Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Homelessness in Lawrence is on the rise.
The city estimated more than 318 homeless people lived in Lawrence as of May 2008, up from 112 in 2005. The 2008 estimate is the most current data available, but David Tucker, homeless outreach specialist for Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, said he expected the number would increase even more during the year.
On March 25, The Oread Neighborhood Association met with homeless-outreach workers and community members to discuss possible solutions to the homeless problem. Tucker, one of three panelists at the meeting, said it was important for students to be part of the problem-solving process.
Continue reading about homelessness here.
“College students come in and see us as a loving and open-minded town,” Tucker said. “A reason to try and help the homeless is so we actually try and make the city that kind of town.”
April Rend, Missouri Valley, Iowa, graduate student, said she and other students attended the meeting to hear how community members planned to solve the issue and offer their own input. She said students should be part of the solution.
“I think every person in the community has something to offer,” Rend said. “It’s important to get several different perspectives on how to solve an issue and that’s how we’re going to come up with good solutions.”
The Lawrence Community Shelter and Salvation Army are the two largest service providers to the city’s homeless population, but Tucker said the agencies could only offer overnight help to one out of ten homeless people in Lawrence. The LCS has beds for 31 individuals who need a place to sleep, and turns away 15 to 20 people eligible for space each night. The Salvation Army is set to close its underfunded homeless shelter May 1, forcing approximately 40 individuals who use the service to join the population of people already competing for inadequate space.
Tucker said he expected more people who couldn’t find shelter to join the growing number of illegal “campers,” people who sleep outdoors when other shelter is unavailable.
“When people don’t have a place to sleep they’re treated as criminals,” Tucker said. “If you don’t have a place to stay, or you don’t have the money to stay there, it’s illegal to fall asleep.”
Meredith Caldwell, Jubilee Café coordinator for the Center for Community Outreach, said the majority of the 100 to 120 people the program fed every day were homeless. Currently, the University doesn’t offer a program focused solely on homeless relief, but Caldwell, Dallas sophomore, said she doubted students would take advantage of such an opportunity if one existed.
“A lot of the homeless have mental problems or depression,” Caldwell said. “So, I don’t think a KU student would be prepared to help somebody out like that.”
Tucker said 30 to 60 percent of homeless people suffered from a mental illness. Some mental illnesses make it difficult for people to keep their jobs or live on their own, and can make them more likely to fall into homelessness, Tucker said. Enduring the hardships of a homeless lifestyle, Tucker said, was a traumatic experience and could cause an otherwise stable person to become mentally ill. Although this correlation may lead people to believe they’re unable to offer support, Tucker said it was important for students to try to connect to an individual’s story or situation.
“I would hope people would be supportive,” Tucker said. “It’s a community issue, but it’s going to affect all of us.”
The KU Work Group for Community Health and Development is made up of KU community members who help agencies plan, execute, evaluate and advocate potential solutions to social problems. Christie Holt, WGCHD director of training and technical support, helped organize Thursday’s discussion. She said students were capable of helping the homeless, and could take advantage of opportunities such as alternative breaks or service learning to better themselves and the community.
“You can get professional experience from volunteering and it’s good to put into practice what you’re learning,” Holt said. “You get credit, help people and have a better college experience.”
— — Edited by Melissa Johnson
Students are 'homeless' for awareness
Into the Streets Week organized the Homeless Sleep-Out to raise awareness on ...
Homeless Family Program focuses on keeping kids ...
The Lawrence Homeless Shelter is filling up rapidly with families looking for ...
Homeless shelter offers limited space
Lawrence Community Shelter is struggling to house homeless after another Lawrence shelter’s ...
Speaker will address homelessness and activism
The theme of Robert Egger’s presentation will be youth empowerment to help ...
New shelter location gets mixed reviews
The City Commission will vote next week on the Lawrence Community Shelter’s ...
Students participate in alternative spring breaks
Sixty-eight KU students volunteered at ten locations across the country during spring ...
