History of the Homeless Society

In New York City, alcoholics were traditionally found on the streets with a bottle in their hands. Many homeless lived near train tracks and took trains to various locations. This resulted in a creation of the very first homeless shelter in 1879 that seeks to rescue those who are homeless. The shelter is known as “The Bowery Mission” and was founded by “Rev. and Mrs. A.G. Ruliffson.”

Homelessness was started as a result to stress in the economic society when the availability of affordable housing continued to decrease. Many others also lost their home due to economic reasons. Tension grew between public places (libraries, churches, and public bathrooms) and the homeless as their population continued to grow consistently. Libraries enforced a “no eyes shut” and dress policy as well as hiring security guards to keep the homeless out.

Since the homeless was prohibited to stay at public places, the majority of the population stayed at sidewalks, parks, bridges or the subways. There were limited shelters for the homeless to stay at night. They were forced to leave in the morning and they had to survive on their own until evening. But, they could stay at daytime shelters instead of wandering around in the streets. One of these daytime shelters founded in the 1980’s is the “Saint Francis House” located in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 1989, some local newspaper companies put homeless people to work by offering them jobs which include writing, producing, and selling papers on the streets and trains. Some of these companies were called, “Street News, The Big Issue, Street Wise, Street Sense and Spare Change.” But, even with the limited employment opportunities; the homeless population continues to rise gradually every year.

http://www.bowery.org/reference/history.htm