Homeless in McCreary County
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By Eugenia Jones {Editor}
eugenia@highland.net
Photo by Eugenia Jones There appears to be a growing population of homeless individuals in McCreary County. There are four types of homelessness, including street homelessness. The makeshift camp (pictured above) of one McCreary County individual is an example of rural street homelessness.
A number of McCreary Countians have no place to call home
There’s no place like home. According to vocabulary.com, “Home is where one lives: one’s house, apartment, or condo. It’s also the place one feels most comfortable, loved, and protected — where one most feels at home.”
However for those who are homeless, there is no shelter, and typically there is little to no comfort, love, or protection. This is particularly true for those who, for whatever reason, call the streets their home.
The street homeless, those defined as living on the streets with no shelter or home to go to at night, are usually associated with cities and large towns. However, street homeless individuals are becoming increasingly more common in rural areas, including the rural areas of Kentucky.
Homelessness in rural areas is quite different than homelessness in urban areas where those without homes manage to survive by panhandling and sleeping on busy streets in plain sight of others. In contrast, the homeless in rural areas tend to survive by roaming from house to house and sleeping on the couches or in the spare rooms of family members or friends, living in dilapidated buildings without utilities, or in worst case scenarios involving the “street homeless”, living in tents or makeshift structures hidden away in wooded areas or abandoned buildings.
Homelessness in rural areas such as McCreary County occurs due to a variety of reasons, including the lack of affordable housing, substance abuse & addiction, loss of employment or relationships, mental/physical health issues, and/or the lack of services for rural homelessness.
The Voice recently got a glimpse into the life and shelter of McCreary County’s street homeless, an individual (we’ll refer to him as Dan) who intermittently, for approximately three years, lived in a makeshift shelter forged together from cardboard signs, tarps, and other scrap materials. The makeshift camp, built away from the main road, was still visible to those passing by.
Dan’s journey into street homelessness began primarily after a break-up with his girlfriend. Substance abuse also played a role.
“I didn’t have anyone to turn to, so the woods was my best option,” Dan explained. “I stayed several weeks on what’s called The Sand Rock. I’ve always been super respectful when it came to people around me so I hardly ever had fires or caused any kind of scene to raise attention.”
Once, after asking for water, Dan shared the experience of being ran off and reported to 911.
“I was sitting on Sand Rock, and something just told me to leave,” Dan recalled. “I came across an official who knows me pretty well. We talked for a few minutes, and he gave me some cards about homeless places. He told me not to be back on Sand Rock. The people who lived in the area didn’t want anyone camping there.”
Despite the warning, Dan stayed in his camp for five more days. He was awakened by a man telling him to leave.
“When he saw it was just me and my dog, he kind of calmed down,” Dan said. “After I told him my story, the man actually went down to a store and came back with some Gatorade, chips, and something for my dog to eat. But, he still very politely told me I couldn’t stay there.”
It was now up to Dan to find a new place to stay.
“I had heard from other people that, from time to time, people stayed in the woods in this one place, and that a lot times, the people staying there were left alone,” Dan noted. “So, I ventured that way.”
Despite having some run-ins with the law, Dan was able to settle into his new camp.
“Like I said before, I really tried to be respectful,” Dan elaborated. “During summer times, I would walk around and pick up garbage and big sticks that fell out of trees in people’s yards. So, no one ever really said nothing to me for about three years. During that time there, it was the most rough part of my life. I’ve had to start over there, not one or two or five times, but at least fifteen times. When I say start over, I mean me having to leave my stuff there, and whoever thought they needed my stuff more than me would take almost everything that meant something to me.”
As time went by, Dan picked up a few jobs here and there. However, none of the jobs worked out long-term.
“I’m the kind of person that really doesn’t like to ask for help in the least bit, but there at the end, I branched out and did start asking people for help,” Dan recalled. “I stayed in the woods the three nights it was way below zero, and let me tell you, there was honestly a couple of times that I didn’t think I would make it through the night.”
Dan ended up in trouble with the law and spent five months in jail. He managed to get in touch with a friend who brought him back to McCreary County and offered him a place to stay temporarily.
“I said ‘no’ because of certain issues,” Dan explained. “I had to explain that it is a feeling I get when I have the necessities and the little things in life. You start taking them for granted even if it is just for a few nights. Then, it’s jerked away. It just makes it rougher.”
Dan chose to go back to his camp and begin his journey again.
Despite seeking help for his substance abuse, Dan said other factors contributed greatly to his mental outlook.
“During those times, I looked like a strung out crackhead-not because I was geeked out, but because I had no food a lot of nights,” Dan explained. “I very rarely got to bathe. Each day my mental level fiercely dropped. I never thought it would turn that bad for me. I was wrong.”
