Over the last couple years of my life my concept of home has changed in ways that I never thought would happen to me. My family consists of me and my mom (and our dogs). And while we had moved a couple times I knew that it was always just going to be the two of us so my home was just wherever my mom was. But during my senior year of high school due to unforeseen circumstances we had to move out of where I had spent most of my childhood. And at the time I didn't think anything of it because again, my home, my memories, those were with my mom. So I easily left that house behind without a second thought. We ended up staying with my cousin for a couple weeks. Which turned into a couple months. That situation (the first time) didn't work out and luckily me and mom found another place to live. But we moved in knowing that it was more than what we could afford. But it was always in the back of our heads that we would be leaving soon, so we never even really unpacked. It was around then that I remember feeling like that wasn't a home because I knew it wasn't set in stone.
When we eventually left,my mom moved back in with my cousin and I randomly moved to Virginia to live with family, but I never felt at home there because I “interrupted” their lives. That situation expectedly ended up taking a toll on my mental health but I had nowhere to go. But then I was accepted here at Ohio University and left Virginia two weeks before school started. I never thought that I would feel like a college campus is my home. Especially since I live in different dorms every year and my roommates change. But at least in the dorms I knew how long I would be there and that I would have somewhere to go the next year. I had reliable food,water, company and a job.And eventually I met my people and others that shared the same beliefs and morals as me, and knew that they would always be here in Athens. But I was away from my mom, so I felt guilty about finally feeling at home somewhere she wasn’t. But after time I realized that home is not just material things. It’s where I put together my social identity,felt connected to something bigger than myself, realized my full potential and felt comfortable being myself. I knew I was always going to be welcome here and able to do relatively whatever I wanted, whereas at my cousin's house, I slept on the couch and wasn't allowed to leave traces of myself without being punished and feeling unwanted. Which is why I think of Ohio University as home. Which sounds cool and all but I graduate this year. Where will my home be then? During class we discussed what homelessnes means. And we of course went over not having shelter at all, living on the street. But we also said not having a steady safe place to sleep and not having a place in society. And thinking about it like that, wouldn't I be homeless? But I hate saying that because it feels as if I’m devaluing the things people without any kind of home go through. So it’s a very strange topic for me to think about.
“ Definitions of homelessness are shaped by what is culturally and politically accepted as appropriate housing and it is not possible to study homelessness without seeing it as part of a continuum from extreme rooflessness to unacceptable forms of housing” (Watson & Austerberry, 1986).
My experiences with government housing and seeing the conditions they consider adequate for low income communities truly makes me sad and raises a lot of questions about not only myself but about society in general. Do people think we don't deserve good conditions in safe neighborhoods? Or do they just not care about us enough? When someone hears that I’m looking into government housing do they judge me or think of me as less than? How did it become okay for inadequate housing to be the standard? Below I linked an article I LOVE. It talks about why the low income housing we see today puts those at a disadvantage to others in the world, and also all the policies that have been made the world this way if you would like to know more. Thank you for reading.
Ky, thank you for sharing your experiences. I absolutely agree that the stigmatization of low-income housing (and the people who live in it) really is disheartening. Why do Americans feel the need to assign a lower moral value to people who utilize public housing? What processes in our society are leading to people not being able to access housing? Like you said, why are the conditions in most public housing options so poor-- and why do we continue to be okay with it as a society?
ReplyDeleteThe concentration of government-subsidized housing units in resource-sparse, economically-lacking areas mirrors a few other geographic ideas we have talked about in class. By keeping poor folks out of middle- and upper-class neighborhoods, but still providing them with housing options, the wealthy and those in power are able to soothe their consciousnesses-- and, move the problem: out of sight, out of mind. Similarly, this is how society handles homelessness, containing homeless folks in places that are typically distanced from the heart of a locale. However, by keeping poor people isolated and "away," prosperous people are also unable to move into some poorer neighborhoods because most of the housing is reserved for those who qualify for it. Wealthier folks would be able to bring in significant capital and hypothetically invest it back into the community, if the designs of public housing were less segregated and allowed for cohabitation of resource-diverse residents, a 2019 ProPublica report hypothesized. This approach still does not address why U.S. society views housing, especially adequate/good housing, as a privilege that must be earned. (It also seems like it could easily become gentrification-y).
The geographic process of seperation alone is disadvantageous to those who already have very little power in our political system. But, people who live in subsidized buildings are more likely to be harmed by the conditions within their homes. Common issues with public housing include underinsulation, water leaks, mold growth and a lack of air conditioning units, according to an article about the Social Determinants of Health. Inequities are amplified by public housing policies in the U.S., geographically, health-wise, racially, economically and educationally.
Resources:
https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-health/interventions-resources/quality-of-housing
https://www.propublica.org/article/separated-by-design-why-affordable-housing-is-built-in-areas-with-high-crime-few-jobs-and-struggling-schools
Hi Ky,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post and the perspectives you brought about what it means to have a home or to be homeless. I like your perspective on home being wherever your mom is regardless of the physical house or material items within a home. Home very much encompasses those that are within a household, whether the individuals within a household have a positive or negative influence on someone’s meaning of home. I’m close with my family and when I think of my version of home, my family definitely has a positive influence, however, being away and living on campus does create a different version of home and a disconnect from my family that I was around a majority of the time prior to college. I think your point about feeling at home while living on campus highlights how “home” changes throughout an individual’s life. Home for me during my childhood into my early adult years has been my parents house, however, I’m not going to live in my parent’s house forever and my version of home will eventually transcend into a home where I’m no longer living with my parents. I also thought you brought up a great point about homelessness being more than physically lacking shelter. I think not having stable living accommodations or not knowing where you’re going to live within the foreseeable future definitely contributes to the feeling of homelessness. I thought you had a great post and thank you for sharing your version of “home” and your experiences with government housing.
Hello, I really like your post! While reading it, it made me think about my “home”. I moved when I was only a year old to another part of Cincinnati. Although I lived there and it was my first home I do not consider that house home since I have lived in the other house for the last twenty years. Although it is my home, it has changed over the years with my sisters and I all attending colleges and moving in and out of the house. I have also changed my room multiple times throughout the years but I still consider it my home. But I have also considered Athens my secondary home. I was also in the dorms and changed roommates both years I lived in the dorms but this place is still my second home. I have lived in the same building for both of my apartments but moved units. So it really is a second home to me but when I graduate in the spring I will be returning back to Cincinnati. I never thought about the people that do not have a house to go back to as all of my friends. I believe that after we graduate, my roommates are probably going to be moving back to their parents’ houses also.
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