How Services Affect Those Experiencing Homelessness!
The next big difference between Chicago and Tāmaki I want to focus on is what services each government offers those experiencing homelessness. We all need food to survive. Money is necessary in today's society. We should all be able to receive medical help. Having a roof over our heads that keeps us warm, dry, healthy and safe should be a basic human right. The questions I want to ask here are: Do both cities meet those needs? How do both cities attempt to meet those needs?
My goal in this particular reflection is not to focus on every little minute detail. I aim to highlight and summarise these differences as briefly and succinctly as possible. This is a challenging task as both cities are very diverse, with a plethora of needs. A family of 10 needs a different type of help than a single person, and an 18-year-old girl will need a different sort of assistance than a 75-year-old veteran. They all need a hand, it just comes in different ways! Both cities have complicated systems, with plenty of specialist organisations designed to assist people in obtaining the necessary resources and help to alleviate harm and live.
Please forgive me, as there will be many things I'll miss or choose not to focus on.
I've been doing this for over 25 years and can honestly say we have to tirelessly work within a system that doesn't have all the answers. It can be frustrating. It can be challenging to bring hope when there are a ton of roadblocks or red tape. We want to house everybody, but there are people on the streets and in shelters because so many people don't make a liveable income and there aren't enough affordable places available. Those who make the rules, design the programmes, and allocate funding affect those experiencing homelessness and how we do our work. Our job, as case managers, is to help people navigate within the limitations of the city's bureaucracy, ensuring they get the money they're entitled to, have enough food to eat, have their health needs met and move into housing that is affordable, safe and dry.
In Chicago, most of the fellas I worked with didn't receive any income! Zero dollars to buy clothes or pay rent! All they received was SNAP benefits, which are commonly referred to as Food Stamps. This is a small monthly amount put on a card to be spent only on approved foods at approved stores. Today, a single person who's not working or receiving another benefit gets only $281 a month on this card. Yes, $281 a month! How can anyone live off that? How can people pay rent? In Illinois, just under 2 million people get SNAP benefits (16% of the population), and while this number includes many people with other sources of income, there are those for whom this is their only "source of income". This is an unthinkable concept in Tāmaki Makaurau, as single people generally qualify for a benefit called the Job Seeker Support, where they receive a weekly payment to help toward rent, food, clothing and whatever other needs they have.
Both cities tackle poverty in vastly different ways. Since Chicago is part of a huge country that is divided into 50 States, its residents need to determine whether they get help from a federal office (Disability or SSI checks), a State of Illinois office (SNAP benefits) or a City of Chicago office (finding a shelter). These offices are not close to each other and there aren't many of them. Every time I went to one of these offices, the waiting rooms were overflowing and we had to wait hours to be seen. Many people miss out on what they’re entitled to simply because they don’t know how to navigate such a complicated system. Personally, being from a country with fewer people than the greater Chicago area, it took me a while to figure out these complexities. In Aotearoa, it’s still complicated, but you can generally find your help under one roof or on one website, there are about 30 offices scattered throughout Auckland and I've never been into one that is crowded.
It doesn't matter where someone's from, people need to go to the appropriate office to find what they are entitled to. What someone gets depends entirely on who they are and their family's makeup. Are they a veteran? Do they have a disability? Are they over or under a certain age? Are they single, a couple or a family with children? These personal questions determine what people are entitled to, how much they get, how long they can receive it for, and if they qualify for social housing or an accommodation supplement. Kiwis normally get paid weekly, whereas Chicagoans get their checks monthly, and despite what they qualify for, and despite the propaganda, it's important to note that beneficiaries in both cities struggle to make ends meet most weeks.
I want to look at two different fathers who lost their places and jobs and ended up homeless. These are real men with real children in real need, separated by the mighty Pacific Ocean. My hope is that these real illustrations (with fake names) show how each city responds to what these fathers and their tamariki (children) need.
The city's van dropped Robert with his 2 children off at CCO. He had his referral. All his possessions were in a couple of suitcases. He came into the shelter without income and all his documents had been destroyed in a fire. As we interviewed Robert, we discovered that he'd always worked, but now that he had lost his job he didn't know where to turn. Being in a situation like this is traumatic and stressful, especially with 2 little ones to look after. By living in our homeless shelter, he was thankful to find a little relief in knowing he had a roof over his head, meals were provided, clothing was given and he was assigned a case manager who could help him navigate Chicago's complicated system.
