Finding Shelter: What does it look like for the homeless to find housing?
If you haven’t seen the start of our series on homelessness, I hope you follow the different stories, laws, and research there is around homelessness. I pray it gives you compassion for those in need. Last month we discussed what the definition of “homeless” can be. This month I want to walk you through the process of being a homeless person trying to find housing. The most experience I have with the homeless is in the city of Milwaukee and you are trying to find housing.
Your name is “Nicole” and you're 23 years old. Recently, you lost your job and have been searching for a new one. You no longer afford rent and was kicked out by your roommate. Your parents live far away and there are no friends with room. As you search, you find the ONLY way to get into homeless shelters in the city of Milwaukee is to call a number. That number is 211.
That’s when the questions start. How many nights have you been on the streets? Have you slept on anyone’s couch? Maybe you're pregnant? Do you have kids? Have you been looking for work? The questions continue and all you want is a place to sleep.
After going through all of this process, you find out that all the shelters are full today, so you can call back around 8 in the morning and go through the exact same process. Now, you have a couple of hundred dollars to your name. So, what do you do now? Rent a hotel or sleep in your car, so you can save money.
This is a very real scenario I’ve walked through with many young women. Do you know what’s crazy though? The less high - risk behaviors you have, the harder it is to find housing. If you are a young man, it’s almost impossible to find housing. The rules of many shelters are usually very specific. One of the questions that became most challenging for a girl like Nicole is how many days have you slept on couches? If you have slept inside of a building, that lowers your ability to be able to stay in housing.
Most shelters are specialized. Consider looking at the homeless shelters in your area. Make a list to give to someone that you might encounter who doesn’t have housing. If your part of a church, consider having a fund for homeless people like Nicole who are trying to get back on their feet. I have been blessed to have had a couple different churches pay for a hotel for a week for young women I’ve worked with. Sometimes, someone like Nicole just might need a you in their corner who can fight for them. They are truly trying to get back on their feet and had a hard time.
Shelters are structured many times for pregnant women, parents, drug addicts, alcoholics, adults, domestic violence, and trafficking victims. If you don’t have these marks, it becomes a lot harder to get into a shelter. Next month I want to focus on what it looks like to be a child under the age of 18 who does not have housing. This is my main passion in life and there are so many rules/regulations on this in the United States. Please feel free to submit your stories or experiences of working with housing for others here in the United States.