WEBVTT 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:03.980 Welcome to the Light Keepers podcast. This week, 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:07.860 from the Bahama Islands, I'm Clayton Vandiver, 00:00:07.919 --> 00:00:10.500 your Light Keeper, with a show dedicated to everyone 00:00:10.500 --> 00:00:13.000 who wants to get the very most quality out of 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:16.059 life that they can. Join us for the conversation 00:00:16.059 --> 00:00:21.519 this week about being in the Bahamas and traveling. 00:00:22.059 --> 00:00:25.300 No, no, I'm sorry. I'm going to have to change 00:00:25.300 --> 00:00:28.039 the topic on you. Okay, what are we talking about 00:00:28.039 --> 00:00:30.559 today? Well, just because we're on vacation does 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:33.679 not mean that important current events stop happening. 00:00:33.799 --> 00:00:35.340 And there are some things going on that I feel 00:00:35.340 --> 00:00:38.039 it's important we talk about. On this edition 00:00:38.039 --> 00:01:06.370 of the Light Keepers Podcast. So we're on a very 00:01:06.370 --> 00:01:10.049 special edition, a travel edition of the Light 00:01:10.049 --> 00:01:12.730 Keepers podcast here in the beautiful Bahama 00:01:12.730 --> 00:01:15.689 Islands right off the coast of Florida. And, 00:01:15.709 --> 00:01:18.450 of course, with my co -host as always, Charlene, 00:01:18.469 --> 00:01:20.569 a licensed clinical social worker in the state 00:01:20.569 --> 00:01:23.629 of Florida. And we'd like you to leave your questions 00:01:23.629 --> 00:01:26.310 or comments below so that we can answer them 00:01:26.310 --> 00:01:29.310 in the following episode. But we love to hear 00:01:29.310 --> 00:01:31.269 from you. We want you to join this conversation. 00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:34.260 This week we plan to talk a little bit about 00:01:34.260 --> 00:01:36.319 travel and the things that you do to prepare 00:01:36.319 --> 00:01:39.500 for traveling. And current events are happening 00:01:39.500 --> 00:01:42.379 that Charlene would like to share some information 00:01:42.379 --> 00:01:45.579 and insight about. So what's going on? So right 00:01:45.579 --> 00:01:50.230 now the Supreme Court is hearing a case. A situation 00:01:50.230 --> 00:01:53.409 coming out of Oregon, Grants Pass, where the 00:01:53.409 --> 00:01:58.209 city, they started fining people that were homeless 00:01:58.209 --> 00:02:00.129 and sleeping outside. They're referred to as 00:02:00.129 --> 00:02:02.969 the unsheltered homeless, meaning they're homeless, 00:02:03.150 --> 00:02:04.849 they don't have a shelter, they don't have anywhere 00:02:04.849 --> 00:02:07.709 to go, so they're sleeping outside. The city 00:02:07.709 --> 00:02:11.009 started fining these individuals $295 a night, 00:02:11.150 --> 00:02:13.629 which basically, depending on how you look at 00:02:13.629 --> 00:02:17.539 it, criminalizes being homeless. And if they 00:02:17.539 --> 00:02:20.180 had that, well, somebody's excited. We're on 00:02:20.180 --> 00:02:23.460 a cruise ship after all. Happy hour. But, you 00:02:23.460 --> 00:02:25.740 know, if you're going to find someone who's already 00:02:25.740 --> 00:02:28.960 had such financial hardship that they've found 00:02:28.960 --> 00:02:31.360 themselves to be homeless, not those who choose 00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:36.280 to be homeless, but those who, through the economy, 00:02:36.620 --> 00:02:39.270 the... Problems that life can bring to you. Situations 00:02:39.270 --> 00:02:42.030 outside of their control. And I'm going to give 00:02:42.030 --> 00:02:43.590 you a great example. The reason we're talking 00:02:43.590 --> 00:02:45.750 about this on the show today is because according 00:02:45.750 --> 00:02:48.330 to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, 00:02:48.409 --> 00:02:52.009 one out of four unsheltered homeless individuals 00:02:52.009 --> 00:02:56.909 is a senior over the age of 55. Now, we're talking 00:02:56.909 --> 00:02:58.969 about our older population. We're talking about 00:02:58.969 --> 00:03:02.990 over 138 ,000 people. That's a lot of people. 