SNAP: The Myths The Homeless Should Not Believe

 

The Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP) was, and still is, a program created with the intent of improving the health and well-being of low-income individuals, the elderly, people with disabilities, and other groups of people by providing them with a means to meet their nutritional needs. In Oregon alone, more than 680,000 people receive SNAP benefits. Unfortunately, not many homeless individuals use SNAP benefits because of pre-existing myths about SNAP food stamps. These myths are damaging because they imply SNAP is not easily accessible to homeless individuals because they must meet so many different criterions during the application process.

The Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) is tasked with providing SNAP benefits to anybody who finds themselves in a crisis such as homelessness, domestic violence, and more. Despite this fact many of the homeless in Oregon have not applied or taken advantage of the SNAP program because of myths they have been led to believe. For example, one common myth regarding homelessness and SNAP benefits suggests that the only way to receive SNAP benefits is to have a housing and a mailing address which is not true. SNAP benefits are available to individuals who do not have a housing or a mailing address. Another myth is that you need a photo I.D. to get SNAP benefits. Yes, you need proof of identity to sign-up, but the SNAP program allows one to use basically anything for proof of identity, like a school I.D. or a work badge. You also cannot be turned down for SNAP benefits just because you cannot provide photo I.D. And homeless individuals who get free meals at soup kitchens also qualify for SNAP/Food Stamps. This means that homeless individuals can get SNAP benefits even if they are staying on the streets or already taking advantage of the homeless shelter/soup kitchen benefits.

Homeless people in Oregon, and nationwide, have trouble receiving food stamps because they buy in to such myths. But many other factors also make it even more difficult for the homeless to access food stamps. Consider how the National Coalition For The Homeless states that over half the homeless population in America does not receive food stamps (i.e., SNAP in Oregon) because of a lack of knowledge that such programs even exist. Essentially this implies that the homeless population in Oregon might struggle to meet their adequate nutritional needs because of 2 things; false myths and a lack of proper knowledge regarding what one needs to meet SNAP benefit requirements. Maybe this relationship is worth looking into more.

Sources:

https://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/foodsharing/intro.html#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20national%20survey,month%20previous%20to%20the%20survey.

https://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/myths-homeless.pdf

http://apps.state.or.us/caf/fsm/06fs-a.htm

https://oregonhunger.org/snap-overview/

Image sourced from:

https://www.nbc12.com/2020/12/06/virginia-continues-emergency-snap-benefits-decemeber/

MORE THAN 550,000 AMERICANS WILL EXPERIENCE HOUSELESSNESS TONIGHT

(Image courtesy of C. G. P. Grey, CC via Wikimedia Commons)

The figures are startling: over 550,000 Americans will experience houselessness on any given night, with somewhere between 2.5-3.5 million people experiencing houselessness over the course of the year. As of January 2020, Oregon alone accounted for around 15,000 of those nightly cases. While the population of Oregon makes up only 1.27% of the total US population, the number of houseless individuals represents 2.7% of the total American homeless population. These numbers are staggering, yet things have actually improved from a decade ago and national homelessness is said to be on a downward trend. Living situations have improved among certain populations of houseless peoples such as veterans, families, and the chronically homeless. Despite improvements in some areas, other demographics are still found to be more highly represented in homeless populations than others. While the causes of homelessness are vast and wide, insights can be gleaned by shedding light onto some of these particular groups.

Addiction and Mental Illness

There’s a clear connection between mental health, addiction and homelessness. In 2017, the National Coalition for the Homeless found that 38% of homeless people were dependent on alcohol, and 26% were dependent on other substances. In most cases, addiction is a result of homelessness, not a cause. Other reports estimate that somewhere between ¼-⅓ of houseless folks live with mental disorders. The lack of stable housing can perpetuate mental health and addiction, and without adequate treatment it is very difficult for individuals to pull themselves out of the homeless cycle. 

Chronic Illness and Disability

Chronic illness and disability are often overlooked factors in homelessness, but this demographic is disproportionately represented in the data. Reports suggest that nearly a quarter of all people experiencing homelessness have a disability. Disabilities can range from physical, intellectual, or developmental and illness can overlap with substance abuse and mental health issues. It is common for people with disabilities to experience discrimination when it comes to housing, wages, healthcare, and employment. These discriminations are a major contributing factor in their disproportionate representation among houseless populations. 

