Nothing is more sour tasting and evil-sounding then the word gentrification. Even the people who practice it cringe when it’s mentioned. Gentrification is the process of renewal and rebuilding that accompanies the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas/communities, which often displaces lower income residents. When a person first thinks about, it doesn’t sound like it’s such a bad thing. Who wouldn’t want to renovate abandoned areas into something more useful and productive; Rebuild decaying, run-down communities and give them a more livelier and livable atmosphere? It all sounds pleasing, but the key word to why it is a social problem is in the definition- gentrification displaces lower income residents, who are disproportionally minorities such as women and people of color. Displacement in itself is a social problem that can be defined as a process whereby families and residents have their housing choices constrained by the actions of another social group. It is a form of modern day segregation.

Gentrification as a defined and measurable social problem:

Gentrification meets all the qualities of a social problem. It has been defined as a condition that threatens the values of minority groups, specifically cultural and social values. It effects a large number of people, with a conservative estimate of 2.5 million people being displaced in the U.S. per year (LeGates and Hartman, 1986 US). 

Where Gentrification Manifests & Who it Affects:

 Gentrification manifests in metropolitan cities such as New York, Philadelphia, London, Seattle, and Miami. Downtown Miami is a prime example of Gentrification; the Design District, Bayside, the Marlin’s Baseball Stadium, and Brickell have been or are going to be gentrified here in Miami, Florida. Low-income houses are turned into condominiums or luxury housing available for purchase, malls and high-end entertainment complexes are built, old buildings and residences are torn down, and the upper class begin to flock to these areas. Area property values skyrocket to the point that displacement occurs.

Those affected most are low-income families and residents, the elderly, female headed households and middle class blue collar workers. The extent to which those that are effected by gentrification and displacement is not limited to just the economic realm, gentrification often involves a change in a neighborhood’s racial and ethnic composition, which further alters a communities characteristics, leading to potential tension within the community. Those that are displaced may end up homeless due too harassment and eviction and lack of affordable housing.

The Consequences & Social, Psychological, and Health Costs of Gentrification:

There is a broad range of consequences that can arise from gentrification. Services that the displaced groups rely on are also at great risk of becoming overpriced or lost all together. Homelessness is increased as affordable housing disappears and unsustainable speculative property prices increase. Gentrification does not only affect the area which was gentrified. Gentrification of one neighbourhood can increase rent and prices and have other effects on surrounding neighbourhoods.

Gentrification also has a range of social and psychological costs. Gaps in mutual social support structures are left in the wake of displacement. The sustainability of community networks are threatened. There’s also a strong racial component as the majority of new, higher-income residents are white and the former, lower-income residents are racial or ethnic minorities. This change can lead to tensions along racial or ethnic lines in the gentrified neighborhood (Kennedy and Leonard 2001). With gentrification comes a huge loss of social diversity and mix and a very apparent segregation of classes, which causes community conflict & resentment, among other issues.

In terms of the health of a community, gentrification has a myriad of negative consequences. Socioeconomic status, land use, environmental injustice, and race/ethnicity all create disparities in the health of the community. Displacement in itself has many negative health consequences that contribute to disparities among member of racial/ethnic minorities, the poor, women, children, and the elderly (special populations). These members of special populations have an increased risk of health issues due to the negative consequences of gentrification. Studies show that they typically have shorter life expectancy, higher cancer rates, greater infant mortality rates, and more birth defects than non-vulnerable populations. They also have a greater incidence of diabetes, asthma, and cardiovascular disease.

Strategies to Minimize the Negative Consequences:

We must create a equitable living environments and communities designed with intention and the belief that communities are not just for residential/commercial use, but areclusters of opportunity. Affordable housing for all incomes must be available. Mixed-income communities can be developed, which would offer a range of housing prices. Incentives, such as tax cuts or breaks, could be given to developers, planners, and local governments who aim to minimize displacement. Inclusionary zoning policies can be enacted, which is a policy strategy that requires developers to make a percentage of the rental or for-sale units in housing developments for low- and moderate-income residents. Most importantly, we must engage the community. They need to be fully allowed to provide input into the design and redevelopment of their community. In this way, we can change the process of gentrification into the process of building just, equal communities of opportunity.

BBH, an international advertising firm, has started a “beta program” where homeless people are the hotspots. Through PayPal, one can donate a small fee to said person, in exchange for access to the Internet.

Obviously, this has caused a lot of controversy, through claims that these people are being exploited and have become objectified. As well, with the recent news that cell phones are possible causes of cancer, there are concerns that the homeless are being exposed to potentially dangerous amounts of radiation.

However, some say that this has given the homeless an opportunity to connect to the public in a whole new way that they could not before. Who knows, these “homeless hotspots” may even spark a new wave of viral videos or stories centered on the low-income earners, not unlike those of Ted the Golden Voice or this one-of-a-kind taxi driver below.

