Homeless in Des Moines

She sits in one of her usual places on the sidewalk, bare feet and blonde hair that has seen many passing seasons; of indeterminate middle-age, she says she has lived on the streets since she was eighteen. People pass by, occasionally with a look of repugnance, but most do not even give her a glance-- as if she were invisible. She has had a life; she has a story; and she has a name-- her name is Kathie.

Not only do they live, they die; and when they do, most of the citizens of Des Moines barely shrug. It's not that they don't care-- far worse, they do not even notice. Rarely are these folks considered enough to matter, and few acknowledge their absence.

Those who do care are good-hearted but misguided in their definitions of "help." While what they do is good in terms of immediate needs, far too little is being done to address the long-term needs of the people who shuffle from homeless shelter to homeless shelter or take up residence in various outdoor areas, either when the shelters are too full, or for unspoken reasons of their own they prefer to be left to themselves.

The individuals in charge of the shelters and the Prime-Care health teams should get together and see that the current system is not working, and seek different solutions which will benefit the people in the longrun.

First, in dealing with so many homeless people who have a variety of mental health concerns and addictions, the Prime-Care team must have some degree of knowledge that handing them "psych. meds" and sending them on their way does not really accomplish anything. When it comes to existing on the streets, a stable person is not much better off than an unstable one; in either state, they are not getting the assistance they need.

Second, as local shelters have become a lifestyle for many who either have no desire or motivation to improve the condition of their lives, or do not know how to go about it, in addition to taking shelter accomodations from people who truly need short-term help due to the size limitations of these places, reforming how shelters deal with their clients should be advised.