00:03:04.560 --> 00:03:08.259 are on a fixed income possibly, not able to keep 00:03:08.259 --> 00:03:11.740 up with inflation, and now as a result of economics 00:03:11.740 --> 00:03:15.360 and situations outside of their control, they've 00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:18.319 lost their homes and they're homeless. And now 00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:21.379 what we're talking about doing in some cities 00:03:21.379 --> 00:03:25.780 and states is penalizing them even further by 00:03:25.780 --> 00:03:29.719 writing them citations for being found sleeping 00:03:29.719 --> 00:03:33.819 outside. Now, if you live in a city that is fortunate 00:03:33.819 --> 00:03:36.960 enough to have ample homeless shelters for these 00:03:36.960 --> 00:03:40.259 individuals to go to, that might not seem like 00:03:40.259 --> 00:03:42.439 a big deal, but a lot of cities don't have those 00:03:42.439 --> 00:03:45.159 resources. Well, if it's a growing problem that's 00:03:45.159 --> 00:03:47.319 getting worse and worse, if it's in an epidemic 00:03:47.319 --> 00:03:50.680 situation, how can cities stay ahead of it? It 00:03:50.680 --> 00:03:53.639 is going to get worse. It is going to get worse. 00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:58.280 By 2030, it is anticipated that the seniors over 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:02.219 the age of 65... It's going to go from 40 ,000 00:04:02.219 --> 00:04:06.560 individuals to 106 ,000 individuals. Now, these 00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:09.419 are people that maybe they can't go back to work. 00:04:09.479 --> 00:04:12.080 Maybe they've exhausted all their savings. They 00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:15.479 have no resources in sight. They have no way 00:04:15.479 --> 00:04:17.819 to change their situation. And now what we're 00:04:17.819 --> 00:04:20.560 doing is we're criminalizing it and we're penalizing 00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:23.360 them for it. Now, of course, on the Light Keepers 00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:26.600 podcast, our conversations are always sort of 00:04:26.600 --> 00:04:28.920 aimed toward the solutions and the things that 00:04:28.920 --> 00:04:31.930 will help. What can help this sort of situation? 00:04:32.029 --> 00:04:33.970 So the reason I wanted to bring this up today 00:04:33.970 --> 00:04:38.370 is because this is something that is just a piece 00:04:38.370 --> 00:04:41.509 of a bigger problem. It's a small piece of a 00:04:41.509 --> 00:04:44.370 puzzle that's a much bigger picture that needs 00:04:44.370 --> 00:04:47.790 to be addressed. And the goal today is not to 00:04:47.790 --> 00:04:49.870 find the solution. The solution's not out there 00:04:49.870 --> 00:04:52.069 yet, but we've got to get the conversation started 00:04:52.069 --> 00:04:54.689 because it's not until we start that conversation 00:04:54.689 --> 00:04:57.930 that we can really... get things out in the open 00:04:57.930 --> 00:05:00.170 and start working together to find solutions 00:05:00.170 --> 00:05:03.470 because it's a bigger picture. We're not just 00:05:03.470 --> 00:05:05.629 talking about homelessness. Some of these people 00:05:05.629 --> 00:05:07.629 are homeless because of mental health issues. 00:05:08.460 --> 00:05:11.540 And if they're mentally ill and they're not able 00:05:11.540 --> 00:05:13.620 to hold down a job, they're not able to afford 00:05:13.620 --> 00:05:16.519 their medications. It's a ripple effect. And 00:05:16.519 --> 00:05:18.740 that ripple effect... It's an endless cycle. 