December 1, 2015

THE BASICSTopic: Homelessness

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland-homelssness/shelter.html

ArticlesNationwide

“With El Nino looming, L.A. has little to show in city’s ‘war on homelessness’” (12/1) (Los Angeles Times)

“New Stats Boast A Dip in Homelessness – But They’re Not the Full Story” (11/23) (NPR) “More than 500,000 people homeless in the United States: report” (11/19) (Reuters) “Mayor de Blasio Authorizes Emergency Measure to Aid Homeless People” (8/30) (The NY Times)

Oregon “How to house homeless in six months or less” (11/19) (Portland Tribune) “Our Homeless Crisis: As stats begin reflecting reality, Gresham’s approach evolves. Will

answers follow?” (9/9) (The Oregonian)

Questions to Consider What is the definition of homelessness? Is homelessness a housing problem? What are the options for increasing the amount of

affordable housing? Who are the homeless? What groups of people are vulnerable to homelessness? Why? What are the reasons why people lose their homes? What are the special challenges to veterans in finding affordable housing? Which government entities have responsibility for laws affecting the homeless? Are the resources

required to deal with homelessness best provided at the state level? What help does the federal government provide?

What is the Department of Housing and Urban Development? How is federal housing policy connected to other social justice issues?

How is homelessness a symbol for other problems in our county? How is economic inequality connected to homelessness? What legal rights do the homeless have? How are mental health issues related to homelessness? What help can government provide? How are zoning laws used to limit the homeless population? How are zoning laws used to protect

property owners in areas where the homeless congregate? How is the safety and economic viability of business areas affected by homeless groups?

What kind of help could and should we give the homeless? How might we respond when asked for money? How do we recognize that homeless persons are people, not just statistics?

Why might homeless persons be unwelcome? What are the rights of homeless persons? What might be the potential problems when homeless persons use public facilities?

What are the effects of homelessness on children? What does the level of school absenteeism among homeless children say about the multiple difficulties of getting to school?

How accurate and helpful are the statistics about homelessness? Why might there be a question of accuracy and reliability?

How does winter weather make the lack of affordable housing a more pressing problem? Is the decision to shelter homeless by the First Congregational United Church of Christ a model

for other downtown Portland churches? How did the city and volunteers and a minister with the Board of his church make the shelter a reality?

THE EXTRASPre-teaching, Extensions & Further Reading

“Our Homeless Crisis” (Part 1 of an on-going series; links to all articles) (1/17/15) (The Oregonian) o “Our Homeless Crisis: Don't like giving change to panhandlers? Here are other ways to

help” (2/27/15) (The Oregonian) U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) “Home Free?” (9/22/14) (The New Yorker)

Lesson Plans

“Lesson Plans about Homelessness” (resources for K-12) (Northern Virginia Family Service)

What’s the Connection? Constitutional

National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty Oregon

“Mayor announces State of Emergency for housing, homeless” (9/25/15) (KGW) “Eugene council could ask Gov. Kate Brown to declare homeless emergency” (10/28/15) (The

Register Guard) “Ordinances enforce stricter rules towards Ashland’s homeless” (11/4/15) (KOBI)

Students “As homeless students rise, schools seek help” (10/12/15) (KOIN) “A Daunting Trip to School for Some Homeless Children” (11/13/15) (The NY Times)

Oregon State Social Science Standards8.14. Explain rights and responsibilities of citizens. 8.26. Examine a controversial event, issue, or problem from more than one perspective. HS.33. Explain the role of government in various current events.HS.35. Examine the pluralistic realities of society (e.g., race, poverty, gender, and age), recognizing issues of equity, and evaluating need for change. HS.59. Demonstrate the skills and dispositions needed to be a critical consumer of information.HS.60. Analyze an event, issue, problem, or phenomenon form varied or opposing perspectives or points of view.

CCSS Anchor Standards

2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. 8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

We the People Lesson ConnectionsMiddle School, Level 2

Unit 6, Lesson 29: What are the rights and responsibilities of citizenship? Unit 6, Lesson 30: How might citizens participate in civic affairs?

High School, Level 3 Unit 6, Lesson 37: What key challenges does the United States face in the future?