Shelters Running Out of Room

by Shannon Moriarty · 2009-11-23 16:16:00 UTC
Topics:

November weather has been mild, for the most part, yet many news outlets are reporting that their local shelters are already packed to the gills. The headlines hardly reflect the gravity of the situation. From Boulder to St. Paul, shelters are reportedly having to turn people away. This is a crisis in the making, as cold temperatures can be a matter of life and death for those without a home.

The combination of state budget reductions and the economic downturn is proving extremely challenging for homeless service providers. Many are already operating in crisis mode, dealing with overcrowding and their inability to meet demand. At the same time, their operating budgets are being slashed, which means a reduction of workers and services to address the rising crisis.

Two words sum up the extent of the overcrowding in the Dorothy Day Center in St. Paul: six inches. That's the distance between the thin rubber mats that guests of the shelter sleep on each night. One staff member told MPR news that "the mats are literally so close together that staff cannot get from the front of the room to the back of the room without having to wake people." The worst part? The weather has not even been cold yet. Shelter workers expect the demand to "far exceed" the available resources of service providers in the city once the mercury drops.

There's no question that we have a homelessness crisis on our hands. As the temperature continues to drop to dangerous levels, it is up to media outlets to stop reporting the news as matter-of-fact stories that cannot be changed. Local reporters should delve into the role of whistle-blower by reporting the numbers of those being being denied shelter, exposing the crowded conditions, and telling the stories of those who are left outdoors. This is the only way to inform the public and generate the outrage needed to secure resources. And for right now - in the short term - resources are what we need to curb the short-term crisis.

Shame on us if we wait until the first cold-weather death this winter. Now is the time to act.

Image: Gilroy Dispatch

Shannon Moriarty has worked in various homeless shelters and service organizations around the country. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
PREVIOUS STORY:
Uninsured 80% More Likely to Die in the E/R
NEXT STORY:
Sallie Mae Blinks!

COMMENTS (0)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.