External Links

Homeless Hotspots

We don’t need a large place as our dog is only 11 lbs. She’s used to not having a yard. She’s 2 years old and we got her as a rescue dog under the advice of my Therapist. I was in such a state of depression that I was barely able to get out of bed and hardly ever left my room. Having the dog was what finally reached me through the darkness and now I do get outside every day because of her. I know I still have a long way to go – but I thank God that I am going in the right direction and that I am now able to see sunlight and haven’t lost all hope. 

I met my partner, JT, when we were both on our own levels of healing from some pretty horrific things that happened in each of our own pasts. With both of us still so fragile and climbing out of our own downward spirals you would think that would have proved detrimental – fatal even – but it’s been the opposite. We’ve kept each other going. Actually, we’ve kept each other alive.

I am on Medicare which, while it has not saved me, (I am not in a safe place as far as quality of life goes), it has managed to help me keep my head above water. It has helped to keep me alive. JT lost his insurance during a critical time for his health. He has been trying to get Disability for about a year now. Two years ago he was advised by his doctors that he needed to attend to his health on a full-time basis if he ever wanted to get better. Disability is still up in the air, even WITH using a Disability Lawyer. He’s trying to keep it together – physically. emotionally, mentally and spiritually, (we both are actually – that’s why we pray for mentors who are willing to guide us and teach us the way… then we, in turn, can do the same for others). He must work part-time, (though he ends up needing to put in a lot more hours than “part-time”), just to pay the rent. He must beg – yes beg – for medical attention. He has yet to be able to start consciously working on the road to repair in any of the areas we both need to be working on.

If only we could get help – consistent help – with a game plan where you stop and review everything once in a while to make sure all is going as expected. Where you can tweak it if needed and get help where you need it, from people who really want to see you succeed. If only we could get help financially. We have now crashed and burned and are on our way to an imminent departure to homelessness. JT’s been there before, I was there only briefly before he took me in and our little dog was homeless until we got her at 2 months old. We both love her so much we could never abandon her. We haven’t any “human” family but that little dog is definitely a part of our “family!” If only we could have help showing us first how and what needs to be done to get out of debt and even how we could perhaps manage a small savings or maybe even how we could go back to school. If only there were someone who could show us how it all works and how it works in our specific case. Someone who could help us so we could afford to get our medications we need – when we need them and not a few days later or by needing to skip dosages.

I’ve come to understand that many people feel that these are all things that everyone should already know how to do themselves. Well I can tell you now that for one reason or another… not everyone does. Though we both have our own physical limitations there are still many things that JT and I could do to make a simple and honest living and to do what we both want more than anything else – to help others. 

Is it too much to ask?

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

In our artificially structured world people do not give cooperation for free; They receive compensation for exactly that reason. Its called work ! However, we expect the homeless to give cooperation and remain lawful even under their distressful circumstances and they are due compensation to give such cooperation. The correct compensation is to make available to them a shelter which runs efficiently so they can eventually bounce back into stability as soon as possible. However, some homeless  people are not “cosmopolitan” and work forces do not intend to hire anyone who is not cosmopolitan with the possible exception of so different a workplace as a circus or Walt Disney world where costumes are used and characters depicted or perhaps a bar or ta-too parlor or even self employment arrangements. It becomes a homeless person to try to fit into the cosmopolitan mode or else seek the few alternatives left, nevertheless, some homeless people do not wish to do the hard work of trying to “fit in”(trying to learn or take up the manners and customs of which the fabric of cosmopolitan success is made) and that is their right to choose. However, we do at all times owe them a homeless shelter available should they change their attitude, mind, or unlearn habits and attitudes from bad upbringings. And certainly a homeless shelter should be available for all of humanity where the ups and downs of good economic times may come in cycles. However, one need not be (and should not be)hostile or demeaning towards those who do not seem to want to get out of homelessness, instead we should view them as the material that homeless shelters use to keep the shelters themselves efficient and able to handle every conceivable circumstance and contingency. We should view them as those whom keep the shelter personnel engaged, active, and capable of forwarding a solution to every facet of homelessness possible for any human who should want to take advantage of what is available in its entirety for best results. We should view them as having that role to play until they might change or decide to seek out more stability in the society. For these reasons we should never be demeaning or hostile but support that they be supported and accepted as they are and where ever possible accommodated when it is obvious their presence is not posing any inconvenience to anyone else . The society should never be so draconian as the city of Austin, TX which interferes with a homeless persons ability to merely sit down on a sidewalk (they by draconian law must stand at all times in the downtown area). They should be allowed to sleep on a sidewalk any time that can be done in a manner where no one but them is affected i.e. They were apt to leave the sidewalk in front of a business before it opened, they rested in a manner which did not block the  public, they left no scent or trash or stains etc., and they should be challenged every time they make any enactment where someone else would be unfairly affected. They should be able to use a bus for example but be challenged by the driver and not let on at any moment their hygiene falls below an acceptable level affecting others (and which they could make use of a shelter to adjust). Likewise it becomes the public to be particuliarly interested in how homeless shelters are treating those using its services and it becomes the public to insist that they be user friendly, efficient, humane, and able to meet contingency as it arises

