Moving from California to Kentucky was a huge move. Not just the specifics of organizing a cross-country move, but also the culture shock that came with it. My old town was the capital of the state. I had my own tiny apartment. I had a full time job in a 30 story building, and spent every day in a huge metropolis, surrounded by colorful people and businesses. My new hometown doesn’t even have a stoplight. We have more cattle than people. More often than not, a traffic jam is caused by a tractor in the road. Most of our businesses are agricultural producers. One problem that both of these towns have is homelessness.
Homelessness is on the rise. Many individuals find themselves without work, their bank accounts dwindling, and bills coming due, with no foreseeable employment. They find that they can no longer afford their home, and are forced to fend for themselves.
The perk, if there is any, of being homeless in a suburban area, is the availability of local resources like homeless shelters with homeless sheltersoftware to help those individuals get assistance. There is a great need for assistance for the homeless in Rural America.
When someone is homeless in rural America, there are few stoops or bridges for homeless people to utilize for shelter. Many end up using decrepit barns and sheds for shelter. Occasionally these homeless people trespass into someone’s home. In my local area a homeless man was shot after breaking into a home. There are few resources for homeless people in rural America to utilize, and so many end up being community homeless people, leaning on other members of their immediate community for support.
Mental health in rural America is another issue. With no behavioral institutions nearby, and no organization to contact, there are many times that those with special needs get left behind in society, and in rural America, this is a dangerous problem. With no medical assistance for these individuals, they can become unpredictable and violent. Many times these individuals are relatives of those that live in the area, and so those people never leave. Our community had a problem with a mentally disturbed individual destroying three mailboxes and one gate. His family would never step forward on his behalf to help him, or assist the community member in replacing the damaged property. This individual has trespassed onto other farmers properties, and unfortunately, once you’re notified not to come onto property, the property owners have the right to use deadly force. This could end badly for everyone in the community. Living in a rural area means that law enforcement response time is impacted.
The social picture of homelessness is always based in a metropolitan area. The homeless camps, the images of homeless people milling about a downtown area-all of these are only showing half of the real problem. The homelessness epidemic is much more far reaching. Rural communities are just as affected, if not more, by downed economies, and suffer these consequences on a more personal level. The people that are affected are your family and friends, and just walking by these homeless people is not an option.
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