Stigmas Towards Homeless

in Rutherford County, TN:

Implications of the Perceptions of the
Homeless

Meredith Craig
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INTRODUCTION
▫ Homelessness in Rutherford County has grown from 223
individuals in 2008 to 306 individuals in 2016 (HUD 2016).
- Homelessness has decreased in Tennessee and the US as a whole.
- “Big city” problems- gentrification, lack of affordable housing, population
influx
▫ Hypothesis- Homeless individuals remain homeless due to
negative societal stigmas.
▫ Many studies have been done regarding the attitudes about
homelessness nationally, but none locally.
▫ Find solutions to aid and prevent homelessness in Rutherford
County.
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37.2%
Rise in homelessness from 2008 to 2016.
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REVIEW OF
LITERATURE
Summary of related works
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DEFINITIONS OF HOMELESSNESS
▫ Two definitions:
- Dept of Education (DoE): individuals living in
shelters, transitional housing, public places,
without a residence, or with a relative or friend
(National Law Center on Homelessness and
Poverty 2015).
- Dept of Housing and Urban Development (HUD):
people living in shelters, transitional housing, or
public places.
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PRINCIPLES OF COUNTING
▫ Continuum of Care (CoC): Group responsible for
coordinating services for the homeless.
- Homeless Alliance of Rutherford County (HARC)
▫ Point in Time (PIT): pinpoints how many individuals are
homeless (sheltered or unsheltered) on a given night in
January within a continuum of care.
▫ Housing Inventory Count (HIC): comprehensive
inventory for all housing that is dedicated to serving
homeless/formerly homeless in a CoC.
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BACKGROUND
▫ Homelessness has dropped nationwide from 664,000
persons (2008) to 553,742 persons (2017), (HUD
2009, HUD 2017).
▫ Homelessness has also dropped in Tennessee from
10,276 (2010) to 8,779 (2016), (USICH 2016).
▫ While other parts of the state have become less
affected by homelessness, the homeless population in
Rutherford County has increased.
MAP
8
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LEADING CAUSES
▫ Nearly 5,000 (25%) young adults a year, previously in
the foster care system, will become homeless.
▫ Correlation between mental illness, substance abuse,
and homelessness (McNiel, Binder, & Robinson 2005).
- 33% of homeless citizens suffer from untreated mental illness
(Mondics 2014), 26% have a history of substance abuse.
▫ Insufficient, unaffordable housing
- Especially among minorities
- Gentrification- low income housing renovated middle class
- Housing prices risen 7% in past year in Rutherford County
▫ Crime- often higher arrest rate
-
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DEMOGRAPHICS AND PERCEPTIONS

▫ Men, ethnic minorities, people of color, people with
disabilities disproportionately affected.
- Most common case of homelessness: unaccompanied, African
American, adult male who is disabled.
▫ One in every 30 children are considered homeless.
▫ Viewed as having “chosen their lifestyle” (Donley 2008).
▫ Often equated to criminals.
▫ Compassion vs NIMBY-ism
- Prefer homeless kept at a distance
- Eye contact
- Pity vs sacrifice
-
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SOLUTIONS
▫ Foster care system (NAEH 2016)-
- Protective factors: high GPA, placement with a relative
- Leading Causes: race, dependents, previous homelessness, 4 or
more school changes in 3 years, one or more foster care placement,
youth who have been to juvenile rehabilitation 4 or more times
▫ TN State Plan for Eliminating Homelessness
- Increase affordable housing, civic engagement, economic security,
links to health care providers, and crisis response systems.
- End Chronic/ Veteran Homelessness- 2017
- End homelessness for families with children and youth- 2020
- End all other homelessness- 2025
▫ Long term housing more cost effective and successful
-
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METHODOLOGY
▫ Separate surveys were screened for wording of the
question bias.
▫ Survey for non homeless individuals:
- 712 sample participants surveyed on Google Form
- Conducted using Facebook groups and Twitter
▫ Survey for homeless individuals:
- 3 sample participants interviewed in person
- Conducted at Journey Home during Sunday dinner service
- Questions asked on a somewhat subjective basis
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RESULTS, NON HOMELESS SAMPLE

