Project Homeless Connect

The Western New York Coalition for the Homeless will be sponsoring an event entitled Project Homeless Connect. In the words of its creators, Project Homeless Connect “fuses political and civic will in a one-day, one-stop array of resources which focuses on immediacy, hospitality, and results for homeless neighbors.”  Buffalo’s Project Homeless Connect will take place on November 17^th in the Buffalo Convention Center from 10:00AM to 6:00 PM.  For more information about the event, check out of the fliers for the event (Poster 1, , Poster 2).

A large number of volunteers is going to be needed for this event.  If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out this form and e-mail it morrissey@wnyhomeless.org.

Refugee Homelessness

The Seattle Times recently ran a story about the high levels of refugee homeless across the United States.  Given the limited federal assistance offered to refugees, this rise in refugee homelessness is not completely surprising.  Buffalo has a large refugee community and it is important that these refugees do not become homeless as they establish themselves in their new home.

A refugee is an individual who was forced to flee his/her country due to a fear of persecution related to “race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.”  Refugees are often forced to live in brutal refugee camps before they come to the United States because they cannot safely return to their country and the country where the camp is located is often unwilling or unable to formally absorb the refugee population.  Large scale movement of refugees across international borders also have a destabilizing effect on the country receiving the refugees, often making the host country less likely to help the refugees.

There are organizations in Buffalo that perform refugee resettlement.  One such organization is the International Institute of Buffalo.  The International Institute finds suitable and affordable apartments for refugees, helps with integration through case management, and provides free English classes among other things.  One key way the International Institute helps stretch the limited federal assistance is through in-kind donations and volunteers.  If you are interested in refugee resettlement, please visit the International Institute’s website and read more about the role you could play.

Interesting Links

An interesting article from the last couple days:

A Newsweek article about the persistent nature of homelessness following Katrina.

Defining the Problem

Homelessness is hard to keep track because, quite simply, what constitutes a homeless person has not been agreed upon.  This often leaves people who require assistance technically ineligible.  The current definition of homelessness (see below), as defined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development,  was recently changed to include

Families with children or unaccompanied youth who are unstably housed and likely to continue in that state. This is a new category of homelessness, and it applies to families with children and unaccompanied youth who have not had a lease or ownership interest in a housing unit in the last 91 or more days, have had three or more moves in the last 90 days and who are likely to continue to be unstably housed because of disability or multiple barriers to employment.

This definition is a recent revision that actually expanded the definition.  Previous definitions of homelessness did not include families who were forced to stay with relatives or friends.  The language regarding  “leases and ownership interests” ensures that families being forced to stay with other families are now included in the definition.
While it is certainly encouraging to see this revised definition now includes these families, it still does not represent a complete definition.  What about individuals experiencing the same conditions?  Individuals “who have not had a lease or ownership interest in a housing unit for the last 9 days” are not considered homeless (provided they have not moved 3+ times during that 90 days).  The bottom line is that those individuals need assistance to help them become self sufficient again.  Simply ignoring the problem will not make it go away.  While this revised definition is an encouraging step in the right definition, it still leaves something to be desired among those committed to ending homelessness.

For an example on how this definition has had a positive impact on providing assistance to those who need it, please read this article in the Houston Chronicle.

HUD Definition of Homelessness

HUD defines homelessness using the following definition: A homeless person is someone who is living on the street or in an emergency shelter, or who would be living on the street or in an emergency shelter without HUD’s homelessness assistance. A person is considered homeless only when he/she resides in one of the places described below:
·    In places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, abandoned buildings, on the street;
·    In an emergency shelter;
·    In transitional or supportive housing for homeless persons who originally came from the streets or emergency shelters;
·    In any of the above places but is spending a short time (up to 30 consecutive days) in a hospital or other institution;
·    Is being evicted within a week from a private dwelling unit and no subsequent residence has been identified and the person lacks the resources and support networks needed to obtain housing or their housing has been condemned by housing officials and is no longer considered meant for human habitation;
·    Is being discharged within a week from an institution in which the person has been a resident for more than 30 consecutive days and no subsequent residence has been identified and the person lacks the resources and support networks needed to obtain housing; or
·    Is fleeing a domestic violence housing situation and no subsequent residence has been identified and the person lacks the resources and support networks needed to obtain housing.