Thoughts on a National Conference on Homelessness

Last week I was part of a panel discussion at a national conference on homelessness in Philadelphia. Entitled "Children, Poverty and Homelessness" and hosted by the Institute for Children and Poverty, this two-day conference invited direct service providers, researchers and policy advocates to come together and "build bridges, create dialogue, and encourage ideas."

My panel discussion was part of the section of the conference on family homelessness, and focused on the topic of engaging fathers in homeless services. It was a diverse panel, including the moderator from the Homeless Task Force in Salt Lake City, Utah, and co-panelists from University Settlement (a nonprofit in Ohio) and from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.

The audience questions were thought-provoki ng and informative, and the hour and a half session just flew. The overall consensus of the participants was that the old "dead-beat dads" mantra was not an accurate or culturally sensitive description of the vast majority of fathers involved in the social services systems. The participants' experience has been that fathers generally want to help, but many of them have significant barriers including unemployment / underemployment, felony convictions / jail time, no GED, substance abuse issues, lack of job training, and/or mental health issues. I enjoyed learning more about programs that my co-panelists were directing focused on engaging fathers and keeping them engaged in the social services systems and being involved in the children's lives, even when the father and mother are no longer together in a relationship. I shared my experiences working with single mothers (many who are survivors of domestic violence) and how fathers not being engaged can have a profound negative effect on the development of the children.

I was honored to be a part of this national conference on homelessness, and look forward to keeping in touch with the providers and advocates I met.

Obama signs Ryan White Act: We Must Continue To Care About HIV/AIDS

In late 2009, President Obama signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009. Unless you work directly in the field of HIV/AIDS, this may not be on your radar. Most major news media sources neglected to cover the story at all. But to those of us in the field, it is huge news and a tremendous victory.

His signature extends the largest Federal program which provides assistance to individuals living with HIV/AIDS for another four years. The Ryan White program was first enacted in 1990 and is named after a young boy who contracted HIV from infected blood through transfusions to treat his hemophilia. His was the first case of HIV to make national and international headlines as he was a young Caucasian boy who was seemingly "immune" to such an "immoral" disease. For the first time, we were forced to look at HIV/AIDS in a new way and to see it for what it is (a devastating immune disease that could affect anyone) and not for what some judged it to be (a disease for unworthy individuals who somehow deserved to become infected).

President Obama said "[w]e can't give Ryan White back to Jeanne, back to his mom. But what we can do . . . is honor the courage that he and his family showed. What we can do is to take more action and educate more people. What we can do is keep fighting each and every day until we eliminate this disease from the face of the Earth."

HIV/AIDS continues to affect disenfranchised communities in alarming numbers. Minority populations, homeless populations, and those living in poverty are most affected by HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS can only be managed if a person is tested and gets into adequate health care. As we know, these populations often lack the resources to even get tested, let alone get into care. What can result is the disease continuing to spread and individuals getting sick due to the lack of care and treatment.

It is crucial that we keep HIV/AIDS in the forefront of all of our conversations surrounding poverty and homelessness. Yes, HIV/AIDS is a chronic disease, yet if left untreated, it can be devastating and fiercely life-threatenin g. This is especially true in those populations struggling with poverty and homelessness. It is up to us to continue to rally to get the needed services to these populations. The extension of the Ryan White Act is a major step in helping us achieve this goal.

Et tu, Obama? Don't Let Haiti Become Katrina Part II

As of this writing on the morning of January 14th, it's been nearly 40 hours since the devastating earthquake rocked the small island nation of Haiti. "Worse than a war zone" is how it's been described. Hundreds of thousands are feared dead. Millions affected. The first couple of days are the most crucial in finding survivors. But where is the international aid?

I've read that the airports in Haiti may be devastated. But I also heard on NPR this morning that hundreds of US paratroopers are "on alert and ready to deploy." Is it possible to at least do fly overs and drop off supplies - food, water, digging supplies, etc.? The media has been there since yesterday morning.

I can hear conservatives saying already "why is it our responsibility?" My answer to this is you can't have it both ways. If you want to say over and over again as Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity have that the US is the "greatest country in the history of the world," then we must act. We have a moral and ethical responsibility to help those in need.

When Katrina hit, millions of poor black people were tragically affected. The Haiti earthquake has also tragically affected millions of poor black people. Let's do the right thing this time and get the aid there now.

Answering the New York Nonprofit Press “Question of the Day”

The New York Nonprofit Press began a new initiative last week – “What’s your ‘Question of the Day?’ The Editor is asking “What question would you like to ask your colleagues in the local nonprofit human service community?”, and explains “NYNP’s new ‘Question of the Day’ is an effort to solicit broad input on issues and events important to our readers. We want to share your insights and concerns with the broader NYNP audience. Today, we’d like to know what it is that you would like to know. What question do you want to ask?” Here’s my response:

College and graduate tuition is prohibitively costly for most. Extraordinary student loans are the norm. Those of us working in nonprofit/human services face an even greater obstacle because after we graduate, the salaries we can obtain hover near the poverty level. The Social Work profession and other human service careers are losing talent to other for-profit industries, and keep those of us in nonprofit making student loan payments for years. The Federal law enacted a couple of years ago providing student loan forgiveness after 10 years of payments is a nice start, but we need more. What is the answer? Lower tuition costs for certain professions? More generous student loan forgiveness?

New York City Runs Out of Shelter Beds: Homeless Sleeping on Floors

Despite repeated alerts from the nonprofit organizations Coalition for the Homeless (where I work) and The Legal Aid Society, the City has not taken the necessary precautions to ensure that all those in need have a bed for the night during these bitterly cold times. As a result, this week Coalition and Legal Aid filed a motion in Court challenging the City's failure to provide adequate shelter to homeless men and women. The suit looks to the Court to enforce the landmark 1981 consent decree in Callahan v. Carey, which established the legal right to shelter for homeless New Yorkers.

The lawsuit states “on a number of nights the City has relegated homeless men to sleep on benches, on the floor or on tables….the City has also run out of lawful shelter for homeless women and is busing women to a temporary dormitory open only for a few hours of sleep at night. The situation for both women and homeless men will only worsen as the weather becomes colder and demand for shelter continues to rise.”

Going to Court is a last resort for advocates, but is sometimes necessary when their voices are not being heard and people are needlessly suffering. We now look to the halls of justice to provide the basic human right of shelter for our most vulnerable New Yorkers.

Tea Baggers Bag Health Care for Homeless

"I'm having a problem with tea bags." - Charlotte
"Oh honey, I understand completely. Breathe through your nose." - Samantha
Sex and the City

Tea bags. Tea baggers. That's all we hear in the news these days. We never thought we'd ever hear major news anchors discussing tea bags on the nightly news. Unfortunately, they are not talking about the sexual kind. They're talking about the extreme right wing of the Republican Party. That same group that forced a moderate Republican candidate for a House seat in upstate New York to drop out of the race in favor of a radical conservative. Thankfully he lost.

