Homelessness and the Response of the State

“People who are homeless are not social inadequates. They are people without homes.”- Sheila McKechnie. The United Nations states that within the next few years, and for the first time in human history, more people will live in cities and towns than in rural areas. This process of urbanization is linked to what has been called the ‘urbanization of poverty’, the fact that a rapidly increasing proportion of the world’s poor are now living in urban areas. In developing countries, sprawling slums and squatter settlements and a multitude of street children roaming the streets looking for income-earning opportunities or a place to spend the night are the most striking manifestations of this. The inhabitants of even the most affluent countries are reminded that poverty is present even there every time they encounter a homeless person. Jamaica is currently going through the above-mentioned prediction by the United Nations Development Fund. The Jamaican state is bedevilled by many social ills. The rapid urbanization of the society;and the commercialization of the housing stock will inevitable drive some people to become homeless. The Jamaican State is limited as it relates to how many affordable homes or housing solutions can be constructed for all who are desirous. Homelessness is not unique to developing societies. Nurse administrator at the Montego Bay-based Committee for the Upliftment of the Mentally Ill, Joy Crooks, “It’s not just a Jamaican problem; it’s worldwide,” she said yesterday, referencing the United States, where a study by the National Coalition for the Homeless found that over the last 17 years, at least 1,657 homeless people have been the victims of violence perpetrated just because they were un-housed at the time. This number includes 428 men and women who lost their lives. With Jamaica’s high crime rate we oftentimes do not differentiate murders according to specific categories such as homelessness. Jamaica has recorded over 131 murders since the start of 2021, disturbingly at this rate we are ahead of last year’s murder rate. Unfortunately, it appears as if we have become immune to the daily news of crime, carnage and violence. Recently the society was jolted regarding the murders of five homeless men in the Corporate Area. According to the news 6 homeless men were attacked during their sleep and 5 died as a result of their injuries. A local media entity reported that there are an estimated 2,000 homeless people in Jamaica, around 700 of them in Greater Kingston. The capital’s downtown region accounts for about 500 of them. The State has not treated the homeless in a humane condition over the years. Many of us have forgotten the forced removal of 32 homeless individuals from Montego Bay in 1999; who were trucked and dumped by the mud lakes of St. Elizabeth. The State’s track record is extremely poor surrounding our treatment of those who are vulnerable. There is a tendency for us to ascribe mental illness to everyone who is homeless. Our data regarding homelessness does not differentiate between homelessness due to mental illness as against homelessness as a result of other causes. We need to move away from the notion that everyone who is homeless is of unsound mind. Homelessness can be a result of numerous causes another reason is that of deportation. Solutions to Homelessness In the 2019/2020 Sectoral Debate in Jamaica’s Parliament, Local government minister, Desmond McKenzie announced that a new shelter for homeless persons will be built in the Corporate Area at a cost of $120 million. He said the design for the facility has been completed and that the facility will cater to 300 Jamaicans who are living on the streets and lacking proper care. While it is evident that more needs to be done in building homeless shelters we must also be cognizant of the reasons behind the spiraling increase in homelessness among the population. The best way to tackle homelessness is to avoid people become homeless in the first instance. Many of our churches have social outreach programmes which address the need of the homeless. However, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic some of these services might have seen a downturn. Additionally, we need to engage those who have fallen on hard times and find out from them how the State operated shelters can be improved. We tend not to have a culture of engaging stakeholders in arriving at solutions. We need to rid our culture of this retrograde mindset. It is obvious that a multi-sectoral approach is needed to tackle homelessness in Jamaica. Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, says that the Government will be providing additional bed space to accommodate members of the homeless community in the Corporate Area. The Prime Minister said, “At the end of February, work should commence on another 150 beds,” he said, noting that 100 of these will be established at the Marie Atkins Night Shelter. Mr. Holness added that the police will be increasing patrol of the areas that homeless persons usually frequent. Many of those who are homeless only require a second or even a third chance in life. The attack on the homeless community in Jamaica is indicative of the wider issue of crime and violence in Jamaica. It bares thought that until the State is able to resolutely address the crime monster no one will be safe. In the words of Albert Einstein, the world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo