Homelessness and the Need for Healthcare

Written by Julia Marvy

Health care is very important for every individual, regardless of age, gender, religion, and socioeconomic status. It is a way to improve someone’s overall health, whether that be physical, emotional, or mental. It is a way to diagnose, treat, or prevent physical or mental problems. Health care coverage can be quite expensive, however it is necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle. There are approximately 689 million people living in poverty all around the world. Without a stable and sustainable income, people do not have the means to afford proper health care, which is a huge problem. Those living in poverty need to be able to access health care in order to live their lives to the fullest and in the healthiest way possible.

Homeless Entrepreneur (HE) is an organization that fights to end homelessness through economic empowerment. HE works to help those living in social exclusion get back on their feet. There are individuals living in poverty that have the desire to succeed and change their quality of life, however they do not have the proper resources and funding to do so. That is where Homeless Entrepreneur comes in. Homeless Entrepreneur has a variety of different programs within the organization that help individuals with various aspects of their lives. HE helps its program beneficiaries find housing and job opportunities, so that they can live a stable life on their own.

The health department at Homeless Entrepreneur works to find health care resources to help and encourage the entrepreneurs to live a healthy lifestyle. Individuals living in social exclusion do not have the same access to healthcare and without a sufficient income, there is not much hope of receiving the proper treatments and diagnosis in order to live the healthiest lifestyle possible. Homeless Entrepreneur aims to help these individuals succeed in all aspects of their lives, including their health. For example, the organization is partnered with a dental clinic, Ahoa, and a foot center, Clínica Mayral, that donate their products and services to help the Homeless Entrepreneurs. The health department continues to seek out other health care services that would be willing to help out the homeless entrepreneurs live the healthiest lifestyle possible.  

“We hope to raise awareness to support Homeless Entrepreneur and create greater visibility via social media to improve the health of people with foot related issues.”

— Dr. Jordi Mayral, Director at Clínica Mayral

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He also added “I have enjoyed getting to know your system and how it can help empower people.” Dr. Mayral enjoys the partnership because he loves helping people who need the help, while also promoting his clinic. He believes that all of these individuals deserve this care because there are so many expectations in the world today for people to look and be a certain way, and not everyone has the means to do so. With the help from Dr. Mayral, more Homeless Entrepreneurs will be able to receive foot care when they need it most. Without proper housing and footwear, it is possible and likely for individuals to develop foot problems, and now with the help of Dr. Mayral, HE can provide Homeless Entrepreneurs with the same health care as those not living in social exclusion. With the help of Dr. Mayral and the dental clinic, HE’s beneficiaries are receiving better health care, and Homeless Entrepreneur continues to search for more health care providers willing to donate their time and resources to provide those in need with proper health care. 

Homeless Healthcare Survey

The homeless population is at a higher risk for diseases that are usually preventable and earlier death. Many homeless shelters are not sanitary, which can lead to health problems as well. In shelters, there are often a lot of people, and this can be an easy way for diseases to spread rapidly and to a lot of people at one time. Many homeless people are also denied access to healthcare and health care providers may have prejudices and misconceptions regarding people experiencing homelessness. Several people living in poverty also have to make decisions on how to spend the small amount of money they do have. Oftentimes that money is spent on food, clothes, and shelter rather than healthcare. The mortality rate of homeless people is exponentially higher than those that do not live in poverty.

• In Philadelphia, PA, the mortality rate of homeless people is 3.5 times higher than the general population.

• In New York city, there was a rate between two and three times higher than the general population.

• In Toronto, Canada the mortality rate for homeless people was higher than the general population, however much lower than several other United States cities. This is likely due to Canada having universal health insurance and health care access for all citizens; homeless people are not denied health care in Canada as frequently as in the United States. 

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility is the idea of improving the overall quality of life for those in the workforce and their families, as well as the entire community and society, including those living in social exclusion. The healthcare industry faces a lot of challenges that a lot of people do not realize when dealing with healthcare. There are labor shortages in nursing, everchanging and expensive technological advancements, meeting quality standards, and community dependence. All of these make the health industry challenging to operate. Hospitals have to work very hard to gain trust and maintain the trust of the patients and their families all while dealing with their internal challenges.

In terms of corporate social responsibility, there is not much assistance on how to implement CSR in hospitals and the healthcare industry. Corporate social responsibility could help the healthcare industry focus on social issues, such as homelessness, that could improve their image and the way the public views healthcare. CSR can help those living in poverty have more access to healthcare. If the healthcare industry can learn how to implement CSR with even greater social impact, then many more people will gain healthcare access who perhaps did not have it before. 

