CHILDREN ARE DYING BY OUR NEGLECT
Poor Families Don’t Count
Until it’s in a death toll
Have you ever shivered while sitting in a cold car? You likely turned the key, flipped the heat on, and eventually warmed up. Your kids, snuggly buckled in the back seat, quit complaining. All was well.
For the countless families now eking out life in their cars, vans, and campers, they’re not so lucky. You can only do so much to stay warm in an Arctic blast. The escalating price of gas and food, the two resources that would at least generate some vehicle and body heat, soared out of reach for the burgeoning ranks of homeless families (and individuals). “Freezing to death” is not just a throwaway complaint. Case in point, two young kids froze to death while huddled in their mom’s van in a Detroit casino parking deck.
How disturbing — the irony of two innocent children freezing to death so near the hot streaks of high rollers’ opulent playground. Unfortunately, this tragedy elicits “soul searching,” the equivalent of “thoughts and prayers.” Don’t expect systemic improvements in the emergency response “system.” Not while oligarchs ravage our long-inadequate faux safety net.
Add an inability to pay for expanded staffing levels, and potentially unreliable federal funding as the US Department of Government Efficiency scrutinizes spending, and it’s no wonder some of the major players responsible for assisting residents without housing aren’t able to keep up. (Bridge Michigan, 2/21/25)
Horrific incidents like this receive the wisp of news media attention. The purge of democracy taking place in our nation’s capital almost guarantees that nothing will happen to prevent homeless babies and toddlers and bigger people escape death by national neglect.
Ms. Williams’ children, Darnell, 9, and his 2-year-old sister, Amilah, didn’t survive life in their family’s freezing van “home” where they’ve lived since November, when their extended family had to leave their doubled-up (also homeless) living arrangements. This wasn’t the first night they endured inhumane conditions. They’re not alone. Dogs would have been sheltered. Not so for people.
Most officials remain clueless
In the wealthy county surrounding Mar-a-Lago, our current felonious dictator’s southern hangout, Maria Sachs, a Palm Beach county commissioner, uttered an observation that could get her in trouble with local, state, and federal political bigwigs. A local news story revealed the staggering level of kids without homes in this ritzy county:
The county is one of the wealthiest places in the state, but not everyone shares in that wealth. One county commissioner said she was disturbed by the number of homeless students who are in the Palm Beach County Public School system… ‘this is paradise, but we need to make sure our paradise exists for everybody in the county…’ — MSN.com
She was responding to statistics from the area school district, identifying 4,252 homeless students, excluding babies, toddlers, and youth not in school. Actually, the district’s current homeless student census is 5,826. (You can use that link to find your own district’s information.)
Michigan demonstrates a similar discrepancy on their homeless census. According to the US Department of Housing and Human Development (HUD)’s definition of homeless, Michigan has 33,226 homeless (2023), but that excludes most families. The Willams’ family, who doubled up with family and friends before having to live out of their van, don’t count.
Using a more realistic measure, Michigan schools identified over 32,000 students experiencing homelessness. Even that proved to be a deadly undercount. Little Amilah, age 2, would not be included in that statistic.
Families have always been under identified in these counts. No matter, because the Lord of Mar-a-Lago and his swarm of oligarchs are relentlessly targeting any and all federal resources that keep the vulnerable underclass alive.
What can “we” do?
Commissioner Sachs offered suggestions: building mini-houses for single people and having the county buy an apartment building to house families.
Detroit’s mayor shared what they’ve done and will do:
Detroit opened a family drop-in center December 16 to provide shelter for residents just in time for the cold winter months, he said. And residents can call police for help if they face a crisis after 6 p.m.
But the city also must give clear options to people when they call about shelters, the mayor said. He also wants a policy that requires outreach workers to do a site visit any time a family with children calls the city for help. (CNN, Feb. 15, 2025)
Wayne County (Detroit area) schools are in the process of assembling kits for the police to distribute when approached by families looking for help escaping homelessness. They want to include our new book, The Three Melissas — The Practical Guide to Surviving Family Homelessness, in the kit. Good choice. I’ve been invited to present to educators there in September. I will spare no words.
For the rest of us:
- Become informed about family homelessness — the best kept secret in communities everywhere. Follow my posts on Medium. Friend me on Facebook. Watch my videos, short clips that let you hear directly from families. This is what I do — work to raise awareness about family homelessness.
- Make wise choices of elected officials. If they’re spewing hate for people of color, immigrants, and people in poverty, it’s a clear sign that they’re going to join with the haters who want to funnel resources to the wealthy at the expense of the poor.
- Support and work with elected officials trying to improve conditions for vulnerable populations.
- Volunteer with your local school districts, shelters, and organizations supporting families. The Charlie Book — 60 Ways to Help Homeless Kids offers a range of activities that provide essential help. Purchase info
Look Upstream!
I’ve long stressed that to prevent homelessness, communities need to look upstream. Specifically:
- Find the families who are homeless or teetering on the edge of it.
- Prevent them from falling into the deep hole.
- If they fall anyhow, as some will, do everything possible to give quality help to get them out and keep them from returning.
When kids experience homelessness, they are at risk of becoming homeless as adults. Or dying, needlessly, as these two little ones did. It’s up to all of us to do something to prevent this from happening in our communities.
For more stories about the broken social safety net in the U.S. and elsewhere, follow Fourth Wave. Have you got a story or poem that focuses on women or other targeted groups? Submit to the Wave!
