The Homeless, Part ll: Being homeless can become death spiral

Shirley, Ray and Steven.

These are just a handful of names listed on a memorial for the homeless who have died in the Evansville area.

Roughly 80 people are remembered as part of this memorial, with some eight or nine still to be added.

Among the recent deaths to hit the homeless community, "One was murdered. A few were weather-related (deaths). It's not been a good year," said Luzada Hayes, executive director of Aurora, an Evansville outreach agency which works with the homeless.

Elizabeth, Bernard and Keith.

Who were they? And how did they get here? How did they become homeless?

Hayes said one of the main factors is economics.

"We have quite a few who can't afford housing, they get evicted and then that eviction is a barrier for them in trying to get other housing," she said. "For someone on fixed incomes, they're struggling to find affordable housing. If people are working minimum wage jobs, they're likely not going to have enough for housing. If people spend 50 to 60 percent of their income on housing, they don't have enough for basics."

"Some people don't have anybody. They don't have resources." Hayes said. "So once they hit an economic spin, they don't have anyone to help get them on their feet."

"People become homeless for a variety of reasons," said Charla Jackson Peter with the Kentucky Housing Corporation. "Health problems, family conflicts, limited life choices and the lack of a support system are frequent causes of homelessness. Economic factors such as the loss of employment or the lack of affordable housing, are playing increasing roles as well."

Mary Dunham, director of the Henderson Christian Community Outreach, said the nonprofit agency which provides food and other support services, is seeing more and more of the toll that a struggling economy takes on families.

"The economy isn't helping," she said. "These are good, hardworking families trying to keep house payments up ... they've lost jobs ... and gasoline is a huge problem."

Rory, Ricky, Cynthia.

Hayes said homeless people come in all ages and from all races, economic and educational backgrounds.

"We've seen them ages 16 to 85," she said. "We're starting to see a growing group between 18 and 23. That is disconcerting."

Some of these young people are "throwaways, walk-aways ... some are kids who have parents doing drugs and they don't want to be around that," Hayes said. "Some are choosing to leave home. Some are forced out."

Ron, Tyrone, George.

"Some people come here to live with family and then for some reason it doesn't work out and they're out on the street," Hayes said. "Sometimes people are arguing while traveling (through the area) and people just get put out of the vehicle."

There are more men than women who are homeless, she said.

"We've had people with master's degrees on the street," she said.

"Veterans are a subgroup of the homeless," Hayes said. "We still have some Vietnam vets (who are homeless) and nationally, they are seeing some Iraq War vets."

"(Soldiers) live in a constant state of hypervigilance and when they come home, they're struggling to let go of that."

Another sect of the homeless population is made up of ex-convicts, she said.

Alberta, Emmitt, Jerry.

"The effects of homelessness are extensive and severe," Peter said. " For the individual, homelessness means more than just a loss of self-esteem. They face dramatically higher rates of infectious disease, mental health problems, physical disorders, disabilities and premature death. They also face heightened risks of becoming incarcerated or institutionalized."

David, Gerald, Christina, Marvin.

"Homelessness has a dramatic impact on the community as well," Peter said. "Homelessness takes a tremendous toll on family stability by hindering the ability to find and maintain jobs, hampering the learning process of children who are hungry and disoriented and causing health problems due to stress and exposure to the elements and infectious disease. Because they lack other resources, homeless people tend to use a variety of public systems in inefficient and costly ways.

"The true cost of homelessness is passed to the community through higher demands on law enforcement, corrections, health care, welfare, education and other systems. Though the chronically homeless make up a smaller portion of the homeless population, they use a disproportionate amount of resources," Peter said.

Hayes agreed that only a small percentage of those without a home are "chronically homeless."

"Most of the folks we encounter, if we could get them in an apartment, they'd move in the next day."

That's true of 26-year-old Sharona of Memphis.

At the time of this interview, Sharona, who declined to use her real name, was living at the House of Bread and Peace in Evansville, awaiting the availability of an apartment.

"After I lost my job in Memphis, I was trying to find another job. I was closing in on being evicted," she said.

So Sharona left Memphis and traveled to Evansville to live at the House of Bread and Peace.

"I had a relative who came here and got help. I didn't just want a house," she said, adding that what she wanted was help.

Sharona said a cycle of depression led to several job losses and even some evictions. At one point in her life, she said, she was living in her car.

"I would park in parking lots or in front of people's houses," she said. "I'd take showers at shelters and ate a lot of fast food. It was very miserable. Luckily, I had heat and air."

Being homeless, she said, "It's very scary. Traumatizing."

Thanks to the programs offered at the House of Bread and Peace, Sharona said, "I've been working toward taking care of some issues. The next step is getting (a place to live) and continuing to work on my (life) skills."

Sharona is working full-time and hopes to eventually become employed in child-protective services.

If there's one common bond among the homeless community, Sharona said it's "pain."

"I think most (homeless) want to transition, but some don't realize if they don't address their issues, it will be a cycle of incompleteness."

Sharona said many of the homeless people she's met and lived with at the House of Bread and Peace are very talented and can move forward with a little help.

"So many here crochet, make jewelry, style hair," she said. "A lot of homeless people have a lot of potential ..."

The homeless, "shouldn't be looked at as a disease or like they're nothing. They're worthy of respect," Sharona said.

"I think people need to know that the homeless are just like them," she said. "They have issues, emotions. They're loving ... they're people."