Access to healthcare is extremely important when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. Without healthcare, people leave health problems undiagnosed and untreated, which can be even more detrimental and will eventually lead to chronic health problems. No one should have to choose between spending their money on food or getting their illness treated. If healthcare was available to all individuals, regardless of their socioeconomic status, many issues and challenges would be resolved, and more hospitals and other healthcare facilities would be seen in higher regards. Healthcare is a necessity for every person, including those living in social exclusion. Being healthy helps an individual living in poverty get one step closer to bettering their life and succeeding in several other areas of life. Being in good health makes the overall quality of life better, and everybody deserves access to it. 

When asking one of the Homeless Entrepreneurs in South Africa, Chadwin Alburn Minaar, about why he believes health care is important, he said that diagnostic tools are essential in health care. He spoke about rapid diagnostic tests and said

“physicians are able to identify disease and irregularities in one’s immune system. Rapid diagnostic tests detect the presence of viral proteins. They directly detect the presence or absence of an antigen.”

— Chadwin Minaar, Marketing Consultant & Homeless Entrepreneur

He also mentioned how rapid test kits are more readily available and the results can be known quite fast. Rapid tests are not as accurate as PCR tests; rapids may fail to recognize disease. He also mentioned how the techniques and technologies that are now available make it easier for physicians to identify abnormalities, which is why diagnostic tools and tests are so important. Chadwin himself also used to be a medical technician where he saw these technologies and techniques develop and change first hand. 

Connect with the author, Julia Marvy, via LinkedIn!

References

Plumb, J. D. (2000, July 25). Homelessness: Reducing health disparities. CMAJ. Retrieved
March 3, 2022, from https://www.cmaj.ca/content/163/2/172.short

Tehemar, S. Z. (2020, June 17). Corporate Social Responsibility in Healthcare. Health Works
Collective. Retrieved March 3, 2022, from
https://www.healthworkscollective.com/corporate-social-responsibility-healthcare-sectors/

New Strides in the Battle to Address Homelessness

Written by Jillian Salaway

Homelessness has been an ongoing problem across the globe for centuries, and despite social welfare initiatives implemented in many areas of the world, homelessness continues to persist. Common rhetoric blames the individual for their inability to obtain stable housing, however it appears that European leaders have begun to acknowledge the larger scope of homelessness and the need for state intervention on a wider and more complete scale. 

In June 2021, a conference was held in Lisbon, Portugal to come upon an agreement to create a commission targeted at improving the conditions of individuals suffering from homelessness and the overall issue of housing insecurity. “The high-level conference in Lisbon is co-organised by the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU, the European Commission and the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA).”

There were a number of objectives signed in the Declaration by the cooperating European governmental representatives and partners, but it is currently not clear how these objectives will be implemented. In this declaration, these were the objectives comprised of the commission:

• no individual sleeps without an emergency housing accommodation (i.e. shelter);

• no individual stays in this emergency housing accommodation for longer than is necessary to provide them more stable housing;

• no individual is allowed to be removed from the emergency housing accommodation unless they are provided appropriate stable housing in exchange;

• eviction of individuals will only be acceptable if they are provided supplemental housing  accommodations; discrimination due to housing status is prohibited. 

These objectives may seem too ambitious to some, but are completely necessary in order to better address and allieve the current crisis of homelessness. Social welfare programs only go so far and often do not fully address those suffering from housing insecurity. Many in the position of housing instability or street living are only provided reactionary measures by the state, or the resources necessary to keep them afloat after facing the consequence of houselessness. Unfortunately, most nations including the EU lack critical prevention measures that would avert the possibility of slipping into the position of homelessness. The commission that was created would finally implement more than just reactionary measures that only maintains instability among individuals.

Founder of Homeless Entrepreneur Andrew Funk emphasizes the importance of providing opportunities for empowerment and financial stability by highlighting the current issues with policy protections towards the homeless population.

“If they’re not able to have the resources to become active working citizens again, then you’re just consolidating a bigger class that’s living in poverty.”

— Andrew Funk, Founding President of Homeless Entrepreneur

The creation of this commission will hopefully begin to stray away from the typical tactics of reactionary policy and instead uplift those struggling financially with the opportunity to regain that stability before falling into the cycle of poverty.

Additionally, I spoke to an expert in policy Toni Raja. Raja has a P.h.D in political science and has been a professor at UMass Amherst in the field for over two decades. When I asked him his thoughts on the new European commission, he was more hesitant in its effectiveness to eradicate poverty. Raja states that Western governments and even the United Nations have promised several times to end poverty and have failed to do so. Raja believes that until governments prioritize public interests and the people over private institutions, homelessness and poverty will persist. Raja gives an example of the mayor of Barcelona attempting to reduce evictions in the city:

“The mayor of Barcelona tried to reduce or even stop evictions, and she could not do it because justice prioritizes private property over right to housing. So not only is government initiative important but also the transformation of the legal frame that articulates the public policies.”

— Toni Raja, professor at UMass Amherst

In sum, Raja is more confident that poverty will persist until current capitalist systems present in most governments shift to instead protect the rights and interests of the public over any private interests it may hold. 

