You see, currently our federal homeless dollars are put
together through a series of grants appealing to particular legislation. A good example of this is the Projects for
Assistance Transitioning from Homelessness (PATH) Program which is funding
through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
which is part of Health and Human Services (HHS) funding. (I realize a mouthful, but I want to be
thorough). “PATH programs provide services to people who are
experiencing mental illness and are experiencing homelessness or risk of
homelessness” (from
their website).
This is a beautiful thing. Our representatives have recognized mental illness as a problem in our homeless population and created programming, funding, and legislation to help pull the mentally ill from the streets. We have recognized that their illness exacerbates their situation and that it is unreasonable to expect a person with these symptoms (e.g., psychosis, chronic depression, developmental disorder, schizophrenia, or delusions) to “pull themselves up from their bootstraps,” find a job, an apartment, a support network and their place in our community without assistance. We as a society have made the statement that it is unacceptable for the chronically mentally ill to be subjected to poverty and homelessness as a result of an illness over which they have little control.
Therein lies the
trouble for me. By identifying the
unacceptable conditions of homelessness and poverty we are making an
insidiously subtle statement as what are acceptable
conditions. We have legislation,
funding, federal and local programs all devoted to helping the homeless but in
a fractured and segregated way. Some
programs, like PATH, help the mentally ill.
Others help substance abusers.
Others still are devoted to youth, or families, or single men, or the
disabled, or veterans. Some are faith
based and help those in their congregation.
Some are for the elderly. On and
on the divisions go and through the web of people for whom homelessness is
unacceptable there is the pervasive knowledge that somewhere there is someone
who deserves it.
Is that what we
mean to say as a nation? That there are
those who deserve poverty and homelessness?
We are doing wonderful things but we are working towards our goals, not
our values. I know that seems like
splitting hairs but the difference is profound.
A goal is that no veteran is homeless.
A value is that all are deserving of a home. Where a goal can be exclusive a value is inherently
inclusive.
No one should be
homeless. No one.
