us was the sponsor who offered to [...]
Read more >>
|
|
Walking on Skid Row to URM. A Challenge to Everyone
|
As I make invisiblepeople.tv happen there is so much that needs to be said, yet, because of time or whatever, I never get around to saying it. I hate to write so I am going to try something new. I am going to start shooting video. My goal is to use this blog to [...]
Read more >>
|
|
Videos from 140 Conference at Kodak Theatre
|
I will try and write more about my experience both personally and professional in the very near future but right now just wanted to get a few of the videos up. If you are new to my story 15 years ago I lived homeless in and around the area the Kodak Theater is located today [...]
Read more >>
|
|
ALL 1,594 photos from InvisiblePeople.tv Road Trip 2009
|
Yup, I am back in LaLa Land. I honestly have so much to say to all of you that helped make this happen. I am so very grateful and soon I will write more about my experience and thank you all more properly. Today I am getting ready to speak at Blog World so [...]
Read more >>
|
|
ABC News Detroit - A One-man Mission Against Homelessness
|
|
|
![Send story to other website](http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=15&winname=addthis&s=undefined&url=http://twitter.com/invisiblepeople/statuses/6250122293&title=invisiblepeople: other news! #sxsw http://sxsw.com asked me to lead a "core conversation"! It's offical - see you in Austin next March #invppl @hardlynormal&logo=http://www.animatedpokes.com/connect/images/rssconnect_logo_200x50.jpg&logobg=FFFFFF&logocolor=3B9BCC){kind=logo}
&logo=http://www.animatedpokes.com/connect/images/rssconnect_logo_200x50.jpg&logobg=FFFFFF&logocolor=3B9BCC){kind=logo}
 you are AWESOME!&logo=http://www.animatedpokes.com/connect/images/rssconnect_logo_200x50.jpg&logobg=FFFFFF&logocolor=3B9BCC){kind=logo}
![Send story to other website](http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=15&winname=addthis&s=undefined&url=http://twitter.com/hardlynormal/statuses/6250042948&title=hardlynormal: in other news! #sxsw http://sxsw.com asked me to lead a "core conversation"! It's offical - see you in Austin next March #invppl&logo=http://www.animatedpokes.com/connect/images/rssconnect_logo_200x50.jpg&logobg=FFFFFF&logocolor=3B9BCC){kind=logo}
&logo=http://www.animatedpokes.com/connect/images/rssconnect_logo_200x50.jpg&logobg=FFFFFF&logocolor=3B9BCC){kind=logo}
