Out of sight, out of mind.

Something I am beginning to discover about poverty is that there is not just one type. Go to the streets; you will see whites, blacks, hispanics, 10 year olds, 80 year olds. This is diverse problem and  there is no specific formula to cure it. 

Today's post is supposed to come from the Lee University library database, however I am having some major technical difficulties. Instead, I found a newsletter from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). This newsletter is titled Ending Rural Homelessness: Advice from Experts in the Field. USICH spoke with 2 sources: Dreama Shreve from the Appalachian Regional Coalition to End Homelessness, and Dr. Tom Simpatico of Pathways to Housing Vermont and the University of Vermont, on the nature of homelessness in rural areas and ways to improve services.

In the beginning of the article, Shreve says that due to transportation, homelessness in rural areas is more sprawled out rather than centralized. Being from a rural, Georgian town, I can attest to this. Rarely do we see homeless people because they are so spread out which makes them harder to spot. This can mean more extreme poverty and homelessness because the problem is hidden. Unfortunately, rural towns often fall subject to the saying, "out of sight, out of mind." 

"The nature of rural communities often obscures the homeless population.  Unlike urbanized areas, rural communities seldom have in place a formal social service network that would facilitate measuring the problem." 

-Dr. Simpatico

Dr. Simpatico drew out his take on the 4-way stratification of homeless citizens:

• The Traditional Homeless: People living unsheltered on the street, the characteristics are similar to people experiencing chronic homelessness in urban areas. They often suffer from substance abuse, personal tragedy, or mental or physical disabilities.  They generally have had little recent attachment to the labor force and have trouble maintaining a permanent address or securing employment. 
• The Working Poor: Often driven by financial hardship, this group has been growing in recent years.  They are often one- and two-parent families with children.  They often double-up with friends/friendly acquaintances and/or move frequently in search of work.
• Displaced Farmers and Farm Workers: Farm foreclosures cause displacement for many who rely on farms for work and livelihood. Since it is often difficult to resell property after foreclosure, farmers are often permitted to stay on the land.  There is often despondency involved as farms have been in a family’s possession for generations; there is a sudden loss of personal identity as well as financial security. 
• Veterans: Veterans are more likely to live in rural areas than other households and Veterans in rural areas tend to be older and in worse health than Veterans in urban areas.  Because rural Veterans experiencing homelessness are not easily identifiable and not engaged in services

Throughout this newsletter, both Shreve and Simpatico emphasize the invisible problem rural communities face. Extreme poverty exists everywhere, not where we can see it. 

2 Corinthians 4:16–18
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 

For more information on this newsletter, please visit this website:

http://www.usich.gov/issue/rural_homelessness/ending_rural_homelessness_advice_from_experts_in_the_field/