The Challenge of Homelessness

Almost thirty years ago, I got a phone call asking me if I was familiar with an organization then named Interfaith Hospitality Network. I was not, but I looked it up and was immediately hooked. Now called Family Promise, this nationwide movement brings together houses of worship to house, feed, counsel and return to permanent housing families with children who have fallen upon hard times. It is truly an amazing program with a great success rate, but only 3-4 families can be served at a time.

I soon became a member of the Board and ultimately became the Board chair. Each family that successfully returned to permanent housing was a great success. Unfortunately, it is only a small response to the overall challenge of the unhoused in our city. Nevertheless, through my support of Family Promise I learned a lot about the unhoused population of Roanoke. One of the most important things I learned is that lumping all homeless people together as an aggregate group is not helpful. Alleviating the problem of homelessness requires a multi-faceted approach that recognizes both the possibilities and the challenges of each individual.

Some of our unhoused population have lived pay check to pay check and an illness or crisis occurred, and they could no longer pay rent. Some of this population have addiction issues that have left them incapable of holding a job. We know that a portion of our unhoused population have arrived here from other cities where they have been given one way bus tickets or even driven here by employees of other areas. Some have mental health challenges. Some are veterans who served our country, but that service left them with extreme distress or physical challenges that make housing very difficult. Some are ex-offenders and cannot find a way to fit back into society. Some take advantage of services offered by the Rescue Mission, RAM House and our Homeless Assistance Team and some are “hidden” by doubling up with relatives or friends. Some have found that their social security benefits are not enough to allow them to cover rent, food and medications. There is a plethora of reasons for homelessness and therefore we need many different approaches to make a true impact.

Even while having a lot of compassion for these residents who have fallen on these hard times, we should also have compassion for our businesses, our neighbors in Southeast who find unhoused people loitering in their neighborhoods and trespassing on their property, and the overall view of our city by tourists. Roanoke is not unique in this area – every medium and large city faces the same challenges.

We are known in the area for having excellent services for many different groups experiencing homelessness. Our federally funded Homeless Assistance Team (HAT) has done great work. It regularly provides outreach and support services to approximately 1800 people each year. In recent months HAT completed 951 client intakes and transitioned 210 people into permanent, stable housing. RAM House (our homeless assistance and day shelter) is about to open a brand new, exciting facility that will bring together many of our programs working in this area under one roof. RAM will continue to offer meals and a safe, comfortable space to be during the day but so much more – showers will be available, 12 step programs, counseling, help to acquire employment, etc. This new facility, supported by so many private donors reveals the true nature of our community. A community should be judged not by how the successful the middle and upper classes are but by how successful those experiencing financial hardship are in finding a solid footing. I applaud Family Promise, HAT, the Rescue Mission and RAM  as well as myriad other organizations for the successes we have had, but the work is ongoing.

Our city libraries should not serve as day shelters. Simultaneously, the city should provide a safe municipal parking area for those who are living in their cars to park overnight. Public bathrooms and washing stations, maintained by the city, should be available. For our families with children experiencing homelessness, we need to find a way to scale the paradigm of Family Promise.

It is incumbent upon us to recognize that until we are able to place a large portion of our unhoused residents in stable housing, we should do everything we can to minimize the number of new unhoused residents that live in our city. This includes helping those who are just one mishap away from becoming unhoused with a support network that is much easier to navigate. Though perhaps controversial, I would advocate that the city formally let the wider area know that we are not in the position to help unhoused people from different localities. We are maxed out and need to resolve our challenges before accepting people from other areas.

Here is the thing that I am sure of. Roanokers always step up to help each other! From donations to volunteer hours, we care about those who are in need. I have no doubt that we will continue to do so. In a Democratic society we will not “solve” the problem of homelessness but for the sake of our unhoused residents and our city, we can and must do better.