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.

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

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.

This workshop will cover various services in the Buffalo area to help your clients find and/or secure employment.  Speakers include the NYS Department of Labor, VESID, Goodwill and more.

To register, please send an e-mail to Connie Mosher at conniesrudd@yahoo.com.  You can also call (716)812-8310 if you have questions.  Please note that Connie will be on vacation starting the 18th through the 28th.  While she will do her best to make sure to stay on top of e-mails, don’t be worried if you do not hear back before the end of the month.  Please include your name, agency, phone and e-mail with your registration.

Michael Stoops, the Current Director of Community Organizing for the National Coalition for the Homeless (who also spoke at a HAWNY luncheon in the past) just posted a great blog article about the links between homelessness, tourism and the criminalization of homelessness.

Also related to the criminalization of the homeless is a picture from a protest against a ban on sleep outside.

A Change.org article looks at the troubling implications the most recent round of foreclosures may have for the number of homeless in our country.

Lastly, a formerly homeless man provides us with an important reminder that compassion has a large role to play in the fight against homelessness.

NAFTA has heard from many agencies and understands how convenient tokens are in providing for the transportation needs of clients.  Therefore, NAFTA will continue to sell tokens to various government agencies, human service agencies and educational institutions until further notice.

To receive the Token Request form, please contact Irene Pijuan of the Homeless Alliance

A college education has often (and legitimately) been viewed as a powerful tool to escape poverty.  More than any time in the past, college degrees are becoming required for jobs traditionally viewed as gateways to the middle class.  This trend in employment requirements, combined with the cause of student homelessness identified by the report, is forcing aspiring college to confront a troubling paradox; a college education, often needed to help escape poverty, may actually drive students deeper into poverty.

This paradox highlights the important roles public universities and colleges can play in our society.  Despite not having a large flagship school, the SUNY system is one of the most robust state university systems in the nation.  As the tuition of private colleges continues to creep toward or above $40,000, SUNY schools often offer a comparable education at a third of the price.  This lower price tag for education not only helps alleviate the immediate causes of student poverty and homelessness, but also helps ensure the possibility of a college education for those who might not be able to afford a private university.  The lower tuition costs of SUNY schools combat student homelessness through lower tuition while simultaneously keeping a major pathway out of poverty, a college education, available to citizens of New York.

However, the SUNY system finds itself in an extremely awkward position in regards to funding.  Last year, 90% of a $300 per semester tuition increase was actually used to cover the state’s budget deficit.  In light of the rise of student homelessness, this passing of the financial buck to students is especially troubling.  Real funding for SUNY schools has dropped so consistently over the years that the University of Buffalo is leading a campaign to that would allow SUNY schools to independently increase their tuition to compensate for the budget cuts (more information here).     This has forced SUNY schools into an unfortunate position.  In order to keep offering a reasonable education, SUNY schools believe they must raise tuition, thus risking the possibility of making college an impossibility for those most in need of a low cost education.

Public education can play a powerful role in preventing poverty and homelessness in the long and short term.  In addition to these benefits, a college can has positive economic effects on the community. In order for these benefits to be realized by SUNY schools, they need to become a funding priority again.  The lack of state for SUNY has compromised its ability to have its maximum positive impact.

One article showed how a bike sharing program is making a special effort to increase access to transportation among the homeless.  Buffalo also has an awesome bike sharing program, check it out!

Another article focused on how a sports team may be used to help combat homelessness.  The links contains a video with some very touching testimonials from the athletes involved in the program.  They really explain how sports helped stabilize their life, creating a platform for subsequent improvements in their life.

If you are still looking for more reading, check out HAWNY’s first policy paper, located on the publications page.  This policy paper is a brief explanation of HAWNY’s position on housing first programs.

Thanks for reading!