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It is September 17th 2021. My name is Sheila White. I'm with the Humanities Truck from American University. I'm here to do an interview with Monica Sypes on homelessness. So, how are you today? I am fine. My name is Monica Sypes. All right. Where were you born? I was born in Baltimore, Maryland.

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Where were you raised? Baltimore. Are you crying experiencing homelessness? No, not at this time.

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But you have experienced homelessness? Yes, I expierenced homelessness. I was at the Pat Handy shelter. Can you tell me how long? I stayed in Pat Handy shelter for four years. From there I had got my own place, but I stayed at Pat Handy for four years, and it was a good experience. I never experienced homelessness before but it was a term. I went through a lot of things and seen a lot of things. It was just a mess. I was in there because of homelessness because I was evicted from my house, staying with another male and I never seen homelessness in my life like it was at Pat Handy shelter, but it was a turmoil. Everything was just going crazy in there, but I stayed there through the long haul. The women was terrible, mess. Everything just seemed like it was tore up from the floor.

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Why do you think homelessness has continued to be a big problem in Washington DC? It just seemed to me in Washington DC, just every time you walk somewhere, you see homelessness, people homeless. I mean, I live in an area now, down the street, all you can see is people laying around the streets with nowhere to go. And, and I just pray that someone will help them to find a place before it get cold. Has the ability to live in this city changed over the course of your life in a way that makes homelessness, more or less prevalent? How would you describe the changes in your life? Now, I prefer like this. When I got my place. Now, I still remember me being homeless. And now I just got to the point now my go out and I feed the homeless. Make sure they clothing and give them food. I go around to shelters and stuff like that and give out Lord things, , backpacks, and food and stuff like that. So is it an experience for me. But I like it.

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Okay, what are you think of some of the causes of homelessness? Because they don't have the finances to keep up with their utilities and rent and stuff like that and it should be a place where they can go and seek help. Or it is as though they just strung out and just gave up. Have you seen any changes in hhe neighborhood that have impacted your ability to find housing? Okay, what kind of house situation neighborhoods are most accessible to you or people in your situation like Section eight vouchers or...? Well, Section eight vouchers is good, but you got to stay in your place for a year before you can move to another location.

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Okay, how does the job situation in the city impacts, the ability to access housing? I mean, do you think they need jobs? We need jobs. Do you think that would help the situation some? How about you think it would impact people with the ability to access housing? Well. it's a lot of people that's seeking for help. And is lot of people that don't want no job. They just waiting for somebody to- wait for somebody to like give them the resources. But there always should be a place where a person can go, and seek help because they need like guidance and they need directions. Especially right now, in the city of Washington DC is it just a lot of homeless people. And they not willing to go into no shelter because they probably did have some experiences and in them kind of places. So you were saying the problem is more than or not enough jobs? Or that the jobs exist, but they do not pay enough? They exist but it's just not enough paying. They just don't pay enough.

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And what way do you think the government social services and change to those services and impact homelessness for the better on for worse? Do it impact us for the worst or for better? For the worse. Why? Because by people receiving their checks and they might get high. So they take the money and go out and get high. Then, the next thing you know, they don't have no refunds. No money to spend on what they need to spend it on because it's all gone. So the homeless people really need some help far as somebody managing their finances, till they get on their feet the right way they're supposed to.

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So what are some of the reasons why they need managing of their finance? Because they don't, they don't know how to manage finances. They just get that money and especially if a person go out and get high. They spent it up. Next thing, you know, when they come back to where they need to be in the shelter, then all that money is gone. Where it is though they can't buy no toilet issues and stuff like that to get to keep for their personal need. So, how would you describe the state of homelessness shelter in the cities? What impacts do they have on homelessness? Well, some of the people that's in the shelters right now, don't want to be in the shelters because of the staff and because of the guards, that takes everything from them. I mean, it's a good thing that you can't bring no paraphinalias and stuff like that in there, but. The people just need direction and if there's some older people that's in the shelter list in the wheelchairs, they can't get around to how they need to get around. Far as getting the things that they really need, it should be a place where they can go and get the things that they need and bring it back to the shelter.

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How is policies in the city impact homelessness? Have policies changed in any way that affect homelessness? What do you mean by policies? Like government policies put in place for like, stay-in-shelter, stuff like that. Like when it's cold and they put on the Code Red sign saying that you can stay inside the shelter, you don't have to come out. Stuff like that? Well, it's a good thing for the people but the people should be able to stay in the side the sheltera qhen it's real cold and stuff outside like that. Cause they don't want to be standing in the lines outside, trying to get into the shelter because of the cold and have to do the same thing over and over each day when it's cold outside.

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Has the War on Drugs had an impact on homelessness? Yes, it got worse. Yes, the War on Drugs then got worse. Because nowadays, people are on K2 and they don't all kinds of things that they don't supposed to be doing, and they come into the shelter, halfway crazy, and want to fight and stuff like that. It's just another stuff going on, especially as far as COVID. Even if COVID wasn't here is still a lot of stuff that's now, right in the shelters. So, do you think prisons have an impact on homelessness? No, no, because prisons going to be prisons. Because if they inside, they can't get out. So, then you got some homeless people they get in prison, and they done a lot of things and they let him back out and they do the same thing over and over again. So, prison is prisons is a good help for people that do bad.