(insert racial tensions between the black and white cultures of North Louisiana)
I’m sure my dad probably doesn’t remember this conversation but it has stuck with me.  Riding in the truck home after a cross country practice in high school he was telling me about his day. As the principal of an elementary school he had to make a trip up to the local school board office. There he had to argue with the payroll department for his janitorial staff to receive their appropriate pay and benefits. This was part of an ongoing battle of mishaps that never favored the janitorial staff. I asked my what made him keep doing that. I still remember his reply, “Because I can see them as people”

The other story comes from a friend. I will not use names because I did not ask permission to share even though he gladly shared the story with me…….A homeless man in Asheville approached two guys in college on summer break and asked them for some money. One of the guys asked politely what he needed the money for. The homeless man said he just wanted to buy a beer. Surprised by the man’s honesty the college guy offered to buy him a beer in exchange for some conversation. The three men shared a beer and discussed their lives and relationships with Jesus.

As I got older, the days seemed to have gotten shorter, even the miserable ones. 

I have a small theory about this.  Each day that we get out of bed (those that can), we do something with our lives.  We do housework, take of our families.  Maybe we go back to school, we do volunteer work.  We do something with our lives that, at the end of the day, we can feel good about.

For those able-bodied people that get up and spend the day watching television, or just laying around, the day must pass pretty slow with boredom. 

A few years ago, there was a middle aged woman who used to go digging through apartment dumpsters everyday, with her shopping cart in tow.  Except for weekends, she came through at the same time, everyday.  I thought she was homeless, at first.  Then I began talking to her.  As it turns out, she was looking for knickknacks that she could fix up and recycle or sell.  She showed me six undaunted, unopened cans of food she found in the trash.  They weren’t expired, just thrown out.   The woman did this everyday because, it gave her something to do, and “it’s like looking for buried treasure.”

Some of the homeless men in the area, would also hunt through the trash for metal, even picking up cans thrown on the street.  As one fellow put it (while shouldering a large trash bag full of flattened cans),

  “It’s like a job, and it keeps me from begging.”

These are just a couple of examples of people who, at the end of the day, can say that they accomplished something.

Someday, we might just be held accountable for our lives on earth.  When we are called to give an account, we should be able to say something other than, “Nothin’,” or, “Well, I didn’t hurt anyone.”

Personally, I hope to add Writer, among my meager accomplishments.

Homelessness has been on the rise again over the last few years.  Many transients are the stereotypical types found drunk and passed out beside a downtown building, but many more are there against their own wills.  Society tends to create its own plagues be it viral or social.  As the wealthy get richer, and more and more background checks are implemented to profile people as law enforcement does, we create situations that keep people from obtaining proper shelters that they could otherwise afford.

Example:  A family grosses enough monthly income to pay three times the rent as required by most property management companies, has clean criminal history, but very bad credit scores.  This family will be denied a rental just because of this issue.  Let’s just be honest here.  We have a bad economy and this is going to impact many families’ credit scores as well as companies.  By denying families just because they have bad credit seems a little harsh.

Insurance does it as well.  Apparently having bad credit makes you a liability or a bad driver.  I understand that there are bad people out there but good or bad we all need a place to live.  If they are bad enough then they should be in jail but if they are not criminal then why are they left to live on the streets?  Profiling is helpful in many things but it should never keep someone homeless.

Image by Todd Huffman via Flickr

Society has created this homeless issue and blames the people or some other “Fall-Guy” rather than note the obvious.  Evictions are necessary for those who are worthy of it.  Families with children who are making efforts to pay rent but fall short of paying rent on time are evicted every day.  Between these two issues and several others, we have created a rise in homelessness.

Changes need to be made regarding rental criteria and home ownership.  It wasn’t that long ago that you could work a part-time job making $4.75 an hour and still have enough to pay rent, all your bills, and have enough for recreational fun.  It is all simple maths.  People have become greedy.  Governments have lost sight of their purpose.

I am not, nor do I ever wish to be a politician, but someone needs to step up and do the right thing.  Life should not be a struggle to live.  People should never have to worry whether or not they will have a roof over their heads.  Profiling should be banned.  My credit should not be an issue for renting a home, just buying.

http://pastoralblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/statistics-on-homeless-in-oregon-and.html

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While I have found my trip to LA to be great the one thing I did notice was the vast amount of homeless on the street. Talking with our unofficial tour guide I found that he used to care for a man who lost both of his legs in Korea. It saddens me to know that this man put his life on the line and lost both legs, yet was left to fend for himself here in the country he was defending.

