Adam Weiss

Professor Dykstra
COMM 406
7 February 2017

Blog #2

Morgantown West Virginia is an interesting place. It is not your average

small town. New students cycle through the city every year while locals keep
the city running day to day. From the outside there always seems to be hope
an excitement, especially with all the team spirit and local parades.
However, there is a dark side of the city that never seems to get much
brighter. The homeless problem Morgantown faces is hard to ignore.
According to the Coordinating Council on Homelessness, as of October 2015
the amount of homeless in Morgantown is 83. Almost every time I take a
walk downtown, a panhandler stops and asks me for change. I most always
say no and go on with my day. For this project I set out to see the people
behind the mess of blankets and CVS bags.
For the project I set out to interview 4 homeless individuals downtown.
I decided the best way would be to voice record the interview and give the
interviewee $5 in return. The first step was coming up with interview
questions. I came up with the following questions using the interview guide
provided.
Tell me a little about yourself
-How long have you been homeless?
-How much sleep do you get?
-Do you feel safe?
-In your opinion, what do you think the biggest cause of poverty is here?
-Do you think the services available in Morgantown are adequate?
-If you could be doing anything right now, money aside what would it be?
-If you could send a message informing the community about these issues,
what would it be?
-Where do you see yourself one year from now?
-What does the word Home Mean to you?
My hypothesis was that this would be an easy process and that the
people I interviewed would be happy to help and receive $5. The following is
the voice recordings transcribed. My words appear in black and the
interviewees words are in red

What is your name?

-Donald
Tell me about yourself, how long have you been homeless?
-My biggest problem is I got like a mental problem. My problem is Ill be fine
and the next thing you know Ill say something or say the wrong thing, I
dont think before I speak kind of thing. And its just getting older and older,
Ill be 41 in February. Im just trying survive. Everyones out here trying to do
alcohol and drugs, its too damn cold for that in that part of my life.
How much sleep do you get at night?
-If I had my own tent and campsite like I did, I would get probably about 7.
Now I only get about 3 or 4.
In your opinion whats the biggest cause of poverty is here in Morgantown.
-Honestly, I dont like to say it because most people get mad at me but the
college. Because they are overrunning the town and theyre pushing townies
out. Like when the college students leave, there are no jobs in town, they
wont hire you. You can get a job on the outskirts, but Im 41 I cant walk
back and forth like I used to.
Do you think the services available in Morgantown are adequate?
-The homeless shelter? No. I got kicked out because they said I threatened
someone, but its my word against theirs. Like grow up, were all adults.
If you could be doing anything right now, money aside what would you do?
-Just be happy. Money dont really make me happy. But people dont get
that.
Where do you see yourself a year from now?
-I used to have a place, hopefully get back there. Leave all my stuff and go,
just get off the streets since my mom passed away.
What does the word Home mean to you?
-People think diamond rings and billions in the bank. But just a roof over my
head is important to me.

Out of all my interviews, Donald seemed the most coherent and genuinely
concerned about the Morgantown Homeless problem. The college town
factor played into the problem according to him because places only hire
during the school year.

Before our interview began the man seemed very out of it but willing to
interview (intoxicated or high). He seemed very angry yet friendly the whole
interview so I did not push for more information. He started the interview by
saying.
Im not gon lie to you, Im not homeless I got a house. Im out here hustling
to keep my house. I just ran across a kid who actually was homeless and
gave him $25 out of my own pocket. I had a spiritual moment.
Can you state your name?
-No
How much sleep do you get in a night?
-Not much. I was homeless 5 years ago and barely slept. Now Im hustling
so I dont have to do it again. I get $721 a month disability from the
government to not be homeless and yes I have to panhandle to make the
rest.
In your opinion whats the biggest cause of homelessness in Morgantown?
-Charity. They take care of these f***in punks, they could be working but no.
Boy you gon make me mad with these questions!
If you could be doing anything now, money aside, what would you do?
-Id be back to working like I used to before I got disabled. Is that to your
f***in benefit?
What does the word Home mean to you?
-A place with 4 walls and a roof

After this interview the man started mumbling and showed me his umbrella.
He definitely showed signs of mental illness. I was also concerned how
aggressive he got towards me when answering questions he didnt like. What
was interesting was that he was panhandling even though he still had a
home.

