Death On the Streets of America

What follows is my research paper for my English Composition II class. I hope that it enlightens you as much as it did me and that it will help you start a dialogue with others on how to address the issues of affordable housing and homelessness...

Death On The Streets of America
“You must be the change you want to see in the world”
- Mahatma Gandhi

Typically when someone dies they are in a hospital, hospice or even at home, more often then not surrounded by family, friends or others that will grieve their loss. However, there is a segment of the population that, for the most part goes unnoticed, and will instead be discovered dead in doorways, on a park bench, in an alley or a myriad of other places were the homeless are found. Their death only noted by the local coroner’s office, which must perform an autopsy because it is an unattended death plus locate any next of kin and the local constabulary who investigate if foul play or other suspicious circumstances are suspected. Homelessness is a pervasive problem across the country and each year the homeless die on the streets they call home; by taking simple outcome based actions a vast majority of these deaths are preventable.

For what ever reason or cause someone who is homeless in King County, will have their life expectancy drop by thirty years compared to other people across the country and are thirteen times more likely to be the victim of a homicide; in 2005 a total 98 people died homeless (King, 2006). To put those 98 in perspective on 30 January 2009 the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness (SKCCH) did a one night count in the urban areas of King County as part of a national count done by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). On that night SKCCH counted 2,827 persons, this number did not include the estimated 6,000 people in shelters or transitional housing (SKCCH, 2009). Using the 2005 number, the latest available, potentially nearly 4 percent or 109 of that population could be deceased by years end.

In comparison Los Angeles County in California, has a population of 73,000 homeless. Between 1 January 2000 and 28 May 2007 the coroner's office reported an average one homeless death a day, with the total number being 2,815, in 2005 alone there were over 450 homeless deaths; the peak year during the seven and a half year study was 2006 with 551 deaths and the lowest being 2002 when 270 died (Hawke, Davis, Erlenbusch, Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger & Homelessness, Stoops, 2007).

The leading causes of death for the homeless in King County were acute intoxication (30), cardiovascular disease (14), suicide (10), accident (10) and homicide (8). Chief among the problems cited in these deaths was that of accessibility to early and preventive health care, only about one third of those that died in 2005 had seen a health care professional. Mental health, substance abuse and transportation issues are also given as blockages to care. These numbers are not reflective also of the homeless that did find their way to a clinic and died under a Doctor's care (King, 2006).

On a more national scale one problem that has been noted is that of hate crimes that result in death against the homeless. From 1999 to 2007 the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has documented 774 acts of violence in 45 states that have resulted in the deaths of 217 people. The acts have ranged from setting someone sleeping on a bench on fire to decapitation (NCH, 2008). In interviews conducted with homeless individuals in Seattle by the author, the people interviewed all stated they feared being attacked by someone that is housed more then by someone that is homeless when ever they have to spend a night on the streets rather than in the relative safety of a shelter.

Just who are and how many homeless are there in the United States. The federal government defines someone that is homeless as someone that does not have a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence and lives in a shelter or other temporary accommodations (McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1986). Beginning in 2002 the United States Department Housing and Urban Development (HUD) began preparing the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) for congress, the most recent one submitted to congress in July of 2008. The purpose of the AHAR is to gain an understanding of the problem of homelessness (HUD, 2008).

A part of the AHAR is a one night “Point In Time” (PIT) count. The most recent PIT available from HUD was done in January of 2007. On that night volunteers around the country counted a total of 671,888 both sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons; of that number 423,377 were individuals and 248,511 were families. From October 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007 HUD estimates 1,589,000 or 1 in every 200 Americans used shelter or transitional housing (HUD, 2008).

Though current data does not support it, a concern among some local government leaders is that as a result of the current housing foreclosure and mortgage crisis, high unemployment, unaffordable market rate housing for the poor and long waiting lists for subsidized housing these numbers will rise (Conference of Mayors, 2008). Adding to these concerns is the shortage of shelter beds. The City and County of Los Angeles, with their 73,000 homeless is only able to provide shelter to 16.7% of that number (Hawke et. al., 2007). For the entire nation when the 2007 PIT was done there was 422,656 year round shelter beds, if you add in the 21,025 seasonal beds along with the 30,477 voucher beds you had national capacity of 480,158 shelter beds (HUD, 2008). A short fall of 191,730 beds, when one of the interviewees was asked about the shortage of available beds he replied, “my worst anxiety last winter was the shelters lottery system for getting a spot to sleep", A homeless man interviwed by the author stated "I constantly prayed that I would have a winning number and not have to spend a night outsider”.

One thing the author asked all three of the interviewees; what was the cause of them being homeless, number 1, a male in his mid 30's stated that even though he was working at a just above minimum job his paycheck was being garnished for child support, after the support was taken out each week he was unable to afford housing. Number 2, was a female in her 20's; she cited the reasons for her being homeless were substance abuse combined with mental health issues. Both subjects 1 and 2 were interviewed at a shelter in Seattle, Washington. Number 3 was a male also in his 30's; he also cited substance abuse problems as the reason for his homelessness. He was interviewed in an encampment located along Interstate 5 in Seattle.