Now they are organizing protests of the health care reform bill. "Kill the bill! Kill the bill!" they're chanting. We'll give them this - they know how to organize and come up with a catchy, concise and easy to understand message to their base. Even if it's a lie. Death panels? Ridiculous of course. But there were thousands of Americans who actually believed there was a provision in the health care reform bill that said that we'll pull the plug on Granny.

Health care is a major issue for the homeless. As Shannon Moriarty noted in her recent blog post on change.org Tackle Homelessness, Lower Health Care Costs, "[h]omelessness and health care are inextricably linked; the conversation about one simply cannot happen without addressing the other." Medical bills are a major cause of homelessness. Visits to the ER to see a doctor is not health care. We can do better than this, can't we? 47 million Americans without health care. In New York City alone, there are nearly 40,000 homeless people, including over 16,500 children. These are the City's own statistics of their shelter population. This doesn't include the thousands of additional street homeless, those in private shelters, and those doubled and tripled up with friends and relatives.

Hey radical conservatives! Universal health care is more cost effective than the current system. What do you think costs more: going to the ER when you're sick, or going to your primary care doctor in a government run health plan? Preventative measures can save tons of money. If people only go to the ER in extreme situations because they don't have the money to pay their medical bills, they are not going to see a doctor when they have the flu. Maybe seeing the doctor sooner could prevent their flu from turning into pneumonia, and then they're in the hospital for a month. (Note to liberals: Rather than focusing on the humanity of universal health care, we thought we'd speak to conservatives' pocket books and wallets as that seems to be a major concern).

The bill passed in the House and is off to the Senate. The bill is flawed (i.e., restrictions on coverage for abortions, 96% of Americans covered and not 100%, etc.), but it's a start. And further than we've ever gotten to universal health care. Let's continue the push to ensure that everyone can receive the medical care they need without fearing mounting debt, foreclosure, eviction and/or homelessness.

Stabbing on the Subway: Where are We Headed?

It was early evening at a subway station in Manhattan. My Social Work class had gone over and I was running late. Literally running. As I approached the stairs to the platform I saw that a train was in the station…..and the doors were closing. Unless someone was going to hold the doors open, I had no chance. The doors closed and remained closed, and my only chance to make my intended train at Penn Station was gone.

As I walked down the steps, I heard a beautiful voice and acoustic guitar in the distance. I walked past the newsstand and saw a young man sitting on a bench with his sweatshirt hood pulled over his head. He was wailing out Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen and strumming along. I walked to my usual spot on the platform and waited. And waited. It was another 10 minutes before the next train pulled in. I boarded and found a spot against one of the doors on the opposite side. After exhaling a deep breath I smiled. My midterm exam was over, and I was on my way home to watch the World Series. My Yankees were playing the Phillies, and I couldn’t wait.

The train pulled out, reached the first stop, and people got off and others got on the train. There were two teenage boys, probably around 15 years old, standing in front of me and whispering to each other. They were looking at another teenage boy sitting in front of them across from me. As we neared the next station, the two kids approached the one sitting and got in his face. From my angle, I thought they were doing some typically playful teenage stuff. Then one of them grabbed the seated boy and pulled him up. As the train stopped in the station and the doors opened, the two boys started unloading on him. Punches flew and they fell out of the train onto the platform. It was a two-on-one battle. People started screaming and the conductor called the police. One of the two boys had a large umbrella and was clubbing the other boy with it. Although he was overmatched, the one kid held his own. Everything happened so quickly. Although I think it lasted around a minute, it seemed much longer. The two kids ran away and the battered youth reentered the train. His heart was pounding, sweat poured from his brow and he was breathing heavily. His white T-shirt was ripped at the collar, and he was bleeding. A lot. His entire chest was covered with blood and it looked like it was spreading. A woman said to him “You’re bleeding!” He said “I am? Those guys stabbed me!” His adrenaline was pumping so much he didn’t even notice it. Another woman came over to him and asked to look at his wound. She didn’t identify as a doctor or nurse, but he let her. She didn’t think it was life threatening, and told him to put pressure on it. He didn’t.

He was talking to himself at this point. Someone asked if he knew the other boys. “Yeah, I know ‘em. They got a beef with me. But they’re gonna get theirs.” The police came with EMS and spoke with him. By that time they instructed everyone to leave the train and platform area.

As I walked to another station to catch another train, I thought to myself all that had happened. Would the tragic cycle of urban youth continue? If the typical trend of not “snitching” took hold here, he wouldn’t let the police know who beat him. Instead, he may come at these two other youths for revenge….probably much harder than they did. Maybe he’ll get caught by the police and spend time in prison. Another promising life sent spiraling down into an abyss of hate? According to Dr. Anna Aizer’s 2008 article “Neighborhood Violence and Urban Youth,” “[t]hree quarters of American children have been exposed to neighborhood violence in their lifetimes. Most of the existing research has concluded that exposure to violence leads to restricted emotional development, aggressive behavior and poor school outcomes.” Growing up and being a teenager is difficult enough for most people. Fights happen all the time. But to have to deal with being stabbed and possibly worse is so sad. Where are we headed?

NYC Homeless Shelter Population Reaches All-Time High

The organization I work at released a new Briefing Paper on the status of homelessness in New York City. Here's a summary: "Newly released data show that, for the first time ever, more than 39,000 homeless New Yorkers – including more than 10,000 homeless families, an all-time high -- sleep in municipal shelters each night. City data also show that, since Mayor Bloomberg took office, 45 percent more New Yorkers sleep in municipal homeless shelters each year. All in all, the new City data confirm that the current year is the worst on record for New York City homelessness since the Great Depression of the 1930s."

For more information, visit:
http://coalitionforthe homeless.org/alltimehigh.html

Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize: Good News?

It was entertaining listening to the chit chat while waiting for my train this morning. I don't normally eavesdrop, but that was not necessary. The volume was at an all time high. "Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize? What a joke! What has he done?" Another rider said "Those people don't know what they're doin. They must not have gotten enough sleep this Summer. You know, they have too many hours of sunlight during the Summer." That's an interesting theory. Here's another quote: "It was the same thing with Al Gore winning it. There was no scientific evidence supporting his positions." Really? It's been a big week for the anti-Obama establishment - cheering for the US not getting the Olympics and now this.

I'll certainly agree that I was surprised to hear that President Obama was awarded the Prize. And I've been disappointed by some of the President's actions in office versus his words as a candidate. This Prize is most likely premature, especially given his recent decisions on the war in Afghanistan.

But to say he hasn't accomplished anything is just plain wrong. His actions have led to a fundamental change in the way the US is viewed in the world, and he has pushed for peace in many arenas, including trilateral meetings with Israel and the Palestinians, meeting with the Russian President and agreeing to pursue an arms control treaty, his speech in Cairo in June, his speech in Philadelphia on race relations, and most recently his speech at the UN about nuclear disarmament. His July 2008 speech in Europe where 250,000 Europeans attended waiving American flags was moving to see. He has done more for peace in his 9 months as President than Bush II did in 8 years. I do recognize that's not saying much......but still......

