Sources 27-39:
LA Students Are Building Tiny Houses for People Experiencing Homelessness (2017)
Many US cities — including Detroit, Seattle, Dallas and Nashville— have considered plans for tiny house communities to address the issue of homelessness and to help low-income families become homeowners.
But some cities are struggling to get community support for their housing projects.
In San Jose, California, a proposal to build 99 tiny house communities for people experiencing homelessness has been slashed to only two communities after overwhelming criticism from neighborhoods.
The “Not In My Backyard” attitude toward housing people experiencing homelessness is not new, but the level of protest for the project is unprecedented, according to The Mercury News, a local San Jose newspaper.
Despite the criticism, the tiny house proposal continues to offer a small solution to the larger issues of homelessness and poverty across the country.
[ARTICLE SOURCE LINK: www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/la-students-buildings-houses-for-homelessness/ ]
Homelessness In America: The Journey Home | Israel Bayer | TEDxPortland (May 2016)
Mr. Bayer fights to give a voice to those who can not afford free speech by focusing his efforts into the street newspaper movement. He is an award-winning housing advocate, journalist, poet, painter and photographer with over 15 years of experience in street newspapers.
Poverty is not new. Modern day homelessness is.
Poverty means the lack of material possessions or money.
Homelessness is simply not having a home.
You can live in poverty but still not have a home.
This country has always had a problem with poverty - and we've taken steps - but we've largely failed.
In 1933, it's estimated that more than 1 million people experienced homelessness in America.
The government responded:
(1) jobs and affordable housing programs.(2) social security. And later on,(3) the GI Bill.
By the end of WWII in 1945, street homelessness was largely nonexistent in America. And from the 1940s until the 1970s, the federal government prioritized housing as a basic infrastructure for our society.
It wasn't until the 1980s that we started to see people on the streets sleeping in our doorways and under bridges en masse. That's when our government began to dismantle social programs meant for people experiencing homelessness, affordable housing and the mentally ill.
From 1978 - 1983, the Federal budget for housing shrank from $84B to $18B dollars, and mass homelessness in America began.
That's $64B dollars annually we're losing for housing.
These federal cuts have never been restored. And we have turned hundreds of thousands of people out on the streets.
Homelessness in America is at an all time high. It's a natural disgrace.
Imagine being homeless - you're cold, you're wet. Where will you sleep tonight? Will you be safe? Will you be assaulted? Worst yet, will you be sexually assaulted.
You ask, why are people staring at me? Your thoughts are racing so fast it's hard to concentrate. Your entire body is tired and tense. You have sleep deprivation. You're told you're number 522 on the wait-list for housing at the local shelter. It's an estimated 2 years that you have to live the hell that is homelessness. And you have become a criminal for no other reason than not having a safe place to call home in your own country.
Some people might see these homelessness as junkies, but they are incredible men and women, who have incredible hearts.
In Portland, more than 16,000 people will experience homelessness this year. One-third of these people are women. And one-third of those women will experience sexual assault on the streets. More than half of the people outside are people with severe disabilities (mentally / physically disabled).
Four steps to help solve homelessness:
1) The next President would make ending homelessness a top priority. (without real national leadership we cannot solve homelessness)2) A homeless BILL OF RIGHTS. (to protect the civil and basic rights. People are discriminated everyday for being homeless.)3) New policies to support renters from mass evictions and help curb high rental costs (we need rent control)4) New revenue to support giving our most vulnerable citizens housing opportunities (we need massive investments and affordable housing).
(Next column)
Local communities have to face the problem and work to solve it.
Homelessness in our communities feels normal, but it is anything but normal. Homelessness is NOT normal. Housing is not a new idea. We need a new idea and new actions to solve a new problem. We need new and emerging leaders. We need strong and bold legislators. We need courage to build strong coalitions. We need new resources to give people a safe place to call home.
First, you can just acknowledge homeless people. Offer them coffee, food, or money. They are human beings. There is nothing more powerful in life than the power of human connectivity and love. It's something we all need and it's something we can all give.
We cannot burn out on compassion fatigue (being overwhelmed by so many problems).
To succeed in life, we all need a place to call home.