Veterans

It should come as no surprise that military veterans represent a disproportionate amount of houseless individuals. This particular demographic often gets highlighted and prioritized because of their service to the country. Today, veterans represent about 11% of the total homeless population. With the increase in attention and prioritization of this group, this demographic has seen the largest decrease over the past decade--their numbers being cut nearly in half.  

Race

Most Americans can recognize the racial disparities in this country. As related to homelessness, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders are most affected as a group when compared to other races. Native Americans and Pacific Islanders are nearly 10 times as likely to be homeless as the national average. African-Americans, Hispanic/Latinx, and multiracial individuals are also more likely to experience homelessness than the national average. In 2019, African-Americans accounted for more than 40% of all houseless individuals. Hispanic/Latinx experience homelessness through “doubling up”, which is when two or more families or adults cohabitate in the same household. 

Males

According to homeless demographic information, nearly 7 out of 10 individuals living on the street are male. At 69.6%, men are clearly more likely to experience houselessness. Those numbers become even more worrisome when you take into consideration that men are also more likely to experience unsheltered homelessness, putting them at a greater risk to the health and safety concerns associated with houselessness. 

Youth

Youth homeless statistics portray a tragic image. Nearly 20% of all homeless are children, while 6% are considered unaccompanied youth (meaning they are living without a guardian). Whether it is a result of youth having to flee an unhealthy homelife or simply being a product of their environment, homeless youth account for 1 in 5 of all homeless. Due to the sensitivities and vulnerabilities of children, a lot of funding goes toward aid in this demographic. Homeless families are more likely to be approved for aid and sheltered living situations, and teen and youth programs across the country seek to help those in need. 

LGBTQ

Of the unaccompanied youth mentioned in the last section, 4 out of 10 identify as LGBTQ. LGBTQ youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than their non-LGBTQ counterparts. Unfortunately, without safe shelter and support this homeless demographic is at a higher risk to be prey for human sex trafficking and abuse, and they are over seven times more likely to experience acts of violence than non-LGBTQ individuals. 

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Many organizations are seeking to find solutions to the multifaceted, complex, and dynamic challenges of homelessness. The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to end homelessness in the United States. The NAEH believes in using research and data to find impactful solutions. They work with local and federal agencies to help effect meaningful policy change, and work with communities to implement those changes.

To learn more and find ways you can help please visit www.endhomelessness.org.

Homeless Youth barriers and Nutrition

 When it comes to the thought of homelessness you think about adults not being financially capable to take care of themselves. We must also keep in mind, the youth that is affected by being a part of a family that is homeless or just even ones that are not accompanied by anyone. Being a child without a home.is a hard and difficult life to have. Studies show that youth can become subject to "mental health problems, substance use, , and barriers to education and employment"(NN4Y). These affects on youth can have a lifetime lasting hold on them to where it can give low self esteem, depression, and anxiety. Homeless youth turns to drugs and alcohol to help cope with the struggles of being out of a home and with no immediate help from family. There are "40 to 50 percent of homeless youth report drug problems"(NN4Y), but most get no help do to limited resources and money.

Also, youth children have barriers preventing them from education and employment. "Such barriers include school attendance policies, credit accrual, legal guardianship requirements,9 residency requirements, proper records, and lack of transportation". All of these are thing needed for high school and college admittance which is not as accessable as it would be for one with a home. Not being educated and not having up to date social skills as a youth causes you feel those affects later in life. As a homeless unaccompanied youth your food choices are not as great as they should be as there is not much money that can be used to buy more expensive and healthier foods. Also being a youth health is not important as it would be to an adult. Eating right is not on the front of the youths mind especially juggling being homeless and limited in society.

To be a part of the solution in the state of Oregon you can visit:

http://ahomeforeveryone.net/get-help

Sources:

https://www.nn4youth.org/wp-content/uploads/Issue-Brief_Consequences-of-Youth-Homelessness.pdf

https://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/youth.html

https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/who-experiences-homelessness/youth/

PORTLAND TO BEGIN “A MORE ASSERTIVE APPROACH” IN CLEANING-UP AND REMOVING HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS

(Image courtesy of Nathan Dumlao via Unsplash.com)

For anyone who lives in the Portland area, the sight of homeless encampments is all too familiar. Tent cities are so prevalent, they’ve become a distinguishing feature of the Portland landscape. For some, they seem to pop-up overnight and are a threat to public health and safety. For others, they’re the closest thing to a safe haven that houseless individuals can get, providing some form of protection from the dangers of living on the streets. In Portland city limits alone it is estimated that over 2,000 individuals sleep unsheltered on the streets every night. In just the past couple weeks, city officials have decided to take “aggressive” measures to clean, downsize, and completely remove the number of homeless encampments. It’s leaving many individuals experiencing houselessness to wonder, “Where else do we have to go.”