Can you state your name?

-No
Tell me a little about yourself, are you homeless?
-Yes I have been, for about a year now
On average how much sleep do you get in a night?
-6 to 7 hours
Do you feel safe around Morgantown?
-I make it safe.
In your opinion, what is the biggest cause of poverty in Morgantown?
-Alcohol and drugs, more drugs than alcohol.
What do you think about the services available in Morgantown? Are they
adequate?
-More than adequate
If you could be doing anything right now, money aside, what would you
do?
-Playing golf down there at pebble beach.
Where do you see yourself one year from now?
-I cant foresee that.
What does the word home mean to you?
-My grandma.

With this gentleman I also sensed he was dealing with a drug problem, he
had sores on his face and his eyes were glazed over. He seemed more
accepting of the fact that he was homeless and didnt have much of a plan to
get in a home.

For my fourth and final interview I approached a man who looked to be

homeless by a convenience store. I asked if he wanted to do a quick
interview for money and he agreed. He wanted the money upfront however
which was different than the others.

Whats your name?

-I dont want to talk to any of you students.
That was the only thing he said to me in our interview. The disliking students
situation was not something new. I didnt try to ask more questions because
he did not seem sober and looked angry.

Looking back at my hypothesis, things went smoothly for the most

part. However a few things stood out at me. The main causes of
homelessness according to the homeless themselves were drugs/alcohol and
students. I would also guess that mental illness played a part in this. Several
of the interviewees appeared to have some kind of mental illness. When
asked about safety most of them didnt go into too much detail, but I would
guess not very safe considering all but one wouldnt tell me their name.
When giving these interviews I did not feel safe and never saw police officers
walking on the street, only driving by in cars. My question regarding sleep
was surprising, I expected everyone to say less than 4 or 5 hours. However, I
was surprised to hear 7 from one man. When I asked about Morgantowns
services I got mixed reactions. It sounded like the city does provide plenty of
services but only for those that can think straight and behave properly. If I
had to improve my project for next time, I would have interviewed someone
who helps the homeless for my final interview. That way I could gain a
different perspective on the situation.
So what makes the homeless in Morgantown unique? The biggest
factor is that this is a college town with business in full operation for only 9
months. This limits opportunities for simple jobs. But even though this can be
seen as a negative, it can also be beneficial for panhandlers. We discussed in
class how every year a new class of unsuspecting freshmen carelessly walk
down high street and empty their pockets out of empathy. With people
cycling through constantly there is more panhandling opportunities. What
stood out to me specifically about the homeless in Morgantown is how
aggressive some of them are. During one interview the man was swearing at
me even though I was giving him money. I am from Colorado where there is
also a homeless problem in the city of Boulder. But the homeless there are a
lot more positive. Some of them perform and a lot of them make funny signs
to lure in change. In Morgantown you dont see the hope as much. I think the
hope in West Virginia died out a long time ago with coal mining. Jobs and
opportunities are scarce here. This is a much larger issue than what the
CCOH is dealing with. This is a state government issue who is afraid to take
risks. If we want to see improvements in this state, a new industry needs to
be invested in besides energy. Unfortunately the infrastructure to build any
new industry is lacking here. As for now what can we do to improve the
homeless problem in Morgantown? I think the first thing is safety. I believe
there should be police officers patrolling High Street on foot at every time of
the day. This protects the homeless as well as other civilians. Next I think the
homeless organizations in town like Christian help, the friendship room and
others should pool their resources and make one big shelter. It seems like
most organizations here are too small to make much of an impact, by pooling
resources together they could accomplish much more. By doing this, it also
creates awareness which is lacking in Morgantown. For example, the people
of Morgantown raised $53,000 in 2016 to build the Don Knotts statue on
High Street. For all 83 homeless people, that could have meant $600 each to
help turn their lives around. Funds need to be spent more wisely. Finally I
think the state should make more incentives for recycling. The amount of
cans and bottles that scatter the streets in this town are abundant, if we
offered simple recycling programs like other states do, more homeless
people would spend their time cleaning the streets. If we could implement all
these ideas, I believe we could eradicate homelessness in Morgantown.