The Nobel Committee stated the President "has created a new international climate” and recognized his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." This award is something that will bring the President even greater credibility in international relations. I believe many of the terrorists in the world today were motivated by Bush's actions, including torture and the unjust war in Iraq, among other things. The US needs credibility and needs to be viewed as a vehicle for peace. This can only help in the fight against terrorism. Which is something conservatives should believe in too.

Social Media and Nonprofits: Let's get on it!

It's official - I'm fascinated (some would say obsessed) with social media. For a long time I resisted joining a social networking site. (I still don't have a MySpace page. But I think that's OK because it seems to be on the downward trajectory. So, my procrastination paid off!)

I had been continually receiving those invites from friends to join facebook. I just didn't see the point at the time. My tendency to resist with passion anything that appears to be "trendy" wasn't helping the situation either. About a year ago I finally caved in and joined facebook. I have to say now I'm glad I did. I've reconnected with people I haven't seen or spoken to in years, and stayed better connected with existing friends.

Once I saw the power of social media I could not be stopped. I'm now on LinkedIn (professional networking), twitter (microblogging), delicious (social bookmarking), and continue my personal website/blog on Blogger. Some other sites I've signed up for, but am not as active with, include Meetup (network of local groups), Picassa (photography), and The Auteurs (a film appreciation community). A great site on all things social media that I'd recommend is Mashable.com.

I don't spend hours upon hours on these sites. I usually log in to twitter in the morning and spend 5 minutes or so reading the updates of everyone I'm "following" and then again at the end of the day. Same with facebook. I also use these sites to update my network on what's going on with me. Not that I just had some bad pizza, but that I just published a new blog post, or am attending graduate school, or that the Yankees just beat the Red Sox (Hey, I can't be all business, all the time).

I say all this because I'm often dismayed at why more nonprofits have not embraced social media. It's a free way to connect with more possible donors, volunteers and other resources. Many websites are still "stuck" in Web 1.0, and have not been updated to take full advantage of the new technology. I think a nonprofit website should be interactive and easy to navigate, with exciting content including video, photographs, press releases, policy briefs, client testimonials, and access to connect on social media. At this point it seems to me that it is essential that all nonprofits at a minimum have a presence on twitter, facebook and LinkedIn, and have a blog. And these need to be updated frequently. At least every couple of weeks, but more ideally a couple of times a week. I've visited many sites that have become stale - for example having a post from last Spring about how much excitement is the air with the Winter breaking. It's sad.

Although embracing social media will undoubtedly add some work to someone's already over-filled plate, if you're not out there, you're missing out, and it could hurt you in the long run. Come on nonprofits, let's get on it!

Thoughts on the film The Soloist: Homelessness is Complicated

I have a three year old daughter. Since she's been born, my wife and I haven't been out to the movies very often. Seems like every time we were inspired enough to want to go to see a film, our baby sitter had already been booked. Oh well. It's certainly been our loss. We missed seeing many beautiful films on the big screen. Films like The Soloist.

Of course friends and family expected me to eventually write about this film. Seems like every other homeless advocate already has. They've written op-ed pieces and articles, organized screenings, had discussions, and it's all been great. Finally I've watched the film (on DVD) and can share my thoughts.

I have to say it is by far the most realistic film involving the street homeless population I have seen. (Have there really been many films on this topic anyway? Unfortunately not). Jamie Foxx's acting is dead-on. After ten minutes or so into the film I forgot I was watching Jamie Foxx. He became Nathaniel. He became one of the many clients we work with every day. And the other actors playing clients in the film were equally brilliant. I wondered - Are they really actors, or are they homeless people? (Some articles I've read state the director used homeless people in the film). The actor playing the counselor at the homeless organization was also very realistic, and I identified with how he dealt with Lopez's (Robert Downey Jr.'s character) questioning of their intervention methods (including Lopez arguing they should admit Nathaniel in a psychiatric ward against his will). It's likely that many persons working with the extremely mentally ill homeless have at least thought about admitting a psychotic client against his will. Maybe the medications would work and he could come out of the darkness and improve the quality of his life? But the trust would be gone and possibly his only support in the world could be destroyed. You'd be just another faker who promised everything but in the end betrayed him again. Trust in the system would be eroded even further. Maybe that would be the final straw to send him completely over the edge. The risks are too great.

A few years ago I worked with a client similar to Nathaniel. She suffered from schizoaffective disorder, which I would describe as a combination of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (manic depression). After years of support and encouragement, she voluntarily admitted herself into a hospital psychiatric ward, started taking medications and began to show improvement. When she was released a month later she said she was going to continue taking her medications. Tragically, she didn't. She's still street homeless and I hear from her every six months or so.

There are so many true stories out there waiting to be told about these remarkable people. Nathanial's story has been told because he has an incredible talent. A wasted talent if you ask many people. I can see questions being asked like - "Why doesn't he just take medication?" "Why would he rather live on the street than have his own apartment?" "Why does he dress that way and talk that way?" I'll tell you this - I could not imagine having to deal with hearing those voices inside my head. It's a miracle that he has survived this long. I think most people probably would have given up long ago.

Having worked with the homeless for nearly six years, what I take from this film, or rather what I would say is the "moral of the story," is that homelessness is complicated. Yes - it probably doesn't make sense to most people that someone would prefer to live on the streets than to have his own apartment. How does this happen? The mind is complex. Who knows if we'll ever truly understand why someone develops such a debilitating illness like schizophrenia.

Maybe one day Nathanial will start taking medication and it will improve his condition. Wouldn't that have been a nice and tidy happy ending to this film. A typical Hollywood ending. All is well in the end. Nathanial takes his meds, he cuts his hair, puts on a suit, and is the first cellist in the symphony. Well, that's not what the true story is and I'm very thankful that the writer, director and producers decided that they didn't want to make that kind of film.

My hope is that this film sparks more empathy towards the homeless and raises awareness of the issue of homelessness. The more people who get involved in the movement to end homelessness, the more likely it will be a reality one day very soon.

Graduate School: Do I Really Need to Go?

In two weeks from today I am starting graduate school. I'll be attending the Columbia University School of Social Work to pursue a Master of Science in Social Work. "Why?" is the question I've most often heard from some family, friends and coworkers. I already have an advanced degree (law) and have eleven years of experience, the past six in nonprofit. I've certainly been questioned with skepticism (i.e, called crazy) before about major life decisions. Most recently when I quit my job at a huge law firm to become a full time volunteer helping the homeless.

