Changing the Conversation

Eskenazi Health and Horizon House in Indianapolis, Indiana has opened a Health Center for people experiencing homelessness, the first of its kind in the state. This facility now helps hundreds of homeless individuals by offering mental health, primary care, and day care services—all free of charge.

September’s Rolling Stone magazine highlighted the growing problem of LGBT Youth Homelessness in the U.S. The Center for American Progress estimates that between 320,000 and 400,000 LGBT youth experience homelessness at some point each year in this country; overall they comprise about 20 percent of the overall homeless youth population.

In the ER… again! For weeks my chest pain kept coming on strong. Just when it appears to subside, it gets going again. Usually, after I get injections of Lasix and Lovenox, the treatment winds down with oxygen or breathing treatments that alleviate my symptoms. When I ask what is wrong with me, I usually get, “Wait, the doctor will come back to see you.” Then the next thing I know, I am discharged and told the doctor left for the day or is too busy.

Education is one of the strategies for breaking the cycle of poverty and homelessness in our country. I grew up near Baltimore, MD, moved to Worcester, MA for college, and have since made a life for myself in New Bedford, MA. All three of these cities struggle with poverty, homelessness, and failing public school systems. With graduation rates below and poverty rates above the national average, the connection between a good education and ending the cycle of poverty became clear to me.