the failure to proactively address homelessness and the structures which fail
people experiencing homelessness has been ongoing.
One glaring factor ( for me) is the lack of our elected Mpls officials to
demand information. What do I mean by information? Read on.
In this post, I will focus on people who are living unsheltered, camping out,
in cars, in various abandoned structures, under bridges ( MNDOT dealt with the
bridge issue by installing metal bridge rods to prevent people from being able
to go under the bridges to sleep.)
For years our city councils and Mayors have been aware of encampments. And I
mean FOR YEARS. When Barbara Johnson was on the council, the answer was to bust
up camps, drive people further into areas away from neighborhoods.
KOLA was the only outreach program back then to go out to camps, get to know
people, provide medical care and support.
The city councils did not demand to know ;
1. What is causing people to have to resort to camping out? As human beings are
unique, there is not a one size fits all answer.
2. Of those causes: demand to know if our current system of services has
created barriers to providing assistance. For example if a person is hearing
voices, fearful...is a crowded shelter adequate for that person. Another
example: If a person is struggling with substance use, is there enough housing
which provides a place to stay even if they continue to use? Harm reduction
housing.
If a person refuses substance abuse treatment are they being seen as โ not
wanting helpโ?
Another issue: Over my work life I worked in a program which provided one
bedroom apartments to people who came directly from homeless shelters or the
streets. The program was for people dually diagnosed with a major mental
illness and substance abuse. This program did not require avstin