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:20.980 It's an endless cycle, and we've got to break 00:05:20.980 --> 00:05:25.040 that cycle. Now, whether it's through creating 00:05:25.040 --> 00:05:32.360 maybe work programs or maybe even a shelter community. 00:05:33.300 --> 00:05:36.420 where, you know, they help maintain the community 00:05:36.420 --> 00:05:39.339 in exchange for getting to live there. I don't 00:05:39.339 --> 00:05:41.500 know, but the conversation needs to be started. 00:05:41.639 --> 00:05:43.779 And if there's a good place for it to start, 00:05:43.879 --> 00:05:46.600 it's right here. You know, Franklin Delano Roosevelt 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:49.560 did a lot of things like that early in his, before 00:05:49.560 --> 00:05:52.240 World War II. When we had the Great Depression 00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:54.839 and there were people who were homeless, there 00:05:54.839 --> 00:05:57.000 were people across America who couldn't find 00:05:57.000 --> 00:06:01.779 work. And they made... programs, the Civilian 00:06:01.779 --> 00:06:05.620 Conservation Corps or the CCC, I don't remember 00:06:05.620 --> 00:06:10.220 all the letters, but it certainly found ways 00:06:10.220 --> 00:06:12.980 to put people to work and to give people a little 00:06:12.980 --> 00:06:15.480 bit of means of supporting themselves for those 00:06:15.480 --> 00:06:18.279 who were able. Now that crowd above 55 is what 00:06:18.279 --> 00:06:21.100 I worry about. Yeah, these are people with limited 00:06:21.100 --> 00:06:24.220 resources and limited opportunities to change 00:06:24.220 --> 00:06:28.120 their resources. And, you know, you bring up 00:06:28.120 --> 00:06:30.579 a good point. During the Great Depression, were 00:06:30.579 --> 00:06:33.319 the people who were struggling, were they penalized? 00:06:33.879 --> 00:06:36.339 No, they found a solution. They found a solution, 00:06:36.519 --> 00:06:39.079 and that's exactly what we need to do. A leader 00:06:39.079 --> 00:06:41.579 stepped in and said there has to be a way to 00:06:41.579 --> 00:06:44.579 put this country to work, to give them something 00:06:44.579 --> 00:06:47.339 to do that is productive for the nation, but 00:06:47.339 --> 00:06:50.259 at the same time, you know, so in other words, 00:06:50.259 --> 00:06:52.740 we're not just handing them money. We're getting 00:06:52.740 --> 00:06:55.420 something back for what we're giving. So they 00:06:55.420 --> 00:06:58.220 can find value in the help that they're being 00:06:58.220 --> 00:07:00.920 given. And I know some people are going to say 00:07:00.920 --> 00:07:03.579 that this is a red line issue or it's a blue 00:07:03.579 --> 00:07:06.199 line issue. And I'm saying no. It's a human issue. 00:07:06.259 --> 00:07:09.300 It's a human issue. It's a human issue. We're 00:07:09.300 --> 00:07:11.519 talking about lives. We're talking about individuals. 00:07:11.560 --> 00:07:14.839 We're talking about somebody's mom, somebody's 00:07:14.839 --> 00:07:17.040 dad, somebody's sister, somebody's daughter. 00:07:17.769 --> 00:07:20.810 somebody's son now then in the issues where we 00:07:20.810 --> 00:07:24.310 have folks who do have mental health issues what 00:07:24.310 --> 00:07:27.790 do we do with that so i know that there was a 00:07:27.790 --> 00:07:31.329 time when we had uh institutions designed for 00:07:31.329 --> 00:07:32.990 the mentally ill and i know they were shut down 00:07:32.990 --> 00:07:36.269 because of egregious abuses and i i agree with 00:07:36.269 --> 00:07:40.550 that but i do believe that there are people in 00:07:40.550 --> 00:07:44.990 our society that cannot cannot function in society 00:07:44.990 --> 00:07:48.540 and there needs to