Homelessness forum aims to dispel myths, work on solutions
"Homeless people are lazy." "Homeless people are all dangerous panhandlers." "Homeless people come to Madison from Chicago, Milwaukee or somewhere else."
Breaking myths like these and highlighting the diversity of the homeless population was the order of the evening at a community forum held Thursday night by the Dane County Coalition to Fight Homelessness and End Poverty. Held at the First United Methodist Church, the forum drew between 75 and 100 people and featured speakers and a panel discussion with representatives from the mayor's office, police department and local agencies that work with people who are homeless.
Steve Schooler, executive director of Porchlight Inc., kicked off the evening by outlining seven myths about the homeless that were discussed throughout the night, including the idea that homelessness is a new phenomenon.
"That was also a myth 20 years ago," he said, noting that homelessness has grown since the 1950s due to the nationwide deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill.
The high rate of mental illness among the homeless population, however, does not make them dangerous, Schooler stressed. He said the public often confuses such mental illnesses as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe depression, which many homeless people experience, with those illnesses that are more prone to lead to violence, like psychopathy.
Speakers also said there are more working individuals and working families in the homeless population than there are panhandlers.
Meghan Stratton of the Interfaith Hospitality Network said children now make up 38 percent of the homeless population in Wisconsin.
About 8 percent of homeless nationally earn money by panhandling, a number that Schooler considers consistent with Madison's population. Forty-five percent, in comparison, have temporary or long-term jobs.
But panhandling is a more visible sign of homelessness, said Capt. Mary Schauf of the Madison Police Department.
"I think that's part of what's creating this stigma," she said. People "see that person with a cup on State Street, and they make the assumption that all homeless panhandle. They make the assumption that I should be afraid of that person."
Helping a diverse population
How to provide services to a population as diverse as Dane County's homeless prompted spirited discussion among panel members.
Joel Plant, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's representative at the discussion, said getting the community engaged in homeless initiatives was key to helping the homeless.
Joe Lindstrom of the Homeless Services Consortium, which developed its own initiative to end homelessness, disagreed.
He said many homeless service agencies raise funds successfully and have a lot of community support.
"Who has not bought in, in many cases, are the policymakers and elected officials," Lindstrom said.
Nan Cnare of the United Way said housing should be the first priority in addressing the needs of the homeless.
"Housing is a need, not a reward," she said. "People shouldn't have to wait until they are housing-ready. Everyone should be housing-ready."
That approach was also favored by Kristen Petroshius, who leads the Operation Welcome Home project that currently houses seven homeless people, many from the Brittingham Park area. Operation Welcome Home promotes self-advocacy among homeless people, working with them on finding work and counseling for such problems as substance abuse.
Many of the homeless whom Petroshius works with were invited to the meeting but did not attend, which she said typifies that many in the population have "good days and bad days."
Dean Loumos of Housing Initiatives also acknowledged that many of the homeless people whom local organizations work with face setbacks. But he said such setbacks should not be a barrier to assistance later on.
"You create the opportunity for someone to succeed, and they blow it. They've got a little money coming in, and they spend it on the wrong stuff," he said. "Is there a mechanism within our programs to address this? Absolutely. You work with people that mess up."
File photo
A line forms outside the Grace Episcopal shelter. A county group is trying to dispel myths about the homeless.