▫ All participants screened to live in Rutherford County.
▫ Demographics
- 18-34 age overrepresented, 65+ underrepresented
- Gender skewed- 92.4% surveyed were women
- Ethnic/ racial minorities underrepresented
- Income level biased towards $75,000+ bracket
▫ 79% responded national homelessness has increased
▫ 75% responded Rutherford County homelessness has
increased, 23.3% unsure
▫ 43.8% believe communities with fewer homeless
citizens are safer
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RESULTS, NON HOMELESS SAMPLE (CONT)

▫ 86.2% believe reducing homelessness would reduce burden on
law enforcement and hospitals, 13.8% didn’t.
▫ 96% of sample believed homeless citizens should not be
prohibited from public areas.
▫ Perceived Causes
- Leading- Job loss/ Unemployment, Mental illness, Insufficient Income, Home
foreclosure, Drug and Alcohol Abuse
- Moderate- Changes in family, Poor education/ Lack of skills, Domestic
Violence, Physical disability, Inability to Pay Medical Expenses, Aging out of
foster care
- Inconclusive- Inability to Find Affordable Housing
▫ Participants more likely to aid by donating or volunteering, not
taxation.
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RESULTS, HOMELESS SAMPLE

▫ Three sample participants interviewed
▫ Attitude of non-homeless citizens generally viewed
negatively, but that didn’t affect the care they receive.
- Not viewed negatively in public areas
▫ Government aid credited most heavily in combating
homelessness.
- Monetary government aid and housing programs
▫ Drug and alcohol abuse suggested as a link to people
who choose homelessness
- “They’re drunk all the time. They’re doped up all the time… they’re
the ones who say they enjoy the way that they are living.”
▫
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RESULTS, HOMELESS SAMPLE (CONT)

▫ Each person affected by many causes
- All affected by: Domestic violence, changes in family, mental illness/
PTSD, physical disability, insufficient income, poor education/ lack of
skills, inability to pay medical expenses
- Two participants cited: Inability to find affordable housing and job
loss/ unemployment
- One participant cited: drug and alcohol abuse, home foreclosure
▫ All homeless by circumstance rather than choice.
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SOLUTIONS OF HOMELESSNESS, HOMELESS
SAMPLE

CONCERN INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE HOUSING ASSISTANCE

Educating the general Citizens concerned with Requirement to use

public so that there is the welfare of homeless
concern, rather than pity, individuals should focus or
and needs are more one person or family
effectively met within the rather than several. Long
community. term investment is more
beneficial than a
temporary bandage.
portion of government aid
on housing to aid
homeless citizens who
suffer from drug and
alcohol dependency.
Ensures funds are used
responsibly.
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FIRST HAND ACCOUNTS

“I won’t even get food stamps because they said that if I go get anything from the government that
her dad would get his rights to her. And right now, he don’t have his rights cause I didn’t put him on
the birth certificate. And so for me to get the food stamps and that Families First stuff, only part I
would really need in it is child care, but the rest of it I try not to… because he’ll get his rights and he’ll
get to see her. I mean he tried to kill me. He tried to choke me when I was pregnant with her. And I
just, I’d rather come here [The Journey Home] and eat and get a food box and live that way and
penny pinch my life than let him see her. And everyone is just ‘Oh he just wanna see her.’ It’s not
what I want, it’s not what he wants. It’s what's best for her. And... he’s not best for her. I had six
miscarriages because of him. And she made it so, then I had issues during my pregnancy and then
when I had her they said I would never have another one, so. That’s it for me and I’m not gonna lose
her over something like him.”
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FIRST HAND ACCOUNTS (CONT.)

I sleep in somebody else’s car cause mine broke down. I did sleep under the bridge but it got too dangerous... If people
would choose one person to help and get back into the mainstream. Like I remember several years ago I just I was
begging people I met just pick me to be who their Sunday school wanted to help. All I needed was very little cause I’d
done all these other things and all I need was like getting... just little stuff, ya know? And they didn’t want to do that,
which is so stupid.

My mother turned her back on me, actually my whole family turned their back on me. I have Lupus. I’m homeless. My
cousin, he died because he worked up under houses and got a fungus in his lungs. He tried to put me in his house but
before we could complete it, he died. His wife got the house. I lost every single thing. My mom has a three-bedroom
house, trailer. My brother has a three-bedroom house and my Auntie has a five-bedroom house... I wanna work, I try
to work.

