Addressing poverty in Madison
The crime of being poor
The crime of being poor
“Denigrating the homeless, the working poor and others seeking a better life here in Madison will not translate into a stronger community,” said Greta
Hanson, executive director of the Community Action Coalition. “The homeless are not one person. They are a wide variety of individuals with unique
strengths and challenges, just like every other person on the planet.”
While stereotypes of the “homeless” might mean a single, unkempt male, perhaps a person of color, statistics on the homeless reveal a more diverse group.
“In 2006, families made up 41 percent of the homeless population served,” said Joe Lindstrom of the Homeless Services Consortium of Dane County. “Of
those 41 percent, 873 were children.”
Cynthia Travis knows what it means to be homeless. She and her children were homeless once, but have since gotten on their feet to become productive
members of the community. “The profiling they are doing is so offensive,” Travis, who now works with the Tenant Advocacy Group, said. “They forget that we
are not all bad people. We have a life and we went through something and were homeless for a while. But we’ve moved past that. Now we’re trying to make a
better life. My biggest problem now is the children are hearing all of this stuff that is going out and around. They forget that when you talk about the
homeless, our kids have been homeless. So our children think they are talking about them and that isn’t right. Just think about the whole fact that there are
other people out here who have been trying to and doing the right thing and working the best way they can to make it happen. For all of this talking and
badmouthing of the homeless, we are people. Homeless is a word. Homeless is an action that happened to you. People shouldn’t classify every homeless
person into one category.”
The vilification of the homeless, Linda Ketcham, executive director of Madison-area Urban Ministry, feels is part of a pattern of community scapegoating
when times get rough and there is no one else to blame. Indeed, the scapegoating is indicative of larger social problems the country is facing.
“Homelessness and poverty are increasing in our community and in our country,” Ketcham emphasized. “A community, which is what we are like it or not,
supports its members, all of its members. Our human unity is not something that we’re called on to create. That’s already been created. We’re simply called
on to recognize it. We are part of one human family. All of here today are brothers and sisters bound as Dr. King would say in a single garment of destiny. Our
social compact is frayed and thinning. Our community, our country, will only thrive when we understand that human unity again is not something we create.
It is something we recognize.”
And according to Lindstrom, Madison is not applying the resources it needs to in order to combat the issues of homelessness and poverty in Madison. “I
know that approaching homeless people who are on the street and helping access their needs and connect them to the services that they need to overcome
obstacles can often forestall a lot of what can be some very disastrous situations that can come from spiraling conditions related to mental illness or just the
general problem of living on the street,” Lindstrom said. “When I was working homeless outreach, I worked very closely with police officers. Yet, in the last
budget cycle, when the Homeless Services Consortium proposed an expansion of homeless outreach services, that was denied. It was a very modest proposal
of only $70,000, which pales in comparison to the $3 million spent on additional police services. Our policy solutions would be instead of putting people in
jail, let’s try to see if we can make it so they can get into an addiction treatment bed or an affordable housing/traditional housing program. Let’s make sure
that people get bus tickets so that they can get to jobs. That way we can avoid some of those problems.”
In essence, the consortium of individuals at the press conference was challenging Madison to decide what type of community it was going to be. “We ask
that all of our neighbors, our brothers and sisters be recognized for their inherent worth and dignity, that we treat all of our neighbors with respect and that we
work together to repair the fabric of our social compact and that we work together for justice, social and economic, and for an end to poverty,” Ketcham said.
“And I looked at this headline [Ketcham showed a front page to the Wisconsin State Journal] ‘Cieslewicz offers plan to disperse poverty.’ What I’m really
hoping is that the next time as we learn more details about the mayor’s plan, what the headline will read is ‘Cieslewicz offers plans to decrease poverty and
homelessness.’”
As Madison faces a worsening economic situation, its policies will define what type of community Madison will be: a gated community of individuals
where the haves are sep[arated from the have nots or a community that is integrated and assists the have nots to get to a place where they can be active,
participating members of the community. Time will tell.
Hanson, executive director of the Community Action Coalition. “The homeless are not one person. They are a wide variety of individuals with unique
strengths and challenges, just like every other person on the planet.”
While stereotypes of the “homeless” might mean a single, unkempt male, perhaps a person of color, statistics on the homeless reveal a more diverse group.
“In 2006, families made up 41 percent of the homeless population served,” said Joe Lindstrom of the Homeless Services Consortium of Dane County. “Of
those 41 percent, 873 were children.”
Cynthia Travis knows what it means to be homeless. She and her children were homeless once, but have since gotten on their feet to become productive
members of the community. “The profiling they are doing is so offensive,” Travis, who now works with the Tenant Advocacy Group, said. “They forget that we
are not all bad people. We have a life and we went through something and were homeless for a while. But we’ve moved past that. Now we’re trying to make a
better life. My biggest problem now is the children are hearing all of this stuff that is going out and around. They forget that when you talk about the
homeless, our kids have been homeless. So our children think they are talking about them and that isn’t right. Just think about the whole fact that there are
other people out here who have been trying to and doing the right thing and working the best way they can to make it happen. For all of this talking and
badmouthing of the homeless, we are people. Homeless is a word. Homeless is an action that happened to you. People shouldn’t classify every homeless
person into one category.”
