1 May 2017 Final Essay for WHRC Internship

Low Barrier Housing—Is This the Solution to Homelessness? A Case Study of the Weinberg Housing and Resource Center

            The Weinberg Housing and Resource Center (WHRC), one of Catholic Charities’ 83 branches in the state of Maryland, is a low barrier homeless shelter located in Baltimore, Maryland. Each night, over 275 adult men and women currently experiencing homelessness are provided homeless services from WHRC. Some of the services regularly provided by WHRC include: shelter, breakfast and dinner service, showers, laundry, case management, a convalescent care center, life empowerment classes, and life skills training. There is no time limit on residency, and, because it is a low barrier homeless shelter, there are very few requirements asked of residents who wish to live there. WHRC’s main goal is to assist residents in obtaining their own permanent housing; to reach this goal, residents work directly with a case manager seeking jobs, schooling, and also additional volunteer opportunities within WHRC.

            One such volunteer opportunity I grew to know very well during my internship at WHRC is the Volunteer Resident Monitor (VRM) Program. The VRM Program, overseen by WHRC’s Volunteer Manager, Caitlin Balicki, allows residents to volunteer to help with regular tasks in WHRC such as doing laundry (all residents’ clothing is washed once a week, as well as all residents’ linens), cleaning bathrooms and dayrooms (areas where residents and visitors are allowed to stay during the day), serving breakfast or dinner, assisting in setting up/cleaning the kitchen between meals, and performing other general janitorial tasks. While participating in the VRM Program, VRMs are given a number of perks, including bus tokens, nights out of WHRC (i.e. not coming back for curfew and still keeping one’s bed), Awards Ceremonies (for VRMs who have been valuable members of the program), and additional events like Movie Nights once a month. Staff members of WHRC are always willing to provide current or previous VRMs letters of recommendation or general reference for future job opportunities/schooling opportunities. In this way, the VRM Program is a valuable source to residents at WHRC as it provides a stepping stone to outside job opportunities, and by keeping residents’ time filled, it encourages responsible behavior and adherence to case management goals. The VRM Program has been proven to, in some cases, help residents onto a better track toward seeking permanent housing and moving out of WHRC.

            As an intern, I worked very closely with both current and prospective VRMs. I regularly conducted VRM Orientations, in which I would meet with several prospective VRMs at a time and explain policies and procedures, as well as answer any questions about the program in general. In addition, I conducted individual meetings with all VRMs who were accepted into the program, giving them a VRM vest, getting them to sign paperwork, and collecting their schedule and the tasks in which they were interested in participating as a volunteer. In addition, I helped Caitlin with the Awards Ceremonies and other events for VRMs, putting together invitations and distributing them, as well as constructing visual aids to accompany presentations at these events.

            In my position as an intern working directly with the Volunteer Manager, I also saw much of the behind-the-scenes activity regarding outside donations. WHRC gladly accepts outside donations, but is a bit limited with what it can and will distribute to residents. For instance, clothing is a very common donation, especially used items such as shirts, pants, and coats. However, WHRC has very limited storage space, and therefore is quite limited with the amount of clothing it needs or can store at one time. Often, I would be responsible for sorting salvageable clothing out of large donations, and these salvageable items would then be donated by WHRC to thrift stores and other places willing to take used clothing donations. I learned quite a bit about what organizations like WHRC have a desire to receive in donations from the public, and just how much of a nuisance it is to receive donations from good-hearted people with no clue what a person experiencing homelessness could use. Some of the most useful donations for WHRC (and homeless shelters in general) include: NEW socks and underwear, belts (new or used), toiletries such as soap, toothpaste/toothbrushes, lotion, shampoo/conditioner, deodorant, laundry detergent, and non-perishable food items (depending on the policies for the shelter’s meal service). These items are all regularly used by residents, and are always in high demand because they are used so quickly. For the most part, WHRC (and Catholic Charities in general) are very good at expressing what they need via their website and additional advertisement, but there are inevitably people who provide donations that aren’t at all useful. It then becomes the job of the Volunteer Manager to find a place for or get rid of these items.

            WHRC employs many staff members, but also has an extremely large system of volunteers who help it accomplish all regular operations. These volunteers include administrative volunteers, meal service volunteers, volunteers to teach classes, and outside organizations that volunteer to have events at WHRC. The volunteers with whom I had the most contact during my internship (aside from VRMs) were meal service volunteers; I was responsible for answering phone calls/voicemails and providing answers to questions about volunteering for meal service opportunities. I became familiar with all the procedures required of an outside volunteer interested in serving meals, and also learned a bit more about how WHRC works with other organizations around Baltimore in order to better serve Maryland residents. Often I would field a call from a frantic parent whose son or daughter had neglected to complete all required service hours, or from an individual interested in donating large items such as comforters or mattresses. In these cases, I would be responsible for either helping the caller schedule a time to serve at WHRC or referring the caller to a different organization who would be more suited for their donation or service.