I've been toying with the idea of getting my MSW for the past four years. Ever since I took my first Social Work class. I completed four courses (twelve credits) nonmatriculated at Fordham. They had this great program where they provided a voucher for a free class at their Graduate School of Social Service for every Social Work intern we hosted at my organization. I thought this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up and I didn't. I learned a ton and really enjoyed the classes. Law school was not fun or enjoyable for me. I don't regret that I went, but if I had to do it all over again, most likely I would have pursued attending a school where I could obtain my JD and MSW at the same time. Some credits in each program count towards the other program and you can complete them in four years (instead of the usual five).

Pretty much every semester since the Spring of 2005 (when I took my first Social Work class) I've considered applying. It was sort of this game I would play when it was a week or so before the application deadlines. I would research the schools I was considering, have some heart-to-heart discussions with my wife (who is a Social Worker and 2002 graduate of Columbia), and ultimately decide that I didn't "need" to get this degree. I always felt that it was something like a "luxury" rather than a necessity for career advancement. And there are huge considerations including more student loans and time away from my wife and three year old daughter.

Then this past Spring I received an email from one of my very best friends letting me know that he is going back to school to pursue a Masters in Finance. He already has an MBA. I spoke with him at length about it and for his career goals, it made sense. I started to think about my own back and forth thoughts concerning going back to school. Maybe I wasn't crazy? Maybe I wasn't being gluttonous with getting another degree?

So, I decided to apply and see what happened. What happened was I got accepted to Columbia and I'm going. Starting in two weeks. I'm fortunate to have the support of my wife (hey, how could she not? I'd have to report her to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) as an ethics violation). I'm excited and nervous, but this just feels right.

Bloomberg Declares End to Homelessness

In a stunning reversal of years of failed homeless policies, Mayor Michael Bloomberg today declared an end to homelessness in New York City. Not in five or ten years. Now. As the sun shone down on the City Hall steps at noon, accompanied by homeless men, women and children, Mayor Bloomberg smiled widely and said: "It is a new day in the City of New York. For far too long, indeed for decades, City government has been managing the problem of homelessness. Not working to solve it. All that changes today."

The Mayor continued: "For the first seven years of my tenure as Mayor, I have been relying on my advisers to create homeless policies without really doing an investigation for myself. Last week I decided to go on a tour, if you will, of several homeless shelters in the City to speak with the people my policies have been affecting. I visited a Men's shelter in Manhattan, a Women's Shelter in Brooklyn and a family shelter in The Bronx. What I found was startling. I spoke with Ben, a 65 year old Vietnam veteran who has been homeless for a decade. He's been on the streets for years and finally decided to enter the shelter system last year and seek help. To date, he has only met with his case manager three times and has never been presented with housing options. I also met with June, a 33 year old single mother of three, who is currently working two jobs and still not above the income poverty level. She can't afford to rent an apartment and her pride keeps her from applying for public assistance."

"How do we solve the problem of homelessness in this great City of ours? By prioritizing people. And by using the tools we already have. Most importantly, there are affordable housing and supportive housing, which, as many of you know, is affordable housing with supports in place, such as case workers and doctors on site to provide services to the residents. Comprehensive mental health and substance abuse services are crucial for our most vulnerable New Yorkers."

"Where will the housing come from? There are currently hundreds of abandoned buildings and vacant lots throughout the City. They have been unused for years and wasting away. We are going to put those properties to good use. Old buildings will be renovated. New buildings will rise on the vacant lots. Construction companies that provide job opportunities to homeless persons will be prioritized for construction bids. And, the faster the buildings are constructed or renovated, the more the companies will be paid."

"We will also be prioritizing jobs and education. Every homeless person will be afforded the opportunity to participate in education and job training programs of their choosing. If you don't have your high school diploma, we're going to help you get your GED. If you don't have your Associates Degree, we'll help you get it. If you don't have your Bachelor's Degree, we'll help you obtain it. And on and on. Tuition at these programs, schools and City Universities will be on a reasonable sliding scale and in many cases free. We will also provide tax rebates to any private schools that participate in this program."

"I know the question most of you are waiting to ask. Other than, of course, 'Have you lost your mind?' [Laughs]. The question you want to ask is 'Where will the money come from?' My answer to you is we will find the money. I've been in talks with President Obama, Governor Patterson and Speaker Quinn of the City Council, and they are all supporting this initiative. If the government can find billions of dollars to fight unnecessary wars and send rockets into outer space, surely we can find the money to be compassionate towards our fellow man."

And, in the most shocking announcement today, the Mayor said "I am also going to match dollar-for-doll ar all funds that the government puts up." Jaws of the Press dropped. Cheers rang out from the homeless men, women and children accompanying the Mayor on the City Hall steps. Today certainly is a new day in the City of New York.

Disclaimer: This is fake. It is satire. It is the blog post I dream of being true. This was inspired by the film "The Yes Men Save the World." In one scene of the film, they created a "Special Edition" of The New York Times that contained news stories they wish they would read. With articles entitled "Iraq War Ends," "National Health Insurance Act Passes," and "All Public Universities to Be Free," it is "All the News We Hope to Print." You can view the paper here http://www.nytms-se.com/

Mayor Bloomberg is Clueless about Homelessness

Five years ago Mayor Michael Bloomberg stated his ambitious goal of reducing homelessness by two-thirds within five years. This goal was nearly universally applauded by homeless advocates. Five years later the total shelter population is the same and family homelessness has increased by nine percent.

This week the Mayor finally conceded that his homeless policies have not been working as expected. However, one of the reasons he gave was that the homeless find shelters “a lot more attractive” than permanent living situations.

Clueless. That's all that comes to mind. Maybe a nicer way to say it is uninformed? Out of touch?

Anyone who has spent more than two minutes in a homeless shelter would know that it is not a place one would want to reside. And certainly not a place to raise a family. I've been to homeless shelters countless times and spoken with hundreds of homeless persons over the past six years. Not one of these remarkable and hard working persons ever indicated she or he enjoys living in a shelter or would prefer not to move into permanent housing. They are desperately trying to get out of the shelter and out of the system.

As all homeless advocates universally agree, one of the main flaws in the Mayor's homeless policies is de-prioritizing the homeless for lifetime Section 8 housing vouchers and instead offering temporary housing vouchers. Section 8 vouchers are one of most important resources of those living in poverty. They are a way out. Out of the homeless system and into a stable life.

I know that lately the concept of "empathy" has become considered a weakness that conservatives have latched onto ever since President Obama noted it as a quality he would look for in his Supreme Court nominee. Maybe the Mayor should try a little empathy towards the homeless. It could ultimately go a long way towards achieving his ambitious goals.

Where is the Movement?

I haven't changed my photo (or "avatar") on twitter to a shade of green because I resist things that I interpret as trendy. That probably results in me appearing that I don't support the pro-democracy movement in Iran. I do. It's truly inspiring watching protestors risking their lives in the name of freedom.

From the articles I've read, one of the sad tragedies of this movement in favor of the opposition candidate is that he's really not that much better than Mr. Ahmadinejad. It's sort of like if McCain would have won the nomination and election in 2000 instead of W. Some things would have been different, but given how McCain ran his campaign in 2008 and the content of his policies, we would have most likely have many of the same problems as we do now. But, I digress.

