Homelessness in Philadelphia

Yesterday, Karl Martino shared a story that I was already aware of, but most others who know him through the internets don't, wouldn't and couldn't know in this post

I was sleeping in a home that a friend claimed was his, which was a lie - it was a squat. Just off the Tioga Frankford El train station. One day, many months after moving in, the owners of the house showed up to tell us - to tell me since I was the only one there that day - to leave. I should have known better - there was just electricity (rigged from a neighbor) and cold water. No fridge. Mis-matched dirty furniture. Windows blown out and covered with trash bags. And my friend had a heroin problem. I remember the twist in my stomach watching him shoot up. I remember avoiding his madness after each time.

I had a mattress, which stunk, two milk crates of belongings, an old boom box, and some clothes to my name. There was no place to keep my private things, if I had any that is. My step father had thrown me out. And this was the only place I knew to go. I was 16 turning 17.

A month or so earlier, I had walked into school feeling I had to act. The fights with my step father were getting worst. My mom needed him. So I figured I had to get a job and my own place. Someone else might have spoke to a counselor, a teacher, someone. But I didn't know who and I didn't ask. I simply walked to the school office, mentioned I needed to quit school, and without inquiring, they put a piece of paper in front of me and said "sign". That was it. Shortly later, I was thrown out before I could move out.

I can't begin to understand the hardships of going it on my own at that age, riding the El to have a roof over my head. I can't begin to understand what it takes to open up to people I don't know and broadcast that same story, even only a snippet of it.

Karl has involved the team at Philly Future in Project HOME which, in Karl's words: "provides tools to individuals and families to keep homelessness and poverty from being chronic issues in their lives and in the community" and I'm happy he did. From his post:

The Young Friends of Project HOME are holding an important event, this Thursday, October 27, 5:30pm to 8:00pm. It's an opportunity for young professionals in Philadelphia to learn about its efforts and to network with one another. It's a chance to connect and to help.

Most, if not all, of the Philly Future team will be there, we're sponsors of the event. Mayor Street is also getting behind the program to end homelessness in Philadephia. He wants to get rid of homelessness in Philadlephia in the next ten years.

Street said the goal would be achieved through better coordination of existing services, construction of 600 new units - 25 a month - of subsidized housing for homeless people, and the addition of 100 beds for the chronically homeless.

The homeless initiative will not involve new agencies or bureaucratic changes. Rather, Street said, it would involve fine-tuning and expanding current programs, which will involve intensive sidewalk outreach to homeless people and placement in small "safe-haven" apartments where they receive intensive counseling and support services.

So how big is the problem? And how willing will Philadelphia be to help out?

"Robert V. Hess, the deputy managing director in charge of homeless services, said that about 350 people live on Center City streets (compared with 824 in 1997) and 400 to 500 in the rest of Philadelphia."
...
"We've been blocked by communities several times in the past," Hess added. "The issue for the public is: Do you want people living on your streets, or do you want them living in shelters?"

This is something that will happen one person at a time and each person lending a hand along the way will go a long way.

Comments

[Brittany]

Ok...so one of the comments on this page has deeply disturbed me. "Do you want people living on your streets..."...is that to see that the streets of Philadelphia only belong to those who have homes to go to eat night & food to eat each meal? That disgusts me. The homeless people are no less human as we are. I think it's disgusting how we continue to put up barriers in between benches so they cannot lay on them and kick them out of parks or even EMPTY churches that weren't being used at all.
We should love these people and take care of them. If Mayor Street truly cared about the homeless he'd realize that there are FAR MORE homeless people than "100 beds" can fill, or more than the "350" on the city streets. I believe there are FAR more. Perhaps thousands. Stop being naive and do something that will really help these people & most of all...STOP treating them like animals. They are people.