Homelessness This Week

The ubiquitous police crackdown on street communities was this week's theme. But there was also a fiscal miracle in Massachusetts and a discouraging end to Thursday's story of a baby born homeless in Washington state.

Planned Shelter Cuts Canceled

It's a kind of V-Day for homeless advocates in Massachusetts. 500 shelter beds were spared the axe Friday. An unexpected revenue windfall thanks to a corporate tax settlement prompted revisions to the state budget. "I'm very happy about this, having spent the past month telling people that they were going to lose beds and other resources," said one advocate. "Now we know we're going to make it through this very difficult period." That's a surprisingly restrained response to hearing that your state's social safety net was narrowly rescued from yet another ignominious blow. But no matter. I'll celebrate on your behalf, Massachusetts. Tonight, I toast Bean Town.

South Africa Charged with Harassing Homeless as World Cup Looms

Denver before last year's Democratic Convention. Vancouver long before 2010's Olympic Games.  Earlier this week in St. Petersburg before their bowl game. Events that draw a massive upsurge in visitors trigger preemptive sweeps and rarely promise sustainable solutions for homeless citizens. Now the perfunctory, pre-game street clean is happening in World Cup host city Cape Town, South Africa while officials greet esteemed visitors like Nobel Peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The AP reports, "South Africa, where more than a quarter of the work force is unemployed and millions live in poverty, is hoping for an economic boost from the hundreds of thousands of tourists expected to the World Cup."

No Free Shelters in Memphis

Police begin a crackdown on the homeless in Memphis next week, but can offer little in the way of realistic alternatives. In a jaw dropping moment of peak paternalism, Memphis Mayor AC Wharton said of arresting people with nowhere else to go, "People don't realize what the cold will do to them...So, if we do it, it will be only for humane reasons," according to Eyewitness News. With all due respect Mayor Wharton, I believe that those living on the street are well aware of what cold can do to them. Meanwhile, homeless advocates point out the obvious problem: the city offers no free shelters, a shaky social support network, and little in the way of programs for addicts and alcoholics. This means that Mayor Wharton's "humane" act is only to criminalize and detain Memphis' homeless.

Homeless Camp Shut Down after Famous Birth

The story of a miraculous birth on a freezing Thursday night off Highway 500 in Vancouver continues with the news that officials plan to dismantle the mother's illegal campsite. "Vancouver police and city public works employees will go through the camp, possibly issuing misdemeanor citations for camping and cleaning up debris," writes the Seattle Times. In their coverage, the Seattle Times also points out that it was the notoriety of the birth that alerted authorities to the location of the small encampment, home to an uncertain number of homeless. Oh, Vancouver. It might have made for better press and policy to promise a bullpen of case managers to those slated for ticketing. That's not in the cards, it seems. Though hospital representatives assure the public that the as-yet-unnamed 18 year-old mother will be connected with a social worker and necessary resources, the future of those left at her camp is uncertain.

Image courtesy of the Associated Press.
Caption: Homeless people in Cape Town said they are being pressured to move into settlements like Blikkiesdorp (above), a camp on the outskirts, ahead of the June 11-July 11 World Cup.