The Socioeconomic Implications of Being “Homeless”

Guest Blogger

Warren Nakazawa

Craig's Place Volunteer

            What does it mean for a person to be “homeless?” The implied definition of the word “homeless” refers to a person who does not have a home. But what does the word “homeless” really mean to us, to society? By the general American public’s standards, a homeless person is dirty or filthy. A homeless person is needy or weak. A homeless person is good for nothing, useless. A hobo. A drunk. A druggie. A bum. This attitude is a stigmatic paradigm that exists throughout communities here in Western Massachusetts and really, in communities throughout the United States. The American society’s view on homelessness translates to a prejudicial behaviour based solely on the assumptions associated with socioeconomic divisions. The institutionalized barriers formulated by our class-based country prevent the homeless from reintegrating into society. The homeless population represents a class of people that are pushed aside, forgotten, and deliberately ignored. Odds are inevitably against them; discrimination and deprivation of opportunity lie behind every corner, blocking people’s paths to escape. The American upper class look down on the lower classes of society, failing to realize the nearly unconquerable number of problems that the homeless face in reintegration to society.         

I have dealt first-hand with the homeless in Western Massachusetts communities, specifically in Amherst and other surrounding towns in Hampshire County. I want to dispel any negative biases of the homeless population in Western Massachusetts communities. I must emphasize, even with how easily it is forgotten, that each homeless person within the greater Pioneer Valley, no matter how “dirty,” “crazy,” or “worthless,” is a person. I have spent nearly three hours a day, six days every week, for the last four months volunteering at the Craig’s Doors Homeless Shelter, a shelter located in Amherst, Massachusetts. In this time, I have encountered over 200 individuals, and I am both

confident and proud in saying that each individual, despite their societal labels, 

has the potential to contribute to their community. 

Every individual that I have interacted with has a 

unique and interesting 

personality that makes them human. 

Each individual experiences the grief and sadness of loss and disappointment, the pain and frustration of life and futility, and the happiness and comfort of love and friendship. This is the same grief, the same frustration, and the same happiness that I experience, that each of us experiences, at any given moment. Despite the connectedness of emotions between all persons, many of the guests that come to the shelter still face the looming possibilities of harassment and alienation that dehumanize their very existence. Each and every day it happens. The people of Amherst bully, shun, and terrorize the homeless, but it is from these homeless individuals, the people that come into Craig’s Place every night, that I learn what it means to be human. For every tear that has been shed, every punch that has been thrown, and every profanity that has been screamed across the room, a laugh echoes louder, a smile shines brighter, and a passionate resilience, gratitude, and hope burn stronger. The sum of these emotions, the emotions that make these people human, pushes me to see past the negative connotations of homelessness: the dirtiness, the drunkenness and the worthlessness. Through these interactions, I am able to see potential in each and every individual who walks through the doors of Craig’s Place. The people. They are, not “what,” but, who I volunteer for, who I write for, and who I fight for.

            The social stigma associated with homelessness is far from the only barrier that prevents the them from breaking free of their homelessness. Mental health issues, physical disabilities, and substance abuse problems are extremely prevalent among the homeless community in Amherst. These barriers are also some of the largest and hardest to solve among communities working to alleviate homeless problems. One study performed by the National Institutes of Health quoted the appearance of schizophrenia disorders present in 67.6% of subjects, mood disorders in 35.1% of subjects, chronic medical illnesses in 82.4% of subjects, and substance abuse disorders in 44.6% of subjects, in a specialized shelter in Boston, Massachusetts aimed at transitioning homeless persons afflicted by mental illness (Viron et al. 562). These problems are deeply rooted in the homeless population and will continue to prevent people from rising up out of homelessness without the proper awareness and acknowledgement of the issues. The study found that only about half of subjects with substance abuse problems had documented a history of treatment for the disorders, and while four-fifths of all subjects were documented as having a primary care provider, psychiatrist, and mental outreach worker, the rate of psychiatric and acute care hospitalizations stood just as high across the whole sample (Viron et al. 562). Currently, there exists a very small number homeless advocacy programs and organizations in Massachusetts that offer support in combating these issues. Virtually none exist throughout the entirety of the Western Massachusetts area.