Dan finally hit rock bottom. Nearly losing Cleo, his dog and companion, and tired of living his life camped in the woods, Dan reached out for help. With assistance from strangers and a friend, Dan was able to relocate outside of McCreary County. He now has a temporary place to stay and is working toward having his own place.
Once unheard of in McCreary County, there is now an obvious population of rural “street homeless” such as Dan as well as other categories of homeless individuals in McCreary County.
According to the JOIN website, https://joinpdx.org/the-many-forms-of-homelessness/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6LPfp47m_QIVyCVMCh22GgdDEAAYASAAEgJemfD_BwE , there are four categories of homelessness, including: chronic, transitional, episodic, and hidden.
Chronically homeless individuals are described as either “unaccompanied homeless individuals with a disabling condition” who have been continuously homeless for a year or more, or have had a minimum of four episodes of homelessness in the previous three years. Usually, the chronic homeless are associated with older individuals having complex, long-term health issues and often living on the street, in a car, park, or other location that is not suitable for human habitation.
Episodic homelessness refers to individuals who are currently homeless and have experienced at least three periods of homelessness in the previous year. Episodic homelessness frequently occurs among younger individuals suffering from some type of disabling condition, such as substance abuse, mental illness, and/or medical problems.
Transitional homelessness also occurs more often with individuals who are likely to be younger and generally enter a shelter or temporary housing system for only one brief stay. This situation can be the result of a catastrophic event or sudden life change.
The fourth type of homelessness often goes unreported. These individuals are known as ‘provisionally occupied’ and are experiencing what is known as ‘hidden homelessness.’ These individuals temporarily live with others (‘couch-surfing’) without a guarantee that they will be able to stay long-term and without immediate prospects for acquiring permanent housing. This often describes people staying with friends or relatives because they lack other housing opportunities. This population is considered ‘hidden’ because they do not access homeless supports and services, despite their need for them.
Many causes contribute to homelessness in McCreary County, including substance abuse, lack of public transportation, lack of public housing, and lack of local services geared toward helping the homeless.
The local lack of public transportation and services geared toward helping the homeless as well as an inadequate amount of public housing are all contributing factors to the different categories of homelessness in McCreary County. Substance abuse plays a significant role in local “street homelessness.” The lack of local treatment facilities and public transportation compound the problems associated with substance abuse by making it difficult for those homeless individuals to seek and/or receive treatment.
The need for more public housing in McCreary County is documented. In the Healthiest Communities Survey, McCreary County scored 46 out of a possible 100 on housing. The score of 46 takes into consideration housing quality, capacity, and affordability. The 2020 Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) County Health Rankings indicated a 22% rate of severe housing problems in McCreary County, well above the state rate of 14%. In 2021, RWJ County Health Rankings for McCreary County housing improved, but still noted 16% of McCreary Countians had severe housing cost burden. The 16% rate was higher than that of the state and all of the remaining nine counties in the Lake Cumberland District.
The lack of housing impacts young as well as old. Currently, 26 children in the McCreary County School District are identified as homeless based on the criteria of living either in a shelter, motel or campground due to the lack of an alternative adequate accommodation, in a car, park, abandoned building, bus, train station, or doubled up with other people (relatives, etc.) due to loss of housing or economic hardship.
Solutions to the problem of homelessness are not simple. Obviously, there is clearly a need for more public housing and public transportation in McCreary County. Building infrastructure to improve daily living is a serious challenge for all, especially those in local leadership.
Photo by Eugenia Jones Welcome House, Inc., a non-profit based in Covington, KY, is currently working to help street homeless in the Lake Cumberland area, including McCreary County. The caseworkers assist homeless individuals in making contact with food, health, and housing resources. Pictured are: Bruce Hill, Callie Hayes, and Bridgette Smith.
Local services for the homeless are minimal. However during the last two years, Welcome House, Inc., a non-profit based in northern Kentucky, has been servicing street homeless individuals in the ten-county Lake Cumberland area. Welcome House, Inc. expanded its reach into southeastern Kentucky via special COVID funding and is the first street outreach program in the area. The program helps homeless individuals with basic necessities, access to benefits, and some housing. The program works to connect homeless individuals with resources, including physical, mental, and substance abuse treatment and food resources. Case managers also work with the Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky to connect homeless individuals with housing resources. Anyone who is aware of a homeless individual is encouraged to reach out to the Welcome House, Inc. to provide information regarding the situation.
During The Voice’s research regarding local homelessness, we encountered individuals sleeping overnight on benches, in vehicles, and in makeshift shelters in wooded areas. We also found multiple incidents of individuals dwelling in dilapidated buildings and/or substandard dwellings.
McCreary County is not immune from homelessness. Tackling the problem will take time, effort x 2, compassion, and persistence. As Terrence Lester noted, “From the comfort of our own homes, it is hard to understand the complexities of something like poverty and homelessness.”