How do the poor see life? Uneducated, not stupid | Rajen Makhijani | TEDxNTU (May 2016)
Rajen explores how the social class a person is in influences their opinions of themselves and perception of life. He compares how their choices and through the lens of social class it is often mis-perceived as being 'stupid', they being 'uneducated'.
The higher the GDP per capita, the lower the meaning of life.
The poor do not trust because they know that the rest of us will allow the corrupt system to flourish.
So where do we start: explore. The poor have a higher ability to read emotions accurately (knowing whether to trust somebody or not). They are also more generous.
The higher the GDP, the lower the meaning of life is valued.
Religiosity and the more number of kids, the higher is the meaning of life.
The richer the country - the lower the meaning of life.
Education is inversely related to the meaning of life. So am i advocating toward lowering education? No. But take off the glasses and go explore.
To go and look for another you is the process of renewing you and finding a renewed you. To be able to look at the lives of others, i wanted to go beyond living the life on paper. With these learnings - i shared a dream of living in a world based on fairness, justice and equality. And then something special happened when enough of us got together to live that dream. I feel empowered. Humbled. Engaged. I also feel privileged to unlock and take that privilege. When are you going to take a peek behind the glass-door of class?
Hope for the homeless | Karyn Walsh | TEDxSouthBank (May 2016)
Karyn is committed to finding new ways to end and prevent homelessness. Her leadership is focused on implementing a housing first approach, which requires integrating healthcare with community services as a critical resource to enable people to improve their quality of life, sustain housing and reduce reliance on hospital care.
Every child and adult has a right to a home, an income, healthcare, education, safety, dignity and connection with their community of choice.
Homelessness is a major public health issue that needs a response. People live on our streets at risk of dying.
51% have a high mortality risk.55% in treatment for mental health.32% had a brain injury.50% had been victims of crime after they were homeless.
***How to make the change to move into permanent housing.
Solving a housing crises, domestic violence, mental illness, unemployment and poverty are all interconnected.
Homelessness can happen to any of us, if our personal circumstances and our economic hardship collide. But if we keep the status quo, inequality will only grow. We have to build communities that are inclusive and that treat people with Dignity; that are accountable so that we are all safe, and our well-being is achieved.
Solutions to homelessness are possible but they take more than the good works of individuals. REAL CHANGE, means that we have to create innovative systems where ordinary people can do extraordinary things. We know as citizens, we know that we can build community and we can solve homelessness.
Spending $503,000 and proactively addressing the health and housing needs of people experiencing homelessness in Brisbane AUS saved between $6.45-$6.9 million dollars.
Solving homelessness is possible but requires more than the efforts of individuals doing good work. Real change comes through innovative systems that enable ordinary people to create solutions and belong to a community.
Employ and empower the homeless community | Alice Rebecca Thompson | TEDxGlasgow (July 2015)
HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY REHABILITATE A HOMELESS PERSON INTO FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT:
1) patience
2) commitment
3) and additional support alongside their employment
***You can't just give these guys a job and an income, and expect them not to go and spend it on alcohol. We had to provide counseling. An hours worth once a week. It would be compulsory as part of their employment (they had to turn up to this session).
~~The homeless understand that it's a trained professional who will check in with them once a week and it's a safe place for them to express themselves.
Homeless members can be fully functional in society.
Any of you who own a company or want to start a business - should try to employ just one of them. Yeah they might take more time and support and you must be kind and patient and give them more chances than anybody else. We call ourselves a developed country - but we exclude these people and we ignore them. Employ and empower the homeless community - we just need to work a little harder.
Once you understand the gravity of others hurting you, you understand the situation in the proper context and that is powerful. Thereby you are better able to employ them with empathy.
Drama therapy changed my impressions of homelessness | Tommy Waltz | TEDxDirigo (December 2014)
The homeless label is a heavy weight - and all encompassing stigma.
We're not all stereotypical. People have conceptions about the homeless that are not true.
Drama therapy has a positive effect on creating and finding healing. It allows them to feel notice, and thus then to make change.
Homelessness: How Can I Help? | Scarlett Montanaro | TEDxUAL (June 2017)
It's this bridge in human connection that will eventually bridge the gap between us and them.
