Thread by @ProfSaraRankin

Nothing roils me like BS media, like this one from @CNN, casually tossing around phrases like "shelter resistant" in articles on homelessness. While I rant, consider whether you would EVER choose a shelter.
amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/06/18…

Shortage of emergency shelters leads to overcrowding, creating unhealthy, unsanitary, and even dangerous conditions in some shelters. Here’s just a few examples of the maggots, mold, sexual abuse, rats, contaminated food, scabies, sewage, and toxic air awaiting in some shelters.

Consider a 2019 report from @ACLUSoCal on shelter conditions- This Place is Killing Me: aclusocal.org/en/publication…

And in case you think CA is a special case: here's a 2017 report from New York, Horrors in Homeless Housing. nysenate.gov/sites/default/…

Even NY's own agencies had to report on excessive and pervasive shelter violations- check out this 2015 NYC Dept. of Investigations Report
nytimes.com/interactive/20…

If California and New York aren't persuasive, how about land-locked Nevada?
nevadacurrent.com/2018/06/06/unh…

Of course, not all shelters are so nightmarish. But many more impose obstacles that render shelters functionally inaccessible to those who need them. Here's a 2016 Homeless Rights Advocacy Project report detailing some common barriers: ssrn.com/abstract=27764…

But we must reconsider what we define as meaningful offers of shelter. Would you accept shelter if it meant you must split from family members, loved ones, companion pets, or your community? What about your personal belongings?

Are you really ready to satisfy all the varying conditions any shelter might require? Are there measures of privacy, autonomy, or human dignity you are prepared to give up?

Is it reasonable for us to expect another human being to give up all these things for one night of uneasy sleep next to a bunch of strangers only to be ejected back on to the streets by the crack of dawn the next day?

The bottom line is we have taught many people to distrust services and shelter. Through experience, many people experienng homelessness have learned that emergency shelters do not promote safety, stability, and dignity.

Emergency shelters are not a home. They do not promise a stable, human place to belong.

So the next time we feel incredulous that someone would pass on an offer of “shelter”…. Consider that we often present people with a false choice and then blame them for not taking it. Take a look in the mirror and honestly consider whether you would.

Even if you can't be honest, be prepared for wait lists. Here's a 2017 report from Maricopa county Arizona reporting 11-week family shelter waitlists for over 200 families seeking emergency shelter. azcentral.com/story/news/201…

And a 2017 San Francisco report that 90 day waitlist for single adult shelter included a 97 year old man and some people in their 80s: sfpublicpress.org/news/homelessn…

I didn't even get to the fun part where you can't keep a job because of reporting times or where you don't even know whether a shelter has space without first taking a gamble by waiting in line for hours. Lose the gamble at the first spot, you’re too late for the others.

If you're REALLY being honest, you'll wash the word "shelter resistant" right out of your mouth. Print that, @CNN.