Saturday, July 18, 2015
Homeless In Ft Worth: Pennsylvania….
Homeless In Ft Worth: Pennsylvania….: Apparently there is someone with the same name as mine who is pretty vocal about certain subjects that I will not comment on. That person i...
Pennsylvania….
Apparently there is someone with the same name as mine who is pretty vocal about certain subjects that I will not comment on.
That person is not me. I have never lived in Pennsylvania nor do I know who this person is..
My Full name is Garth Stuart Kirkpatrick. Check on this with him and it will be found that I am not this person.
That person is not me. I have never lived in Pennsylvania nor do I know who this person is..
My Full name is Garth Stuart Kirkpatrick. Check on this with him and it will be found that I am not this person.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
It's Been A While
I have been "not-homeless" for about a year and a half now. I have had several "break downs" for want of a better term in this last year and a half. If not for certain people in my life who have faith in me, I could not have pulled this off.
Most people I run into who have not dealt with the homeless as I do and as I was, tend to think that if you provide a homeless person with a roof over his or her head then things will be OK. This is so wrong that you might as well throw your money at me as anyone.
Sure the statistics say that a large portion of the homeless community is only homeless for a few months at most.But, what about the rest of us? Take me for example. I was homeless for over 12 years and lived in a camp for more than 10 of those years. Where do you think my habits took me once I started working again? Where do you think my habits took me once I moved into my own apartment? After 10 years of a homeless lifestyle your habits do change .After 10 years you literally have to remake yourself over again.if you wish to succeed in becoming " not homeless " . Anything else is just letting yourself in for trouble or worse.
Sure, most people and even the homeless themselves will say, "just give me...". It's much more than that for those of us who have been homeless for more than a few months or are considered chronically homeless.
I said earlier that I have had some break-downs. I've had several since I started working again. The only reason I still am here is that I have had people around me who would not hesitate to call me out when they saw me start to stress out or loose it. Learning to be "normal" again after that much time is HARD.
Now how many chronically homeless people or people who have been homeless for a long period of time have the support I have had? Not very many. It takes a lot of support from all sorts of sources in order for a homeless person to make the transition.
I have to thank the lady who originally hired me for much of my new sanity. There is the family who adopted me in my last year of camping who have shown me much to help me adjust. Then there are many of the people I work with and who know my story who help me even though they don't know it. Even now, I still am adjusting to whatever normal is supposed to be.I still stress out at work. I stress out just paying bills!!!. I was stressing out even today... Really stressing out. I did my job and did it well but once I got home a couple of hours ago I again, broke down. I am writing this in an effort to get past this latest crisis as writing is a sort of therapy for me.
I will make it but I still have to adjust. I have to do what I need to do to keep myself moving forward in my life,my job and my relationships with others.
Granted, I am better now than I was a year ago. I am still a mess.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Homeless In Ft Worth: Who and What is a Homeless Person?
Homeless In Ft Worth: Who and What is a Homeless Person?: I may cause some offense among those of you who read this posting. But, if the shoe fits then wear it or change something. When I talk ab...
Who and What is a Homeless Person?
I may cause some offense among those of you who read this posting. But, if the shoe fits then wear it or change something.
When I talk about a homeless person, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Some scruffy, dirty, bearded guy who is hanging out on a street corner? Or maybe something similar to that description? What you just did when you read the word or hear the word “homeless” is that a profile immediately came to mind. We all do this and we all (or at least those who are honest with themselves) profile people, place people into a category or a box that we have been taught by our society. It’s true. I am just as guilty as anyone else except I try extremely hard to not do this.
As a homeless person myself and having seen up close and personal people who live with that label, I’ve seen that there is as much variation among the homeless community as there is amongst those who are not classed as homeless. Let’s take this one step further. What is homelessness? Really. There are all kinds of definitions so just for the sake of simplicity let’s consider a “homeless” person as someone who lives in a shelter, a camp, under a bridge or an abandoned building and may not have the means or desire to live as a “normal” person does.
When I interact with a ‘homeless” person I find that I have to vary my technique, language and style as much as I would do if I was interacting with a “normal” person. There is that much variation amongst all of us. The only real difference is our personal reactions or how we deal with our lifestyles. Yes, some of the people classed as “homeless” are that way because they want to live that way. There are others who have physical or mental problems that keep them there. Others are just simply down on their luck. The bottom line here is that the reasons they are in that position is unique to each one of us.
When dealing with a “homeless” person there is no one cookie cutter approach. Much as we would prefer it to be that way just to make things simple for us trying to help. I’ve been accused of not being as compassionate as I should be when I deal with some “homeless” people. The reason is that they are all different. Once you get that then the way you deal with anybody will get both easier and harder.
