A Puzzlement
It has been very difficult for me to keep my mind on writing in recent times because I have adult children living in Israel. Anyone who has followed the news knows how problematic that part of the world has been, and having one child who was drafted into the war effort over there was more than enough reason for me to be distracted. The cease fire that is now in effect is a rather fragile one, and while it gives some respite, it does not completely take away the worry that I have felt.
In the hopes of getting myself back on an even keel, I have involved myself in writing poems and taking part in discussions with others who do the same. All these things are mere diversionary tactics designed to take my mind off the many problems that I face, because taking them all on at once is just too much for me to handle. On that, those persons who work on my team of support services are in total agreement; I would not be able to take on the entire load at once.
I am not alone in what I do. Many persons who are homeless face a staggering load of problems and do not know what to do first. Coping with such situations can be devastating. A large number will turn to drugs and/or alcohol as a means of escaping the stress of a problem overload. While drugs and alcohol never solve problems – they only create more problems – it is easy to understand why a person might fall into such a trap. Then knowing how to turn for help with the added problem of substance abuse is yet another problem added to the already long list.
What I have found odd, however, is that many times I have been penalized for not having a substance abuse problem when it comes to placement for housing. Many programs exist for persons with substance abuse issues, but a person with no such record is excluded. It hardly seems sensible to encourage persons to develop substance abuse problems in order to become eligible for housing, but that is precisely what these programs do. Granted, housing for persons with substance abuse problems involves attending meetings, living under supervision and curfews, all with restrictions that I would not particularly appreciate, seeing as how I really do not need any of these impositions on my life, but the people are still awarded housing, which is already a step higher than a person who is not, and there is little to argue about there.
I have somehow managed to survive as long as I have through a lot of good fortune; that is the best way that I can sum it up. However, it has been surviving, not living. When it comes to moving on to another phase that would include permanent housing, I am not optimistic because I have seen already how the programs for obtaining subsidized housing are administered. The attitude of “just move somewhere and if you don’t like it, you can always move later” has been thrust upon me more than once when I was urged to move into high-crime areas in which my life would be in danger without question. As a Hebrew proverb says, a pessimist is an optimist with experience, and I already have sufficient experience to be more than a bit pessimistic.
It is not as if things have to be this way. They could be quite different. I am left wondering why it is so difficult to grant housing for a person with no background of substance abuse when persons who have such backgrounds are given such allotments. It is a reverse logic that is most baffling and makes no sense at all. Then again, does logic really play a part in the thinking in these programs?
In the hopes of getting myself back on an even keel, I have involved myself in writing poems and taking part in discussions with others who do the same. All these things are mere diversionary tactics designed to take my mind off the many problems that I face, because taking them all on at once is just too much for me to handle. On that, those persons who work on my team of support services are in total agreement; I would not be able to take on the entire load at once.
I am not alone in what I do. Many persons who are homeless face a staggering load of problems and do not know what to do first. Coping with such situations can be devastating. A large number will turn to drugs and/or alcohol as a means of escaping the stress of a problem overload. While drugs and alcohol never solve problems – they only create more problems – it is easy to understand why a person might fall into such a trap. Then knowing how to turn for help with the added problem of substance abuse is yet another problem added to the already long list.
What I have found odd, however, is that many times I have been penalized for not having a substance abuse problem when it comes to placement for housing. Many programs exist for persons with substance abuse issues, but a person with no such record is excluded. It hardly seems sensible to encourage persons to develop substance abuse problems in order to become eligible for housing, but that is precisely what these programs do. Granted, housing for persons with substance abuse problems involves attending meetings, living under supervision and curfews, all with restrictions that I would not particularly appreciate, seeing as how I really do not need any of these impositions on my life, but the people are still awarded housing, which is already a step higher than a person who is not, and there is little to argue about there.
I have somehow managed to survive as long as I have through a lot of good fortune; that is the best way that I can sum it up. However, it has been surviving, not living. When it comes to moving on to another phase that would include permanent housing, I am not optimistic because I have seen already how the programs for obtaining subsidized housing are administered. The attitude of “just move somewhere and if you don’t like it, you can always move later” has been thrust upon me more than once when I was urged to move into high-crime areas in which my life would be in danger without question. As a Hebrew proverb says, a pessimist is an optimist with experience, and I already have sufficient experience to be more than a bit pessimistic.
It is not as if things have to be this way. They could be quite different. I am left wondering why it is so difficult to grant housing for a person with no background of substance abuse when persons who have such backgrounds are given such allotments. It is a reverse logic that is most baffling and makes no sense at all. Then again, does logic really play a part in the thinking in these programs?
posted by MasterWriter at 1:11 p.m.
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