By Erica Nielsen
Homelessness often evokes in the public mind images of scraggly vagrants huddled under newspapers, loitering on sidewalks or park benches. Some see them as victims of an unfeeling society, others as victims of alcoholism or drug addiction. But those who work with Provo”s homeless residents say its causes vary widely, and treating those causes is often as important as providing a roof and a bed.
United Way of Utah County president Bill Hulterstrom said the numerous local organizations that work to help the homeless locally seek to treat the causes of homelessness as well as its symptoms.
“Homelessness is a symptom of other issues,” said Bill Hulterstrom, president of the United Way of Utah County. “If hospitals treated people just for fevers and not the causes, they would get nowhere.”
Also, he said, characterizing a person as homeless is not as simple as it seems.
“If you”re on the street, are you homeless?” he said. “If you”re put up in a hotel, are you still homeless? What if you”re paying half your rent or teaming up with a buddy in a basement somewhere?”
Homelessness, he said, is complex because it can be divided into several types, such as transients (who are just passing through town), the mentally ill, families, singles, and more.
Todd Pierce, who has hitchhiked across the country, prefers to call himself houseless, because wherever he roams is his home. He has slept on the streets in Provo and several other parts of the country. Not long ago, his food often consisted of warm water, ketchup and crackers-combined to make tomato soup. He found money by scrounging under playground swings and drive-through windows.
Pierce, who now works at Deseret Industries and lives in an apartment in Provo, said his months on the streets are never far from his thoughts.
“When you have nothing to lose, everything means something to you,” Pierce said. “A person doesn”t know what they have until they are stripped of everything. Then you wake up and say ”I woke up today. I have a breath in my lungs.” ”
Many people become homeless when they lose their jobs, said Doug Carlson, executive director of the Provo Housing Authority.
“A lot of people are a couple of paychecks away from being homeless,” he said.
He said Provo”s services are a continuum, a ladder he hopes will help the homeless achieve stability.
“The plan really addresses the problem from the lowest level,” Carlson said, saying the “ladder” starts with emergency assistance, moving up to transitional housing, permanent housing, and ultimately, personal independence. “We”re just trying to progress people from one rung to the next.”
He recommended that the first call be made to Community Action Services because this program coordinates emergency action plans. If it is a domestic abuse situation, he said, contact the Center for Women and Children in Crisis.
Myla Dutton, executive director of Community Action Services, said that in addition to providing temporary sheltering for 150 to 200 families a year, her organization actually prevents homelessness for several hundred families a year. Community Action Services achieves this in two ways: by providing food and emergency rent help when money is tight.
“We”re the food bank locally, the second largest food bank in Utah,” Dutton said. “When a family has some kind of financial emergency, if we can feed them, it frees up their money to be used for those things.”
Members of the community can lend a hand in this process by referring someone in need to the appropriate services, she said.
Katie Hopoate and her husband are the head house parents at Provo”s Alpine House, a transitional home for up to 18 mentally ill men and women. The couple has lived on site with their two young daughters since 2004, and Hopoate said it has been an eye-opening experience.
“If you see someone out on the streets, you might think they”re homeless or even slightly dangerous,” Hopoate said. “But everyone here is loving and kind. They”re so gracious.”
Residents in the Alpine House range from 18 to 64 years old. Some stay for just a few months until they are ready to move on. Others stay for years. Some work outside the home, and others don”t. Some of the past residents have even been students at BYU.
Hopoate said people ask her if the Alpine House runs into problems because it houses both men and women. Her reply: a resounding no.
“We have almost constant peace here,” she said. “They”re very grateful for every little thing they receive.”
Residents of the Alpine House attend classes on basic life skills at Wasatch Mental Health, an organization with numerous programs designed to help the mentally ill, many of who are or have been homeless.
Jamie Cox, a case manager at Wasatch Mental Health”s Wellness Recovery Clinic, connects her clients with the resources available to them locally.
“We help those who slip through the cracks,” she said. “They”re not well enough to work, but they”re not unwell enough to get benefits.”
She combines her efforts with other organizations, such as Provo Housing Authority, to provide housing, food stamps, insurance, medication and more for the mentally ill.
Cox prizes seeing her clients connected with long-term assistance, but she also sees the ones who miss out on the aid they desperately need.
“Some of my clients aren”t capable of remembering their appointments,” Cox said. “But they”re required to come to various meetings, such as group therapy, and when they forget so many times, we have to release them from the program.”
Capt. Rick Healey of the Provo Police Department said he sometimes hears complaints that the support Provo offers to the homeless actually draws more transients to the area.
Carlson, of Provo Housing Authority, disagreed with those complaints. “I don”t think people pick Provo by virtue of the services we provide,” he said. “The majority of our homeless in this county consider themselves local.”
Dutton, with Community Action Services, said Provo has a reputation of being a safe place for families.
“Those families we see that do move to the community are basically looking for a better life for their family, and they”re hoping that our community can be that place,” she said.
Local organizations that provide services for the homeless:
* Community Action Services is a national organization dedicated to fostering self-reliance in individuals, families and communities. 373-8200
* Provo Food & Care Coalition provides daily meals, teaches financial accountability, and helps patrons find affordable housing. 373-1825
* The Center for Women and Children in Crisis provides intervention for victims of domestic violence or sexual assault. 374-9351
* Wasatch Mental Health offers many support programs for the mentally ill. 373-4760
* The Alpine House is a transitional house for the mentally ill. 373-9042
* Provo Housing Authority helps individuals and families find transitional and permanent housing. 852-7080
* The United Way of Utah County brings service organizations together to help those in need. 374-2588