What I'd really like to write about is the lack of a "visible" movement towards peace and justice here in the US. Sure, there have been impressive demonstrations at times. Some of the protests of the Iraq war had hundreds of thousands of Americans marching. There just doesn't seem to be a consistent movement such as existed in the US during the 1960's. Have we lost much of our passion? Have we moved our advocacy efforts online through organizations like MoveOn.org and individual campaigns in blogs, on facebook and on twitter? These modes are very powerful - organizers in Iran have used twitter through cell phones to coordinate rallies as the Government has blocked access to the media and the internet. However, is online protest alone enough? Where is the nonviolent resistance perfected by Gandhi and adapted by Dr. King? Is protest passé? I don't think so. There are not many things more powerful than an anonymous protestor at Tiananmen Square in 1989 standing alone in front of a line of tanks.

I'm not here to claim that I am the king of protest. Far from it. I have participated in a number of protests/rallies/marches, but I am not out there all the time. I'm also not trying to minimize the extraordinary efforts of thousands of American activists. It would just be so much more moving to see people participating from all segments of society, not just the most radical or left-wing.

So where do we go from here? How do we motivate "mainstream" America to care enough about these issues to take time from their lives and march? To take risks. To effect change on a large scale. I don't know. I'm here asking questions. What do you think?

Bullying - Doctors Say Schools Need to Take the Lead to Prevent It

I was listening to the program The Takeaway on WNYC this week and heard an interesting discussion on bullying. In July the American Academy of Pediatrics will be issuing a report on bullying and the responsibility of the school to take the lead in preventing it. It discusses a program that originated in Europe and has been found to reduce bullying in schools by over 90%. It involves changing the school culture to transfer the social stigma from the victim to the bully. The bully is no longer the hero, and other kids protect the victim and realize the bully has the problem. I'm looking forward to reading the report when it is released.

Last month a report was released that found that young children who are bullied by other children are more likely to experience psychosis and other significant mental health issues as teens and adults, including suicidal ideation. The government site Stop Bullying Now has tons of more useful information.

Reducing and ultimately eliminating bullying should be a priority of school officials.

Hope and Resilience in New (York) Orleans

This weekend I was in New Orleans. My wife was presenting at a national Social Work conference and I was tagging along. Of course we spent much time and many laughs in the French Quarter/on Bourbon Street.

While walking the streets and people watching and going into shops, I was struck by the similarities of New Orleans to New York in one aspect - survival and renewal. Katrina was their 9/11. The Ninth Ward is their Ground Zero. Nearly four years later they are still recovering. Thousands of residents are still displaced and homeless. Homes are not yet rebuilt. And the horrific event is being exploited. Everywhere are T-Shirts, stickers, buttons and magnets about Katrina. It reminds me of the walk I do twice every day between the PATH train station at Ground Zero and my office. There are always street vendors selling T-Shirts, hats, photos, etc. about 9/11.

There are other similarities: resilience, drive, spirit, pride.......and most importantly........hope. I'm deeply moved by what I saw here this weekend. They are still in the process of recovery. And recovery is a process. But..........

the trolley car keeps rolling,
the steamboat keeps boating,
and the people keeping hoping.

My hope is that during my next visit I'll once again be moved.......but this time by seeing the City fully recovered and stronger than ever.

The Tragedy of Homeless Veterans

Last week I was reading about the horrific tragedy of a serviceman killing five of his colleagues after serving three tours in Iraq, and it reminded me of the general deficiency of care for veterans returning from combat. Asking these brave women and men to risk their lives for us, and then not providing the best care possible when they return is one of the greatest tragedies of our time. Thousands of soldiers have been physically and/or emotionally damaged in tours of Iraq and Afghanistan, suffering from PTSD, depression, anxiety and other significant medical issues. Appeal times for disability benefits can last many months and even years. Reintegrating into society and finding jobs can be nearly impossible in this economic climate. Many of these heroes then become homeless. According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, over the course of a year over 335,000 veterans experience homelessness in the US. That is a staggering number. We need to take significantly better care of our veterans. They more than deserve it.

Rally and Press Conference at City Hall, Thursday, May 14th at 11:00am

Assemblyman Keith L.T. Wright, New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr., State Senators Daniel Squadron and Velmanette Montgomery, the NYC Legal Aid Society, the Partnership for the Homeless, the Coalition for the Homeless, NYC Coalition Against Hunger and Picture the Homeless will be holding a rally on the steps of City Hall in Manhattan to protest the charging of rents to the working homeless in shelters.

State of the Homeless in New York City

Coalition for the Homeless, an advocacy and direct service nonprofit assisting homeless and low-income men, women and children in New York City, released it's 10th Annual State of the Homeless Report this week (Full disclosure - I work at Coalition). According to the report, which resulted from analyzing City-released data, family homelessness has risen dramatically during the past year. Currently more than 36,000 homeless New Yorkers sleep each night in City shelters. This includes 15,500 children. Last year nearly 110,000 New Yorkers slept in City shelters at some point, a 32 percent rise since 2003.

In 2005, the City changed its decades-long policy of prioritizing homeless families for Federal housing programs including Section 8 vouchers and public housing, and replaced it with its Housing Stability Plus (HSP) program, and later its replacement - the Work Advantage Program. These both differed from Section 8 vouchers mainly because they were time limited. HSP subsidies also decreased over time. For example, homeless families receiving HSP vouchers would see a 20 percent decrease in rental subsidies each year over five years until they ended. In contrast, Section 8 vouchers had no decrease and were not time-limited.

One of the main reasons cited by the City for de-prioritizing homeless families to receive Federal housing aid is they felt it "induces" families to move into shelters. As the Report notes, however, "since the Bloomberg administration cut off homeless families from Federal housing aid, the number of homeless families entering shelter has actually increased – and hit an all-time record level this past year." I would add that I've visited homeless shelters many times during the past five years and I believe a parent would not intentionally subject her child to having to live there just to receive a housing voucher. Shelters are not pleasant places to visit, let alone sleep in. They are a last resort where the only alternative is the street. Being a parent myself, I know that I would do everything in my power to avoid having to reside in a homeless shelter (even if after living in a shelter for a year I could receive a housing voucher). The potential psychological and physical damage to a child is too great to imagine.

Moreover, if you just look at this from a dollars and cents perspective, homelessness prevention programs such as Section 8 vouchers, eviction prevention and rental assistance programs are much more cost effective (and of course humane) than having families living in homeless shelters at a cost of 36,000 dollars a year.

My hope is that the City will change its policy and again prioritize homeless families for Federal housing programs. Given the current financial crisis, the need for affordable housing is only going to continue to increase, and more children could be on the brink of homelessness.