be a place for them I do believe 00:07:48.540 --> 00:07:54.100 that it should be privatized. So there are overseers, 00:07:54.120 --> 00:07:56.800 there's oversight, there's governances. There 00:07:56.800 --> 00:08:00.839 needs to be, a lot of people don't trust the 00:08:00.839 --> 00:08:02.519 government and there's good reason for that. 00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:05.040 They need to not be involved in things. Yeah, 00:08:05.040 --> 00:08:07.339 there was a team for the nursing homes and the 00:08:07.339 --> 00:08:09.439 skilled nursing facilities. Ombudsman program. 00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:11.980 Ombudsman program in the state of Florida. And 00:08:11.980 --> 00:08:15.699 that was a state of Florida. division that went 00:08:15.699 --> 00:08:19.360 around and basically did surprise visits. They 00:08:19.360 --> 00:08:23.160 basically kept records on all the facilities 00:08:23.160 --> 00:08:26.920 and kept them up to standards. They kept them, 00:08:26.939 --> 00:08:32.639 you know, essentially they were in eye to make 00:08:32.639 --> 00:08:35.500 sure that things were being done properly. And 00:08:35.500 --> 00:08:37.620 I'm sure there were programs like that throughout 00:08:37.620 --> 00:08:43.299 the nation in the ship program. which is part 00:08:43.299 --> 00:08:47.659 of the Area Agencies on Aging across America, 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:50.279 is not the Ombudsman Program, that was another 00:08:50.279 --> 00:08:53.340 division, but it was all part of the Agency of 00:08:53.340 --> 00:08:58.220 Aging that most states have. And they did a wonderful 00:08:58.220 --> 00:09:01.360 job of governance. So I'm sure that they could 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:03.399 do the same for mental health facilities. Mental 00:09:03.399 --> 00:09:07.740 health facilities, we need those. We need a place 00:09:07.740 --> 00:09:10.019 for those in our society that can't function 00:09:10.019 --> 00:09:13.019 in our society. They need a place to go. Because 00:09:13.019 --> 00:09:15.639 right now what's happening is they're being picked 00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:17.820 up by the police, they're being taken to the 00:09:17.820 --> 00:09:19.799 hospital where they're held under what's called 00:09:19.799 --> 00:09:22.539 a Baker Act, and 72 hours later they're being 00:09:22.539 --> 00:09:25.269 discharged right back onto the street. And usually 00:09:25.269 --> 00:09:27.750 with nowhere to go. With nowhere to go. Because 00:09:27.750 --> 00:09:29.610 when they're sent out on the street, they don't 00:09:29.610 --> 00:09:32.590 have a home. As a hospital social worker, I have 00:09:32.590 --> 00:09:35.509 been there. I have given them the bus passes 00:09:35.509 --> 00:09:37.110 to get them to the homeless shelter downtown. 00:09:37.610 --> 00:09:40.149 I've been there. I've done that. And it's a horrible 00:09:40.149 --> 00:09:43.850 thing to have to do to someone. But they can't 00:09:43.850 --> 00:09:46.110 stay in the hospital. Our hospitals are not designed 00:09:46.110 --> 00:09:50.309 for that. And in terms of our seniors, yes, a 00:09:50.309 --> 00:09:52.009 lot of people say, well, there are nursing homes 00:09:52.009 --> 00:09:55.379 they can go to. Those nursing homes cost. They're 00:09:55.379 --> 00:09:58.500 not free. And even if someone is on Medicare, 00:09:58.860 --> 00:10:00.980 guess what? Medicare doesn't pay for nursing 00:10:00.980 --> 00:10:02.980 homes. We've talked about that on previous episodes. 