These strict new tactics in the treatment of homeless encampments come after a year of a more laissez-faire approach, stemming largely from burdens on society from the COVID-19 pandemic as suggested by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). But the issue of homeless encampments isn’t a new one. It’s something that the city has struggled with for years. 

From the city’s perspective, “These new protocols reprioritize public health and safety among houseless Portlanders and aim to improve sanitary conditions until we have additional shelter beds and housing available,” wrote in a letter from Mayor Ted Wheeler and the rest of the City Council. It continues, “Bureaus are currently inventorying city-owned properties for viable shelter or camping sites.” Unfortunately, however, the city cannot offer an updated timeline on when or in what capacity those city-owned properties will be available.

Many houseless residents are seeing this as an attack, with Portland Police under investigation for discarding personal property during sweeps, and fear that there won’t be any safe places left to go. It can be especially challenging for individuals new to houselessness. Losing one’s home is already a terrifying situation, but individuals without prior experience of being houseless, are particularly vulnerable to finding themselves in unsafe locations. Current trends are disproportionately affecting people of color. It is estimated that African-Americans in Portland are at a higher risk of experiencing houselessness, and statistics have shown a 48% increase over the past two years in the number of unsheltered African-Americans.

THE NEW GUIDELINES

Eviction notices will be posted at campsites that fail to comply with city ordinances, with the city prioritizing evictions with eight or more structures, and ones that block public sidewalks. Other criteria meeting grounds for eviction include:

• Places where human waste is prevalent

• Locations where biohazardous materials, including needles, are present

• Encampments considered a fire hazard

• Locations reported to have repeated violent or criminal activity

• Encampments that are impacting a school

The Newest Rules of Homeless Encampments in Portland

    

With the pandemic starting back in March of 2020, regulations of homeless encampments were less harsh. The eviction notices were limited or completely avoided. This new change was provoked by officials taking a passive approach to the state of encampments. The newest regulations will be more strict by posting an eviction notice if certain health and safety conditions are not met. These conditions include if any of the following is present: human waste, needles, biohazardous material, and fire hazards. They will also be notified of eviction if there is repeated violence or criminal activity or if the encampment impacts a school. 

   In the past, there was a 24-hour compliance notice that if the encampments complied, they would not be evicted. City officials will give 48 hours' notice and will eliminate the 24-hour compliance notice. This makes the people living in these encampments to quickly pack up their belongings and move elsewhere before the city removes anything remaining. This is an issue for many because they are forced to move to another spot, as Portland is not required to offer shelter or other services prior to evicting the campers. 

    Portland is currently looking at alternative sites and shelters so that displacement is no longer an issue. However, Portland does not have any of these in place. Eric Tars, a legal director of the National Homelessness Law Center declares "The underlying principle remains the same: you cannot and should not displace people unless you can provide an adequate alternative." For more information on Portland's new rules regarding encampments click here.  https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2021/05/portland-announces-it-will-aggressively-clean-or-remove-homeless-encampments.html

PDX Free Fridge

The mission statement for PDX Free Fridge is simple, “take what you need, leave what you don’t, give what you can”. With over 30 Free Fridges in Portland, PDX Free Fridge is taking the initiative to show local communities what mutual aid is all about. Though this organization is called PDX Free Fridge, many locations also offer a pantry option for non-perishable items. They also have guidelines on what sort of foods are okay to donate so they don’t end up with, let's say, 20 cans of expired chicken noodle soup.

PDX Free Fridge is not funded by any government organizations, they are out here doing the work as a community and trying to get good food into the hands of people with low income. If someone would like to contribute to a free fridge or pantry, it’s easy as dropping food off at one of their locations, which can all be found on their website. They also accept donations via Venmo and CashApp.

(instagram.com/pdxfreefridge)

Portland Free Fridge website: https://sites.google.com/view/pdx-free-fridge 

Factors of Food insecurity within homeless individuals

Food insecurity is a big problem with individuals who are experiencing homelessness. According to the article, Cumulative Risk Factors Associated with Food Insecurity among Adults who Experience Homelessness, It states that within domiciled adults 11.8% experience food insecurity while 25%-59.5% of individuals who are homeless experience food insecurity. Some overlook this within the homeless population because it's hard for us to understand food insecurity and how it comes about. Three factors that can lead to food insecurity within homeless individuals is poor health and risky health behaviors, personal and sexual victimization, and household disruption.

