Reality of People Living in Public Storage Units Captured on Google Street View – Poverty Insights

Reality of People Living in Public Storage Units Captured on Google Street View

We [Poverty Insights]have written a lot on this site about the tragedy of people living in Public Storage units. Heck, we have even drawn about the subject too.

Now it would appear this modern economic hardship has been captured on Google Street View.

For those who are not familiar, Google pays drivers to drive around cities with cameras mounted to the rooves of their cars. The images are used in Google Maps so people can see a picture of any street they are interested in.

While most Street View images are pretty uninteresting, I was looking through a blog that catalogues unique Street View images and came across the following picture.

I don’t know where this picture was taken, but perhaps this missing information underscores the point that there are people all over the country who are forced to live in storage units. It is said that a photograph is worth a thousand words, and indeed, images, like stories, can be powerful.

But this picture really caught struck me because it is so candid and unexpected. This is not a romanticized portrait of poverty. It is not a work of high art or cinemagraphic genius. This picture is more like one taken with a surveillance camera than a photographer’s.

Yet it is the very mechanized, utilitarian way in which this image was captured that resonates with me so deeply. This is the reality we have been talking about on this site, documented on a Google Map.

I hope we can erase this image from Google Street View. To be clear, I am not advocating censorship. Instead, let’s hope the next time a car drives by this Public Storage unit there is no one living there; no one who needs to live there.

However, we have to do more than hope. On Monday, Joel John Roberts wrote about how we need to consider building smaller housing units to help house those experiencing homelessness. I agreed with him before, and agree with him all the more now.

Public Storage units are small, and they do not have the proper amenities for living. Yet clearly people can, and do, live in small places. So why not build small units that are actually made for people to live in? A person living in their small apartment would make a better Street View image than someone forced to live in a Public Storage unit.

troubling...and revealing...

Brother Joe

Public Storage is Affordable Housing of Last Resort

Public Storage is Affordable Housing of Last Resort

The refrigerator is the clue that something is exceptionally wrong where Sarah lives. With its spattering of magnets securing family snapshots, you would think the refrigerator was purchased at the local Best Buy and placed in a suburban home.

Sarah points out the photos like they are digital trophies of a life lost years ago. Some of the images depict two deceased sons. Others are of beloved family friends. At more than 60 years old, Sarah appears to be a grieving widow. Not too shocking for a person leaning toward the last phase of a long life.

It is the location of the refrigerator, however, that reflects her abysmal life situation. I am standing with Sarah in a small Public Storage unit in a rough Los Angeles neighborhood.

Sarah is homeless, but manages to use her disability checks to rent a tiny space that is supposed to be used for storage for middle-class excess. Instead, public storage has become a hideaway from the unsafe streets of America’s second largest city.

Hidden Away

As an executive of a homeless and housing agency, I have often heard the tales of homeless people living in Public Storage units. But no one on the streets was willing to reveal their secret hiding places to our street outreach teams until now.

When you walk into Sarah’s so-called home, you would think you are in some sort of messy college dormitory room, with its comfortable sitting chair, side table, television, and microwave. And, of course, the full standing refrigerator. Sarah uses an air mattress for her bed.

Her storage space is tucked away in the middle of hundreds of other units inside a large warehouse. There are bare light bulbs shining weak light, exposed wood trusses, and electricity. She rolls down the metal garage door and latches it from the inside for safety.

For the last two years Sarah has dodged Public Storage managers out of fear of being discovered. She knows the exact shift schedules of each manager since those are the times she has to scuttle inside of her hidden unit, as if she is some sort of mouse not wanting to be caught by the big old cat.

The homeless are often left doing the less than desirable to maintain themselves. Living in Public Storage was an alternative that my family also faced. This should not be. Pray and work for those whose choices are so limited.

Brother Joe

Coldplay to perform at Crisis Hidden Gigs

Coldplay's 'secret' Newcastle gig for homeless charity

MEGABAND Coldplay are to stage an "intimate" gig in Newcastle to highlight the hidden crisis of homelessness.