00:10:02.980 --> 00:10:04.759 We sure have, so that wouldn't offer them any 00:10:04.759 --> 00:10:08.580 help. Correct. Medicaid can step in and offset 00:10:08.580 --> 00:10:11.720 the cost. But now you're getting into facilities 00:10:11.720 --> 00:10:14.100 that are no better than the mental health facilities 00:10:14.100 --> 00:10:16.539 that were shut down in the days of old. I keep 00:10:16.539 --> 00:10:18.480 thinking that Robin Williams, if he were still 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:21.539 alive, would certainly be championing. He would 00:10:21.539 --> 00:10:24.580 be at the very forefront of this entire issue 00:10:24.580 --> 00:10:28.039 and would probably have already spoken to Congress 00:10:28.039 --> 00:10:31.580 and perhaps to the Supreme Court. because he 00:10:31.580 --> 00:10:34.480 was so passionate. Robin Williams was a saint. 00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:37.039 He made sure that no matter where he was working, 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:39.840 the local homeless were employed on the set. 00:10:40.039 --> 00:10:42.539 He would put them to work as extras on a set. 00:10:42.539 --> 00:10:45.320 Not a handout, a hand up. They would be helping 00:10:45.320 --> 00:10:48.500 both ways. It was a win -win for everyone. And 00:10:48.500 --> 00:10:50.980 he spent a lot of time on the streets with the 00:10:50.980 --> 00:10:54.259 homeless at times when he wasn't working. I know 00:10:54.259 --> 00:10:56.399 that I've heard stories of him going around and 00:10:56.399 --> 00:10:59.340 just being found among the homeless, sharing 00:10:59.340 --> 00:11:04.159 stories, helping them out, having a meal with 00:11:04.159 --> 00:11:06.830 them. And, you know, that was probably a great 00:11:06.830 --> 00:11:09.350 source of his inspiration for his character in 00:11:09.350 --> 00:11:11.809 The Fisher King. If you've never seen The Fisher 00:11:11.809 --> 00:11:13.870 King, I highly recommend it. Make sure you have 00:11:13.870 --> 00:11:16.350 tissues on hand. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. He was a 00:11:16.350 --> 00:11:19.230 brilliant, brilliant actor. And we miss him every 00:11:19.230 --> 00:11:23.600 day. Absolutely. Ultimately, what can we leave 00:11:23.600 --> 00:11:26.440 our audience with? We're in a beautiful setting 00:11:26.440 --> 00:11:30.460 here in the Bahamas on a cruise ship. And I said, 00:11:30.500 --> 00:11:32.840 you know, we have to bring a show to the audience 00:11:32.840 --> 00:11:35.440 with the opportunity of this beautiful backdrop. 00:11:35.840 --> 00:11:39.779 And yet then things happen in the world and we 00:11:39.779 --> 00:11:42.960 find ourselves talking about a really depressing 00:11:42.960 --> 00:11:46.350 topic. Well, and I know it's depressing, but 00:11:46.350 --> 00:11:48.450 it's a conversation that needs to be started. 00:11:48.549 --> 00:11:50.570 And the sooner we start it, the better. That's 00:11:50.570 --> 00:11:52.909 what we do. Even if it's from the Bahamas, we 00:11:52.909 --> 00:11:54.870 want to let you know we're still in touch and 00:11:54.870 --> 00:11:58.289 we're still maintaining reality. And what I would 00:11:58.289 --> 00:12:01.169 recommend to our listeners and to our viewers, 00:12:01.429 --> 00:12:04.769 get in touch with your representatives. Find 00:12:04.769 --> 00:12:07.409 out what bills are going on in your Congress, 00:12:07.490 --> 00:12:10.309 in your Senate. Get involved in your community. 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:13.519 Get involved in your community. Start the discussion 00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:16.080 if one's not already taking place. If one's already 00:12:16.080 --> 00:12:18.080 taking place, jump in there and make sure your 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:21.559 voice is heard. And, of course, this and every 00:12:21.559 --> 00:12:23.659 conversation we have on the Light Keepers podcast 00:12:23.659 --> 00:12:27.220 is a highly personal one and one that you should 00:12:27.220 --> 00:12:30.220 have with your professional advisors, your medical 00:12:30.220 --> 00:12:33.279 care