Somebody Seems Full Of It

Over the last month or so I have heard and read some interesting facts published or commented on by several people who are intimately involved with the homeless agencies in the area. Of course we just got through the holiday season and all the homeless agencies are in a fund drive mode. They also wish to put a good face on the work they are doing. But let's get realistic here. In order to justify their funding they have to show results. Even if it means putting a good spin things. Now don't get me wrong. All of the large homeless organizations do good work. They even do many of the things they say they do. They just don't seem to make the numbers that they claim. One interesting claim I heard is that the homeless community has been reduced by as much as 50% by getting them into housing and off the street. I just have to question that because I just don't see it.

Every couple of years the county homeless coalition does a census of homeless people in the area. It's a relatively simple matter to do a head count in the shelters but counting the un-sheltered homeless is a bit more problematic. On the last two occasions that the census was performed I did not see a single census taker in my neck of the woods. Nor did any of the people that camp nearby. I wonder how many other areas got missed. The reason I mention this is that the census numbers of un-sheltered homeless are used to determine grant money and other funding directed to the unsheltered homeless to assist them. Truthfully in all the years I've been camping I have not seen a single dime invested by those very same organizations who claim the interesting numbers and earmarked for the un-sheltered, making it to the un-sheltered homeless in camps. So what's up with that? Where are those funds going? Better yet when do the camps get recognized by more than a couple of organizations who rely mostly on local donations or small grants.

Later this month there is another census coming up. I have confidence in the census takers making it to the camps in their assigned areas. I'm not going to hold my breath though. I honestly don't think the people like the local homeless agencies have a clue of the size of the homeless community in camps, nor do they have a clue where to look. That's the real problem. They have incorrect numbers on homeless people in camps and they don't know where to look so they will redirect funding to the more visible homeless people.

Over the last couple of weeks I've been rambling all over the south side of Ft Worth. I've found camps in places I've never seen camps before. I've also noticed the numbers of people camped out these days has at least doubled in the past two years alone. Where has all the assistance claimed given to the un-sheltered homeless been going? If it's going to just the folks that are visible then they are only seeing the tip of the iceberg because there are far more people in camps than are on the sidewalks and in doorways.

If it means that the case managers from some of these more visible homeless agencies have to get off the beaten path, then so be it. It probably would not hurt them to listen to the few people who do get off the beaten path and get into these camps. Or better yet allocate an appropriate percentage of the grant money or donations etc. to the two or three organizations who do know where all these camps are. I mentioned a couple of them in my last blog posting. The bottom line here is that the un-sheltered homeless in camps, while growing in numbers, are being left out of the funding / assistance equation. I should know. I've camped in basically the same place for almost 8 years and besides a few people offering limited assistance I've not seen nor heard from anyone associated with the larger homeless agencies who claim to help the unsheltered even try to visit with me nor anyone else I've talked to. Maybe it's time for the larger organizations to stop making noises about the good they do for the un-sheltered homeless and really do it.