In New York, a city of 8.5 million people, more than 56,000 homeless men, women and children sleep in homeless shelters and at least 3,300 more sleep on the streets and subways in the dead of winter. This means that one in every 143 New Yorkers is currently homeless.
The homeless problem confronts every metropolitan area of this country. In most, solutions have been hard to come by. It was against this background that I watched Time Out of Mind, a film in which Richard Gere portrays George Hammond, a homeless man on the streets, alleys, and in condemned buildings and shelters in New York.
Night after night he looks for a place to sleep, something to eat and, yes, drink. Hammond is an alcoholic and mentally-ill. His sentences are mumbled, incomplete, he has a vague look. cloudy eyes and aimless expression. He has been unable to find a job, has no identification and can’t recall his social security number.
As a result, he doesn’t qualify for the financial assistance offered by City’s social services. He is alone, even when listening to a chatty sort-of-friend, and unsuccessfully tries to connect with his adult daughter, now working in a bar. Hammond is simply down and out, drifting from one day to the next.
I watched this film hoping to find a solution to the homeless problem. None are offered, none are even suggested. What I found was a powerful depiction by Gere of what its like to be homeless on the streets in America today.
The state of Utah has developed a promising approach for homeless individuals. The state had almost 2,000 homeless individuals, many with drug or mental health problems. The approach, called Housing First, starts by giving the homeless a home, a genuine private residence rather than a shelter or halfway house.
In the Utah’s initial pilot program, 17 homeless individuals were placed in homes in Salt Lake City. According to James Surowiecki (New Yorker, 9/22/14) after 22 months, not one of them was back on the streets. Surowiecki reports that, “In the years since, the number of Utah’s chronically homeless has fallen by 74 percent.”
Utah’s program is also more cost effective than the traditional approach of first dealing with drug and mental health issues, as well as maintaining shelters. Such programs generally cost about $20,000 a year for each chronically homeless person. In contrast, placing a homeless individual into permanent house costs the state just $8,000.
Let’s assume George Hammond had a little luck and obtained an identification and social security card. Would his life be any different if he first had a home to call his own? Could he even manage its care and maintenance? Even if he lived in Utah, without a job and some kind of treatment program, I don’t imagine his life would be much different.
The approach to the homeless in Utah offers some kind of hope for what has otherwise been viewed an unfixable problem. Homes first, then a job and treatment, rather than the reverse.
You can watch a preview of the film here
4 comments:
Sounds like an interesting and compelling film even if it offers no solutions. Perhaps it is a start that it brings attention to the issue in a compassionate way?
Yes, it is a compelling film. But it's not easy to watch. It played in Portland for one week and that was it. It will be seen by a few. Sadly, not enough to make much of a difference. I found it on Amazon's Instant Video for a few dollars. It can't hold a candle to Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
This does sound like a very good film - and is the first I've heard of it. And I like Richard Gere. He is capable of very good work.
It does not sound like a happy movie, its' not a comedy, a thriller, or an action file, so people will not be drawn to it. Too bad, their loss. True to life drama, whether in books or film or on the stage, serves us well if we want to make the world better.
Maybe Utah is on to something.
I will look up the movie on Amazon. Thank you!
P.S. you can have Star Wars.
Yes, I think the program in Utah is the answer. Homes first. That's what the homeless want and that's what Hammond (Gere) wanted. A bed, bath, kitchen and door to close.
If you want to read a plight of a homeless person see: https://newrepublic.com/article/124476/dispossessed-land-dreams
It's a long essay, terribly depressing.
The film will have no impact. In every city there are homeless people on the street or in their car. In most cities there is much talk, but no action. The homeless are largely forgotten.
I'm not a Star Wars fan, not at all. No plans to see The Force Awakens.
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