Imagine the impact you have if you stop and give a hand.
"People that make me feel love, peace, and acceptance can make anywhere feel like home."
“Cultural homelessness” breeds extremists | Sarah Lyons-Padilla | TEDxStanford (May 2016)
The psychology of home grown terrorists is at the heart of Stanford researcher and social psychologist Sarah Lyons-Padilla’s work. What makes someone turn against their own country and people? How does discrimination play into the radicalization of Muslims in the United States? In a time of rising unrest, Lyons-Padilla asks and answers the most pressing questions to help policymakers and the general public better understand and respond to the world in which we live.
Sarah Lyons-Padilla is a research scientist at Stanford SPARQ: Social Psychological Answers to Real-world Questions. She studies the psychology of homegrown terrorism and has found that feelings of “cultural homelessness” and discrimination may play a key role in the radicalization of Muslims in the United States.
One thing that terrorist organizations do offer is a sense of purpose and significance to those who work on their behalf (they have ideologies of those who are with us and those who are against us, which resonate with purpose of those feeling isolated.
This discrimination can cut to the core of your sense of self-worth.
You will hear those who join ISIS say: ''I've never felt more protected and loved, than when I joined ISIS." Radical organizations are doing something to satisfy the needs of these feeling isolated.
THE PROOF OF REASONING BASED ON EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT The more people felt discrimination, the more they felt a lack of significance, thus then cultural homelessness, thus then support for radicalism groups.
Homelessness Solutions & The Struggles of Voiceless Women | Louise Mbella | TEDxDelthorneWomen (January 2019)
Having overcome trauma homelessness and oppression herself, she highlights the importance of listening to the voices of survivors particularly those experiencing homelessness, scarcity, violence. She feels that making them part of the conversation and solutions of our social issues directly impacting them is important.
Her message suggests the necessity to go beyond just providing shelters and low income permanent supportive housing as an answer to the homeless crisis. She stresses the importance of creating social curriculum platforms while transforming the minds of men and women, as a fundamental element for helping end homelessness.
Ignorance is the root of all evil. -Socrates
#HighPotentialHomeless | Dale Hartz | TEDxAkron (June 2017)
The transformative story of a group of college students and shelter residents who built a community organization and financial tools that support sustained transitions out of homelessness.
Homeless, and Outsaving Half of the United States | CEF Directors & Advocacy Choir | TEDxUNC (May 2017)
What causes so many people to suffer from homelessness?
Most financial services are not built to serve low-income households. In fact, they often do more harm than good.
Fees and interest (riba) (high overdraft fees) (exploitative payday loans) etc. accumulated into over $141 Billion in 2015 (financially undeserved Americans spent). <--- makes it more expensive to be poor in this country than to have wealth.
When a person doesn't have a bank account for minimum balance requirements or high overdraft charges, that person will spend on avg. $500 a year in extra transaction costs alone. Furthermore, the housing costs are un-affordable for low-wage workers (on fixed income).
If you earn $8/hr, you would need to work over 100 hours a week to be able to afford a 1 bedroom apartment.
And federal funding for affordable housing has dipped tremendously between 2009 - 2013. We are experiencing a rental housing crises.
One contributor to the wealth-gap in the US has been through home-ownership. Home-ownership is the primary way in the US families pass down wealth from generation to generation.
America wrote racism into the manuals, literally (see: Redlining). The denying of mortgages and opportunities to neighborhoods of color stayed on the books until the civil rights act of 1068. Banks continue to discriminate in lending.
When we turn people's life's around, it's not just their lives. It's the children, their grandchildren; their whole families.
Solving homelessness: Stop shaming and blaming | Deborah Hughes | TEDxAmoskeagMillyardWomen (June 2015)
We can end homelessness. First though, Hughes says we need to stop shaming and blaming those who need our help most.
Whether it's parenting or doing our bit volunteering to help those less fortunate, the ego must get out of the way. This work is most authentic when we expect no rewards.
Invest in women and children experiencing homelessness. Help them gain the momentum they need to help them achieve their dreams and goals. Your investment will pay far into the future!
Housing First: Sam Tsemberis at TEDxMosesBrownSchool (May 2012)
A GREAT presentation.