Mom forced to live in car with dogs widely reported-- homeless men still ignored

Submitted by anthony on Tue, 2008-05-20 17:25

This story has been all over the news. It has been the top headline on CNN's news site. As usual, we hear very little in regard to the massive disparity of the male homeless population. I work as a psychiatric social worker and take it from me, the vast majority of the mentally ill individuals I place in supportive housing are male. One particular man was living behind a 7-11. During the winter he had his foot amputated because of frost bite. The man was so happy when my agency purchased him a wheel chair. You'll never see such male suffering anywhere on cable news. Excerpt:

"John Quigley, an economics professor at the University of California-Berkeley, said the California housing crisis has left many middle-class families temporarily homeless or forced them to go to food banks to feed their families.

"Part of the reason why it's so painful in Santa Barbara is there's so little in the way of alternative housing," Quigley said. "If there were alternative low and moderate housing and rental accommodations that were reasonably close by, you can imagine it wouldn't have this desperate look to it as people living in their cars."

At the only lot for women in Santa Barbara, it's a tough existence. There are no showers or running water. On the night CNN visited, a half-dozen women already were in the parking lot before nightfall."

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I left a brief comment on the article web site, reminding them that 85% of the street homeless are men. No doubt some idiot reading it will respond with his own comment like,
"Oh yes they do write about men..I remember an article about ten years ago, on page Z96..."

-ax

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Submitted by axolotl on Wed, 2008-05-21 04:09

Who wouldn't wind up sleeping in their car if they lived in Santa Barbara only on SS and a $8.00 per hour parttime job?

Santa Barbara is one of the most expensive places in the US to live or the world for that matter.

3 grown children and she can't get one of them to take her in or help her out financially? Give me a break!

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Submitted by Luek on Wed, 2008-05-21 23:57

"SANTA BARBARA, California (CNN) -- Barbara Harvey climbs into the back of her small Honda sport utility vehicle and snuggles with her two golden retrievers, her head nestled on a pillow propped against the driver's seat."

She's a lot better off than most homeless men

"You look around today, and there are so many," said Kapp, who was homeless with her young daughter two decades ago. "I see women sleeping on benches. It's heartbreaking."

Homeless women are a lot better off than most homeless men

The only difference between homeless men and homeless women in California is that California government doesn't gives a $%*t about homeless men, IMO.

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Submitted by MR on Thu, 2008-05-22 05:40

"Who wouldn't wind up sleeping in their car if they lived in Santa Barbara only on SS and a $8.00 per hour parttime job?'

Exactly! This reminds me of the movie, "Down and Out in Beverly Hills." Stories about low income women who can't find a place to stay in such affluent neighborhoods appears to me to be more about women's unrealistic sense of entitlement, than homelessness.

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Submitted by MR on Thu, 2008-05-22 05:45