Here's a worthy read: a three-part series by Kayla Lasure of the twice-weekly Watauga Democrat in the northwest corner of North Carolina, delving homelessness in a seven-county region that has the second-highest rate of homelessness in the state: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties. A 2017 count documented 466 homeless in the region, about 70 percent of them unsheltered. Another 69 who were placed in permanent and rapid rehousing weren't part of the homeless count, Lasure reports in her first story.
Several community members told Laysure they want to erase the stigma of being homeless; Todd Carter, the director of the area's homeless shelter, the Hospitality House, told her that many of the residents are judged for listing the shelter as their address. But many don't realize that 63 percent of shelter residents "recently went through some form of trauma. This wasn’t counting any trauma the person had experienced in the past or in childhood," Lasure reports.
Hospitality House Executive Director Tina Krause told her: "We're not just a homeless shelter; we're a trauma center providing critical care." Krause said that most weeks, at least one client acts on a suicidal thought, and that there were six suicide attempts on site in one week last winter, and one client died off site.
In her second story, Lasure illustrates the lack of resources for the homeless by profiling Justin and
Amanda McKinney, who are rebuilding their lives after years of homelessness, jail and drug abuse. After Amanda was released, she had a hard time affording a place to live because no one would hire her with her criminal history. After living at the Hospitality House for three months and sending out 42 job applications, she finally landed a job, but didn't tell her employer where she lived until she had proved her work ethic.
Justin's story began similarly: While deployed in the Air Force, he broke his back in an explosion and needed surgery. He became addicted to the opioids he was prescribed, and said the withdrawal was so painful that he began using methamphetamines to cope. He also had difficulty finding work or housing after his release, which led to Hospitality House.
The couple told Lasure they had little in the way of support from family or friends because of their addictions. "When you’re in an addiction, you push a lot of people away, and people distance themselves from you," Justin told Lasure. "You do a lot of things during an addiction you wouldn’t normally do. You crush your own support system."
In her third story of the series, Lasure profiles a Watauga County sheriff's sergeant's efforts to change the way other law-enforcement officials view the homeless community. "Sgt. Casey Miller is a member of the Sheriff’s Office Problem-Oriented Policing Squad . . . a call-based group that can concentrate on community issues that regular patrol deputies wouldn’t have the time to focus on. These issues consist of places with common reports of speeding or drug activity," Lasure reports.
Sheriff Len Hagaman told Miller that neighbors of Hospitality House were complaining that shelter residents were trespassing on their property, loitering, dealing drugs, and leaving trash. Miller met with area leaders and listened to their concerns, then investigated. It turned out that Hospitality House residents weren't the culprits: about 15 people who lived in the community were preying on the residents, trying to sell them drugs, get money from them or steal their belongings. The 15 were ordered to stay away; three were later caught and charged with trespassing.
Miller told Lasure that the issue caused him to think differently about the homeless, especially when he learned that 96 percent of Hospitality House's clients reported at least one instance of trauma in the past year. He says he now checks up on residents and tries to get to know them. "What people don’t understand they tend to try to avoid," Miller told Lasure. Officers "don’t think bad of homeless people; they can’t wrap their head around why they can’t just go out and get a job and a house. It’s not always that simple."
Several community members told Laysure they want to erase the stigma of being homeless; Todd Carter, the director of the area's homeless shelter, the Hospitality House, told her that many of the residents are judged for listing the shelter as their address. But many don't realize that 63 percent of shelter residents "recently went through some form of trauma. This wasn’t counting any trauma the person had experienced in the past or in childhood," Lasure reports.
Hospitality House Executive Director Tina Krause told her: "We're not just a homeless shelter; we're a trauma center providing critical care." Krause said that most weeks, at least one client acts on a suicidal thought, and that there were six suicide attempts on site in one week last winter, and one client died off site.
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| The McKinneys with their newborn son Liam. (Watauga Democrat photo by Kayla Lasure) |
Amanda McKinney, who are rebuilding their lives after years of homelessness, jail and drug abuse. After Amanda was released, she had a hard time affording a place to live because no one would hire her with her criminal history. After living at the Hospitality House for three months and sending out 42 job applications, she finally landed a job, but didn't tell her employer where she lived until she had proved her work ethic.
Justin's story began similarly: While deployed in the Air Force, he broke his back in an explosion and needed surgery. He became addicted to the opioids he was prescribed, and said the withdrawal was so painful that he began using methamphetamines to cope. He also had difficulty finding work or housing after his release, which led to Hospitality House.
The couple told Lasure they had little in the way of support from family or friends because of their addictions. "When you’re in an addiction, you push a lot of people away, and people distance themselves from you," Justin told Lasure. "You do a lot of things during an addiction you wouldn’t normally do. You crush your own support system."
In her third story of the series, Lasure profiles a Watauga County sheriff's sergeant's efforts to change the way other law-enforcement officials view the homeless community. "Sgt. Casey Miller is a member of the Sheriff’s Office Problem-Oriented Policing Squad . . . a call-based group that can concentrate on community issues that regular patrol deputies wouldn’t have the time to focus on. These issues consist of places with common reports of speeding or drug activity," Lasure reports.
Sheriff Len Hagaman told Miller that neighbors of Hospitality House were complaining that shelter residents were trespassing on their property, loitering, dealing drugs, and leaving trash. Miller met with area leaders and listened to their concerns, then investigated. It turned out that Hospitality House residents weren't the culprits: about 15 people who lived in the community were preying on the residents, trying to sell them drugs, get money from them or steal their belongings. The 15 were ordered to stay away; three were later caught and charged with trespassing.
Miller told Lasure that the issue caused him to think differently about the homeless, especially when he learned that 96 percent of Hospitality House's clients reported at least one instance of trauma in the past year. He says he now checks up on residents and tries to get to know them. "What people don’t understand they tend to try to avoid," Miller told Lasure. Officers "don’t think bad of homeless people; they can’t wrap their head around why they can’t just go out and get a job and a house. It’s not always that simple."
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