            Though I did learn quite a bit about the day to day functioning of WHRC, I also learned quite a bit about the situation of homelessness in Baltimore in general, as I worked regularly with both permanent staff members and residents of the shelter. Quite often, I was able to observe the relationships and power structures in place directly and form my own sociological understanding of the influence of WHRC and its staff/volunteers on the situation of homelessness in Baltimore. Staff members of differing levels within WHRC had differing levels of interactions with residents. While lower level staff members were the ones I would typically see have negative interactions with residents, there was certainly an occasional level of tension between residents and staff members in higher positions as well. Many frustrations that I saw or heard about from residents would be in regards to disrespectful comments or actions between staff such as Security Personnel or Front Desk Volunteers and residents. However, I also got several comments from new and previous VRMs that certain Case Managers were prone to using things like VRM perks as reward/punishment bargaining chips; one individual confided to me that he left the VRM Program the first time because of this Case Manager’s behavior. Despite these minor discrepancies, I was very impressed with the level of dedication and respect that I saw between staff members and residents in general. WHRC is an organization that is truly dedicated to serving its clients in the most effective way possible.

Low barrier housing, like that in WHRC, although it may seem like a short-term fix at first glance, is actually a very successful method of addressing the situation of homelessness. Many individuals I met were quick to tell me that WHRC is a place that can only help you if you are willing to help yourself. Because it does not require such quick and radical lifestyle changes, it is certainly possible for residents in WHRC to continue patterns of irresponsible behavior. For these individuals, WHRC maintains a no-tolerance policy of illicit substances within its premises, but remains willing to provide a place to stay and several meals a day to any individual, regardless of his/her current situation. Caitlin, the Volunteer Manager, often said to me that one of the biggest stressors faced by those experiencing homelessness is the question of where they will be able to stay the night. When this stress is removed, individuals are more likely to take steps to solve other problems such as substance abuse or illegal activities.

One resident I met, who had struggled all his life with substance abuse and who had previously been living on the street and struggling especially hard with his dependency on drugs, was quick to express his appreciation for WHRC and the VRM Program for keeping him busy and helping him maintain a positive attitude so that he could focus on getting his life back. This story is not uncommon in WHRC, and I wouldn’t doubt in low barrier homeless shelters in general. When a person experiencing homelessness is denied services based on his current situation, he is less likely to seek help from other organizations in the future, and is also more likely to relapse or continue to struggle with substance abuse, therefore making him all the less likely to find a stable living situation for himself.

Homelessness in Baltimore in general is influenced greatly by larger-scale issues such as systemized racism, sexism, and lack of support for those who struggle with mental illness or substance abuse. At WHRC, I got a firsthand look at the way these macro issues manifest themselves in a more micro, structured environment. The majority of clients at WHRC are black males in their late twenties, thirties, and forties. These men often come from families that have fallen into the cycle of poverty; they are not educated, they often have multiple children of their own, and have previously or currently struggled with substance abuse or mental illness. I actually met a few residents who were younger than me, and who had already fallen deep into a cycle of dependency on social resources (like WHRC) as well as illicit markets (i.e. selling drugs). It was difficult sometimes to be in an environment where many of the people there were beyond my help, but it was also very good to see how much help is offered by organizations like WHRC and how many individuals (like the staff at WHRC) are specialized in attempting to absolve problems caused by larger scale systemic inequalities.

This begs the question of the overall success of low barrier homeless shelters and similar organizations like WHRC. How sustainable is a system like this?

From my personal experience, I would argue that it is a very successful system. However, WHRC is not without its limitations. For instance, there are a limited number of beds available at WHRC, and there is a constant waiting list for a free bed. Those who have no place to sleep in WHRC are taken to overflow shelters within the city; though this is a positive service, these overflow shelters are often very uncomfortable, and do not offer food or storage services. Though WHRC does what it can to give food to and shelter these individuals, it is unable to help every person experiencing homelessness in Baltimore.

In addition, there are many instances in which a resident disobeys the rules of WHRC, and is put out (i.e., the person loses his bed and is not allowed to return to WHRC’s premises for a defined period of time). In these situations, individuals are put back into a vulnerable situation and therefore are often prone to relapse into negative behaviors. Though there is an appeals process for those who wish to appeal the decision for their being put out, not every situation is appropriate to give individuals another chance; often to be put out means to have to start all over in achieving one’s long-term goals (in most cases, permanent housing).

Finally, there is the situation of individuals taking advantage of the generous services offered by WHRC. Though residents are consistently encouraged to pursue permanent housing, jobs, and schooling, there are individuals who have lived at WHRC for years at a time, with little or no motivation to leave. Though these individuals are free to stay at WHRC as long as they wish, the point of having no time limit on residency is to encourage residents to move forward by taking away one of their biggest stressors, not to encourage them to become comfortable living in WHRC’s dorms. Case Managers at WHRC work hard to discourage this behavior and are mostly successful, though of course there are always those who are exceptions to this.

To answer the initial question: is low barrier housing the solution to homelessness? I would argue that no, the solution to homelessness could never be so simple. It will take the participation of many and the collaboration of almost all to address such a widespread and deeply engrained systemic issue. However, I will say that of all the services I have ever seen before offered to those experiencing homelessness, WHRC and other low barrier homeless shelters are by far the most considerate, and the most successful in the long term.