City Commission votes to build new shelter
Proposed shelter in southeast Lawrence must pass second vote.
Homeless shelter plans new location
The Lawrence Community Shelter will hold more overnight guests in its new ...
Cosby: Shelter displays best and worst of ...
In debate over new Lawrence shelter, feelings toward homeless can be seen.
Solution needed for homeless population
As winter is upon us the city lacks a housing plan for ...
Kobach addresses illegal immigration in speech
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach addressed the effects of undocumented immigrants ...
Students volunteer for new church
River City Church, a new place of worship with some unconventional practices, ...
Editorial: Commission shows support for homeless
New facility for homeless gets support from Planning Commission.
Shelter dogs back up for adoption after ...
The older dogs that tested negative are now back up for adoption.
Ghost world
As winter approaches, downtown Lawrence’s sizeable homeless population must deal with crowded ...
Homeless shelter extends its stay
The Lawrence city commission approved a three-year permit allowing shelter to continue ...
Wanted: Volunteers
Whether it’s for a particular event or a weekly session, lend a ...
Proposed cuts anger students
Student senate wants to move funding away from community health services.
Contemplating pet adoption
Taking on animal ownership without thinking it through causes students to return ...
Building better communities, one bicycle ride at ...
Student prepares for community service bike ride.
Border Showdown rivalry helps community
Food drive competition between Kansas and Missouri allows a positive outlet for ...
Week encourages local activism
For Into the Streets Week, students will volunteer to give back to ...
Editorial: Panhandling ban is unacceptable
Proposed legislation could infringe upon First Amendment and hurt Lawrence's homeless.
Katz: Duped and drugged
Cases of mood disorders are on the rise, but is it really ...
Lawrence Community Shelter finds new site
The City Commission upped the shelter's number of legal overnight occupants Tuesday, ...
Environmental film festival kicks off this week
Films for Action, an independent media outlet from Lawrence, and student groups ...
Editorial: Homeless population needs campus community’s support
Homelessness in Lawrence affects the entire community.
Help yourself to helping others
Doing good for your community may be easier than you think.
Editorial: Benefits of proposed alcohol tax outweigh ...
Proposed tax on alcohol would support programs that benefit the mentally ill.
Alternative Breaks offers new summer program
Students have until March 5 to apply for summer break programs in ...
Ordinance has unclear effects on downtown
Green my guy: The thankful eater
More Americans are turning to food banks as global food market is ...
Losing weight, losing control
Among the millions who struggle with eating disorders, the majority suffer from ...
City aims to give panhandlers help
Lawrence organizations are teaming up to offer alternatives for panhandlers.
University looks to reverse recent enrollment trend
University officials are looking for new ways to increase enrollment at KU.
Lawrence looks to add Fiber to Internet ...
The city encourages residents to help in its bid to participate in ...
Week’s events give insight to Israel
Hatikvah, a Jewish student organization, is celebrating two holidays Israeli this week ...
Blackmon: Bring a theologian back to residence
KU needs to resurrect valuable program.
Nobel Peace Prize winner to visit the ...
Jody Williams will speak as a keynote for Into the Streets Week.
Black Student Union serves, sings
The Black Student Union plans on volunteering with Habitat for Humanity later ...
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Homeless rate in Lawrence increases
Seeing what rentals look like for the Lawrence area, my question would have to be what, if anything, is being done in trying to provide affordable units for local residents? Considering that Kansas is still, to my knowledge, a "right to work" state and wages are relatively low (esp. in part to the large pool of "student labor"), I think more should be done to address this issue as a more effective solution to the growing homeless problem in the city.
Also, what about drug & alcohol intervention? Though it hasn't been mentioned, anyone who has ever been anywhere in this life will tell you that a significant number of homeless find themselves entering and/or stuck in that rut due to chemical dependence -- 'mental illnesses' are usually a significantly lesser part of the problem, and sometimes the mental illness itself is as a direct result of over-reliance on drugs, "crystal" especially.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID