HOMELESSNESS FORUM

My view on homelessness up until two weeks ago matched Anderson Copper’s. I admit, with embarrassment, that I ignore the homeless population and I usually do not give them money when I walk past someone who is looking for help. In the past, I have bought multiple fast-food meals for people and I have volunteered at a soup kitchen, but I have never gone out of my way to truly better the life of someone who needs it most.

Learning about homelessness has taught me a lot and has given me some optimism about the steps Charlotte is taking to end homelessness in its entirety. I have been in the Charlotte area for almost three years and I have never been aware of the statistics surrounding homelessness. According to charlottefive.com, there were 450 chronically homeless people in Charlotte in January 2015. When presented this way, the statistic does not seem staggering, but caring for those who are chronically homeless can easily cost the government over 18 million dollars annually (Rothacker.) My real question is why was there not a program started to help end homelessness decades ago? Not only would it have helped our economy, but it would have slowed the massive amount of chronically homeless people nationwide before it grew exponentially.

Apart from being frustrated about the number of individuals who are chronically homeless and not receiving help, I was very eager and appreciative to learn about Moore Place here in Charlotte. Moore Place represents the light at the end of a tunnel for its residents. Moore Place provides hope to the hopeless and gives the weakest members in society the best chance of success they can have. Knowing Moore Place will provide an apartment for chronically homeless individuals without requiring them to be sober, shows that the “Housing First” approach will provide the stability a person needs to get back on their feet. The one question I had about Moore Place is do they put a timeline on how long a person can be a resident there after showing positive changes of improvement? Moore Place provides the residents with resources directed towards jobs, drug rehabilitation and finding primary-care physicians, but do they encourage residents to leave if they are able to afford a home on their own after they have a stable income? If Moore Place encouraged this approach, they would be able to have a constant apartment turnover and they would be able to help more chronically homeless people in the area.