Institutional Homelessness

In this article we bring out two ways the law is creating two classes of homeless people.

The Welfare Problem - it is unavailable to some people

Owen Wilkins (a pseudonym) had just turned 21 when he was arrested for possession. He had never been in trouble with the law before, and had no idea how much trouble he was facing by being involved in what he considered to be harmless partying. But he was about to learn, the hard way. He spent a year and a half in prison. This was before the days of Proposition 36.

While in prison he met a man by the name of Bailey. Bailey was almost 40 and had been in and out of jails and prison most of his life. And in that time he had learned that prison is not a good place for young people. He would be first to tell you that all the talk about rehabilitation is just wishful thinking. He considered himself living proof of the failure of the correctional system. So he had taken an interest in speaking with the young men who ended up in that place.

Bailey told Wilkins that had better get serious about life, and in a hurry. That he now had one ‘strike’ and you only get two before they throw away the key. He urged Wilkins to use his time inside to consider who he wanted to become when he walked out the door. Did he want to spend his days wishing for a life outside, or did he instead want to make a place for himself in society? Did he want to live life afraid? Did he want to have a family? Or did he want to live like a caged animal, watching his back?

When Wilkins did walk out the door he was a changed man. He found employment quickly, and learned the furniture trade. He soon became known for making the best tables and chairs in the factory. He joined a church. He met the love of his life and settled down. Within a few years he was living the American dream.

But then one day a drunk driver took his family away from him. He very nearly lost his life at the same time. He was unable to work for a time, and the driver of the car had no insurance nor assets to speak of. Eventually, he recovered enough to be able to work, and became a carpenter, building homes. He did very fine work, so he was able to provide for himself.

But as he became older he found that he was having trouble working. His coordination was not what it had once been. He developed a tremor in his muscles that prevented him from using the tools of his trade. He hung on as long as he could but one day he realized he was unable to go on. He was forced to quit his job, and found it nearly impossible to get another with which to support himself.


He immediately applied for food stamps and welfare. But he was turned down due to his drug felony conviction more than a decade earlier.

Before long, he found he could no longer afford his apartment. Owen Wilkins now lives on the street in San Francisco. With no money for food and no ability to work, he has to resort to begging for help from passers-by.

The "Jessica's Law" problem - causes some offenders to register as transient

Jim Sykes (a pseudonym) is not a nice man. From an early age he had an obsession with very young boys. He imagined all sorts of horrible things he would do with them if he could. One day he got his chance.

He was just walking along the street and saw a young boy on the sidewalk. He started talking with the boy and offered him a cold drink of soda. The boy lit up and eagerly accepted. The catch was that the soda was at Sykes’ house. So they went there to get it.

What happened in the house is too graphic for a family newspaper, but suffice it to say that when he left the house the boy immediately found help. Sykes was arrested and eventually sentenced to 8 years in prison.

Upon his release this year, Sykes was required to return to the same county where he had met the boy. He was further required to register as a sex offender. He was ordered to stay away from places where children congregate such as schools and playgrounds.

Finding a place to live presented a challenge because there were many people who remembered him and what he had done. And there was talk about changing the law to prevent sex offenders from living in most areas of the county. They were saying that he shouldn’t try to live anywhere within a half-mile of a school, playground, or a park. That limited his options to virtually nil.

Jim Sykes gave up searching for a place to live, and registered himself as a transient. He applied for welfare and food stamps and was accepted. He liked the idea that this prevented the law from surprising him with an inspection. His parole officer asked him to check in daily, but that was no problem. He was back in charge of his own life. And he’d make them pay one way or another.

UPDATE January 17, 2009 - Sacramento Lawmakers are considering a change to Jessica's Law (click title to view story)

The basic problem

What do Own Wilkins and Jim Sykes have in common? They are both living on the streets in San Francisco. They also are both put there by the law. Wilkins because he was found to be ineligible for welfare and food stamps. Sykes because he was a dangerous sex offender.

It is time for some sanity in the law. Do we really want to prevent people like Wilkins from living in an SRO? Do we really want to cause him to have to beg for food? And as for Sykes, do we really want him wandering the streets looking for his next victim?

These two men are examples of what many are beginning to recognize as a virtually institutionalized homelessness.

Homelessness affects the whole community. It is extremely expensive to support the homeless population. The average age of the homeless population in San Francisco is nearing the mid-40s. The causes of homelessness are wide and varied. The primary problem is simple economics. Homeless people are those who cannot afford housing.

Many of the homeless have had prior drug convictions. That does not mean that they are all drug users, however. The latest statistics indicate that somewhere between 50 and 60 percent of the homeless are addicts. The rest are not. Drug addiction is not a primary cause of most homelessness. It is a symptom, but not the cause. It certainly does become a barrier to getting out. But to penalize someone for life, preventing their access to government welfare programs as a result of a youthful indiscretion is insanity.

Likewise, to decide that dangerous sex offenders should be put on the streets is also insane. Sex offenders have very high recidivism rates and are nearly impossible to truly rehabilitate. The last place we should want them is walking freely among us looking for prey.

Homelessness can be eliminated. There are many programs in place across the nation to attempt to rid our cities of this problem. Many governments have realized that it is so much less expensive to prevent homelessness than to support it. There is a new awakening to the idea that we all benefit from helping our fellow citizens climb out of the cycle of despair.

We must begin by fixing the institutional pressures that are creating new classes of homeless people, and those which prevent them from getting the help they need to get out. It is difficult enough to get through a difficult life without the government standing in the way. The security of the total population needs to be considered as policies are debated.

San Francisco is the most progressive city in the nation when it comes to dealing with this problem. There are also many government programs and private entities (primarily churches) working together to help people find the things they need to maintain daily life such as food, shelter & clothing, and to help find meaning in their lives. Vilifying people simply because of the circumstances in which they find themselves is not the answer.

Compassionate care and managed programs are allowing many people to make their lives better. Those who will work at it can succeed. Those who don’t will be lost. But certainly the government has a responsibility to the community to implement harm reduction. Policies which create more problems should be changed or eliminated.

For more information on how homelessness can be addressed at the policy level, go to the website of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. They have developed a Ten Year Plan which governments can use to fight this problem.

Working together, we can make a difference that really matters.

Scott Dennis is a local community organizer focusing on the low-income sector and homeless community. He has compiled a Resource Guide to help people find the services they need to improve their lives. The guide can be downloaded and freely distributed - visit http://SanFranciscoHelps.blogspot.com/