Discussion

There is a wide range in responses from the various providers. Some members of the provider community appear to be very well connected and updated on what other groups are doing, and willing to work collaboratively. Other providers seemed only to have loose knowledge of other services. There seems to be evidence of communication among the faith-based service providers more so than with other public entities. However, among the faith-based services there is the concern that certain self-contained services may be too exclusive and possibly prohibit individuals who have different views of faith and religion. Another observation was that most of the service providers in Durham depended on "passive advertisement of services", or advertise by "word of mouth."

There was a general difference between the causes of homelessness identified by providers and the level of their interventions. Most providers cited macro causes such as lack of livable wages, lack of affordable housing, and changes in the economy. Their interventions, though, seem to assign responsibility for homelessness on the individual homeless person. It is as though most service providers focus on helping people negotiate their way through the system rather than changing the system that facilitated their initial or recurrent homelessness. Such interventions at the individual level included the emphasis on substance abuse services, and changing the individual decisions and choices people make. A question that could be raised is whether providers are "too busy putting out fires" instead of eliminating the flammable elements of society.

Most interviewed providers responded compassionately to certain homeless folks or to the issues of homelessness, as evidenced by the description of their specific provision of services and struggle with the government or other funding sources to acquire sufficient resources. However, providers also expressed an unconscious element by treating the homeless as people who will always need them, in effect ensuring themselves to never work their way out of a job. A previously homeless provider expressed the attitudes of providers saying "there will always be a percentage of people who will need our services, need shelters, free meals, etc. and that are incapable of pulling themselves out of their situation." This suggests the possibility that providers probably feel a sense of personal accomplishment from working one-on-one with people rather than dealing with the larger causes of homelessness, which would be long-term, frustrating issues.

The Impact of Policies on Homelessness

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Analysis of Community Member Interviews