Posted on 01/12/2006 4:18:00 AM PST by Ellesu
Originally from Chicago, Jonathan Rodgers is lucky to be alive. He started using drugs at 8, dropped out of school at 14, went to jail where he earned his GED, and fought his way out of a heroin addiction.
He has bounced between the streets, detox facilities, and shelters since arriving in San Francisco five years ago, when he started using speed daily. To get by, he turned to sex work, slept in the park, or crashed on people's couches.
"Any housing I got into – there was no security I would have it for a long time," said Rodgers, who identifies as bisexual. "I never found the right program or safe space to clean up in."
Now he finds himself in a sort of no man's land when it comes to receiving services to get off the streets at night and stay clean of drugs. At age 25, Rodgers is too old to qualify for youth-oriented services and too young to feel safe in the city's shelter system.
"Tonight, I don't know where I am going to be sleeping. Last night I had a place. Generally, I don't sleep at night if I am outside. I walk around until it is light," said Rodgers, one of the 4,000 youth and young adults estimated to be living on the city's streets.
Instead of wallowing in despair, Rodgers is lobbying city leaders and service providers to develop programs and housing designed specifically for homeless queer youth. Rodgers may be unsure of where he will sleep each night, but he is certain of what the city must do to help young people like himself get off and stay off the streets.
"We need more safe shelters, permanent housing, and mental health clinics to open up for us," said Rodgers, a member of the LGBT Community Center's Youth Empowerment Team, known as YET. "It is important they be in the Upper Market area, an area that is not dominated by drugs and violence."
On Monday, January 9 YET released what is believed to be the first report on homeless youth issues in San Francisco overseen by the youth themselves. The Levi Strauss Foundation gave the center a $40,000 grant last year to conduct the survey. Rodgers and three other YET members presented their findings and numerous recommendations at a community forum at the center.
"I haven't seen so many homeless people before. It hurt me to see that and to see so many homeless people need the help and attention," said YET member Chris Tyler, 21, who moved to the Bay Area from Chicago in 2003.
Tyler, an Oakland resident who performs drag shows as Damita Jo, said he is hopeful that the team's recommendations will be put in place.
"Everybody needs a chance. All youth should be housed," he said.
Service providers estimate of those young people on the streets, anywhere from 20 to 40 percent are queer youth. But facilities and services for LGBT youth are lacking. As the YET team's report outlines, San Francisco has only 20 emergency shelter beds set aside for youth aged 18 and under and 40 beds for young adults 18 to 24.
Most refuse to stay at the city's shelters, with 89 percent of the 93 queer and transgender youth YET surveyed saying they don't feel safe in them. Housing – over all other issues – is their biggest concern in San Francisco, with 85 percent of the respondents saying it is their primary concern.
More than one-third of the youth said they face gender identity discrimination in trying to find housing. The survey found that 63 percent of the youth live on the streets, in shelters or transitional housing and only 12 percent live in apartments.
"I just graduated from a transitional housing program and it is really hard to find housing. It is so expensive. The message is you can't be a part of this city unless you have a certain economic status," said T, who identifies as genderqueer and would not give a full name or age.
Second to housing are economic issues for the youth, the report found. While 53 percent of youth surveyed reported having a part-time or full-time job, most youth rely on other and/or supplemental strategies for economic survival including food stamps (35 percent), sex work (31 percent), general assistance (22 percent), and/or selling drugs (19 percent). Education presents one barrier to finding work, 66 percent of survey participants reported a lack of education/job training; 62 percent reported limited access to clothing and 46 percent lacked access to transportation.
Sixty-five percent of the youth listed substance use as their third biggest challenge and 41 percent chose education as their fourth issue.
Nearly one quarter of respondents to the survey said they were straight, with 24 percent listing gay, 24 percent bisexual, and 15 percent said they were queer. Only 7 percent were lesbian and 5 percent said they were questioning.
Patrick Mulcahey, who helps coordinate Most Holy Redeemer's supper program for homeless people in the Castro, said the report's inclusion of straight youth as well as LGBT youth would add to the chances for the team's proposals to receive funding.
"This is a mainstream problem but people don't see it as such. They think only queer kids are homeless. It is their kids, straight kids as well," he said.
The YET report calls for the creation of youth councils at the youth shelters to deal with issues that arise, opening an emergency shelter for queer and transgender youth in the Castro, open up more shelter access to undocumented youth, and tying housing programs to education. The YET report specifically calls on current programs to end requirements that youth work 30 to 40 hours a week in order to be housed because it hampers their ability to attend classes.
As for jobs, the youth would like to see providers and places like the community center hire youth and hold more job-training opportunities.
"I truly believe we are going to get this stuff done," said YET member Tino Calenda, 23, who is gay and genderqueer. Originally from Canada, he came to San Francisco in 2004 and last year moved into the Castro Youth Housing Initiative at the Perramount Hotel on Market Street. "Almost 90 percent of what we are recommending is so vital it needs to be addressed."
A full copy of the YET report can be found at www.sfcenter.org.
sick and beyond
"sick and beyond"
that's stating it nicely.
Jonathan Rodgers...fought his way out of a heroin addiction.Wrong.
Now he just needs to channel all the energy he uses in his lobbying efforts........TO GET A JOB!
To many people, getting free stuff from the government IS a job.
no man's landPun intended?
-Eric
HOMELESS MY ASS!! NO EXCUSE WHATSOEVER FOR NOT DOING SO!!! HOW ABOUT LAZY!!!
" Working full time at a McDonalds or some othjer minimum wage job will provide this person with about $1000 of monthly income."
Question? would you like this guys fingers handling your burger and fries????????
"...sex work" is the phrase used repeatedly in this article. Sounds like prostitution to me!
The way MSM is going these days, it's hard to believe this person exists.
The poor dear.
His only hope is for a democrat to be elected president. Every time a dem is elected president, the homeless problem goes completely away. You can prove that yourself by going back and trying to find big write ups about the homeless during the clintoon years. Nada.
But whenever a Republican is elected, the needs of homeless are once again a big problem.
Well no... but I don't eat at McDonalds :)
How much you wanna bet most of these people would turn down a fulltime job offer?
How about LOSER!
You're right. I've seen a few that quit a good paying job and made Medicaid/welfare programs their main purpose in life. Of course...with all the paperwork involved... it is a full time job ...just keeping up with it all. Your regular Joe trying to get a hand up... wouldn't have the time or resources needed to actually get help from one of these agencies.
Well, I'm sure that there are plenty of businesses owned by gays. Shouldn't they house and train these LGBT dope addicts?
If they won't, then they're hate filled homophobes! I suggest these "yutes" sue the gay business owners. s/
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