The previously-mentioned study goes on to discuss the interconnectedness between mental illness and other barriers. In this same population of individuals, half of the subjects had an average of two legal charges per person, with most accounts being for assault, disturbing public order, or drug-related offenses. A third of all subjects reported a history of either physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. A fourth of all subjects reported adverse childhood experiences, which were qualified as foster care, state youth service involvement, death of a parent, or divorce of parents (Viron et al. 563). As described by the authors in the study, “co-occurrence substance use and psychiatric disorders are at an increased risk of experiencing chronic homelessness…[and] a further increase in mortality” (Viron et al. 563). All of these barriers and their interconnectedness work strongly to hold the homeless in place. In looking at the bigger picture, it is not puzzling as to why many homeless are subject to cyclical or chronic episodes of homelessness. With no proper support programs to address these issues, homeless populations will only continue to grow and pose a threat to the livelihoods of communities and their people.

There remain two more challenges that the homeless face that represent the actual act of escaping homelessness: finding jobs and finding housing. A study performed by the University of Chicago on homeless families in Worcester, Massachusetts recorded a number of alarming statistics. Within the sample population, only a quarter of mothers in single-parent homeless families were employed, and half of families in the sample had experienced episodes of homelessness previously (Weinreb et al. 605) Prior studies cited in this article report that some families are required stay in shelters in order to receive housing subsidies. The authors state, according to additional sources, that “to have an extended shelter stay before they will grant the family a housing subsidy” and that “waits can be quite substantial and the costs of using shelters as holding places are high” (Weinreb et al. 609) The data and analysis provided by this article show that how, in many cases, there exist institutionalized barriers that prevent people from rising out of homelessness, in addition to the struggles they may already be dealing with. In some cases, the challenges people face literally force them into homelessness before they are legally allowed to receive help, which is inherently and intuitively against the goals of homeless shelters in the first place.

Perhaps the largest organization in Massachusetts that is working to combat homelessness and its barriers is the Coalition for Homeless Individuals. The Coalition consists of a number of groups located all across Massachusetts, most of which reside in Boston, whose collective goals are to alleviate homelessness by focusing in on the issues of medical care for the homeless, substance abuse support groups, skill training for job placement, and the creation of permanent housing. There is only one organization in Western Massachusetts that is currently a member of the coalition: Friends of the Homeless, located in Springfield, Massachusetts. As described in an article in the local Springfield newspaper, MassLive, Friends of the Homeless provides the homeless with “efficiency apartments and housing assistance, emergency shelter, three meals a day, employment services, a computer lab, counseling, and links to health and mental health services” (Goonan). As quoted by William J. Miller, director of Friends of the Homeless, Springfield has experienced a “steady reduction in the number of chronically homeless individuals each year since [creating] our 10-Year Plan in 2007, and [we] are on track to be able to end chronic homelessness in 2016” (Goonan). While emergency shelters serve a huge purpose in mitigating short-term homelessness, the structure of this organization is the model that those in power should be following in order to solve chronic and long-term homelessness. These barriers are what need to be addressed. Following this model is how we can create change.

          Craig’s Place is a wet shelter, meaning guests are permitted to stay at the shelter even while intoxicated. Because many of the guests at Craig’s Place are under the influence of alcohol and drugs each night, the adverse effects of substance abuse are immediately apparent; the environment becomes conducive to bringing out the worst in people.  Despite people’s aggressive attitudes and actions, Craig’s Place, being the only wet shelter for Amherst and its surrounding communities, plays an important role in housing people who may otherwise perish on the streets. The homeless are people. They are human. 

I have seen individuals resist the urge to give up on a system that has already given up on them. 

To see their efforts squandered by these institutionalized barriers is simultaneously infuriating and heart-breaking. Yet, I have seen their desires to succeed and their potential for change and growth. I have experienced their humanity. While it easy to view the homeless population as a drunken, disorderly, lazy, and uneducated group of people, in reality, most of the people I have encountered have been given no opportunity to succeed. As a volunteer at Craig’s Doors, I don’t just volunteer my time. I give them my ears, so that I may listen to their stories. I give them my eyes, so that I may share their tears. I give them my words, so that I may speak for their silenced voices. I give them my heart, so that I may ensure them that they are, really and truly, human. It is crucial that people understand the entirety of what it means to be a “homeless” person, because it is from this understanding that we, as Americans and as fellow people, can change the way system works and truly see each other as equals.