Other News

Other news on the home front 1/26/13

               A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that some camps were going to be forced to move behind the mistake of a couple of people. Well the latest in all this is that most of the camps have successfully been relocated and for the most part the people who had to move seem to be satisfied with their new camping spots. Several of the ones I talked to actually went so far as to find a new spot that was a bit more secluded and do not plan to have others camp nearby to avoid any more unfortunate incidents.

               Truthfully, I am having similar thoughts too. Last year at this time there were a grand total of 2 people in my little valley and as of today there are around 15 people plus 4 dogs in various camps scattered around nearby. A few of them came into the area last July but since then several more have arrived bringing with them the possibility of problems. I made it a point to speak to everyone at one time or another to express my concerns about keeping a low profile and not causing a problem as has happened so many times in the past to so many other people in other camps. But with the local population growing, the possibility of problems increases. We shall see.

Census Thoughts

News on the Street 1/26/13

 

               Well it’s finally happened, the bi-annual homeless census. I’ll not get too carried away with my observations of how the census went until I have an opportunity to speak with more of the people involved both on the census agency side as well as finding out how many homeless people were actually seen and their experience.

               I truly understand the reasoning behind taking a census of the homeless people here in Tarrant County. Being able to know how many homeless people are living in the shelters, how many are under bridges, in doorways, abandoned buildings or in camps scattered around the county can help the various agencies involved an idea of where best to focus their energy depending on what that agency may specialize in.

               The numbers and various demographics of the homeless living in the 3 major shelters in Ft. Worth and a few others in and around Tarrant County do not substantially change much. They all have a certain number of bed spaces available and the demographics of the homeless people whether they need MHMR services, substance abuse services, job assistance services and so on do not change substantially. That group of homeless people is a known quantity in the equation used by the various homeless agencies.

               The homeless people I am more concerned about are the ones who are somewhat less than visible or do not come under the umbrella of living in the shelters. I am one of these people. We live under bridges, in doorways, in abandoned buildings, in tents, even on a friends couch. By some definitions we are known as un-sheltered homeless. This is where the homeless census becomes extremely critical. First and foremost how do you go about finding these people?

               There are a couple of organizations here in the county who actively go out and find these people. They are pretty good at what they do. They don’t on the other hand have the resources or the manpower to adequately serve this class of homeless. One reason is that in the past the reported numbers of unsheltered homeless in my opinion has been grossly under reported and the few organizations trying to help simply can not meet the need.

               Once I see the totals from this latest census I’ll have a better understanding of whether the unsheltered homeless will be considered in any future planning by the overseeing agencies. In the past they have not. This I know. How about from this point forward?

The Rain and Other Issues

After over 36 hours and 4+ inches of rain I made out ok except for a little cabin fever. Several others in camped out in my neck of the woods didn't fare so well though. It's all part of the deal when you are homeless and camping out. For the next week there will be a need for new clothes to replace the ones ruined by the weather. It's always this way within the homeless community. There are the people who have not, can not or just will not protect their property so clothing will be needed. It's not just the campers that have this problem though. There are a few others who have no shelter other than maybe a bridge overpass to live under. Others will take shelter under awnings and other cover around town. There are also the folks who left the shelters during the day who may not have had much in the way of clothing to begin with. It's always like this.

Other news this week is that about 7 or 8 camps in an area about a mile or so from me will have to be moved out by the end of this week. Once again it was a case of one camper creating a problem that ultimately affected all the others. In this case a couple was having an argument. The police were called and because the police had to officially recognize those people they were required to notify Code Enforcement who then gave them until today to move. Where these 10 or 12 people will go, I'm not sure. We will see what happens by next week when the dust (mud?) settles.

Lastly, in a little less than 2 weeks from today there will be a census taken of the homeless community here in Ft Worth. Accordingly it will be used to determine funding allocations and what the local needs are or will be for the homeless community. I got on a rant last week about this and some of the other comments made by homeless agencies over the holidays. I've not only noticed that the numbers of unsheltered homeless reported in past census totals were not just a little low but extremely low. It's almost as if this group of homeless people do not officially exist. I've since learned that during the last two census cycles, the teams sent out to record the unsheltered homeless were sent to areas where there were no homeless to count and the areas where the unsheltered homeless did live were ignored completely. What does this really mean? Is the agency doing this census deliberately ignoring the unsheltered homeless while reporting how much good they are doing for the very same group of people or are we dealing with people who don't have a clue about what is really going on beyond the shelters along Lancaster Ave. When this next census has been taken and the numbers are published I will certainly have a good idea which way the wind is blowing.

