Driving through New Hampshire you may see a homeless person on the street begging for money, and you look away to avoid them. However, this is a large problem, where the homeless population is ignored by the public, unable to find help. On February 15, The Anselmian Network for Racial Justice held a discussion featuring multiple panelists who contributed to the discussion of the homeless population in Merrimack, New Hampshire.

The first issue for the homeless population is shown to be the problem of unaffordable housing. Alexandra Safarz, a member of the class of 2019 and teacher in a Manchester public school, explains that the average cost of rent is 24 dollars per hour, while the minimum wage is only eight dollars an hour. This forces the homeless population into poverty because they are not able to support themselves and pay rent for proper living. This then prevents them from achieving a steady stream of income. 

Another vicious cycle that was discussed among the panel was the role of the police when dealing with the less fortunate. The panelists explained that police are not properly trained for these types of situations, which results in them either forcing them away or being arrested. Joseph Lascaze, a member of ACLU of New Hampshire, recounts his own story of trying to get a job after his own struggles and being turned down from a job stacking boxes at Amazon. Showing yet another cycle where if a homeless person is arrested then it becomes even more difficult for that person to apply for a job. 

Stephanie Savard, a member of Families in Transitions, comments on the aspect of race when looking at the homeless population. She comments, “multi-racial or members of the African American community are four times more likely to be homeless.” Putting members of minority communities at an unfair disadvantage. Lascaze responds to this claim by stating, “they [African Americans] make up about ten percent of the homeless population, while they only make up about two percent of the overall population in New Hampshire.”

There is also the obvious problem of health problems that face the homeless population every day. Pamela Preston, Associate Professor of Nursing, explains that not only does the homeless population suffer from physical illness, but they also deal with substance abuse and severe mental illness. She also brings forth the statistic that shows almost 20 percent of the homeless population contracts HIV, whereas only one percent of the whole population is afflicted with HIV. Safarz also explains that poor mental health creates a barrier for homeless children in school. She goes on to say that this causes the children to act out, and it prevents them from learning properly or being present in their class. 

When the panel was asked about what Saint Anselm College could do to better assist the homeless population, they all responded with ideas for students to be more involved. The biggest advice that was given by the panelists was to ‘look the homeless in their eyes’, showing genuine human connection, something that is lacking from society. The panelists also recommend students to connect with the Meelia center or other groups on campus that focus on community outreach. As Joseph Lascaze says, “The homeless population is seen as a problem, instead of being viewed as people.”