Only time will tell if this new commission targeting poverty and homelessness will effectively be implemented and therefore reduce poverty on a significant scale. It is hopeful that state entities are beginning to initiate preventative-oriented measures to target housing insecurity and poverty, but until governmental institutions prioritize public interests over private incentives, skeptics such as Raja are most likely correct to assume that poverty will continue to cycle. Despite these doubts, this commission represents a new state of progress that will act as a catalyst for progressive policy implementation worldwide.

Connect with the author, Jillian Salaway, via LinkedIn!

How Homeless Entrepreneur Has Made an Impact on its Members

Written by Jillian Salaway

Popular media discourse surrounding the issue of homelessness and the individuals that find themselves in this position often depict the classic stereotype of people who beg for money on the streets, addicts, and people who just refuse to work. At Homeless Entrepreneur, we want to not only move away from these harmful and inaccurate stereotypes, but to also provide a gateway of opportunities to those facing housing insecurity, who are motivated to become active citizens again through various employment programs and housing initiatives. 

Within our four locations in Spain, the United States, Nigeria, and England, we have created 36 success stories and approximately four hundred homeless lives improved. Homeless Entrepreneur founder Andrew Funk has presented our social policy proposals to the EU Parliament’s PETI commission in 2020, and introduced a 16.9 million euro investment to end homelessness for 10% of Spain’s homeless population to the Spanish senate board in 2021.

The EU cannot let homeless people fall through the cracks of the COVID crisis

By the end of 2022, our organization has even bigger goals of reaching one hundred success stories of our Homeless Entrepreneurs achieving security and stability in their housing and employment status. The impact our organization has had on the members involved within our community speaks for itself, but I decided to ask some of our team and members how their involvement with Homeless Entrepreneur has impacted their life and their community.

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I first reached out to one of our most involved members in charge of professional development, Mayte Miro. As an MBA graduate, psychologist, and with 20 years of experience in international project management and business development, she has been a valued member of Homeless Entrepreneur since the beginning. When I asked Mayte how Homeless Entrepreneur has affected her and the community, she believes our organization is changing the conversation about how we talk about and address homelessness.

“We are in a world which tends to hide homelessness and the habitual actions make this issue endemic. . . our volunteers and team understand that people experiencing homelessness are valid people and they can and want to fight for a better and independent life.”

— Mayte Miro, HELP Program & Quality Manager

During my conversation with Mayte, she acknowledged societies’ misinterpretation of the houseless community, but has hope that our mission and other organizations alike can shift our perceptions and create systemic change.

I wanted to speak to other members of our team about their experience with Homeless Entrepreneur, so I reached out to one of our interns, Anna Mayer, and a volunteer, Regis Badia. In my conversation with Regis he acknowledged his own misconceptions about the homeless community before his involvement with Homeless Entrepreneur, and how his direct experience with our Homeless Entrepreneurs has changed his belief system about homelessness.

“Thanks to knowing several Homeless Entrepreneurs, we have understood that it can happen to any person to find themselves in a situation of homelessness.”

— Régis Badia, Social Responsability Consultant at nae,

Additionally, I spoke to a newer member of our team, Finance Intern Anna Mayer. In my conversation with her, Anna emphasized the contrast of language in standard discourse about homelessness opposed to how our organization approaches language of the homeless community.

“Homeless Entrepreneur emphasizes that people without homes are people. . . They are deserving of empowerment and a second chance. I think this narrative is missing in the popular discussion.”

— Anna Mayer, Finance Intern at Homeless Entrepreneur

In order to address the issue of homelessness in society, we must first change the discourse involving this community, which was an important concept mentioned by our interviewees.

Lastly and most importantly, I spoke to a previous Homeless Entrepreneur involved with our year long HELP employment program in which he successfully graduated. Before entering our program, Vincent was without a job or anywhere to live. Vincent desperately wanted to become an active member of society again, but needed the resources to find that motivation. When he discovered Homeless Entrepreneur, he states that he regained a newfound sense of motivation, confidence, and courage to pursue his goals.

“At a very challenging time of great uncertainty and doubt in my life’s journey, Homeless Entrepreneur made an important impact on my life by providing support and rising certainty that moving from where I was in my homeless and jobless state living on the streets could be seen as a new beginning instead of a definite end.”

— Vincent Helvig, Graduated Homeless Entrepreneur

Vincent Helvig during his TedX Talk at ESADE Business School.

Vincent goes on to say that our organizations’ support and guidance has allowed him to take control of his life in a secure and positive way, and now works remotely while traveling the world. His experience reflects not only how our organization can permanently change the lives of its members, but also showcases how houseless individuals can become positive members of society if provided the right resources and tools to do so.

At Homeless Entrepreneur, we believe that everyone is deserving of the right resources and opportunities to be successful. Security and stability is an essential element to be an active citizen, and we strongly believe that every individual is worthy of that stability no matter their employment or housing status.

Connect with the author, Jillian Salaway, via LinkedIn!