I have done some research, because I have even notice myself that a great number of homeless people are veterans, I have discovered that this is very true. The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans say that “VA estimates that 107,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. Over the course of a year, approximately twice that many experience homelessness. Only eight percent of the general population can claim veteran status, but nearly one-fifth of the homeless population are veterans.” They also say, “The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) states the nation’s homeless veterans are predominantly male, with roughly five percent being female. The majority of them are single; come from urban areas; and suffer from mental illness, alcohol and/or substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders. About one-third of the adult homeless population are veterans.About 1.5 million other veterans, meanwhile, are considered at risk of homelessness due to poverty, lack of support networks, and dismal living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing.” (1)

Also I read from USA Today that, “Veterans make up one in four homeless people in the United States, though they are only 11% of the general adult population, according to a report to be released Thursday. And homelessness is not just a problem among middle-age and elderly veterans. Younger veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are trickling into shelters and soup kitchens seeking services, treatment or help with finding a job.The Veterans Affairs Department has identified 1,500 homeless veterans from the current wars and says 400 of them have participated in its programs specifically targeting homelessness.The National Alliance to End Homelessness, a public education non-profit, based the findings of its report on numbers from Veterans Affairs and the Census Bureau. 2005 data estimated that 194,254 homeless people out of 744,313 on any given night were veterans.In comparison, the VA says that 20 years ago, the estimated number of veterans who were homeless on any given night was 250,000.” (2)

Last the National Coalition the Homeless even has input on this subject saying that, “Far too many veterans are homeless in America—between 130,000 and 200,000 on any given night—representing between one fourth and one-fifth of all homeless people. Three times that many veterans are struggling with excessive rent burdens and thus at increased risk of homelessness.
Further, there is concern about the future. Women veterans and those with disabilities including post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury are more likely to become homeless, and a higher percentage of veterans returning from the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have these characteristics.The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 131,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. And approximately twice that many experience homelessness over the course of a year. Conservatively, one out of every three homeless men who is sleeping in a doorway, alley or box in our cities and rural communities has put on a uniform and served this country.” (3)

So now I find myself asking, why is it that so many men and women who served our country so bravely laying in the streets. Chances are that just about everyone knows someone who has served in the arm forces, or is currently serving. These people are sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents as well, and chances are that one of these people you know will be homeless sleeping in a box on the street. They are not only are family and friends, but the protectors and defenders to everything we hold dear, SO why are we letting this tragedy happen right before our very eyes? We walk right past someone almost everyday who has put their life on the line for our country, and most act as though they are not even there.

I feel we should all ask our selves where would this country be if these men and women didn’t put their life on the line for our freedom. And I find myself to a very simple answer, “What freedom?” because without these veterans risking everything we would not have freedom. So maybe we should consider this the next time we pass one of them laying on the street homeless. Maybe we should start to do more to help them, because without them we might not even be here. And if we do not start to help them that will be our fate as a country, and then what will the real tragedy be then?

(1) National Coalition for Homeless Veterans http://www.nchv.org/background.cfm

(2) USA Today “Veterans make up 1 in 4 homeless” http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-11-07-homeless-veterans_N.htm

(3) National Coalition for the Homeless “Homeless Veterans” http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/veterans.html

might also want to be remembered forever by those who you have helped in the past while you were healthy and alive. 

Such is the case for people who donate money to build a hospital, museum or some public facility that adds to the

knowledge and/or enjoyment of other people. You might also donate and otherwise support a political party that you

believe will improve the living standards of the people who live within the country in question where such members of a 

particular political party represent the citizens of that country. After all, if you are wealthy because the people within the 

country help to make you very wealthy, or wealthy enough to now share some of that wealth with those who made you rich. 

That is called "Giving Back." How much of your wealth do you want to give back? You might want to make a "Last Will and 

Testament" that will allocate your vast wealth to those who you decide to reward after you have passed away. 

While you are still alive you can also give a whole lot of your accumulated wealth to those who are in need. For tax purposes 

you can reward family members and friends, making such gifts tax deductible, thus allowing you to allocate your current 

income where it will do the most for those who you know and love. As a matter of fact, tens of thousands of people might 

not be as well off as you are and really need whatever you can give to them so that they can remain healthy and alive. 

Doing so, you now have the satisfaction of knowing that you might have saved a life or two or maybe even more people 

from dying before their natural time to pass away. You can help those who are in danger of becoming homeless or you 

can allow a homeless person to again afford a place in which to live and start over again to build a future for themselves

and their family members. 

Yes, keeping such a "New Year's Resolution" is a good thing to do and it is a really good feeling to know that you saved 

a life or provided knowledge or entertained other people within the society, if not the entire World, in which we all live and 

work.