Don’t just feed people, consistently feed them. It’s like a puppy, they are gonna keep eating. You gotta renew the
mind. You gotta teach em a trade. You gotta give em a program. You teach em how to fish. You can give a person fish
and they’re gonna eat fish, but if you give em a fishing pole and teach em how to fish, then they can live on their own.
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LIMITATIONS
Deliverance of survey Underrepresentation Small Homeless Sample
The non-homeless Males, ethnic Because of time
survey was presented minorities, people of constraints and safety
using primarily color, older adults, and concerns, I was unable to
Facebook and Twitter lower income survey more than 3
which skewed sample individuals were homeless individuals.
to wealthier class. underrepresented.
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DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

▫ Studies showed a gap in understanding and aiding the
homeless.
▫ Only 2.5% of non-homeless citizens correctly
established homelessness nationwide is decreasing.
- Disconnect, but understandable due to macroscopic level
▫ 75% of sample correctly established homelessness in
Rutherford County is increasing.
- Surprising 25% were unsure regarding their own community.
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PREVALENCE OF CAUSES
▫ In some cases, causes of homelessness were severely
overestimated.
- Substance abuse affects 26% of homeless citizens, but 28% of
sample identified this as a leading cause.
- Homelessness not synonymous with addiction, prevents care.
- Mental illness affects about 33% of homeless individuals, but a
quarter of the sample identified mental illness as a leading cause.
- Homelessness not synonymous with “crazy.”
▫ Other cases, causes were underestimated.
- Gentrification and unaffordable housing not grasped fully.
- Getting a residence with a $500 rent requires making $1,000
monthly, according to interview.
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CONCLUSION
▫ “Homeless people are the people who have given up.”
▫ There is an unintentional gap in understanding of the
homeless community in Rutherford County.
- There is not malicious intent.
▫ How to help: Homeless individuals want a mentor. One
person, family, or church group to just care for them.
- Accountability for both parties.
- There is a need for immediate attention like serving a meal or
providing temporary housing, but we need long term restoration.
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“Homelessness is not… a choice.

It’s negligence, a failure, a lack of
love, of understanding. Everyone
needs somebody, cause ya know,
nobody should be out walking
alone.”
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REFERENCES
Broden, S. (2017, October 13). Rutherford County homebuyers face challenge in quest for affordable housing.
Retrieved January 2, 2018.
City of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. (2016). Murfreesboro/ Rutherford County Continuum Of Care. Retrieved.
Coalition for the Homeless. (2017). Proven Solutions. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
Donley, A. M. (2008). The perception of homeless people: Important factors in determining perceptions of the homeless as
dangerous (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Central Florida. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
Doran, L. (2015, March 17). Foster Kids and Homelessness: What are the Risk Factors? Retrieved May 24, 2017.
Gallup Inc. (2007). Homelessness in America: Americans' perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge (pp. 1-52) (United States of
America, Fannie Mae). Princeton, NJ: Gallup. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
HUD. (2016, November). PIT and HIC Data since 2007 (United States, Department of Housing and Urban Development).
Retrieved September 20, 2017.
McNiel, D. E., Ph.D., Binder, R. L., M.D., & Robinson, J. C., M.A. (2005). Incarceration Associated With Homelessness,
Mental Disorder, and Co-occurring Substance Abuse. Incarceration Associated with Homelessness, Mental
Disorder, and Co-occurring Substance Abuse, 56(7), 840-846. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
Mondics, J. (2014, July 25). How Many People with Serious Mental Illness Are Homeless? Retrieved January 16, 2017.
National Alliance to End Homelessness. (2016, October 13). Foster kids and Homelessness: What are the risk factors?
[Web log post]. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
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REFERENCES (CONT.)
National Alliance to End Homelessness. (2010, January 14). What is a Continuum of Care? Retrieved December 27,
2017
National Coalition for the Homeless. (2007, August). How many people experience homelessness? Retrieved May 24,
2017.
National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. (2015, January). Homelessness in America: Overview of data and
causes. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
Tennessee Interagency Council on Homelessness. (2016, Summer). The Tennessee State Plan to End Homelessness
(United States, Tennessee Interagency Council on Homelessness). Retrieved September 20, 2016.
U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. (2009). The 2008 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress.
Retrieved January 10, 2018.
U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. (2017). The 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to
Congress. The 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
USICH. (2016). Total People Experiencing Homelessness on a Given Night in 2016 [Map]. In State Data and Contacts
Map. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
Veterans Affairs. (2011). General HMIS Resources [Microsoft Powerpoint file] Retrieved 27 December 2017.