Hope Disappearing

This book was inspired by an event that took place one afternoon in 2017 and changed the course of life for more than 200 homeless people who were on the waiting list for a transitional housing program. This list was erased impersonally, in one day, by a directive. All of these people and many of their family members lost their plans and hopes for a better life, with no alternative offered. Hope Disappearing details what happened to this transitional housing program when federal homeless funds were redirected due to policy changes favoring the Housing First model.

 

Mather Community Campus in Northern California ran an employment-to-housing program that had changed the lives of thousands of homeless individuals. The program had been fine-tuned over the years to help people develop the habits and skills they needed-including leaving substance abuse-to re-enter the workforce and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Mather Community was forced to give up this top-rated program because of a lack of federal funds and become a shelter that cost the community more money and delivered worse outcomes.

 

The bigger story is that thousands of people in this country are losing their chance to leave homelessness behind and become respected, contributing members of their community. Partly due to policy changes at the federal level, the prospects of the homeless are sinking to an unprecedented low. Opportunities to leave homelessness behind are becoming increasingly difficult, preventing those caught in the homeless trap from becoming contributing members in their community and thus changing the trajectory of future generations.

 

Drawing from the author's experience operating local homeless programs, this book explores ideas on how we can begin to approach these issues with resources that will once again create opportunities for all people, and ultimately benefit our communities.