Homeless, But Not Voteless

A program tries to make the homeless a meaningful political constituency.

by E. James Beale

politics found

The Bridge House for Women, at Belmont Avenue and Monument Road, is a transitional housing facility for homeless women. You have to be substance-free to move in; for many of the residents, the lifestyle is a change. One of the current occupants is Anita Adams, a tall, shy woman with large, dark eyes and a bright nose ring. Last Tuesday, Anita voted. "It's been years since the last time," she says, unable to even recall her previous voting experience.

Anita is not the only voter living in transitional housing. For the past nine years, local advocacy group Project H.O.M.E. has headed up the Vote for Homes coalition (VFH) — 61 local sponsors who work to bring out the homeless vote. The idea is to make the homeless a political constituency to which politicians have to cater, and VFH has succeeded in registering more than 12,000 current and formerly homeless and ex-offenders. They estimate that about 3,000 of them have voted in each of the past two elections.

Throughout our "Politics Lost" series, City Paper has focused on neighborhoods where residents are disillusioned with politics. For some people without permanent homes, interestingly, disillusionment doesn't seem to be the problem.

"Most of the homeless are actually surprisingly politically aware," says George Smith, a formerly homeless vet volunteering for VFH.

But political awareness doesn't always translate into political power.

"For years, homeless people had trouble with harassment," says Hyacinth King, a formerly homeless woman and current Project H.O.M.E. employee, referring to the procedural and social norms that prevented the homeless from voting, and to the stigma that many homeless people feel in formal settings.

There is, however, a way to deal with this problem: "There is a strength in numbers that people don't have alone," says King. On Tuesday, VFH provided that strength by accompanying the homeless to their polling stations — sometimes driving across the city to take one or two voters a few blocks away.

Adams, who VFH picked up at the Bridge House, has been actively following the campaign in the news. "It's just been so interesting," she says with enthusiasm. "I mean, in [last Wednesday's] debate, Hillary and Obama went real ghetto!" She registered through Project H.O.M.E. more than a month ago.

For people not accustomed to them, however, polling stations — with their exacting rules and hurried pace — can be mystifying and scary places. As Adams entered, she was noticeably confused, and things got worse when she learned the station didn't have her name on file. She was able to produce her ID and proof of residency, but not her voter registration card, which was a problem. (When a voter's name isn't on the books, PA law requires them to show their registration card.) She grew flustered.

"I want to vote for Obama," she said softly.

With support from Project H.O.M.E. staff, she was able to fill out a "provisional ballot," which means her vote should be counted after the paperwork is cleared. She checked the box next to Obama's name, and left the rest of the document — ballot questions, lower elected office, even Democratic delegates — blank. She smiled as she handed in the form, but was noticeably rattled as she left the building. "I would have just left if you hadn't had that paper," she said, referring to a small VFH pamphlet explaining common problems and how to deal with them. "I wouldn't have even known who to complain to."

As she climbed back into the VFH car, she said she understood why people might not come back to vote again. "I don't know if I would go back alone," she said. "I just got so discouraged."

e.james.beale@citypaper.net