Module 4: Family Traumas and Your Community
Readings
Family Homelessness
-Holly Rose Madden, Flipped Table Collective
Where do we go
When the only answer is waiting lists?
Piled weeks and months high
Full of stories and names,
How do you triage
When the needs are all
Always high.
Where do we go
With a baby on my back,
Our shelter, his crib, our van
repoed last night
With everything left that we own.
now they say we are at the top
of a list
A list that still is weeks away from home.
With my child napping on the street
I breastfeed in a public park
Exhausted but wide awake
Because every car is child welfare
And every siren is for me.
Will they see the list?
The overflowing shelter?
Will they see me doing my very best
In a city that doesn’t have space for us.
Where do we go?
My teenagers were babies yesterday
But today they are too old,
Too old for shelters,
Too old for foster care,
Too old to be considered high risk,
But too young to be an adult.
I tuck them in under a bench,
My oldest clutches her childhood
In a stuffed rabbit
Dreaming of college and a bed
Not sure which one tonight
feels The most out of reach.
Where do we go when
They raise our rent
Then criminalize homelessness
Blaming drugs when our only crime
Is being poor.
Where do we go?
The families with kids who attend public school,
But call minivans, hotel rooms, a neighbors couch and a park bench
Their permanent address
While they wait
And wait
And wait
And wait
on underfunded, underreported
housing waiting lists.
Read Chapter 1 from Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond.
Desmond, Matthew. Poverty, by America. New York: Crown, 2023.
Video
Assignment
A significant part of this week is identify and understanding the resources and needs inside your community for children/teens and for families. This assignment this week is a much larger assignment and will be a resource you utilize in your work with children and teens for years to come. (an example template is linked below for you to copy and paste if you wish!)
Assignment: Create a spreadsheet or a document with a table that lists the resources in your community. Be thorough. Look up resources available to families that are experiencing:
Intimate partner violence : How many families can these resources take? How does a family qualify? How often do they run at full capacity? Can they take a large family (5 kids+)?
Addiction: Does your community have any sober living facilities for families to go into together? How many sober living facilities are there? How many of these are faith based (many do not want to get help from faith based organizations due to religious trauma)? How many detox options are there? Are there options for teens struggling with substance abuse?
Mental Illness: What options are available for those facing a mental illness crisis? Do any of these options support a parent with children at home? What options are available for children or teens who are experiencing a mental health crisis?
Homelessness/Shelter Instability: Research emergency family shelters? How many families can these shelters accept? How do they qualify? How long can they stay? Research affordable housing options? Understand the process of homelessness and applying for housing aid and the timeline for being placed? Do any of these options help with pets (pets can be a huge barrier for families who cannot imagine abandoning a beloved pet or emotional support animal)? Do any of these resources help families on the weekend or in the middle of the night if they experience emergency homelessness at an unexpected time (like getting kicked out of a family member’s house or having the car they were living in towed)?
Crisis Nurseries: These are typically organizations that allow parents to voluntarily drop children off for extended periods of time (often up to months) while they pursue help. This can be due to homelessness, addiction, intimate partner violence, etc. Look up to see if you have any organizations like this in your community and what they entail. Can parents visit children regularly?
Childcare Support: Research what is available in your community to help with childcare costs. Some daycares are free for those who qualify due to low income (Headstart is an example) or childcare subsidies may also be available to cover the cost of care. Know the cost of average childcare in your community. Does your public schools offer free preschool and for what age does that begin with? Do these early education programs provide free education and support for children who qualify for and receive IEP’s in preschool.
Food Pantries: Look up not only food pantries but also research what is required to access food pantries (ID, social security card, etc. these are called barriers).
Diaper Banks: Look up resources for support for parents who need help with diapers and formula, etc. What are the barriers/qualifications?
Eating Disorders: What support is there for an adult or child/teen struggling with an eating disorder?
You will upload this chart in the assignment below!
If at any time during this program, you need support with the material or technical assistance, please email support@flippedtablecollective.com and someone from our team will be in touch with you soon.