Chronic Homelessness

Chronic homelessness comes in several flavors and is caused by several factors. In this posting / article I will speak to my version of chronic homelessness.

When I originally became homeless I was 50 years old and suffering from alcoholism. I took steps in those early years to deal with my alcoholism and was successful for a time. The problem is that once I had that problem under control and was ready to leave my homelessness behind my age played a factor. Even though I was ready and making all the appropriate changes, the system let me down. I kept seeing people who were not ready getting services that were currently being denied me at the time. I kept seeing abuses which ultimately after many years caused me to start writing these postings / articles.

Basically, I gave up on the system that was supposed to be there to help me get back on my feet.  On a few occasions I was told that my age would help me get priority in some of those so called services, but that never happened. I still saw younger people who were addicts of one sort or another being put into housing, given food stamps, educational assistance and other services that were currently being denied me or were not available because the programs were full.  Younger people who failed to meet their obligations, younger people who are in many cases back on the street.

I am now over 60 years old. All those same conditions still apply with the exception that I am not holding my breath. The system only seems to work for those who make the most noise and case managers move them on to quiet them down whether they really qualify or not. In my case I’ve pretty much given up on getting any sort of long term assistance or even temporary support and now you could say I am a chronically homeless person. I no longer trust a system designed specifically to assist me that  moves inappropriate people to the front of the line or being placed at the top of the list.

I did what I was supposed to do. Now with federal and local budget cuts those same programs are now disappearing, meaning I’m still here, still waiting my turn and still homeless. Sure I am a chronically homeless person, the system let me down and truthfully I’m not sure I could trust the mismanaged system now anyway.

But understand this. Even though I feel that the system may have let me down in some respects, I have made my own way as best I can without them. Alcoholism is no longer a factor, nor are drugs, my legal issues are behind me and my Christianity has grown substantially. I WILL BE OK.