The Politics of Poverty and Disability

• June 28th, 2006

Last month on the front page of the newspaper was an article about a woman who was nabbed for operating illegal boarding homes. The residents of the homes were mostly poor people who had disabilities. When the reporters interviewed her she stated that she was confused as it was city officials who had actually placed the residents within her homes and even given her money to offset the costs. After the typical denial from the Czar of disability services and a promise from the Mayor to remove folks who exceeded the legal limit of occupancy it appeared all would be taken care of and forgotten. Until the following day, with another front page story featuring the back pedal stance from the Czar. Seems they did place folks there and provided funds to assist with the housing costs to the tune of $37,000. It was also reported that over 50 people had been relocated in 24 hours, mostly to hotels. Amazing that given most people with disabilities in crisis wait for services and housing for years but yet this very public situation created such expedience for placement opportunities.

This story infuriates me on a number of fronts. The first being the full and public knowledge of all parties that safe, affordable housing has become rare if not impossible to find in my community. The surprise expressed by officials seems naive at best or less complimentary jut plain ignorant of the community these guys lead.

More troubling is the fact that when the organization I am associated with, also supporting people with disabilities, has requested assistance to offset the expense of housing (from these same folks) we have repeatedly, yet politely been turned down. So why is it that someone with a disability who is supported in a legal and licensed organization gets no help for housing but individuals living in a unlicensed and illegal dwelling do? In a state that is ranked next to the last in the country (Mississippi is the last in case you were wondering) where 40% of our funding goes to support 5% of the disability community (all conveniently living in state run institutions) with a waiting (some would say crisis) list of 1,800 people it would seem to me we are having the wrong conversation at the right time, which of course is useless, just like politics that place systems before humanity. I suppose what really bothers me the most is that when I have spoken to people from social services and the disability system they all had the same opinion of these homes, they were awful, dirty, and poorly run. One official said he would not even board his dog in one….gosh now that’s a point. Are kennels comparable to how people with disabilities are housed in the state? A place to be that’s temporary until your owner comes back for you?