Activist Discusses Homeless

Former Rhode Island gubernatorial candidate Myrth York and homeless activist Macy DeLong led a discussion on homelessness in Boylston Hall's Ticknor Lounge last night.

The two women discussed possible root causes of homelessness as it exists today and gave suggestions for ways of dealing with the problem.

DeLong, founder of the homeless assistance organization Solutions At Work, suggested that the most important action that must be taken by activists is to "bring voices of people [affected by homelessness] into the policy-making arena and into the decision-making arena."

"A family cannot live on minimum wage," said York, who insisted that society needs to be more inclusive of families and low-wage workers in its perception of homelessness. "The traditional image we have is kind of like that image they paint of women on welfare--it simply is not true,"

DeLong agreed. "Most [homeless] people do not look like homeless people. It is very important to recognize that [homelessness] is an economic and a systemic problem. There are a lot of misrepresentations by the media," she said.

The discussion then moved on to an everyday dilemma for many Harvard students--whether to give money to the homeless in Harvard Square.

"I don't give to them," DeLong said, "but each individual has his choice."

She urged that "the important thing to do is to acknowledge [the homeless] as human beings."

"My personal feeling is that I want to spend my money in places that I'm going to help people put their lives together," De Long said.

In trying to identify some possible solutions for homelessness, York stressed the importance of understanding its root causes.

"I would not pick any one aspect of the system which is a cause," York said. "There are multiple problems there, in terms of education and skills and opportunity."

York criticized the traditional responses towards homelessness.

"Our policy is first to ignore the problem and then to go for band-aid solutions," she said. "Shelters are not a solution. They're just a quick remedy."

York also emphasized that "there are no easy answers. There are people with multiple problems who end up on the street."

Kevin A. Hall '02, one of about 30 audience members, said he learned a lot from the discussion.

"I didn't have any idea of the complexity of the issues," Hall said.

Erin B. Ashwell '02, the event's organizer, said she found the discussion to be a good educational experience.

"I think that homelessness is something that we see every day but that we never really deal with," Ashwell said. "There were a lot of us who had very basic questions and before this we never really had answers to them."