Homelessness changes time.
“Time Horizon” is the distance into the future that a person plans. For example, if you are 40 years old and you are saving for retirement, you have a time horizon of at least 25 years. Research has discovered many experiences that “shrink” a person’s time horizon: Consider the first item on that list – […]
What is De-Escalation?
I’m working on a 5-minute training on de-escalation for people new to the concept. I thought I would try the concept out on y’all! —– When someone is rude to you or refuses to follow the rules, most people naturally lean towards one of two responses: Take a second and decide which one you naturally […]
Is he a jerk or cognitively disabled?
Most people think Fred is a jerk. He makes sexist jokes. He tells people they “look fat.” He makes racist comments. It is VERY easy to write off Fred as a horrible human being. Reality isn’t that simple, though… Fred is cognitively disabled Fred suffered a serious blow to the head a decade ago. See […]
If you don’t understand TBI, you don’t understand homelessness.
53% of chronically homeless individuals suffer from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). That is nearly five times the rate for the general population. A TBI is caused by a blow to the head. It is commonly caused by a car accident, sports, war or violence. The symptoms vary wildly, depending on which part of the […]
Homelessness and child abuse.
Our amazing researcher, Krista, stumbled upon a disturbing statistic the other day: As many as 67% of chronically homeless individuals were abused as children. I expected the number to be high, but not that high. I’m still trying to make sense of this stat, but here are a few initial thoughts: This is why investing […]
He looks scary.
I got this question recently: We serve a man who “looks” homeless. He wears a vest (without a shirt underneath when it is hot outside). He has never caused any issues, but many staff and volunteers have said they are afraid of him because he “looks scary.” Here is my answer: It is interesting that […]
Homelessness and Stereotypes
According to stereotype researchers (yes, that is a thing), there are four types of stereotypes. The four types are based on two variables: The four categories are: 1. Low Competence – High Warmth The classic example is “the elderly.” This is the domain of Paternalistic Prejudice. 2. High Competence – High Warmth The classic example […]
How do I offer toiletries to someone who looks homeless?
On Thursday I’m doing a live Q&A for member organizations. Here is a question someone sent me recently and my reply: Dear Ryan, I work at a library. We have a patron who appears to be homeless. We have a bag of toiletries for him and an unused cart that he can use for his […]
Abusive people on the phone.
Dear Ryan, I answer the phones at a shelter. The problem is that our shelter is full. I put people on our waitlist and provide them with information on other options (none of which are good). Some people are “not very nice” to me when I tell them we are full. I’ve been cursed at, […]
Homelessness can be explained in two sentences
Boston Vs. Detroit In 1970, Detroit and Boston had nearly identical poverty rates. Since then: Boston’s homelessness rate is more than double Detroit’s. (If you thought, “Of course the poorer city has more homeless folks” read the last sentence again.) Homelessness Explained Homelessness can be explained in two sentences: Homelessness is very counterintuitive. To understand […]
