Hope Disappearing A Population Left Behind

This book was inspired by an event that took place one afternoon in 2017. This event changed the course of the lives of over 200 people in our community who were on a waiting list for housing and critical services. This list was erased, impersonally one day, by a directive. All of these people and many of their family members lost their plans and hopes for a better life, with no alternative offered. These were people who were homeless and fighting for a chance to get out of that state, permanently. Erasing that list heartlessly took away their dream. The bigger story is that thousands of people in this country are losing their chance to leave homelessness behind; losing their chance to become respected, contributing members of their community and to change the narrative for future generations. The homeless are the most underserved, undervalued citizens in this country. They are left out of all conversations regarding equal opportunity, the conversations that determine their future. As humans, they have value and potential in our communities, but their prospect for opportunity and contribution is stuck at the bottom of any measurable scale. As bad as it was already, over the last decade, due to policy changes at the federal level, the prospects of the homeless are sinking to an unprecedented low. Hope Disappearing explores the chain of events that has put this country and its homeless population in an untenable position. Drawing from the author’s experience operating local homeless programs, this book details the growing social and financial burdens of sustained homelessness, both to individuals and society. Finally, this book explores ideas on how we can begin to approach these issues with resources that will once again create opportunities for all people and ultimately benefit our communities.