team, those legislators, and those leaders 00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:35.919 in your community to see what they might be able 00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:39.080 to do on topics like this to help not just you. 00:12:39.549 --> 00:12:42.990 but perhaps the entire community and and it's 00:12:42.990 --> 00:12:46.590 all very uniquely specific for your situational 00:12:46.590 --> 00:12:49.049 needs that's why we always recommend you know 00:12:49.049 --> 00:12:52.110 don't take our word for anything join the conversation 00:12:52.110 --> 00:12:55.850 and help us find solutions, creative solutions 00:12:55.850 --> 00:13:00.529 from any source for problems like this. Because, 00:13:00.710 --> 00:13:02.570 you know, the more information we have, the more 00:13:02.570 --> 00:13:04.370 we talk about it, the more the conversation goes 00:13:04.370 --> 00:13:08.070 on, the more informed decisions we can help make. 00:13:08.250 --> 00:13:10.649 And together we can find a solution. That's right. 00:13:10.769 --> 00:13:13.149 And we can help our legislators find solutions. 00:13:13.629 --> 00:13:17.289 So that helps get us all thinking because... 00:13:17.789 --> 00:13:20.129 Most people are not prepared at all when things 00:13:20.129 --> 00:13:22.370 like this happen, when they come about. Our legislators 00:13:22.370 --> 00:13:24.769 are certainly not. Our Supreme Court didn't quite 00:13:24.769 --> 00:13:28.049 see this coming, I'm sure. But some are well 00:13:28.049 --> 00:13:32.080 prepared indeed, sometimes from listening. and 00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:34.580 joining the conversation here on the Light Keepers 00:13:34.580 --> 00:13:38.779 podcast each Wednesday at 7 p .m. Eastern. This 00:13:38.779 --> 00:13:41.200 is an exclusive production of Vanimation Studios 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:44.500 and A Guiding Light. It is found on all the audio 00:13:44.500 --> 00:13:48.059 RSS feeds and on YouTube. And if you click on 00:13:48.059 --> 00:13:50.580 YouTube, we certainly invite you and encourage 00:13:50.580 --> 00:13:53.639 you. Click on subscribe. Click on like. It doesn't 00:13:53.639 --> 00:13:55.820 cost anything. And it really helps us continue 00:13:55.820 --> 00:13:59.000 to produce these podcasts. And you can also make 00:13:59.000 --> 00:14:02.059 a tax -deductible contribution right below us 00:14:02.059 --> 00:14:05.419 right here to that address and help us out. We're 00:14:05.419 --> 00:14:08.860 so grateful for your support. So that's it for 00:14:08.860 --> 00:14:11.919 this week. From the beautiful Bahamas behind 00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:16.460 me, the beautiful blue -green waters of these 00:14:16.460 --> 00:14:21.419 islands, that really offers a cognitive disconnect 00:14:21.419 --> 00:14:23.440 from all that we're talking about of homeless 00:14:23.440 --> 00:14:27.059 people. And, you know, I wish we could just give 00:14:27.059 --> 00:14:29.159 them all a few of these ships that aren't being 00:14:29.159 --> 00:14:31.580 used anymore and let them all live aboard and 00:14:31.580 --> 00:14:33.860 get the kind of meals that we're enjoying and 00:14:33.860 --> 00:14:35.600 see the kind of scenery that we're enjoying. 00:14:35.700 --> 00:14:37.440 It might clear up some of the mental health issues. 00:14:37.799 --> 00:14:41.299 Very possibly. I don't know. I'm being idealistic. 00:14:41.659 --> 00:14:44.659 But still, we're very glad to have you with us, 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:47.379 and we wish we could have them with us. And that's 00:14:47.379 --> 00:14:50.299 it for this week from the Bahamas. I'm Clayton 00:14:50.299 --> 00:14:53.279 Vandiver, your light keeper. We'll see you next 00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:55.580 time. Thanks for watching!