Robert's life was in shambles, he had to start again, and he had so much to do. He had to enrol his kids in a local school. He had to go through the long and tedious procedure of choosing a health insurance provider (something Kiwis don't think about). He had to get his birth certificate, social security card and State ID. He had to apply for TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), knowing it would be less than $600 a month. With the assistance of his case manager, he was guided all over the city of Chicago to accomplish his goals. He made phone calls, took multiple buses and trains, stood in lines, sat in overly crowded rooms and tried to wait patiently for his documents to arrive in the mail so he could carry on to the next task.
Robert was focused and motivated, but all these things took him about 6 weeks to accomplish. Despite all the frustrations, this journey needed to happen so he could focus on housing, employment and self-sufficiency. CCO was a temporary shelter from the storm. CCO was a turning point in his life. He eventually moved out and into his own crib, where his children are doing well and he's found meaningful employment.
Rawiri's story is very different to Robert's. He wasn’t new to the system, he had his benefit and knew the procedures. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, he had to vacate his apartment within 36 hours. His place was full of belongings, he didn't have a car, he had 2 young kids and needed to find emergency accommodation. So much to do in such a short time. Without the necessary resources, this is overwhelming. I drove him and helped him and advocated for him and walked with him for 2 long days. Here’s a brief look at his hikoi (journey) and how it differs from Chicago's fixed system. It gives us an idea of how Tāmaki Makaurau has more flexibility in meeting immediate needs.
Our initial destination was to go to the local Ministry of Social Development office for assistance. The line wasn't too long, the receptionist was pleasant and answered the necessary questions and we were given a specific time to return to meet with a case manager. Over the next 36 hours, we went there 5 times and accomplished everything we needed to. In between those visits, we had to drive to other locations to either get quotes or pick up what was needed. Rawiri was assisted in getting a phone, a copy of his driver's license, a rental truck to transport his belongings, a storage unit and, in the end, emergency accommodation in a hotel. All those things were necessary to fulfil the final goal, Rawiri and his kids having a warm, dry, healthy and safe place to lie down that night.
Before assuming everything's for free and the NZ government is just giving away money, let me clarify how this works. When someone, like Rawiri, is in need they are given what's called a "green card", which can be loaded by an approved person with the correct funds to be spent at an agreed place for the approved item. Most of the money given to meet the immediate need is paid back by the recipient on a weekly basis. Also, the accommodation and storage unit aren't free, Rawiri pays for both of those out of his benefit.
I want to add one last story. This only happened last week and speaks of a few social workers, a pastor, MSD and a landlord working together to house a senior citizen who was sleeping on a mouldy mattress under a bridge. This collaboration helped this man move into a Tiny Home, where he gets free meals and is surrounded by a network of people who look out for him.
Boarding Houses and Tiny Homes are frequently used to help place those experiencing homelessness. If a landlord is willing to take someone in, that person can go to MSD, do the correct paperwork and sign the correct forms, and as a result, the bond and the rent are covered. In this man's case, his rent is now being directly paid out of his superannuation to the landlord, but it's also adjusted to ensure he has enough left over for food and other necessities. These 2 stories illustrate how the system in Aotearoa has a little more flexibility and leverage to address crises.
In answer to my original question: both cities do not meet all the needs. There may be systems in place, but the cost of living is far too high, the needs are too great and homelessness is everywhere. When people seek help, they often ask us to go into these agencies with them, stating they get better service and outcomes with someone supporting them. The answer has been and will always go beyond the government’s response, it needs to fall on all of us, helping and assisting those who need it the most. When we work together, pool our resources and sacrifice our time, we see results, we see lives changing, we see the hungry getting fed, and we see those living under bridges moving into houses.
I want to close this section by thanking those who've dedicated their lives to lifting up others. Thank you for alleviating other people's pain. Thank you for loving those society has ignored and forgotten. I think of those with AIDS. I think of our veterans. I think of our prisoners. I think of those struggling with mental illnesses. I think of those in the LGBTQIA+ community. I think of those with disabilities. I think of refugees seeking asylum. I think of our youth. I think of our elders. I think of our tamariki living in unsafe environments. These are real people who need real help in their time of need. I've met thousands of people, I know their faces, I've heard their stories, and they've struggled, and they've faced hate, but they've also found love and had their pain alleviated by caring compassionate people who've sacrificed their time, money, and lives for their sake.
I'm proud to know so many who have chosen to love their neighbours. Thank you for guiding people across and through this rugged terrain, and helping them reach their destinations. You give me hope! You inspire me. Thank you!
My intent in writing these is to break barriers, create awareness, bring justice, and provide compassion for those who are some of society's most vulnerable members, for those experiencing homelessness.
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