Nearly 11
years of being homeless, Johnny Robinson continues to wake up early
every morning to look through trashcans and garbage before the
dumpster trucks arrive. Old boxes and blankets that he may find help
him survive through the cold nights in downtown Atlanta.
“If the government would help with
housing and lower housing aspects, the number of homeless people in
Atlanta would decrease,” said Paul Diamond, of The Metro Atlanta
Task Force. “The only thing helping them stay off the streets are
generous people and non-profit organizations like the us.”
The mission of the Task Force is to
advocate with and to represent the dignity and rights of people who
are homeless in our society, toward the goal of preventing
homelessness and seeking appropriate and affordable housing for all.
They provide 1,000 beds for those in need, which makes it one of the
biggest shelters in the southeast.
However, with the rising numbers of
homeless people in Atlanta, the limited amount of shelter beds is
becoming more useless everyday. The Task Force as well as other
facilities have been unable to keep up with the demand and thousands
of people are forced to sleep outside.
Homeless parents often find themselves
in the worse predicament. Not only do they have to look after
themselves, they also have to find shelter for their children as
well. In Atlanta, more children live in poverty than any other city
in the U.S. According to the Metro Atlanta Task Force , “48% of
these children live in families with an annual income of under
$15,000.”
“Homelessness always has a tie to
some financial aspect,” said Paul, “and the only way to fight the
problem is with its cause – money.” There is no governmental
entity that directly serves to fight the cause of homelessness.
However, there are many assistant programs to aid those in need such
as temporary assistance and housing subsidies.
The Temporary Assistance to Needy
Families (TANF) welfare program provides cash assistance to parents
with dependent children. The program helps the parents search for
employment to eventually get them off of assistance. This may sound
great, but not all of the homeless fall into the eligible pool. The
person would have to have a child and they also would need a way to
receive the payments, either by mail or transportation to the local
office.
“My sister has kids so she gets
welfare every month,” said Robinson, “she lives in a home with my
nieces under low-income housing. But there is only one bedroom and
bathroom for all three to share.”
With housing Assistance, people in
poverty and low-income are eligible for public housing, or section 8.
The program issues the tenants a monthly subsidy for their
landlords. While the program provides affordable housing, there is
only a limited amount of section 8 apartments. According the Metro
Atlanta Task Force, fewer than 20 percent of those women and children
living on welfare get any kind of housing subsidy. Also, it is
costly to maintain, so much of the housing is in poor living
conditions.
“Some of our residents live here out
of choice,” said Paul, “they say that it is more safe and
sanitary than section 8. Most of their homes were infested with bugs
and mold that cause them to become ill.”
Even though there are government
programs such as TANF and housing assistance that can help some of
the homeless, it is not enough. Many homeless people only survive
off of food and money donations from the locals. They tend to hang
around urban areas for potential shelter and food they find
throughout garbage. From the outside looking in, this tends to lead
to a variety of stereotypes and viewpoints on homelessness.
Stereotypes of the average homeless
person can affect a person's decision to help and donate. Much of
the homeless is judged and looked down upon as being lazy or drug
addicts that don't want to be helped. If people were informed and
actually took the time to hear them out, their opinions and choices
might change. The Metro Atlanta Task Force has a specific section in
their organization for informing the community through myth-busting.
Many people do not know that most of
the homeless are actively looking for work and 30-40% actually do
work. The Department of Housing and Urban Development says “that
only 30% of your income should be put towards rent and in Atlanta,
the average apartment costs $834 a month.” Thus, you would have to
have a job paying $16 or more an hour. Minimum wage in Georgia is
$7.25, so finding a job that is 30% of your income can be very
difficult.
“All 11 years of me being homeless,
I've been searching for a job,” said Johnny, “and I can't seem to
find one that will be able to get me a place of my own.” Robinson
currently works at a temp agency that occasionally has day to day
tasks he can do for cash.
Another thing people may not know is
that most of the homeless that are addicted to drugs try to receive
help on their own. In the initial stages of addiction, the patient
still has enough control over the substance to quit. However for
those who have pass these stages, it may be impossible to stop, and
only have the option of rehabilitation.
“About 8 out of 10 people we treat
are homeless,” said Sabrina Kane, from the Alcohol/Drug Rehab of
Atlanta, “Most are personally seeking help, and believe that that
their addictions are the primary cause of them being homeless too.”
While many of the homeless are in their
situation because of job loss or financial reasons, some lost their
homes due to addictions. If a person is addicted to a drug, they
will do anything to get it, including avoiding to pay the rent or
mortgage. Therefore, if these people receive treatment for their
addiction, they could possibly be saved from becoming homeless.
To ultimately fix the epidemic of
homelessness there needs to be more affordable housing, higher
incomes that pay for basic needs, and programs that service those who
need help. According to the U.S. Interagency Council for ending
Homelessness, there are 243 completed plans to ending homelessness
across the country. Without approval and financial support, none of
these plans can be implemented.
On the other hand, there are
organizations such like the Metro Atlanta Task Force that devote
their time to defeating homelessness and rehabilitation centers such
as the Alcohol/Drug Rehab of Atlanta that give addicts the proper
treatment that could prevent them from becoming homeless. People
that give contributions of money, clothing, and food also play a big
role in ending homelessness. Therefore, the increase in the
combination of both donations and volunteer service in organizations
can help realistically make a difference for the homeless now.
