Spring Break
Editorial: The Invisibles
Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: Editorial/Opinion
11/20/08 - Most people's everyday reactions to "the homeless problem" seem to divide into two categories: either they're the eyesore of the streets or the invisible people.
Big cities like New York and Boston are overflowing with people trying to snag shelter on public sidewalks, asking passersby for money and food through frigid weather.
It's not as obvious in places like Providence, but believe it or not, there are more homeless people in Rhode Island than anyone would care to imagine - and their circumstances are much less uncommon than what most would like to think.
According to the latest report from the Rhode Island Emergency Food and Shelter Board, almost 7,000 people entered shelters in the state between July 2005 and June 2006. Imagine 7,000 Rhode Islanders without a home - that's more than half of the University of Rhode Island student population.
Not all homeless people take to the streets because they are uneducated and don't want to work. Not all of them are alcoholics and drug abusers.
One of the reasons cited for an increase in homelessness in Rhode Island has been the increase in housing costs without compensating increases in subsidies and affordable housing. Most homeless suffer through acute circumstances that turn their lives upside down. There's a story behind every face and every family.
Some of their lives before homelessness seem relatively normal until they are interrupted with a divorce, the death of a relative or getting laid off a job.
Things can only get worse with the state of our economy. There are politics involved to help along the process of getting people off the streets - the city of Warwick, for instance, has a structured 10-year plan to help break the cycle of chronic homelessness.
When Philip Mangano, the executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, visited Rhode Island this summer, he commended Warwick for coming up with a 10-year plan, saying, "If humanitarian gestures end homelessness, it would've been history long ago."
Mangano, nicknamed the "Homeless Czar" after a brief appearance on "The O'Reilly Factor," spoke of Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus' hope of wanting his grandchildren to go to a museum one day to see what poverty once was.
It's a lot of fancy speech, and yet, it's still a comforting thought. As a student, maybe donating even just a few hours to a local shelter or food bank during the holiday season (though many forget they need volunteers year-round) can propel that dream into something substantial.
The Clearinghouse for Volunteers, as stated in today's column, provides easy opportunities for students to help out. E-mail cfv@etal.uri.edu for more information.
Big cities like New York and Boston are overflowing with people trying to snag shelter on public sidewalks, asking passersby for money and food through frigid weather.
It's not as obvious in places like Providence, but believe it or not, there are more homeless people in Rhode Island than anyone would care to imagine - and their circumstances are much less uncommon than what most would like to think.
According to the latest report from the Rhode Island Emergency Food and Shelter Board, almost 7,000 people entered shelters in the state between July 2005 and June 2006. Imagine 7,000 Rhode Islanders without a home - that's more than half of the University of Rhode Island student population.
Not all homeless people take to the streets because they are uneducated and don't want to work. Not all of them are alcoholics and drug abusers.
One of the reasons cited for an increase in homelessness in Rhode Island has been the increase in housing costs without compensating increases in subsidies and affordable housing. Most homeless suffer through acute circumstances that turn their lives upside down. There's a story behind every face and every family.
Some of their lives before homelessness seem relatively normal until they are interrupted with a divorce, the death of a relative or getting laid off a job.
Things can only get worse with the state of our economy. There are politics involved to help along the process of getting people off the streets - the city of Warwick, for instance, has a structured 10-year plan to help break the cycle of chronic homelessness.
When Philip Mangano, the executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, visited Rhode Island this summer, he commended Warwick for coming up with a 10-year plan, saying, "If humanitarian gestures end homelessness, it would've been history long ago."
Mangano, nicknamed the "Homeless Czar" after a brief appearance on "The O'Reilly Factor," spoke of Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus' hope of wanting his grandchildren to go to a museum one day to see what poverty once was.
It's a lot of fancy speech, and yet, it's still a comforting thought. As a student, maybe donating even just a few hours to a local shelter or food bank during the holiday season (though many forget they need volunteers year-round) can propel that dream into something substantial.
The Clearinghouse for Volunteers, as stated in today's column, provides easy opportunities for students to help out. E-mail cfv@etal.uri.edu for more information.