Yes, there are those who deserve gentle treatment and help with getting things done to improve their situation. There are others who can do things for themselves but would rather act otherwise to get you to do for them what they can do for themselves. Then there are those who “got game” and work the system. You know who they are too if only you or I would stop long enough to see where they fit in. What I get accused of from time to time is that I take a hard line with some people because I was once like that. I had the mindset myself that it was easier for me to let someone hand me something, whether it was money or food or something else I needed, than it was for me to get off my backside and take care of business on my own. You just have to know when to draw the line because the level of assistance needed differs as much as it does for everybody. There is no one way to help those who are in the “homeless” category.
Keeping this in mind will help you as much as them in the overall scheme of things. Today I still need help but even with that said I can a do many things for myself that I would much rather others do for me.
Just my two cents worth…
When I talk about a homeless person, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Some scruffy, dirty, bearded guy who is hanging out on a street corner? Or maybe something similar to that description? What you just did when you read the word or hear the word “homeless” is that a profile immediately came to mind. We all do this and we all (or at least those who are honest with themselves) profile people, place people into a category or a box that we have been taught by our society. It’s true. I am just as guilty as anyone else except I try extremely hard to not do this.
As a homeless person myself and having seen up close and personal people who live with that label, I’ve seen that there is as much variation among the homeless community as there is amongst those who are not classed as homeless. Let’s take this one step further. What is homelessness? Really. There are all kinds of definitions so just for the sake of simplicity let’s consider a “homeless” person as someone who lives in a shelter, a camp, under a bridge or an abandoned building and may not have the means or desire to live as a “normal” person does.
When I interact with a ‘homeless” person I find that I have to vary my technique, language and style as much as I would do if I was interacting with a “normal” person. There is that much variation amongst all of us. The only real difference is our personal reactions or how we deal with our lifestyles. Yes, some of the people classed as “homeless” are that way because they want to live that way. There are others who have physical or mental problems that keep them there. Others are just simply down on their luck. The bottom line here is that the reasons they are in that position is unique to each one of us.
When dealing with a “homeless” person there is no one cookie cutter approach. Much as we would prefer it to be that way just to make things simple for us trying to help. I’ve been accused of not being as compassionate as I should be when I deal with some “homeless” people. The reason is that they are all different. Once you get that then the way you deal with anybody will get both easier and harder.
Yes, there are those who deserve gentle treatment and help with getting things done to improve their situation. There are others who can do things for themselves but would rather act otherwise to get you to do for them what they can do for themselves. Then there are those who “got game” and work the system. You know who they are too if only you or I would stop long enough to see where they fit in. What I get accused of from time to time is that I take a hard line with some people because I was once like that. I had the mindset myself that it was easier for me to let someone hand me something, whether it was money or food or something else I needed, than it was for me to get off my backside and take care of business on my own. You just have to know when to draw the line because the level of assistance needed differs as much as it does for everybody. There is no one way to help those who are in the “homeless” category.
Keeping this in mind will help you as much as them in the overall scheme of things. Today I still need help but even with that said I can a do many things for myself that I would much rather others do for me.
Just my two cents worth…
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Life After Homelessness…
Far too many people think that the transition from homelessness to a more “normal” lifestyle is a simple thing. Going back to work or having some sort of income and getting into housing are all that are necessary for the transition along with some easy lifestyle adjustments. Others may have a very general idea of the problems a homeless person faces during the transition.
In truth, there is no one solution to the problem. No one size fits all solution. Each homeless person, myself included, is a unique set of problems that must be addressed when the ex-homeless person arrives in his or her new home.
In every case there are some serious adjustments to be made and depending on the person these adjustments can be easy or hard for that person. All sorts of factors come into play. How long were they homeless? Are there any mental health issues? Are there addictions? What kind of support do they have? The list goes on. It’s really not that simple.
Speaking from personal experience, I can say that I have not even come close to being adjusted to this new lifestyle of mine. I have been working and living in my apartment for over a year now and I still think in terms of my old homeless lifestyle. In some ways this is good because my job now is doing outreach work to help the people who I used to hang out with. I can bring a unique perspective to my job that my co-workers don’t always understand without having directly experienced homelessness themselves.
But there is a down side too. In the last year since I left my tent in the woods, I have literally had at least 4 pretty serious meltdowns. Stresses that other people take for granted and can easily cope with are not easy for me. Job performance issues, money issues, social issues of all sorts and at all levels are only some of the things that cause me problems. Then there are issues that arise from my drug and alcohol addictions. Especially now that I can afford them. Or how about just dealing with the people, on a daily basis, with whom I used to live around, talk to and get high with. Only now I am on the other side of the fence, having to show them that I can do this.
Having a support or peer group helps. Talking to people I trust makes a difference. Writing in this blog does too as does just keeping a journal. I’ve talked to my manager at work. I’ve taken some classes designed to help me adjust to the new, not homeless lifestyle. After more than a year I am nowhere near readjusted to all this. i also now know that if I had just tried to do this on my own without all these other people, new people, people who want nothing more that to see me succeed, I would have by now lost my job and my new home.
