Homeless Advocacy For All (Ha4aLL)

https://lnkd.in/evE3mxxe

A Collaborative Strategy that Embraces All Five Pillars Needed to End Homelessness: Affordable Housing, Eviction Prevention, Shelters, Community Outreach and Permanent Supportive Housing Brian spent about six months receiving cancer treatments in a local hospital in Minneapolis. He couldn’t work, and his savings dwindled as he continued to pay rent to his landlord. He nearly ran out of money when he found out about a program in Hennepin County called Adult Representation Services (ARS) that would help him avoid becoming homeless again. Eviction Prevention Services Help Keep People in Their Homes ARS is an independent agency in Hennepin County that provides legal representation for people like Brian who are facing eviction. The group was able to get him two months of rental assistance. In the new documentary, “America Can End Homelessness: Hennepin County Proves It’s Possible”, Brian told Invisible People that was enough to help him get through his treatments and return to work. Without that support, Brian said he may have fallen through the cracks. “I’ve been homeless before, and I’ve lived on the street. I’ve been there before and done what I needed to do to survive on the street. It is horrendous,” Brian said. Hennepin County’s ARS program is just one part of a broader, integrated effort to prevent and end homelessness. The county has developed a comprehensive system that includes affordable housing initiatives, eviction prevention programs, community outreach, low-barrier access to shelters and permanent supportive housing. Outside of services, Hennepin County also offers peer navigational support to people seeking assistance from its systems. “We have to listen as deeply as possible to those who are experiencing our decisions and those who are implementing our decisions,” said Irene Fernando, the board chair for Hennepin County. Together, this system creates a robust, coordinated approach that addresses homelessness from all angles, providing lasting solutions and illustrating how America can solve its homelessness crisis. https://lnkd.in/e4x4eChb

More Than 100,000 Seniors Are Unhoused on Any Given Night Thanks to Failing Safety Nets and a Lack of Housing Solutions A collective of data suggests that millions of people endure homelessness in the United States each year. When taking a “snapshot” of that homelessness, surveyors determine at least 650,000 Americans appear visibly homeless on a given winter night. Of that 650,000, it is estimated that 100,000 are at or over age 55. Who Are America’s Homeless Senior Citizens? Growing old is no walk in the park for anyone. Aches and pains develop as part of the body’s natural deterioration process. This can include: Heightened forgetfulness Increased risk of slip-and-falls Frail bones Back pain Neck pain Arthritis Cognitive decline Hearing loss Vision problems Limited mobility and more Geriatric conditions can truly take a toll, causing the quality of life to plummet for our seniors, many of whom already feel more isolated than ever, regardless of their housing status. That sentiment seems justified by the number of elderly individuals living on city streets and church steps. Have We Abandoned Our Seniors? Signs of a Morally Flailing Society Four decades ago, the 55-and-over community had a lot on their shoulders. But one thing they were rarely burdened with was the prospect of living on the streets. Sadly, that is no longer the case. The safety net that once was theirs has vanished. Currently, senior citizens make up at least 20% of the unhoused population. They are also more likely to be unsheltered than other subgroups within the homeless community. This means they are more likely to be outside on the pavement than inside a homeless shelter or hotel. In a telling piece on the subject of street homelessness, US News described a “graying homeless population” robbed of opportunities. The underlying causes of the crisis are complex, ranging from a lack of employment protections, unions, and pensions to the rise of the prison industrial complex and the deterioration of the modern family. https://lnkd.in/exFSs4m2

https://lnkd.in/ejfdKfvC

https://lnkd.in/eu2Y7mUZ

If you care about homelessness, please join our group and post about homelessness in your area. https://lnkd.in/evf58V3