Reshaping The Narrative of The Homeless Population

Media portrayal of homelessness plays a key role in the way that the general public views the ever growing issue. Across all forms of media, whether it be through social media platforms or on your favorite TV show, the homeless population is almost always portrayed as an individual sleeping on a park bench, grappling with mental illness and addiction, while the decisions of their past continue to lead them down a path that takes them further and further away from society. This perception of the homeless population greatly impacts the manners in which we attempt to deal with homelessness, often by targeting individual stories and ignoring systematic causes such as the lack of affordable housing and poor social assistance programs which are the real culprits behind homelessness.

Perception

Because the homeless population is often portrayed as little more than mentally ill addicts, homeless individuals face real difficulty in finding companies that are willing to hire them as well as apartments or housing programs willing to take them in. A study done by the Chronic Homelessness Employment Technical Assistance Center (CHETA) highlights that hiring managers are less likely to hire someone who is or has been chronically homeless due to negative stereotypes. These negative perceptions include:

- doubts about whether or not homeless individuals have the drive or motivation to work

- concerns about appearance and personal hygiene 

- concerns of how well homeless people will integrate into a regular work schedule 

These negative stereotypes make it much harder for the homeless population to re-enter the workforce, even if these individuals have the experience necessary for the job. 

Solutions

Although the media perception of the homeless population is often negative, there are groups and organizations dedicated to fighting back against this narrative to prove that homeless people have a variety of valuable skills that should be utilized in the workforce. One such company is Central City Coffee, who makes it a point to employ homeless mothers in order to aid in the oftentimes difficult transition back into a regular schedule. Central City Coffee provides a 6-month training program for homeless mothers that teaches them the skills required for the job, while also providing housing for them. 

Personal testaments from the team at Central City Coffee gathered by Oregon Business describe these homeless individuals as "some of the hardest-working individuals, who are grateful for the employment opportunity." The team also says that "these people have a lot of empathy, a lot of conflict-resolution skills and they show a lot of gratitude for the job - employers are surprised by the skills these employees bring." 

If larger media outlets were to portray the truth about many homeless people as hardworking individuals looking to better their lives, we would have many more success stories such as those from Central City Coffee. If you are curious about Central City Coffee or other similar organizations, I invite you to click the link below for more information. 

https://centralcityconcern.org/