Continuing Education: Continuing Improvement

Working full-time, it can be difficult to fit in continuing education and professional development classes. I think it's important to make time for them. You can learn new skills and sharpen old ones, increase your knowledge base, add to your resume, and expand your professional network. You can become more efficient and effective in your job, and if you're looking, this can also be something that can set you apart from other candidates in a competitive job market like the one we're in now.

Today was the last session of a five-week class on leadership that I completed at Columbia's Graduate Business School. "Personal Leadership: Your Path to Success" was developed by Professor Hitendra Wadhwa based on a semester-long course he created and teaches at Columbia, and was co-facilitated by Columbia’s MBA and Executive-MBA students. Professor Wadhwa explains that "Personal Leadership is about personal growth – learning about yourself, identifying where you want to go in life, and implementing new ways of thinking and behaving that will help you succeed at your goals.

This is not a new topic, by any means. Prophets, philosophers, and self-help experts have been talking about this for ages. But what’s new, and what’s exciting, is that there is today a rich body of scientific findings that we can tap to help us get clear and confident answers to these age-old questions. We’ve researched this science over the last three years and extracted its most practical findings. Also, we all get drawn to other people’s stories, especially those of great people. But we rarely delve into the inner journeys, the inner struggles and the progress these people made during the course of their lives. By investigating these inner lives of great achievers, we will discover some remarkable truths about their Personal Leadership qualities."

I thoroughly enjoyed the content of the class and the small-group breakout sessions we had. Professor Wadhwa and Columbia made the class available to those in the nonprofit field with affordable tuition - 250 dollars - for over 20 hours content. They are planning on providing the class again in the Fall, and I highly recommend it.

You can learn more about the leadership class at:
http://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/personalleaders hip

Ending Homelessness? Yes We Can!

President Obama's press conference on Tuesday mainly focused on the financial crisis. Then he called on Kevin Chappelle from Ebony Magazine for his question. Chappelle: "A recent report found that, as a result of the economic downturn, 1 in 50 children are now homeless in America. With shelters at full capacity, tent cities are sprouting up across the country. In passing your stimulus package, you said that help was on the way. But what would you say to these families, especially children, who are sleeping under bridges and in tents across the country?"

President Obama: "I'm heartbroken that any child in America is homeless....[W]e've got . . . to help people who are still falling through the cracks. And you know, the homeless problem was bad even when the economy was good. Part of the change in attitudes that I want to see here in Washington and all across the country is a belief that it is not acceptable for children and families to be without a roof over their heads in a country as wealthy as ours. And so we're going to be initiating a range of programs, as well, to deal with homelessness."

I was heartened to hear the President discussing homelessness in a prime-time news conference watched by millions. I'm excited by the possibility that we can have a President backing the movement to end homelessness, not just continue to manage the problem. We know how to fix the problem - affordable housing, Section 8 housing vouchers, education, mental health services, job training, addiction services, discharge planning from hospitals and prisons, eviction prevention, jobs, etc. With the President taking bold steps to stimulate the economy, let's take a bold approach to ending homelessness. If you're just looking at dollars and cents, it's much more expensive to manage the problem than to end it. Housing a family in a shelter in New York City costs ,000, but an eviction prevention grant of several thousand dollars may get them through a difficult time in their lives and keep them in their apartment. Also, providing free/affordable and consistent health care rather than having a homeless person go to the emergency room every time she gets sick is much more cost effective. These are just two examples.

The homeless are not looking for a hand out. They are just trying to survive. They need our help. In today's climate, there are millions of Americans who are just a paycheck away from becoming homeless. Let's end homelessness now.

AIG is once again causing outrage. "AIG, which has received more than 170 billion in taxpayer bailout money from the Treasury and Federal Reserve, plans to pay about 165 million in bonuses by Sunday to executives in the same business unit that brought the company to the brink of collapse last year." AIG executives claim they are contractually required to pay the bonuses out, and describe them as "retention payments." See http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/business/15AIG.html

At a time that millions of Americans are jobless and without health care, many of whom are in this situation because of the actions of companies like AIG substantially contributing to the recession, I don't understand why our government did not condition bailout payments on certain parameters - including decreased executive pay and NO bonuses. It offends the conscience that those who partially caused this tragic situation are continuing to be rewarded for their failures.

LGBT Homeless & HIV/AIDS

This weekend my wife and I saw the film Milk. Harvey Milk's story is beautiful and tragic. The film is moving and thought-provoki ng. Why must all inspiring leaders be assassinated? Time Magazine has a brief biography of Harvey Milk at http://www.time.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/milk01.html.

This weekend I also received the latest latest issue of Achieve, a publication of the nonprofit organizations ACRIA and GMHC, which is a quarterly journal on HIV prevention, treatment and politics. There is an article entitled "Young, Positive and Homeless" which discusses the impact of homelessness on youth and HIV. You can view the article at:

http://www.acria.org/files/Achieve%20Winter%202009.pdf.

Seeing the film and reading the article inspired me to write this post about the LGBT homeless community and HIV/AIDS. "People living with HIV/AIDS are at a higher risk of becoming homeless”, and "[a]s many as 70% of all persons living with HIV/AIDS report a lifetime experience of homelessness or housing instability in communities across the US."

"In general, people who are homeless have higher rates of chronic diseases than people who are housed, due in part to the effects of lifestyle factors (such as drug, alcohol, or tobacco use), exposure to extreme weather, nutritional deficiencies, and being victimized by violence."

"The conditions of homelessness and extreme poverty—the inability to maintain intimate relationships, pressures of daily survival needs, and substance use as a response to stress and/or mental health problems—leave homeless and unstably housed persons extremely vulnerable to HIV infection" and “makes obtaining and using common HIV/AIDS medications more difficult."

"The homeless population has a median rate of HIV prevalence at least three times higher . . . than the general population. Even higher rates (8.5 to 62%) have been found in various subpopulations." In New York City, there are over 1000 LGBT homeless youth and they "have a higher risk of getting HIV because many turn to 'survival sex' at some point. Whether they're having sex for money, drugs, or a place to stay, they're often not in a position to demand a condom." Intervention and harm reduction are key. "Intervention reduces risky behavior among homeless HIV-Positive adults." "A National Institute of Mental Health-funded program already shown to reduce risky sexual and substance abuse behavior among HIV-infected adults also appears to be effective in improving the lives of HIV-infected homeless or near-homeless adults."

The LGBT homeless community, especially those living with HIV/AIDS, is one of the most vulnerable and underserved in this nation. Now more than ever we need to prioritize affordable and supportive housing, education, intervention and support. In the long run, quality of life will improve for those infected and infection rates will decrease thereby potentially saving the lives of thousands of Americans.