But, keep in mind that what may be working for me WILL NOT work for anybody else who is coming out of homelessness. Everyone is unique with unique problems. There is no one size fits all solution to the problem.
One thing is completely clear. Just putting a homeless person into an apartment without ongoing and sometimes long term support of all kinds is not the solution. The “Housing First” approach is a good approach as long as there is the support needed to make the adjustment either through case management and an active support network for as long as it takes after moving that person into housing. Otherwise all you have done is moved a homeless person into a position where he or she will, not can but will, fail in the long run.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Homeless Count +
Well it’s that time of year again for the annual homeless count where a point in time count of the area homeless population is taken. This count is necessary for federal funding of homeless programs, grants and other federal assistance. The counting of the people in the shelters is relatively easy as the count takes place after check-in time or curfew. The hard part of the count is locating, waking them up (the count takes place generally between 9pm and 1am) and then filling out a questionnaire on each camper found or if the person is unwilling, just count him or her.
Locating camps in the dark and often in an unfamiliar part of town is a huge problem for those who will be doing the count. Some camps are so well hidden that it would be difficult to locate them even in the daylight. On top of that, the weather is predicted to be cold with freezing rain which means that the survey teams will be less likely to search for the camps very hard.
The idea of having the count done at this time of year is that it is thought that most people who do not normally go to the shelters will do so that night. Especially during bad weather. So all in all with the weather, the uncertainty of going into certain areas and just plain being uncomfortable will mean that the people doing the count will miss the unsheltered homeless people who are still out and will not be counted. That’s just the way it is.
Now on to a slightly different topic.
Over this past year I have noticed an increase in the number of camps. For example, in the area where my camp once was there has been 1000% increase in the number of people. From 2 or 3 people to over 30. Other areas that I see or visit are showing similar increases. Now some of this is because other camps have been closed down and those people just moved, but overall I do see an increase in the unsheltered homeless population.
With the three major homeless shelters running at or near capacity, living in a tent encampment is probably the only realistic option for many people. Also the shelter rules, crowding and just plain discomfort with living in a shelter makes a camp look pretty good.
In the past I’ve mentioned micro or tiny home communities for homeless people as one option to get folks into housing and to help the overcrowding situation in the shelters. The other day I ran into another option a major city is looking to implement in order to assist the homeless people “right now”. What they are proposing is to establish 3 camp areas with appropriate services, such as those found in any basic campground that will accommodate up to 100 camps in each area. The catch is that each area must be managed by a church group or other responsible sponsor and certain rules of behavior will have to be maintained by the residents.
I like this option. Not only will it help the overcrowding in the shelters if done correctly, setting up legal encampments with appropriate services will go a long way to ease the problem of illegal camps and the mess that tends to accompany them.
With the amount of wooded or open land within the Ft Worth city limits, setting up several managed encampments would be fairly easy, relatively cheap especially when you consider the money spent by the city doing illegal camp clean up and finally much safer in terms of health and physical security for the residents.
Locating camps in the dark and often in an unfamiliar part of town is a huge problem for those who will be doing the count. Some camps are so well hidden that it would be difficult to locate them even in the daylight. On top of that, the weather is predicted to be cold with freezing rain which means that the survey teams will be less likely to search for the camps very hard.
The idea of having the count done at this time of year is that it is thought that most people who do not normally go to the shelters will do so that night. Especially during bad weather. So all in all with the weather, the uncertainty of going into certain areas and just plain being uncomfortable will mean that the people doing the count will miss the unsheltered homeless people who are still out and will not be counted. That’s just the way it is.
Now on to a slightly different topic.
Over this past year I have noticed an increase in the number of camps. For example, in the area where my camp once was there has been 1000% increase in the number of people. From 2 or 3 people to over 30. Other areas that I see or visit are showing similar increases. Now some of this is because other camps have been closed down and those people just moved, but overall I do see an increase in the unsheltered homeless population.
With the three major homeless shelters running at or near capacity, living in a tent encampment is probably the only realistic option for many people. Also the shelter rules, crowding and just plain discomfort with living in a shelter makes a camp look pretty good.
In the past I’ve mentioned micro or tiny home communities for homeless people as one option to get folks into housing and to help the overcrowding situation in the shelters. The other day I ran into another option a major city is looking to implement in order to assist the homeless people “right now”. What they are proposing is to establish 3 camp areas with appropriate services, such as those found in any basic campground that will accommodate up to 100 camps in each area. The catch is that each area must be managed by a church group or other responsible sponsor and certain rules of behavior will have to be maintained by the residents.
I like this option. Not only will it help the overcrowding in the shelters if done correctly, setting up legal encampments with appropriate services will go a long way to ease the problem of illegal camps and the mess that tends to accompany them.
With the amount of wooded or open land within the Ft Worth city limits, setting up several managed encampments would be fairly easy, relatively cheap especially when you consider the money spent by the city doing illegal camp clean up and finally much safer in terms of health and physical security for the residents.
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