The "hidden gig" will take place in the city on December 20 and raise funds for Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people.

In their only live British performances of 2010, the award-winning band has agreed to play Crisis Hidden Gigs in Newcastle and Liverpool to raise money for the charity and increase awareness of the situation facing thousands of homeless hidden out of sight on floors or sofas, in substandard bed and breakfasts, and in hostels.

Friends of the band Ant and Dec will also be travelling home to Newcastle for Christmas, and have offered their compèring services for the night.

General tickets go on sale at 2pm on Friday and cost £50.

Tickets will be available via www.crisis.org.uk/hidden.

Housing the Homeless

Housing the Homeless - Lutherville-Timonium, MD Patch

As county officials grapple with homelessness, a local man's story of living under a bridge, panhandling and recovering from drug addiction shows how entrenched the problem can be.

Jeff Lindelof, 53, lives under a bridge. He likes it that way.

Raccoons, possums, foxes, deer and even a bobcat that he named Sable comfort Lindelof. He likes them more than he likes most humans.

If you've ever traveled York Road crossing into Cockeysville, you've probably met Lindelof and he has probably told you to "have a blessed day," even if you screamed at him to get a job.

Three or four times a week, he can be found at the intersection of York and Padonia roads, either sitting on two milk crates or limping up and down the median strip asking for change. He is homeless, aside from his encampment he shares with two others. He is also part of a growing trend in Baltimore County, where more men and women are finding themselves without shelter.

In response, county officials are hosting a series of meetings throughout the weekend to develop strategies for solving the issue.

But, Lindelof said he is skeptical and doesn't want the government's help.

"What are they going to do? Seriously, what are they going to do? They're going to come out, put us in a house or an apartment? They can't afford that," he said. "There are too many like me that want to be out here—that are more comfortable out there than they are in society."

When we help another in homelessness we may find those who are reluctant to accept help or may be happy with their life. We must respect the human dignity to choose ones way. But we can learn and gain insight by their story that will perhaps help another. We must neither reject nor scold them but befriend and help them in anyway we can. [Ed. please see also this related editorial.]

Brother's Keeper now has training opportunities on new ways of working with the homeless and underprivileged on it's Education and Preparation page.

The McKinney-Vento Awards

From the National alliance to End Homelessness
:

Imagine you’re a 7 year old and your family becomes homeless. Every night, you fall asleep in a shelter, in a car, on the street. Imagine moving in and out of the assistance system, shuffled back and forth from shelters to programs to relatives. Suddenly, school, teachers, classmates, and even homework become the constants in your life – anchors of normalcy when everything else seems to be falling apart.

Last Thursday, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty hosted the annual McKinney-Vento Awards, the organization’s yearly tribute to leaders in the field. This year’s awardees included best-selling author Barbara Ehrenreich, the law firm Dechert LLP, and the Elzer family of Pittsburgh, PA.

...As the nation continues to recover from the grinding effects of this lasting recession, we can and must do more to extend even the smallest courtesies to each other – especially when the other is a young child. In a time of economic uncertainty and fear, we must work together in order to overcome our national challenges.

Consider what small courtesy you will do today.

Bro Joe

Big Bucks From Billionaires

Change We Can Live For.

Once in a blue moon we can see humanity shine in our generation. Both sides of humanity apparently shine in this group of billionaires who have rose to the top of one side... success, money and prestige. Now there is a movement to rise up on the other side of compassion and philanthropy.

The Giving Pledge is an exclusive pact among a group of more than 50 of the world’s wealthiest people (including Gates and Buffet), who have pledged to fork over the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes. Take Buffet, for instance. He pledges to give 99% of his wealth to charity. With a net worth of $42 billion, he’d still have $470 million left to spare.