After all the comments about my last post I have to say that I am not sorry about being a bit rough on the homeless agencies. They do seem to pad the numbers a bit to justify funding although one number they seem to be missing are what they call the unsheltered homeless. I'm one of those.

According to a census done 2 years ago there were 136 unsheltered homeless in the area. There is one problem with that number. There were more than that living on the sidewalks around the PNS when that census was done. When it comes to those living in camps, I know that on my side of town alone there were over 100 people camped out when the last census was taken. Today in the 4 major areas I know of there are at least 60 people and another 60 or 70 people in smaller areas or under bridges. That's just in my part of town. Add in the other parts of the city and I bet that number will really increase. So let's see what kind of numbers this next census will show.

Somehow I get the impression that the unsheltered homeless are getting the short end of things. Especially when according to my own personal count I place the unsheltered homeless at something on the order of 30% to 40% of the total homeless in the area. Let's get real people. Not all homeless are visible. All homeless do deserve equal treatment and access to services.

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.

Pat On The Back

In this post I'm going to give a big pat on the back to a few of the people and organizations I've had the pleasure to meet and have gotten to know these past few years since I got my head out of my backside and decided to pay attention.

Let's start with Hands of Hope. Here is an organization that works with the un-sheltered homeless in the area. John and Janet Ramsey spear-head this group visiting homeless camps in the area and providing assistance as needed to many of them. A Big Pat On The Back to these guys and all the volunteers who venture off the beaten path to visit the un-sheltered homeless in their camps. The sorts of assistance they provide depend on the donations they have on hand at any one time. Visit their website http://www.handsofhopetx.org for more information.

The next Pat on the Back goes to Catholic Charities SOS Team. Here's another group people who will get their hands dirty working with and helping the un-sheltered homeless living in camps here in Fort Worth. I've had the honor of meeting and receiving assistance from these folks in the past. Once again here is another group who will get off the beaten path. Some of the SOS people I've met are Jason, Francesca, Kim, and several others who either volunteer or are case managers. For further information about what they do go to their website http://www.ccdofw.org/streetoutreach.

This next Pat on the Back is not really for an organization nor is it for a single group of volunteers because each week the faces seem to change. Every Saturday between 8:00am and 2:00pm Unity Park is open and serving up a hot cup of coffee and good fellowship. Every week different groups come in to serve lunch, provide clothing and other goodies to the homeless community. Stop by and visit on a Saturday morning to see what sort of things are going on that day or visit http://feedbygrace.org for further information.

This last Pat on the Back goes out to Beautiful Feet Ministries. Their goal is to provide services to the homeless as well as the local neighborhood. They are open 7 days a week providing coffee and pastry in the morning, a hot lunch and a good word from Pastor Mike or one of the many volunteers who are available everyday. Some of the other services they provide are a medical clinic on Wednesdays, a dental clinic, showers and laundry services. They can be contacted at http://www.thefeet.org or stop by. They are located at 1709 East Hattie Street in near south side Fort Worth.

These are only a few of the people and organizations I believe should receive a Pat on the Back. I'm sure there are many more and I will speak of them as time goes on.

 

Homeless in 2013

Well we finally made it to 2013. Truthfully 2012 wasn't that bad and whats going to happen this coming year has yet to be seen.

The photo shows my camp on Christmas day. I had to lower all the tarps because the weight of the snow would have caused some real damage.

This year I plan to keep moving forward in all my various plans. But at the same time I can't forget all the daily things that must be done in a timely fashion to continue to survive / live as I do. I still have to make weekly trips to various food banks, I still have to travel around collecting aluminum for extra cash, I still have to keep the camp clean and tidy, I still have to keep myself clean and tidy, I still have to haul fresh water and all the other chores that must be done. In amongst all that I need to make time to touch base with the temp agencies for possible work, I need to stay in touch with my network of friends. Other plans include getting out of the camp and into an apartment somewhere, but to do that I have to find a job that is long term and pays a living wage. Then on top of all these things I still have to work on my own head / self... and I'm a serious work in progress that seems to have no end. After today I do have to get busy making some kind of money, I need fuel for the stove and several other consumable items.

Time to get busy.