Posted by: Alice Shobe in Homelessness on
Apr 04, 2011
Friends and family often ask me "should I give money to a homeless person on the street?" I typically suggest giving respect and courtesy. I offer that money will do more if donated to an organization serving the homeless. Seattle writer Judy Lightfoot takes respect and courtesy one step further in her blog post,
Begging: To give or not to give. She suggests you give one of your most cherished gifts - your
time. The next time I hurry past someone holding a sign requesting money, I will ask myself if I can take the time ask some questions to understand their unique needs. Can I walk them to a store and buy them lunch or wait and pay for their bus ticket? If I really can't spare the time, I will continue with my usual pattern of smiling and sincerely saying "I wish you well." I will then
New national data shows more children and their families are experiencing homelessness in our country and state. Our state's dilemma is that we have proven programs that end homelessness, but their continued longevity is threatened by ongoing State deficits. Programs like the Washington Families Fund, Home Security Fund, and Housing Trust Fund are good for families and good for our economy.
Building Changes will soon release new data on an emerging subset of "high needs" families served by the Washington Families Fund. These chronically homeless families are a small subset of the total homeless population but the most complicated. The good news is that the data shows we're making progress in stabilizing families who have been homeless an average of ten times:
Washington State ranks 25 out 50 states in our efforts to end family homelessness according to a comprehensive study, America's Youngest Outcasts, released yesterday by the National Center on Family Homelessness. I admit it - I am competitive by nature and ranking 25th out of 50 isn't good enough. We can do better. Fortunately, the report has enough details that we can understand our strengths and look more deeply into our weaknesses.
Our strengths:
- Political will to end homelessness is very high. We have done extensive planning to end homelessness, as demonstrated by plans to end homelessness being adopted at the State, county, and city levels. Washington State was one of the first states to include families in their 10 year planning efforts.
- The number of homeless children experiencing
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