According to United States Department of Justice Website, “This year 600,000 inmates will be released from prison back into society. We know from long experience that if they can’t find work, a home, or help, they are much more likely to commit more crimes and return to prison/jail.
PODCAST: A Call to Action
Homelessness and Re-entry into Society: A Broken Record – One student’s perspective by Noah Buono
_____________________________________________________________________
Women Struggle the Most
By Bailey Lis, Hannah Knecht, Kailey Lane, and Noah Buono
One group is especially likely to become homeless: Formerly incarcerated women.
While women make up 27% of the overall homeless population in Pennsylvania, formerly incarcerated women are more likely than their male counterparts to be homeless, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
In part, this is because incarcerated women are more likely be victims of domestic violence. They may not be able to go home or they may not want to.
The survival techniques used by domestic abuse victims can land them in jail in the first place. For example: Teens may run away from an abusive home; women may engage in prostitution or theft in an effort to gain financial independence; or they retaliate against their abusers.
The National Library of Medicine says that approximately 50% of female inmates have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime and that between 25% and 50% experienced childhood abuse.
For many of these women, the victimization only continues or worsens inside of prison. Prisons are notorious for inmate-on-inmate abuse, as well as staff-on-inmate ill-treatment. Without the proper resources such as shelters and medical care upon release, many victims of abuse become part of the homeless population to avoid an unfit living situation with an abusive husband or boyfriend.
Black and Hispanic women also experience homelessness at a significantly higher rate than white women, according to the Prison Policy Initiative website. PPI found that the unemployment rates in formerly incarcerated Black women are significantly higher than any other demographic. This illustrates the fact that are not receiving the resources they need to succeed after release from prison.
Studies have explored many the connections between incarceration and subsequent homelessness. Experts believe that legally and financially excluding formerly incarcerated people from safe, stable, and affordable housing blocks their ability to reintegrate successfully into their communities.
_____________________________________________________________________
Real Life – The Story of Fatima and Big Man
By Kailey Lane
From street corner to bridge overpass, the city of Pittsburgh is home to thousands of homeless people struggling to survive. While some die on the streets, others like Fatima and Big Man cling to hope that life has more to offer than their current circumstances.
Formerly incarcerated individuals, or ‘reentering citizens’ are released from jail or prison with minimal resources. Homeless shelters that have limited capacity, drug addiction and the cost of living are just a few reasons why these individuals remain on the streets to fend for themselves.
Fifth and Forbes Avenue in Pittsburgh are home to many – those who are homeless, and those who are not. Big Man and Fatima are just two of those individuals who reside on the streets of Pittsburgh and have been homeless off and on for many years. Their shoes waterlogged, clothes mangled and dirty, begging for food and shelter, they are caught in the revolving door of incarceration and homelessness.
The couple has been together for an unspecified amount for years, as well as homeless together this time around since March of 2020. Fatima, a mere 51 years old, began her initial incarceration at 30 or so, after she got mixed up with drug and substance abuse. Admittedly, she was guilty of her first crime, but believed she was guilty only by association for a second crime that led her to serve additional time. Although she protested her innocence, she valued her time behind bars.
“Prison, you know, I ain’t gonna say I loved it, but I loved the experience because I got to come across all kinds of people. Cold blooded murderers, baby killers, people that killed their own kids, people that didn’t do nothin’, people that you believe didn’t do nothin’, and people didn’t,” she expressed in a prophetic tone.
Although she had a seemingly positive experience behind bars, once released, life on the streets was difficult. Jails and prisons offer information on half-way houses and resources that will help them get back on their feet, but they do not always live up to the description. Both Fatima and Big Man expressed that half-way houses cost money, and they cannot afford the $27 cost per night to stay. Their voices quivered while telling this aspect of their struggles, but their eyes glistened with hope.
Once released from prison, homeless individuals face loss of provided daily meals and a roof over their heads. There are two categories of homeless individuals; sheltered means those who have a roof over their heads, and unsheltered are those like Fatima and Big Man who do not. Fatima that people who walk by tend to give her food rather than money, but they preferred this sometimes. They currently struggle to find meals, but when they can find a shelter that will take them in, they normally are given food. To the pair, a provided meal from a kind Samaritan saves Big Man and Fatima the little money they have to begin with.
She expressed her disappointment in the lack of help and stability half-way houses provided her. Now, she is fending for herself on the street, aware of the stereotypes and lack of understanding from those around her.
They reflected on their time spent on the street and the lack of general respect they face while being homeless. Fatima spoke sternly about regular people who abuse the homeless, such as physically injuring them, and wreaking whatever belongings they have. Both Fatima and Big Man have little to nothing that they carry around besides a backpack to carry few items they gather along the way, and the clothes on their back.
Big Man, Fatima’s boyfriend, has been homeless with her during multiple time periods, but most recently during the stretch of the pandemic since March 2020. When he was originally sentenced on charges he chose not to disclose, he opted for a plea bargain for a crime he didn’t commit to keep it quiet and get released sooner. After a violation of probation, however, he was sent upstate to prison for an additional 10 years after his original sentencing.
Big Man was,”a kid from the ghetto with a dream.” He reiterated a childhood dream to be an NFL player, but spoke about the odds stacked against him and those who continually instilled the idea of failure into his head. The kid inside of him shined through his tired eyes, because at the end of the day, he still had hope that one day he could fulfill a new dream. This was the dream of being in a steady environment with a job, to have a home, and ultimately, have a stable life.
“Here’s the biggest lie: You’re a convicted felon and you can’t get a job. It’s up to you to take that first opportunity and take the ball and run with it just like you do with anything else. It may not pay the best, but it’s a stepping stone. Don’t wait for someone to give it to you, go out there and get it because if you don’t start talking to people like we are now, you’ll never know,” Big Man said.
Despite their optimism, the couple admits that their criminal records inhibit them from certain jobs, housing, and neighborhoods. Fatima and Big Man have the odds against them. As they get older, the struggle becomes harder.
This is one of the multiple stretches where Big Man has been homeless.
Although he has lived a life of failed dreams, he has hope for a positive future with his partner, Fatima.
“There are so many homeless people because the biggest thing you can lose is your freedom to choose. Once you give away your freedom to choose, it’s over,” Big Man said.
“We refuse to go back to the ‘free room’ and that free room is incarceration. That’s why there’s so many homeless people,” Big Man said sternly.
Although the odds stack against them, they remain determined to escape the revolving door.