A high portion of the homeless population experience poor physical and emotional health which directly correlates to food insecurity. If one is struggling to achieve basic social expectations than this can lead to a higher risk of depression within this population. Because of poor physical and mental health this can lead to the struggle of practicing lifestyle health behaviors such as planning out meals for them to eat and even thinking about nutritious sources of food. Another factor correlated to food insecurity is alcohol use disorders and addiction. 29%-63% of houseless individuals experience an alcohol use disorder and also smoke cigarettes to cope with the struggles of being homeless. With these problems, some people with highly addictive behaviors will spend their money on alcohol and tobacco rather than gaining a nutritious diet.

Another factor that can lead to food insecurity is personal and sexual victimization. Within women who are homeless, there are more frequent reports of physical or sexual abuse and also withinin homelessness there is a higher possibility of witnessing violence. In homeless individuals that experience sexual and physical abuse there is a lack of legal action which could risk higher probabilities of violence and creates more problems. With living on the streets and trying to fend for yourself some may have no choice but to turn to trading sex for goods such as food, money, shelter and other things. Those individuals who have poor food security are more likely to experience sexual and physical abuse.

Trough experiences during childhood and family disruption and conflict can also lead to increased experiences with food insecurity. There are many children that are put through the foster care system and this has an increasing factor of becoming homeless once they become adults. Because of family conflict this can create the downfall of a child's life to lead them to homelessness and can increase the probability of food insecurity. Also with family conflict and disruption this can lead to incarceration with members of the family and connects to limited employment opportunities, economic mobility and limited earnings.

With these factors it is hard for anyone experiencing these things to have good food security. In order to have good food security you need to think about availability, access, stability, and utilization. Thinking about these factors that i have gone through can help us understand the homeless population and food insecurity and potentially help us find ways to help this problem.


Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6656397/ (Cumulative Risk Factors Associated with Food Insecurity among Adults who Experience Homelessness)

Food Insecurity and Waste

 Hundreds of thousands of Americans are hungry everyday and don't have access to a constant food supply. At the same time the U.S. wastes 108 billion pounds of food each year. It makes zero sense why people are going hungry when we are throwing away that much food. The food waste alone could almost solve food insecurity in the U.S. There is a company trying to tackle both problems, it's called Move for Hunger. They have volunteers around the states who will come and pick up any nonperishable foods from your house and bring them to a food bank at no cost.  If you are fortunate enough to have food security do your part by volunteering, donating, or spreading awareness. For more information check out moveforhunger! 

Websites: 

https://moveforhunger.org/about-us 

https://www.feedingamerica.org/our-work/our-approach/reduce-food-waste#:~:text=How%20much%20food%20waste%20is,food%20thrown%20away%20each%20year.

https://www.globalgiving.org/learn/how-much-would-it-cost-to-end-world-hunger/#:~:text=How%20much%20would%20it%20cost%20to%20end%20hunger%20in%20the,the%20US%20at%20%2425%20billion.

Defining homelessness and hunger in terms of basic needs insecurities.

When we talk about social justice issues there can be a lot of context, history, and even information lost in translation; the words we use matter, sometimes the colloquialisms of civil equity can obfuscate the realities of its subjects. It’s very common for people to refer to the phenomenon of housing insecurity as “the homelessness problem,” to refer to people experiencing housing insecurity as “homeless people.” The issue of “homelessness,” framed as such in terms of the “home,” entails a normative definition of “home” as a place that one lives. By assuming a normative definition of “home” as the foundation of this identifier its meaning becomes twisted into something that it isn’t. Home is more than a location of habitation; it’s a complex concept of personal history, sentiment, community, and locality. Do Good Multnomah, a nonprofit organisation that works to provide “permanent supportive housing and low-barrier emergency shelter to houseless Veterans in Portland, Oregon” uses the term “houseless” instead of homeless. They argue that a house is simply a (typically permanent) inhabitable physical space, so when someone is “houseless” it means that they are without said space. We can see here how “homeless” might not really represent what is happening for those being given that identifier, as well as how the ascription of such a title might erase the histories and realities of those suffering from housing insecurity.