The reasons cited by all three for the most part supported a study done by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Of the 25 cities that participated 68% of them cited substance abuse as the number one cause for homelessness; it was followed by lack of affordable housing at 60% and mental illness with 48% for single adults and unaccompanied youth. For families in those cities the lack of affordable housing was number 1 with 72%; this was followed by poverty 52% and unemployment 44% (Conference of Mayors, 2008).

In 2006 the average housed American had a life expectancy of 77-1/2 years, of the 98 homeless persons that died in King County the average age was 47 years old (King, 2006). Los Angeles County was only slightly higher at 48.1 (Hawke et. al., 2007). In a report on homeless deaths the King County Health Care for the Homeless Network stated "Like previous studies of homeless deaths, the causes ... continue to reflect the harsh realities and risks faced by those who live on the streets and in shelters — chronic health conditions, traumas and the troubling role of alcohol and drugs" (King, 2006). No matter how someone dies on the street be it through some self-inflicted means such as acute intoxication or suicide; an accidental death such as a man killed by a brush cutter along Interstate 5 in Seattle (Homeless man, 2007), homicide, more natural causes such as cardiovascular disease or from exposure to the elements, of which Los Angeles County between 2000 and 2007 attributed 8 deaths to (Hawke et. al., 2007), there is no dignity in dying alone in a rat infested alley or some underbrush in a park or along a freeway.

Many cities are taking action to try and make homelessness a thing of the past; Fresno, California is one of many that have launched an ambitious 10 year plans that has the goal of reducing homelessness to something you would see in a museum (Rhodes, 2008). The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) 10 year plan consists of four parts; planning for outcomes by using better ways of collecting data and having an out-come driven planning process among agencies that assist the homeless. “closing the front door” by making funding more focused, “opening the back door” by getting people out of the shelters and off the street and in to permanent housing as quickly as possible, at lastly creating more affordable housing (Surface, 2004). 10 year plans are great for reducing the number of homeless in the shelters and on the streets. In simple terms fewer homeless fewer people dying on the streets.

Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. The key lies in prevention, making social and human services available to someone before they lose their housing will go a long way to reducing numbers of the homeless. Community activism and involvement in areas where there are severe shortages of shelter space, like Los Angeles County can help people get off the street and in to programs that can offer for example mental health and substance abuse treatment. By having Physician's Assistants or Nurse Practitioner's in shelters the door is opened to the homeless with chronic conditions to get the treatment they need. Hospitals and clinics that have human services workers on staff to assist the homeless get the services they may need and aid them in applying for such programs as General Assistance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and implementing an expedited application process’ while they are still hospitalized for subsidized housing with local housing authorities or groups. Rather then be reactive to the problem of homelessness there is a need to be proactive.

Currently Maryland is the only state where an attack on a homeless person is considered a hate crime (NCH, 2008). States need to toughen laws for crimes committed against the homeless and the F.B.I. Needs to track statistics of crimes committed against them. One way to reduce these chilling thrill acts is education and having high schoolers volunteer at local shelters.

Depending on the jurisdiction if the body remains unclaimed it is either buried, cremated or used as an educational cadaver, all with out the ceremony afforded to the housed; except on December 21, of each year when homeless advocates gather in cities across the country to honor those that died with no home. As a society we need to remember that the homeless are people and are entitled to live their lives with dignity and enjoy the basic rights of food, health care, and most of all shelter. By letting just one person die on the streets we are denying them that.

References

Conference of Mayors, U.S. (2008, December) Hunger and Homelessness Survey Author. Washington D.C. retrieved May 16, 2009 from http://tinyurl.com/4rlext

Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Planning and Development, U.S. (HUD) (2008) The Third Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress. Author. Washington D.C.

Hawke, Whitney, Davis, Max, Erlenbusch, Bob, Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger & Homelessness, Stoops, Michael (2007) Dying Without Dignity: Homeless Deaths in Los Angeles County 2000-2007 Author. Los Angeles. Retrieved May 18, 2009 from http://tinyurl.com/o76o25

Homeless man killed by brush cutter is identified (2007, June 5) The Seattle Times Retrieved May 31, 2009 from http://tinyurl.com/ma7kf2

King, Warren. “94 deaths of homeless people highlight lack of care.” (2006, Dec. 5) The Seattle Times Retrieved May 22, 2009 from http://tinyurl.com/ljfdtj

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1986 Pub. L. 100-77 § 11302, 101 Stat. 482 (1987)

National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) (2008, November) Hate Crimes and Violence Against People Experiencing Homelessness retrieved May 18, 2009 from http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/hatecrimes.html

Rhodes, Mike (2008, September 9) Fresno’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness Approved Retrieved May 31, 2009 from http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/09/09/18534640.php

Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness (2009) 2009 One Night Count retrieved May 26, 2009 from http://www.homelessinfo.org/onc.html

Surface, David (2004) The 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness Social Work Today 4 (1) 14

Lawyers Working to End Homelessness