The vilification of the homeless, Linda Ketcham, executive director of Madison-area Urban Ministry, feels is part of a pattern of community scapegoating
when times get rough and there is no one else to blame. Indeed, the scapegoating is indicative of larger social problems the country is facing.
“Homelessness and poverty are increasing in our community and in our country,” Ketcham emphasized. “A community, which is what we are like it or not,
supports its members, all of its members. Our human unity is not something that we’re called on to create. That’s already been created. We’re simply called
on to recognize it. We are part of one human family. All of here today are brothers and sisters bound as Dr. King would say in a single garment of destiny. Our
social compact is frayed and thinning. Our community, our country, will only thrive when we understand that human unity again is not something we create.
It is something we recognize.”
And according to Lindstrom, Madison is not applying the resources it needs to in order to combat the issues of homelessness and poverty in Madison. “I
know that approaching homeless people who are on the street and helping access their needs and connect them to the services that they need to overcome
obstacles can often forestall a lot of what can be some very disastrous situations that can come from spiraling conditions related to mental illness or just the
general problem of living on the street,” Lindstrom said. “When I was working homeless outreach, I worked very closely with police officers. Yet, in the last
budget cycle, when the Homeless Services Consortium proposed an expansion of homeless outreach services, that was denied. It was a very modest proposal
of only $70,000, which pales in comparison to the $3 million spent on additional police services. Our policy solutions would be instead of putting people in
jail, let’s try to see if we can make it so they can get into an addiction treatment bed or an affordable housing/traditional housing program. Let’s make sure
that people get bus tickets so that they can get to jobs. That way we can avoid some of those problems.”
In essence, the consortium of individuals at the press conference was challenging Madison to decide what type of community it was going to be. “We ask
that all of our neighbors, our brothers and sisters be recognized for their inherent worth and dignity, that we treat all of our neighbors with respect and that we
work together to repair the fabric of our social compact and that we work together for justice, social and economic, and for an end to poverty,” Ketcham said.
“And I looked at this headline [Ketcham showed a front page to the Wisconsin State Journal] ‘Cieslewicz offers plan to disperse poverty.’ What I’m really
hoping is that the next time as we learn more details about the mayor’s plan, what the headline will read is ‘Cieslewicz offers plans to decrease poverty and
homelessness.’”
As Madison faces a worsening economic situation, its policies will define what type of community Madison will be: a gated community of individuals
where the haves are sep[arated from the have nots or a community that is integrated and assists the have nots to get to a place where they can be active,
participating members of the community. Time will tell.
| MUM executive director Linda Ketcham addresses issues of homelessness at a press conference held at the Community Action Coalition on April 10. Cynthia Travis is to the right of Ketcham. |
by Jonathan Gramling
Murders are a relatively rare thing in Madison. Madison’s per capita murder rate is less
than half the national average. Typically, Madison experiences 3-4 murders per year and it
is used to having the perpetrators identified, jailed and prosecuted. But 2008 is proving to
be a different year.
In the space of three months, John Marino and Brittany Zimmerman were murdered about
one mile apart. One other similarity they share is that their murders remain unsolved. In the
latest murder on April 2, Zimmerman’s, it was reported that someone had been going door-to-
door in the neighborhood, which is in close approximation to Brittingham Park — a place
where some homeless people gather during the day.
While there is no evidence that the crimes are related or that the perpetrator was
homeless, reports in the media have begun to hone in on the homeless, further vilifying an
already misunderstood and defenseless population. Although not proven guilty, some have
used these tragic events to further call for punitive measures against the homeless.
On April 10, a coalition of faith-based, mental health, poverty and homeless service
organization representatives gathered at the Community Action Coalition on Madison’s east
side to speak up for the homeless and to zero in on the existence — and causes — of
poverty in Madison.
Murders are a relatively rare thing in Madison. Madison’s per capita murder rate is less
than half the national average. Typically, Madison experiences 3-4 murders per year and it
is used to having the perpetrators identified, jailed and prosecuted. But 2008 is proving to
be a different year.
In the space of three months, John Marino and Brittany Zimmerman were murdered about
one mile apart. One other similarity they share is that their murders remain unsolved. In the
latest murder on April 2, Zimmerman’s, it was reported that someone had been going door-to-
door in the neighborhood, which is in close approximation to Brittingham Park — a place
where some homeless people gather during the day.
While there is no evidence that the crimes are related or that the perpetrator was
homeless, reports in the media have begun to hone in on the homeless, further vilifying an
already misunderstood and defenseless population. Although not proven guilty, some have
used these tragic events to further call for punitive measures against the homeless.
On April 10, a coalition of faith-based, mental health, poverty and homeless service
organization representatives gathered at the Community Action Coalition on Madison’s east
side to speak up for the homeless and to zero in on the existence — and causes — of
poverty in Madison.