Aid for the Homeless
Homeless, Chamber Music Hall, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2005
Following on from running into a dead homeless person lying in the middle of the street on the way to kindergarten with my son last week, I ran into one that was thankfully breathing today. Actually, I’ve seen Samuel around my area for the past year now. Somewhat ironically, during the summer, he’s about the only person in this part of town that can be seen actually reading something in the nearby park now destroyed and infested by two tasteless cafes.
Anyway, as I mentioned in my previous post, many homeless don’t seem to want to go to the government-run homeless shelter situated in a really stupid and inaccessible place on or actually just outside the city limits. In most normal cities, homeless shelters are situated where the problem is most acute, especially when the police and social services don’t lift a finger to transport potential beneficiaries there.
Regardless, probably doesn’t matter as Samuel says he doesn’t need to go there. It’s not so cold yet and only his feet are freezing. That should make him feel better when his toes are amputated later, then.
His choice, of course, but I don’t think the local community should particularly want homeless people living and dying on the streets outside their homes and near their schools. As I’ve already posted, my son saw his first dead body last week because nobody here gives a damn about the homeless. While I was at Hetq Online we spent two winters documenting the problem, but for what? For a shelter to be opened way out in the middle of nowhere?
Certainly, no local or international organization or NGO has so far shown an interest in doing anything, and I think that’s the biggest crime of all.
Much better they take their two or three weeks off for Christmas and the New Year in anticipation for 2007 when they can start releasing more rosy press releases saying how they’ve single-handedly solved the problem of poverty in Armenia when in reality they’re doing very little. Certainly, they’re not speaking out or lobbying the Armenian Government for change. Remember, there’s too much funding money and cosy salaries at stake to risk actually losing.
Even the Embassies could set an example, but homeless adults don’t make good PR.
Now, contrast that with the U.K. where Christmas is precisely the time that the problem of homelessness comes to the fore because it’s the time of giving and caring about your fellow man. It’s the time when a number of my friends in London donate to Shelter, for example, and when the media is full of stories about how charities are tackling the problem of homelessness when there’s a greater need than at any oher time. Anyway, this is from the BBC today.
A charity supporting homeless people has called on the government to provide £300m for education to help prepare them for employment.
The call came from the charity Crisis as it opened seven hostels across London for Christmas.
Crisis is providing food, bedding, medical checks, benefits advice and even a dog “creche”.
[…]
The project offers internet access, medical care, television, eye-testing, hair-cuts, skills training and advice on housing and benefits.
Crisis estimates that the centres will serve up 30,000 meals over the holiday period.
[…]
“If the government recognised the importance of learning in tackling homelessness and committed substantial funds, we could help so many more homeless people.”
A spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said: “Getting homeless people into training and employment is a key part of the government’s strategy for preventing and reducing homelessness.
“We are providing £90m through the Hostel Capital Improvement Programme to make hostels places of change.”
I only wish I could read something similar about a local, international or Diasporan organization doing something like this in Yerevan one day. Unfortunately, given that they all already know about the problem, but do nothing, I won’t be holding my breath for any attempts to prevent people dying on the streets just yet.
Took a pair of boots and a jumper to Samuel today, but he’s a bigger size than me. He said he’s 48 size, but I don’t think he’s right on that as his feet are not that much bigger. Anyway, if there’s anyone out there who has any winter boots in various sizes for giving to those that need them this winter, please contact me at the email listed to the right.
Incidently, I was thinking more on this shelter today and it really isn’t good to situate it way outside of the city. Homeless shelters should be easily accessible because a) bus drivers don’t allow bomzh on their buses and b) taxi drivers won’t take them either. There needs to be a shelter or at least some kind of center in the center.
The two other main locations where a lot of bomzh congregate — around the railway station or between the Mergelyan Institute and Komitas market would be a good idea too.
Comment by Onnik — December 25, 2006 @ 12:18 am
Onnik:
The homeless in NYC are also unwilling to go to shelters. The problem is there is a lot of theft between the homeless when they are at the shelters, whether it is the coat or the pair of boots they have; once you undress, someone will walk away with your things so they try to sleep with their things in bed with them and so forth.
Also, there is a need to remain independent which they can do on the streets and not in a program.
I know sometimes it is hard to understand, but the situation is more complex than not.
Cheers, Lola
Comment by Lola in NYC — December 25, 2006 @ 7:21 am
Well, first of all I’d like to see some statistics or are you saying that all the homeless shelters in NY are empty? Sorry, but you’re exagerating. That some or many will not go is one thing, but there are two more important questions here.
i) how many will go (most of those we spoke to last year, for example, went)
ii) will more go if such a shelter is accessible or situationed effectively outside of the city in an adjoining village?
Anyway, don’t know, but there seems to be a lot of activity surrounding shelters and the homeless in London this year. In Yerevan, there is very little save for the shelter that finally opened because we forced them to.
Anyway, I know the situation is complex because I spent the past two years working with Hetq on their stories. That’s also why I say you need social and psychological workers to address their problems on the street.
Unless, of course, you want disease to be walking around the center of Yerevan and next to my son’s kindergartens, or the homeless to drop like flies when it gets colder. There is both a human and public health dimension to this problem. Remember, hospitals won’t treat bomzh as well as soup kitchens refusing to admit them.
And a certain reality. In major cities there are programmes, policies, organizations and all the rest to tackle the issue of “rough sleepers” (homeless if applied in terms of European definitions on conditions of property, amenities etc) would include much of the population of Armenia).
Until last year, there was nothing. Now there’s a shelter that even I’d have problems getting to by bus and the drivers actually allow me onboard. I think the situation is therefore not comparable although it’s interesting to note that many of Armenia’s bomzh fought in Karabakh. In U.S. and England, many “rough sleepers” also saw service overseas.
Anyway, I’d like to see statistics for the homeless and how they’re being addressed in N.Y. For sure, I don’t believe that the shelters are empty. Instead, there should be centers which are easily accessible and some organizations should be working with them. I know that’s the situation in London, I daresay that’s the situation in New York (but correct me if I’m wrong), but it’s NOT the situation in Yerevan.
I mean, until last year, the Mayor’s Office refused to admit that there were any bomzh in Yerevan before then saying there were 13. Paradoxically, their new shelter which can accomodate 30 then became full, but there are still many more out there. Dozens and dozens, in fact, and possibly hundreds given the number of deaths each year.
Comment by Onnik — December 25, 2006 @ 1:40 pm
From a blog by a homeless person, The Homeless Guy, more on this matter and not least what I was saying about the need for social and psychological services. If some homeless don’t go to the shelters it’s probably because of psychological issues — especially here when many actually think they’ll be taken to prison instead.
Instead, there’s the need to work with these people on the streets, but of course, no organization wants to do this here. No money in it, I guess. Anyway, from The Homeless Guy.
Like I said, psychological assistance and social work is key. You just can’t open up a shelter 15-20 kilometers away from where the homeless actually are and leave it at that, especially when the Government said it didn’t have 5,000 drams to pay for the petrol to transfer them last year.
Incidently, some interesting old articles on homelessness in New York from the 80s. For some reason they came up first even despite their age, but interesting nonetheless.
More interestingly, as I was mentioning how many men who have served during conflicts overseas, there’s an article on more people emerging on the streets of the U.S. who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Comment by Onnik — December 25, 2006 @ 2:36 pm
From the Homeless Guy this Christmas.
Now let’s contrast that to the Armenian Apostolic Church and wonder why people here go to the Evangelists, Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons instead.
Comment by Onnik — December 25, 2006 @ 2:53 pm