Additionally, the matter of houselessness is more complex than a simple binary apprehension, where there are those who have physical spaces to live and those who don’t. In the Fall of 2019, Portland State University’s HRAC (Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative) distributed a survey, which sought out information about basic needs insecurity levels amongst all faculty and student bodies. By the end of the collection period 15% of the student body and 28% of the faculty body responded, in 2020 PSU released the findings in an exhaustive report titled “Housing and Food Security at Portland State University.” What is most interesting about this report, beyond the alarming 44.6% of students that experience housing insecurity, is how it details the intersections of the foundation of the phenomenon of houselessness: basic needs insecurities, which include food, water, shelter, and safety securities. In the world of schooling a student who is hungry, or is malnourished, or has not slept is a student who will struggle to perform against academic rigor. Within PSU’s report these basic needs have been divided into three major categories: food insecurity, housing insecurity, and houselessness. They go further than just these divisions though, they also highlight all the different modes of these phenomena. What we learn through this elaboration is that houselsessness, food insecurity, and housing insecurity are all intertwined, and typically are compounded by one another. In the “Intersections” section, the PSU report indicates that, out of the 61.6% of students experiencing basic needs insecurities, 25.4% of these students were experiencing two at once. Within that quarter, 84.6% of students were experiencing housing and food insecurity simultaneously. 

When thinking about houselessness it is important to understand the many frames it may manifest within; the PSU report notes individual sections of students experiencing different forms of housing insecurity. These variations include: having to move in with other people due to financial struggle, having their rent or mortgage increase,being unable to pay utility bills or rent, having to sleep somewhere on campus because they had nowhere else to go, joining a house without informing the landlord, getting evicted, and leaving their homes because they felt unsafe. What this illustrates is the sheer variety of forms that housing insecurity can present itself. This same delineation of variation is shared among houslessness and food insecurity in the report. You can read the full report in the links below, as well as some light reading about the term “houselessness” that I have used throughout this post.
Links:
Why do we say houseless? — Do Good Multnomah
Housing and Food Insecurity — Portland State University

The Housing First Approach

 

Photo by George Becker from Pexels

In the past few years, news articles have been circulating on Finland’s success with reducing houselessness. Finland is currently the only country in which houselessness is falling, and this progress is credited to the “Housing First” approach introduced by the Finnish government in 2007. This approach subverts the “staircase” model of disrupting houselessness as one transitions from sleeping rough to permanent housing. As opposed to requiring addiction and behavioral issues to be addressed before access to permanent shelter, this approach establishes secure housing first, then connects the individual additional services they may require. Tenants still sign leases and must pay rent, but assistance is provided as necessary.

Finland is not the only country to have used this approach, but their success with it is likely linked to the extent of the government’s involvement with the approach. Access to housing is a right protected by the Finnish Constitution, and the government has partnered extensively with landlords, like the Y-Foundation, to establish and provide this housing. Much of the land is government owned, making development of these units easier than in the US, and their zoning codes encourage mixing of socialized and private housing. Their extensive social services, from rental assistance to healthcare access, and their focus on connecting individuals with these programs are also major contributing factors to this reduction in houselessness.

Here in the US, the national government is aware of this approach, and it is acknowledged by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) as a valuable method. Due to the sprawling size of the country, as well as its large and diverse population, a national implementation of this approach is unlikely, as each city has different needs and barriers to solving houselessness. Richard Cho of USICH lays out how implementation in the US could work:

“Achieving these aims is impossible for one program alone. Rather, it requires a variety of programs and services including homeless outreach, emergency shelter, permanent supportive housing, affordable housing, rapid re-housing, along with case management supports, health care, income supports, employment services, and more. But it’s also not enough for these programs to simply exist; they need to work as part of a whole system to help people achieve these aims. That means that the focus of all programs must be to help people obtain permanent housing quickly and without conditions and contingencies. Programs should empower people to overcome barriers to obtaining permanent housing, access the right kinds of supports and care to keep their housing, and improve their quality of life.”

Here in Portland, efforts to alleviate houselessness are more dire than ever with the Covid-19 pandemic. A Willamette Week interview with Multnomah County Commissioner Sharon Meieran reveals that while efforts are being made to provide more housing and shelter, the coordinated efforts that have made Finland’s approach successful are lacking. Perhaps government coordination with existing non-profit shelter and health service providers, as Finland did with Y-Project, is the missing key to helping people access services and shelter more efficiently.

 

Sources:

https://endhomelessness.org/resource/housing-first/

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jun/03/its-a-miracle-helsinkis-radical-solution-to-homelessness

https://www.usich.gov/news/four-clarifications-about-housing-first/

https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2021/04/25/multnomah-county-commissioner-sharon-meieran-wants-more-aggressive-plan-to-shelter-homeless-people/

https://ysaatio.fi/en/housing-first-finland