Unfortunately, at this point it’s become an understood fact – poverty and homelessness is a cycle. It’s cyclical generationally, and it’s cyclical monetarily. As an organization focused on offering a hand up to homeless families, highlighting and addressing the countless obstacles of poverty is necessary. The common misconception that people are homeless because they choose not to work, is just simply not true. The majority of families who come through Saint John’s have been set up for failure. Either because their parents were poor or homeless, or because the current system, as it is now, is far more of an impediment to those living in poverty, than it is helpful.
This article, written by Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, sheds some light on the issue and calls upon some very sobering statistics. As of today, the uncollected bill in California for unpaid court-ordered fines is more than $10 billion dollars! As Sen. Hertzberg notes, that means something as simple as a $25 ticket for failing to notify the DMV that you’ve moved, has turned into $3,000 worth of fees and penalties…often resulting in a suspended driver’s license, which leads to losing a job, and then results in not being able to pay rent, thus this cycle continues down the same dastardly road.
If that isn’t head scratching enough, Sen. Hertzberg goes one step further, saying that over 4.2 million licenses have been suspended since 2006. A recent study shows that 42% of those who lost their licenses also lost their jobs, and 88% of those people lost income. “We’re stuck in a system that doesn’t make any sense. It’s designed to collect money, but it doesn’t. It’s supposed to be about justice, but it’s not,” he writes.
We’re endlessly proud of the mothers at Saint John’s who work tirelessly to re-write their story and to change the future stories of their children. Deciding that enough is enough and making the decision to enter Saint John’s Program is hard enough, but sometimes just living in a society where the odds are stacked against you is debilitating. We have a duty to give a voice to the voiceless – and fighting for reform in a broken system is not just supplementary, it’s a necessity!
We believe strongly in our program because it has been proven as a comprehensive way to address the systemic roots of chronic poverty, and break the generational cycle of dependence. Please visit www.SaintJohnsProgram.org to learn more about our dynamic, multi-faceted continuum of care.
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