Self-Determinat ion: It's His Life

I came across this outstanding nine minute short film entitled "Life in Transition." It follows the story of Johnny Five, a chronically homeless and severely mentally ill adult in the Bronx, as he transitions from street homelessness living in a "cave" into supportive housing and tragically back again to the cave. You can view the film here - http://video.nytimes.com/video/2007/06/10/nyregion/1194817108471/life-in-transit ion.html?scp=3&sq=life%20in%20transition&st=cse

Before becoming the Director of First Step at Coalition for the Homeless nearly two years ago, I was the Director of the Client Advocacy Program (CAP) at Coalition. CAP assists chronically homeless and severely mentally and physically disabled adults to obtain Social Security disability benefits and to move off the streets and out of the homeless shelters and into supportive housing. I worked for over three years assisting folks like Johnny. It was at the same time a wonderful, sad and meaningful experience for me. There were many instances where self-determinat ion of a client is difficult for the advocate to deal with, especially when it's clear he's making a destructive decision. But……..we have to always remember that it's his life. As long as he's not suicidal or homicidal, we can't make a client do anything. I just try to provide the client with all of his options and my thoughts on the consequences of each course of action, and sometimes encourage him to pursue a particular direction if I feel it would be in his best interest. If I've been able to establish a rapport with the client and he trusts and values my opinion, he may be more likely to go with my suggestion.

A superb book that I'd recommend to read more about self-determinat ion and other theories/practices about preparing clients for change is Motivational Interviewing by William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick. I’d also recommend reading anything by Irvin Yalom.

Volunteering: A Way to Expand Your Nonprofit Career

Networking is an invaluable tool that can expand the horizons of your organization or program…...and your career. Especially in tough economic times like these where every day it seems there's another article about a company cutting tens of thousands of jobs or a nonprofit organization cutting staff or programs. As the Director of a job training program for homeless and low-income women, I stress to our students the importance of networking in getting your next job.

Volunteering can be a useful way to network at a nonprofit and advance your career. It's one of the reasons (and I think the main reason) that I got my first job in nonprofit five years ago. In my "previous life" as an attorney at a law firm in Manhattan, when I was looking to make the move into nonprofit I was finding it difficult getting any response to jobs I had applied for at nonprofits. Well, it was more than difficult…..I wasn't getting any interviews. I could just imagine the staff person at the nonprofit looking at my resume and saying "Who's this lawyer trying to run a program at a nonprofit? He has no nonprofit experience." What I did have, however, were transferable skills. I had been managing projects and supervising junior attorneys, paralegals and administrative assistants for years. This was just not getting through.

I had a rough idea of what type of work I wanted to do (assisting the homeless and/or working on civil liberties issues), so I did some research and found a handful of organizations that I thought I'd want to work for. None of them were hiring at the time. I sent emails and made phone calls and said I was interested in volunteering my time and helping out in any way. Rather than volunteering at one organization for extended periods of time, I thought it would be a better strategic move to volunteer at multiple organizations for a few hours every other week, that way I was expanding my possible network. Each time I volunteered, I made it a point to say hello to the Executive Director and/or Deputy Executive Director at the organization to keep me in the forefront of their mind if any opportunities ever arose. And, I didn't say no to any level of work. Most of the volunteer work I was doing some would probably consider "too easy" or "beneath" my skill level, but I felt at the time (and still do) that it's just important to be helping out in whatever area the organization needed it, whether it was stuffing envelopes or answering phones, because it showed that I was committed to the mission.

After a few months a position opened up at Coalition for the Homeless and the Deputy Executive Director approached me about applying for it. I believe this would have never been possible had I not been there week after week helping out. My resume would have just been added to the pile, and I would have possibly not even been called in for an interview because their preference was to hire someone with an MSW, which I didn’t have. Five years later, I'm still working at Coalition and was promoted to another larger program two years ago.

Regardless of your career stage and whether or not you are working right now, I believe that volunteering can be an important way to expand your network and your career potential.

Film - A Way to Connect

Film is an important tool that we use in our program to connect with our students and market our program to potential partners. Here are some of the ways we use film in our program:

First Step Short Film
At the all-day orientation of a new class, which is the first time the entire class is together, we watch a five minute film about First Step (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXFF9_i0yaY). This film chronicles the experiences of one graduate throughout the program. After the viewing, the students discuss the film and many share their difficult stories. There are laughs and tears.......which lead to hugs and cheers. The students visually see what lies ahead, hear an inspiring story, begin to bond with each other, become a team and form a support system for each other. It also allows the social service staff and other team members to get a sense of where each client is at so we can better serve them.

We also utilize this film in our outreach to potential partners (i.e., companies, law firms, nonprofits, foundations and individuals) in order to further expand the resources of the program, including funding, job placement, internships, corporate days, donations and volunteers. It's an additional tool that allows these potential partners to get a good feel for the program and what we do. A PowerPoint presentation is fine, but through the medium of film our potential partners begin to become part of the program through the stories of our remarkable women.

Freedom Writers
One important aspect of First Step is literacy. We have no education requirements for admitting new students, and usually at least a third of the class do not have their high school diploma or GED. (Looking for a job right now is difficult for someone with an MBA and experience at a financial firm. Imagine if you don't even have your GED. It's nearly impossible). One of the workshops we provide to our students is a literacy workshop that is led by our volunteer Ellen B., a retired teacher. She meets with the students once a week for two and a half hours during the first five weeks of the program. In the first two sessions, the students watch the film "Freedom Writers," write about it and discuss it. One of the main goals of the literacy workshops is to get the students excited about reading and writing. The film is an exceptional tool to achieve that goal and it makes the workshops even more interesting and engaging.

I highly recommend incorporating film into your work product. Whether you're a program director, development director or executive director, this multi-media tool can be an effective way to connect with your clients, obtain new funding sources and expand your resources.

Our Clients Inspire Us

The program I direct at Coalition for the Homeless is a job training program for homeless and low-income women. On Tuesday, we had a literacy workshop that was focused on the inauguration. The students watched the main events and then met for a couple of hours with our volunteer Ellen B., a retired teacher, to write about and discuss what the inauguration of President Barack Obama meant to them. There were tears of joy shed by students and staff as we watched the ceremony together.....and lots of cheers. Their written responses were so moving I wanted to share some of them on this Blog and the students generously agreed:

"The inauguration today was a big flag of unity for all waving high for everyone to see! We are going somewhere now that is worth traveling. Especially after the last 8 years. Hopefully this inauguration has a totally positive impact on each and every one of us as Americans. It was a dream and is now a reality! It gave me a sense of pride to be an American and a sense of dignity. And also the strength to understand that above all we can unite and be as one and from the looks of things we will!" - Ariann M.

"The inauguration of President Barack Obama means to me that my ancestors who were enslaved and died did not do so in vain. This inauguration means my young Black sons see in their lifetime what my grandmother who picked cotton could never imagine." - Debra H.

"I felt so emotional and proud to see and be a part of history. Today's event proved that goals can be achieved." - Sandra N.

"There will never be another day in my life that I will feel as proud to be an African-America n woman as I feel this day." - Charlotte W.

"Today everyone gets to live the American dream!" - Ebony D.

