I have been cat-sitting for my brother at his apartment in Center City, Philadelphia for the past month. Yesterday, temperatures finally dropped to the point where you audibly make noises of discomfort when walking outside. When I’m not cat-sitting in the city, I live in a rural/suburban area where the colder weather simply means that I turn on my seat-heater when I get in my car. In the city, it means something quite different.
As I was leaving the parking garage to go pick up groceries last night, I turned the corner and noticed a homeless man. This is a normal sighting in Philly and I have certainly seen my fair share of homeless people in my life, but the image of this man stuck with me. He wasn’t standing in a street with a sign begging for money, instead he was standing on a steam grate on the corner of the sidewalk with just a dirty pair of socks on. He was cold. I have continued to think about this man and his cold feet since last night.
After reading the article for this week’s lesson, it made me wonder if there is a way that some sort of Participatory Action Research could be conducted to bring awareness and assistance to the homeless people in our cities. I know that this is a long-standing issues in our world, but as the weather gets colder, these members of our community need even more help. The article describes Participatory Action Research as “an approach to research that makes an explicit commitment to working with members of communities that have traditionally been exploited and oppressed, in a united effort to bring about fundamental social change” (Brydon-Miller, 1997).
We have been working to get rid of the homeless people in our areas for decades, but what if we worked with them instead of against them?
Brydon‐Miller, M. (1997), Participatory Action Research: Psychology and Social Change. Journal of Social Issues, 53: 657-666. https://doi-org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1997.tb02454.
While reading your initial post, i was intrigued by your personal connection with homelessness in America. Seeing another human being stuck i the position this man was is incredibly sad, and is unfortunately the reality for many Americans today. When looking at homelessness relating to COVID-19, there may even be a 45% spike within the next year (Schneider, 2020). Along with homeless shelters and hospitals being at capacity, the homeless population will continue to grow more and more.
Homelessness not only effects the physical health of many, as they have to endure the harsh weather patterns during the winter season, but it can also have a dramatic effect on their mental health. “In 2016, California hosted 40% of the nation’s homeless encampments, and in 2019, the state was home to 40% of the nation’s chronically homeless population—people who have been homeless for at least 12 months and can be diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder, mental illness, or a physical or developmental disability,” (Schneider, 2020).
Participatory action could definitely assist in helping the homeless population. Bringing awareness to this growing problem will eventually create more action that will allow for some of the homeless population to effectively escape the life they are living. This is definitely a topic that I personally do not see a lot of discussion around, and I feel as though there should definitely be more people talking about homelessness in America.
Schneider, B. (2020, July 06). CityLab University: Understanding Homelessness in America. Retrieved December 15, 2020, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-07-06/why-is-homelessness-such-a-problem-in-u-s-cities
Homelessness is undoubtedly a humanitarian crisis and human rights issues within America. In some states it is particularly more so than others, but it is about time we as a human population work to enact some real changes for the homeless community.
I was very intrigued by your proposal, and I appreciate you choosing this as your topic. It definitely got me thinking, and I decided to take a more in depth look into this. Although, as you can imagine, it is quite difficult to get the community at large, who is not homeless, to do the work for homeless people in order for them to find success. However, one way we can see some progress is by helping the homeless population themselves to advance their capabilities and skills to provide them with a real chance at rehabilitation.
One example of this I found was a Participatory Action Research Project in homeless shelters which worked to implement behavioral activation. This strategy worked to a) transform the shelter environment, b) empower shelter guests, c) enhance their coping skills, and d) expand their opportunities for overcoming obstacles associated with homelessness. As the study describes, this intervention was a game changer in terms of their perceptions of hope, perceived capability and motivation for employment/education, purpose/meaning in life, wellbeing such as through managing anxiety and depression, social/emotional support, and even shelter social climate.
References
Reeb, Roger N.; Hunt, Charles; Wetter, Sara; and Hartman, Cassandra, “Participatory Community Action Research in Homeless
Shelters: Utilization of Service-Learning Pedagogy in Research and Advocacy” (2017). The Social Practice of Human Rights: Charting
the Frontiers of Research and Advocacy. 3.
http://ecommons.udayton.edu/human_rights/2017/humanrightspractice/3
I admire your desire and caring thought about the homeless. It is really hard to believe sometimes that this is still an issue in America and especially when it’s getting cold out and these people have no where warm to go. I think the problem starts with mental health as well as the huge opioid crisis in Philadelphia. a governmental website stated “We have never seen a crisis like this before in Philadelphia and doing nothing is not an option,” said Managing Director Brian Abernathy. “We made a promise to the people in this community to improve their quality of life and are happy with the preliminary results, however we know that we have a lot more work to do.” I am of course not saying all homeless people suffer from drug addiction or mental health but it seems to be common. I’d say starting with helping these people get the help they need would hopefully put them on the right path. I do think Participatory Action Research could be very helpful. I think insight from people actually experiencing the problem could open the eyes of outsiders and techniques to help these people.