And while we all cannot give with such substantial gusto, we all can take the 1% Foundation’s One Percent Pledge of giving 1% of our earnings to charity. It is a place to start for us non-billionaires.

And to avoid too much back patting please pay attention to the comment on the bottom of Change.org's article... there is so much to do and so many angles.

Does God STILL own the cattle on a thousand hills?

Psalm 50:10 is used by many in the Christian faith as a proof text for the riches of God. But a look at the response to the needy would seem to prove it otherwise. There is an increasing need for help for the needy in America. Given the current economic downturn, America is seeing more poverty and homelessness than ever before.

In most cases the impoverished will go to the social services of the US Government for resources. But now even that is found wanting. Grocery stores continue to be more and more expensive and poor families run out of food stamps long before the month is out. Many must resort to food kitchens and food banks for assistance in meeting their need.

As a believer with some experience in homelessness, I have become increasingly aware of the awkward situation the Church finds itself in. Because most churches are actually franchises in a particular brand of organized religion, the churches themselves are limited in their ability to help a person over the long term. They are restricted either to only help the poor family once every so many months, or until the benevolence funds run out. They are run like businesses and are not the model of the early Christian church.

The early Church looked like this:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. ~ Acts of the Apostles 2:42-47

Of note here is the manner in which the believers acted toward their goods and what ought to be done with them. First they were together and had everything in common. Nothing is more appalling, nor capable of drawing a seeker away from Christ as to be told that the benevolence funds were tapped and noticing the choir member whose Mercedes Benz SUV is prominently parked outside. There is something very NOT together about that. Not that a person cannot own the vehicle they like but James is clear about the ramifications of riches in the church.

My brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come into your synagogue a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, and there come in also a poor man in vile clothing; and ye have regard to him that weareth the fine clothing, and say, Sit thou here in a good place; and ye say to the poor man, Stand thou there, or sit under my footstool; Do ye not make distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? But ye have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you, and themselves drag you before the judgment-seats? Do not they blaspheme the honorable name by which ye are called? ~James 2:1-7

and

Come now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver are rusted; and their rust shall be for a testimony against you, and shall eat your flesh as fire. Ye have laid up your treasure in the last days. ~James 5:1-3

One could only wonder if the Pastor or Committee had asked the driver of the Benz for assistance at that time. Our biggest failure is that we let the “church” handle things with the “church’s money”. But Jesus never commissioned a benevolence committee to meet the needs of the “least of these”. He commissioned me and he commissioned you.

Philippians 4:19 says “my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” But God will not come down with a check in hand. He indeed owns the cattle on a thousand hills, but he has given man dominion over them and has called men to be their brother’s keeper as well.

I am involved in a ministry to train and support believers in living a “least of these” lifestyle. The lifestyle that does not depend on structures of the church but on what the scripture teaches us about poverty. It is a ministry to mobilize individuals to participate in bringing the Church together and in common, with the result of “adding to their number daily”.

The goal is to network individuals and ministries together that a brother or sister need no longer hear the words,"we've done all we can do for you.", and to teach the incredible patience and endurance of Love as Paul exhorted us to pursue it.

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

For more information on becoming a “brother’s keeper” join us on Facebook or email us from our Be a Brother's Keeper page.

The 'normal' psychology of poverty

Poverty happens everywhere and anytime. In these economic times homelessness can land on normal people as suddenly as closing a deal or hitting the lottery. Herein lies the paradox... and begs the question - what is normal? "Normal" is often nothing more than our own image or persona projected on another. We have all said "if I were you" in an attempt to help. But how often is our advise taken? Not very. This is because we tell people what WE would and could do and not what THEY would or could possibly be ready to do. We all abide by social norms as a rule, but personal normal is as diverse as fingerprints and snowflakes.

Mental illness in the homeless has always been a snake that eats its own tail. It is the chicken or the egg, the cause and the effect. The new poor are not mentally ill but victims of society's ills.

Our task is not to compell them to be as we but to care for them as "normal" persons ought.