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Okay, so how does homelessness impact people's health? Homelessness don't impact people health because is a lot of sick homelessness and they don't know they sick but they still have to go inside of shelters, just to stay safe. So how would you describe the state of health care service available to the unhoused? That means people that are homeless? Well, it's good. That is good for homeless people because it's a lot of people that's homeless is sick and need help for their sickness and their disease that they have. So the clinics is good for the homeless people.

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Okay, what impact of existing mental health, and substance abuse programs on homelessness in the region? Like, how does mental health play a part in homelessness? Well, mental health [laughs] mental, health is good because one time when I was homeless, I experienced mental health and mental health is good. I was on some medicine. I stayed on that for a while. I didn't like the way it felt. So I got off of it and I never got on it no more. So today I can say that mental health is a great thing to have. So that means you are aware the services that they have? Yes, I am. I'm aware of it.

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Okay, do you think access to education or the quality of education has any impact on homelessness and has it gotten any better or worse? Well, education is good for people, that's homeless. But some people don't want to experience education because of the experience they going through in the shelter. So they've put education on the side to they get their lives together. Okay, is physical or sexual violence within the home had an impact on homelessness? Do you think it has an impact on homelessness while people are being homeless? Violence?

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Yeah, domestic violence. Yeah, well... Does it has impact on homelessness? Well, domestic violence is so bad homeless people because a lot of homeless people, they astray and walk the street all night long and anybodycould come to him and get them, come and take the things that they have and or want to your entity, your body. Is is just crazy. There's a whole lot of people that walk the streets, all the night just zapped out of their minds.

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So you're saying that domestic violence, sexual violence has an impact on homelessness? on homelessness? Yes, it does. It have a bad impact. Yes, it does. So does violence on the street affect homelessness in anyway? Yes, because you got a lot of people that's homeless and they just violent or they're either in homelessness or they just came out of homelessness. Anything could happen when you walk on the street, so you have to always be careful.

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If you are with any, what do you think of any of the current groups or strategies? People can engage in to try to end homelessness? Or are you aware of there any strategies to try to end homelessness? Well, homelessness is homelessness, and there is people that's always going to be homeless. And there's people that not going to be homeless that want to get their lives together. But you got some people, they been homeless for a while and they just stuck. They comfortable and where they are and they not willing to get on their feet and do anything. So they just sit there and they stop. They want the shelters to be their homes. And that's not good. Do you know of any movement groups that you're involved in or would like to get involved with that were mobilizing against homelessness.? Like many groups you work with or anything? Well, we go out like on the streets and I am a Christian and I do go out and try to help people to get their lives together, that's on drugs and sitting up in the shelter's sitting around and not doing anything, but I go out to encourage them to get their lives together and go to church, be baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. But some them are willing in some just don't want to.

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What do you think is going to done to end homelessness? Because, it's about to get cold for one. We know COVID still going on. And we just not want to people, just don't want to see people out there laying around in the streets, all balled up in a knot, not doing nothing. They're just so used to being out there, somebody gotta help them because they don't know the way. So they need some directions. Some guidence. Okay, if you can get 50 people to join you doing something to in homelessness, what would you have those people to do? What would I have to do? I will introduce some too. Going to church. I mean we have bible studies and stuff like that and we have we have like stuff where you could do far as going to the parks and fellowship and stuff like that. Just something to do to just to get your mind occupied from the things that so bombarded.

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Alright, okay. How might we overcome these barriers? What are some of the things you can do to overcome homelessness? They just have to be willing, but it's some people is not willing to overcome homelessness. They just stuck. They need some help. So, all you can do right now. For homelessness is encourage them, get them a place where they can call home. Even if they have to be in a place where somebody have to tell them how to live or show them how to live all over again. That would be good. Okay, what do you think the biggest cause of homelessness? What are some of the causes that cause people to become homeless? Some of the causes is that they either don't know how to pay their bills and they need some help. Or they just don't want to pay that bills not at all.

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What are some of the causes besides just paying the bills? Why they not paying their bills? Well... What are some of the causes? Drugs. K2. Drugs. Just smoking crack. That's some of the cuases. If they've been in jail, they don't have a place to go so that could cause homelessness. It's just, it's just a lot.

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What would it take you to get involved to end homeless? I mean, we have some of the greatest women in our church that go out and reach people. That's homeless and needs some encouragement. They want to go to church and want to join and just want to do things for the Lord. So we try to help them the best way we can. We go out and give them food and stuff like that, so encourage them and stuff like that. Because you got some people that's homeless that had children. It makes me feel so bad because we got a few men and women that in our church that's homeless and we get them and take them to church on Sundays and bible studies on Fridays and we bring them back to the shelters. So we're trying to encourage them, give them the word of God and see what happens from there, but we don't give up on them. If you could help build a better world, what would the world look like for you? What it look like for me? If I could build a better world, I would open some houses, put land together and get all the women that want some help and put them in a place. I live there with them and they get that lives in the right place.

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If you could design your own housing solution being as creative as you want to be, what might that be? I would build me a land! All right, what might be an idea employment situation look like for you? What would be an ideal job for you? For me? To be. A woman that want to help the homeless. To be a staff, just to be there to encourage and build.

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Is there any question I should have asked you that you have something you want to say? Well, I just want say this, I pray that the homeless people get the help that they need. I know that COVID seem like it's going to be here for a while. And I pray that the homeless don't have to suffer this winter in the street. Do you have any other ideas you would like to share? No, I don't have no other ideas. I wish I did.

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I did. All right. Thank you, Monica. Thank you.