U. forum, moderated by mayor, looks at homelessness problem

Four homelessness experts emphasized a change in government priorities as fundamental to ending the problems of homelessness in a forum moderated by Mayor Wilson Goode last week. Nearly 100 students attended the discussion, entitled "Homelessness in our Country, our Cities, and our Backyard," which kicked off a five-day series of events designed to raise money and increase awareness of the homeless problem. Goode opened the forum, saying that there was "nothing more important" than understanding the plight of the homeless. He added that citywide shelters do not solve the problem. Assistant Psychiatry Professor Dennis Culhane, who has done extensive research on homelessness, blasted the shelter system, calling it "the worst human rights crisis facing this country." "It's where people are vulnerable to the draconian policies of the shelter guards," said Culhane. "Essentially, what you have in the shelter system is the inmates in charge of the asylum." Speaking about the problem on the national level, Leona Smith, the President of the National Union of the Homeless, said that the only way to effect change would be to "empower people to empower themselves." Smith said people must be able to speak for themselves, and the homeless can do so at the ballot box. Starting in Philadelphia, her organization has brought homeless people out to vote in other major cities like Chicago, New York and Tucson, Arizona. The audience was particularly silenced by the story of Sabrina Baker, a recent homeless victim who was given a house through Dignity Housing, a program providing permanent housing for the homeless. "Being homeless for the first time in my life was a rude awakening," Baker said. "I was stripped of my dignity. It was the most horrifying experience for me and my children. I couldn't understand why I was homeless." Alicia Christian, the executive director of Dignity Housing, said she believes that answers to the problem do not lie in "a dining room in Center City to keep them off the nice streets." The panel generally agreed that students can play a major role in solving the problem of homelessness. Culhane called student action "collective action for collective benefit." Mayor Goode blamed the problem of homelessness on economics. "The basic problem with homelessness is money," said Goode. "People don't have enough money to live in society. Giving someone a house is not going to work." College senior Jeff Furman said the forum and question and answer session helped provide "valuable insights as to how students can get out of their Ivy League, plush seats to make some positive contributions."

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