"I feel this Presidency is going to let other countries look at the US with dignity and respect again. At the end of the day people all over the world will realize that it doesn’t take one race to rule a county or to succeed in life. We are all one." - Sandy L.

"We all know we need a change around the world; a change to accept people for who they are: not their skin color, but for being a human." - Marlene S.

"The people of American elected the best man. A man who happens to be Black. Children as well as adults can reach for the stars and achieve it. It has been proven that it is achievable." - Jackie W.

"I just hope that this brings all races together to help each other." - Ama S.

"Today I have very high hopes and expectations from not only a new President but the whole political administration of this Country." - Yvonne L.

"I feel good because I voted to put in him office. If I was still using drugs I would not have been able to vote or see the inauguration." - Carol B.

It's really a privilege for me to work with such incredible women. Every day, they inspire me.

Hope

Today we celebrate the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tomorrow we celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

A little more than forty years ago, Dr. King began The Poor People’s Campaign, a new movement aimed at eradicating our nation of poverty and homelessness. He was taken from us a few short months later before his campaign could be fully realized. His words four decades ago still inspire us:

“We have moved into an era where we are called upon to raise certain basic questions about the whole society. We are still called upon to give aid to the beggar who finds himself in misery and agony on life’s highway. But one day, we must ask the question of whether an edifice which produces beggar must not be restructured and refurbished. That is where we are now.”

“We [will] place the problems of the poor at the seat of government of the wealthiest nation in the history of mankind. If that power refused to acknowledge its debt to the poor, it would have failed to live up to its promise to insure ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ to its citizens.”

“The poor in our Country have been shut out of our minds and driven from the mainstream of our society, because we have allowed them to become invisible.”

Tragically, not much has changed for poor people since Dr. King spoke those words. Some would argue things have gotten worse. But tomorrow is a new beginning. A time of hope………..Hope. It is a word that has been thrown around so much during the past few months that some have said it’s almost a cliché. I don't think so. Hope is eternal. I have hope that once Obama is in office things will begin to turn around. Some have said to me – “But how can one person make such a difference? Look at the state of the Country.” My response - Look at the effect one person (President Bush) has had on the last eight years. If one person can cause so much damage and destruction, surely another can have the opposite effect and cause prosperity for all.

A Time for Bold Action

I spent my day today on the other side of the Hudson learning about what our homeless advocates and direct service provider neighbors in New Jersey are doing. I attended the first annual meeting of the New Jersey Advocacy Network to End Homelessness. It was an informative and inspiring event. Dozens of advocates and providers came together for a common goal – to end homelessness in New Jersey.

That is an interesting concept…….ending homelessness. Government has for too long been “managing” the problem of homelessness. Now is the time to take bold action and strive to end homelessness. Yes, it is an extremely ambitious goal. But we know how to do it. We have the tools – affordable housing, low or no cost health care, supportive housing for those with disabilities, employment opportunities, education, etc.

Having a person reside in a homeless shelter and receive health care at an emergency room of a hospital costs the government (and ultimately we the taxpayers) tens of thousands of dollars a year. The homeless person’s quality of life is horrible…..and will most likely get worse. If he is instead residing in supportive housing and receiving health care from his primary care physician, his quality of life is substantially better and it costs us much less. And that’s not including the potential contributions to society that he could not make while surviving in the homeless shelter and the ER. In the long run, it will cost more to manage the problem of homelessness than to solve it. If we look at it as making an investment in ourselves, in our City, our State, our Nation (and, hey, why not, our World), our investments will bear the fruits of a better and more just society.

In the five years I’ve been working with homeless persons of all ages and backgrounds, the one constant I’ve found is that they want to be a productive member of society, but cannot because of their current situation. Mental illness, physical illness, addiction, domestic violence, unemployment, lack of education, mounting medical bills, no support system, rising rents…….these are the things that are holding them back from their potential. I’m willing to bet that each person reading this has had at least one time in her or his life (or knows someone who did) when things have gotten so difficult and overwhelming that she/he couldn’t properly function. It may have only been a few hours or a day, but it happened. Just imagine that period lasting weeks, or months or years. And not having a significant other, family member or friend there to help you through that time. I know for me, I may not have made it through the difficult times with the same quality of life if I didn’t have my support system of family and friends. I’m saying this because I do feel that anyone can become homeless. Especially in a serious economic downturn such as we’re in right now.

When there is an economic downturn, the government usually looks to cut spending on services for the poor. We should be doing just the opposite. Now is the greatest time of need. Homelessness must end. Not in 10 years. Now. Right now. We have the tools, we just need the funding and commitment to make it happen. We can do this. We must do this.

On Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday, let’s follow the legacy of his dream. Anything is possible.

Rich,

I am very excited to see you take on this opportunity. The readers of this website are truly fortunate to share in your empathetic and inspiring writings.

Continued success to you in your endeavors.

Regards,
Vinnie

Rich,

Thanks for keeping me in the loop regarding your blog. I look forward to future posts.

Welcome! So happy you made it. The main focus of this blog will be about my thoughts on issues facing the homeless and their nonprofit advocates. I must warn you though - being an attorney / writer / manager / photographer / musician / filmmaker, I have quite a bit of interests and these will sometimes intersect in this blog. I hope it's as enjoyable for you to read as it is for me to write.

Just a little bit about myself - I'm the Director of the First Step Program at Coalition for the Homeless. First Step is a job-training program that empowers homeless and low-income women to achieve employment and educational goals through computer training, case management, literacy building, internships, job-placement assistance, empathy and hope. Prior to becoming the Director of First Step in July 2007, I worked for over 3 years as Director of Coalition's Client Advocacy Program assisting chronically homeless and severely disabled persons obtain SSI/SSD benefits and move out of the homeless shelters and into supportive housing. Prior to working at Coalition, I practiced commercial and residential real estate law for 6 years. Yeah..........I'm another "recovering attorney." I had quite a career transition going from the huge law firm to working in nonprofit. I'll save that for another post.

I thought I'd end this first post with a story I wrote in 2006 that was adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley. Whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed at work, I take a moment and read this story and it helps me remember that every single thing I'm doing working at a nonprofit helps those who are less fortunate. The client that I spoke with for a half hour today….even though we may not have gotten anything "concrete" accomplished, I may be the first person she's spoken to in days. Or the first person she's been able to vent to about something that happened to her at her shelter. Those are encounters that are not so easily quantifiable in statistics, but they have a real impact on someone's life.

Here's the story: An older man is walking along the beach. He comes upon thousands of starfish washed up on the shore. The tide has receded and they cannot get back into the ocean. They will die if they stay on the beach. He then notices a little girl picking up the starfish one by one and throwing them back into the ocean. The older man asked the girl “Why are you doing this? There are thousands….. maybe millions of these starfish on the beach. You’re not making a difference.” The little girl picked up another starfish and threw it into the ocean, and then said “I made a difference for that one.”