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    Homeless: Against all Odds
    Homeless: Against all Odds
    Homeless: Against all Odds
    Ebook105 pages1 hour

    Homeless: Against all Odds

    By Alfonso Brown

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    About this ebook

    There has been an ongoing debate about the factors that cause homelessness. Some argue that homelessness results primarily from a broken housing policy system. Others believe individual behavioral factors and lifestyle choices mainly cause homelessness. This is important because public attitudes toward homelessness influence local policies and services for individuals living this experience. 

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAlfonso Brown
    Release dateMar 19, 2024
    ISBN9798224625444
    Homeless: Against all Odds

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      Book preview

      Homeless - Alfonso Brown

      INTRODUCTION

      Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are words America is built on. For many worldwide, the United States' freedoms are the doorway to a better life. Yet, this is different from the reality for most.

      The idea for this memoir came from my almost ten years of homelessness experience and, more importantly, from the millions of individuals who are currently living through this circumstance. In 2009, I lost my job and was houseless a little over a year later. Almost a decade would pass before I would secure affordable living. The same year, I started the EdD (Doctor of Education) program at a private institution in Seattle, WA.

      On October 11, 2023, I successfully defended my dissertation research and officially became Dr. Alfonso Brown. I contacted Jenn Adrien, the Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at the technical college I graduated from nine years earlier, where my educational journey began, to share my story. She dispatched Jean Borst to collect my account, CPTC alumnus overcomes odds to earn a doctoral degree. Below is the interview.

      Jean. You began your educational journey at CPTC. How did that experience set the stage for where you are today?

      Me. With the yearly growth of the national estimate of people experiencing homelessness increasing, homelessness has become a pervasive and long-standing societal challenge. Sometimes people experiencing homelessness have different circumstances than those perceived by the organizations that provide services to this population.

      Jean. As part of its equity, diversity and inclusion strategy, this college is working to identify and remedy barriers faced by the most vulnerable members of the community. From your own experience and research, how can educational institutions better serve this population in a meaningful way?

      Me. The popular notion in U.S. society is that education is a great equalizer. However, research shows that the growing economic inequality in the United States has raised inequality levels and created an overall decline in the educational mobility of members of vulnerable groups.

      Jean. You've faced so many obstacles but continued to move ahead. In June, you'll receive your doctorate degree. What inspired you to pursue this educational pinnacle?

      Me. "The desire for meaning is viewed as a fundamental human motivation, and those sources of meaning in most people's lives are relationships. However, there is anecdotal evidence that it may be challenging to sustain prolonged involvement in an endeavor that is experienced as significant if a person does not find enjoyment within the activity itself. Ten days before starting my master's degree, I was sleeping on the sidewalk."

      Jean. What advice do you have for others who may be just starting their education and career journeys or are struggling to find a way forward? 

      Me. I was sleeping in my son's vacated daycare while I was taking classes here. My recommendation for others who may be just starting their education and career journeys and are struggling to find a way forward is to determine what are those sources of demands and constraints in their individual pursuit of desires and create a new understanding of the values and attitude needed to succeed.

      Jean. Now that you have your Doctorate degree what do you plan or hope to do next?

      Me. Homelessness is a very complex issue, and part of the difficulty is that there are different definitions of homelessness. I plan to share the meaningful and effective research delivery practices I discovered on participation and engagement at the system, service, and participant levels nationwide to help others understand and overcome those odds.

      Experience the world through my eyes and connect with my multi-era journey's thoughts, feelings, and emotions as I discuss the difficulties of reaching this landmark. I share real challenges with the hope my human experience can help people develop empathy and compassion for others. 

      CHAPTER ONE: THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE

      There are neither rewards nor punishments in life; there are consequences, and most people are where they are because of a result. Americans today tend to believe that we have a hard time putting rare events into context.

      When I was eight years old, I saw my uncle shoot a man dead in the streets for twenty dollars; subsequently, savagery became my second nature. Nevertheless, this is how the story began.

      I was born on July 16, 1970, just after midnight. My mother had just turned 14, and my dad was almost 17. Scenarios like these rarely end happily ever after, so I will spare you the dramaturgy and tell you what you already know. People live what they know and believe.

      My parents were married in a shotgun wedding and were there because they believed it was what they were supposed to do. Things are done, and we do them and do not try to justify them. Typical case, some people ask God for a bike; they believe God works that way. Others may steal a bicycle and ask for forgiveness. People feel good about what they believe.

      I am a profound and sensitive soul with an enormous grasp of the human condition. With the horror and corruption and ignorance and poverty and genocide and AIDS and global warming and terrorism we see every day, what do you do? You read about some massacre at a mall or some school bus that gets blown up, and you go, Oh my God, the horror.

      Empathy is not manageable, even for someone of extraordinary intelligence and humanism. Part of the mass appeal of the reality TV phenomena is that it blurs the lines between truth and fiction. The fact is that my mother was unable to change courses, and I saw my father and his brothers abuse drugs, go to prison, and die young.

      The essence of life is not comic; it is tragic. And there is nothing intrinsically funny about the terrible facts of human existence. Unfortunately, tragedy hits the painful reality of life.

      We live in a world full of calamity and drama that portrays people's suffering through their experiences of extreme misfortunes. This includes feuding families who ultimately meet a tragic end and stories of toxic relations that are harmful to those who are involved or others.

      Overall, devastation can profoundly impact people and lead to losing trust in people, institutions, and even one's beliefs. It may cause people to question their life purpose and mortality.

      So, what happens when fundamentally inequitable safety nets increase economic vulnerability, and these systems fail to improve conditions for individuals experiencing misfortune? Most experts believe that violence and property crime increase, and social mobility is lowered.

      Recently, I learned that the inability of a person or family to change their social status relative to their current social location could have adverse effects on them and society. This may be why many individuals from my community desired to appear wealthy by portraying luxurious lifestyles and flashing items like cars, jewelry, or clothing. Still, they were from a working-class background and were what we refer to as hood rich.

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