Reference:
“City Completes Encampment Pilot Project in Kensington Area: Combating the Opioid Epidemic.” City of Philadelphia, http://www.phila.gov/2019-01-31-city-completes-encampment-pilot-project-in-kensington-area-2/.
I appreciate your broaching the subject of the homelessness crisis in America. Having lived in Los Angeles, California for 15 years, I have seen more human suffering as a direct result of homelessness than I wish to confess. I have had friends that have been repeatedly homeless and negative impact is has had on their mental health cannot be overstated. California is often categorized as a failed state in regard to this crisis and, while some of this criticism is warranted, arguments that revolve solely around the size of the homeless population are an oversimplification of the issue. The fact of the matter is that many people increasingly migrate here from other parts of the country during the coldest months of the year. As I type this, it is currently November 21, 2020 at 12am Pacific Standard Time and the temperature is 63 degrees. During our winters, there is no severe weather (snow/ice storms, regular hail), as December will likely average about 50-65 degrees. Because a predictable and manageable climate increases one’s chances of survival when living without shelter, it is easy to see why California is so attractive. However, every major metropolitan city in this country has a homelessness crisis that they have been unable to solve.
It is a relentless challenge that seems to transcend every generation and has become alarmingly normalized in our society. As this fragile economy edges closer to the brink of a recession, an unprecedented number of people will soon find themselves without shelter during the coldest months of the year. Because of this, urgently addressing this crisis has never been more important. It is a great modern tragedy that so many of us view those who are less fortunate with feelings of resentment rather than compassion. I believe that this is a direct result of the Fundamental Attribution Error (Gruman, 2017). When citizens simply assume that homelessness is always the result of poor decision-making or a moral failure on the part of those suffering individuals, it masks unfortunate truths about failures within numerous institutions. The most apparent of those downfalls are among our government, politics, healthcare, media, etc.
I, like you, have wondered if there is any research on changing societal perceptions of those in need of housing. I searched online for participant action research that addresses this issue, but discovered very little for interventions within the United States. Because homelessness is such a vast crisis that affects a diverse population in various ways, most of what I found related to efforts revolving around specific communities or aspects of this crisis. The most comprehensive information was provided by the The Coalition on Homelessness in San Francisco. This group uses a wide array of data, including that of participatory research, in its mission to change legislation to help provide housing and a voice to those without shelter. They have tackled various issues in their efforts, including securing housing vouchers and addressing shelter abuse as well as rates of violence among black, transgender women (C.O.H.S.F., 2020).
I am not sure as to why it was so tough to find research regarding this topic. It could be that most of the research is not based on Participatory Action and simply revolves around quantitative research. However, I would wager that the government and the private sector do not provide much funding because many in their ranks view this issue as a lost cause, incapable of providing any meaningful return on their investment. Regardless of the reason, it is important that research is supported so that we can help those that struggle be able to not only benefit from but also contribute to society.
References:
Coalition on Homelessness (2020). Stop the Revolving Door: A Street Level Framework for a https://www.cohsf.org/research-papers/
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.
I also live in a rural/suburban area and I see homeless people often. I live near the downtown area in Pittsburgh and sometimes the homeless travel around the neighborhoods pushing shopping carts around. I’ve seen homeless people wrapped in 4 or 5 blankets trying to stay warm. Usually, the homeless in the city sleep in the homeless shelters; However, since Covid-19 restrictions have placed a limit on the capacity of homeless shelters, more and more homeless are finding themselves on the streets. (Nourbakhsh 2020) Covid-19 has created more challenges for the homeless seeking shelter and assistance. All of the costs for providing assistance for the homeless have risen dramatically in the pandemic. I believe Participatory action research would be very effective for addressing the homelessness problem in any city. I feel homelessness is often one of those neglected social issues that people overlook. Working directly with communities would be an excellent way to address the problem.
References:
Nourbakhsh, M. (2020, September 28). In the ongoing pandemic, Pittsburgh’s homeless service providers report increased need and costs. PublicSource | News for a Better Pittsburgh. https://www.publicsource.org/in-the-ongoing-pandemic-pittsburghs-homeless-service-providers-report-increased-need-and-costs/