I am an advocate for people who are not afraid to fail and try again. I am an advocate for those who wish to contribute to our society. I am an advocate for those who believe they can and should attain their wildest dreams. Read more: United 9 to 5, Jobs Crisis, President Obama, Homelessness, Jobs Initiative, Homeless Mentality, Waitress, Rebuild Your Life Project, Government Assistance, Visionary, Denny's, Te-Erika, Impact News
Homeless
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Most Topular Stories
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Te-Erika Patterson: I Am Not an Advocate for the Homeless
Homelessness on Huffington Post27 Jan 2012 | 8:54 am -
How I Became Homeless: Loyalty and Respect
Vagabond13 Jan 2012 | 10:00 pmIt is the stuff of Greek tragedies and great movies. It is the stuff we hope never happens to us in real life, for the end is very, very bad; and there is nothing to help it but to tear your eyes out at the sockets, wander aimlessly through the barren landscape of a life destroyed, and wish for death to come early. Revealing any part of a difficult truth seems to betray God and every hope of humankind. Friends scatter at the horror. There is nothing to say. Nothing left to do. The curtain falls, and we desperately want to laugh.What lessons were intended in this time of my life and their… -
Joel John Roberts: Bashing the Homeless: When Pinkberry Becomes Punkberry
Homelessness on Huffington Post26 Jan 2012 | 4:26 amWhat is this country coming to when a guy in a car chases down a homeless man and pounds him with a tire iron, just because they exchanged angry words? Read more: Homelessness, Pinkberry, Orange County, Los Angeles, Pinkberry Young Lee, Pinkberry Homeless Man, Young-Lee-Assault-Charge, Impact News -
Ron
InvisiblePeople.tv25 Jan 2012 | 11:49 pmTweet I met Ron at a homeless shelter in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. His story is far from usual. Ron lived in Boston with his wife and kids. He ended up in the custody of Homeland Security and was deported back to Canada with only the clothes on his back. Ron admits he has a drinking problem, and the infraction was driving without a license, yet deporting a man into homelessness and not allowing him to see his family seems a little harsh! For 20 years he cannot go back to the United States to see his family! *** after this interview I took Ron to Walmart to buy him some… -
Paul Boden: No Fooling, National Day of Action for the Right to Exist: April 1st
Homelessness on Huffington Post27 Jan 2012 | 11:17 amWe are building a movement to reclaim our communities for all members: not just those who set the rents. We must make clear the myriad of ways in which our community members are treated as though they are less than human. Read more: Social Justice, Human Rights, Homelessness, Public Housing, Housing, Police, Homeless, Western Regional Advocacy Project, Policing, Civil Rights, Housing Crisis, Affordable Housing, Mental Illness, Social Services, Jail, Impact News
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InvisiblePeople.tv
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Ron
25 Jan 2012 | 11:49 pmTweet I met Ron at a homeless shelter in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. His story is far from usual. Ron lived in Boston with his wife and kids. He ended up in the custody of Homeland Security and was deported back to Canada with only the clothes on his back. Ron admits he has a drinking problem, and the infraction was driving without a license, yet deporting a man into homelessness and not allowing him to see his family seems a little harsh! For 20 years he cannot go back to the United States to see his family! *** after this interview I took Ron to Walmart to buy him some… -
Maria
16 Jan 2012 | 9:22 pmTweet Maria and her fiancee ended up losing their apartment because of a high utility bill. The day I met Maria, they had been living in a Sacramento tent city for three days. They were ‘camping’ on the streets but received a ticket for being homeless. Since this interview everyone in this tent city has been evicted. Maria share with us what a day is like being homeless. They get up early to go to a park and get a lunch ticket. They split up to go to different homeless services for showers. Basically, their whole day is filled just trying to survive. Maria’s 1st wish was for… -
Jeannie
4 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pmTweet This past week Jeannie and Eli (watch his video here) were arrested in Sacramento for being homeless. They lived along with about 125 other homeless people in an organized tent community called Safe Ground. Jeannie worked as an in-home nurse. She lost her job and her place to live on the same day. Since April she has been living in a tent in Sacramento. Kind of ironic Jeannie talks about the city counsel changes needed and the prospects of Sacramento allowing the campers to have a place to live is only days before they were forced to move. The old hippie in me loves the self-governing… -
Eli
29 Dec 2011 | 10:12 amTweet It’s really hard to explain the feeling of powerlessness I felt today. But I guarantee my feelings don’t even compare to the feelings of desperation our friends had while police were evicting them from their tents today. Those of you who have been with me for a bit have heard me say this before, so it’s not new. Every now and then I will run into a homeless person that is so interesting to talk to, I could spend days just listening to them. Eli is one of them. I met Eli about a week ago in a tent city in Sacramento, California. I also met Robert and shared his… -
Jordan
27 Dec 2011 | 9:58 amTweet Jordan is only 19 years-old and lives in a tent city in Sacramento, California. He says the only problems he has is being cold, and not being used to homelessness. Of course, there is also the eviction notice Sacramento Police left for the tent community the day I was visiting. The good news is, Jordan is going to college. You can tell by his smile he has a bright future. Jordan was lucky that he found Safe Ground. He feels like he has a home again. Sure wish the City of Sacramento would let them all keep their “homes”. Interesting, Jordan’s second wish was to just…
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Homelessness on Huffington Post
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Paul Boden: No Fooling, National Day of Action for the Right to Exist: April 1st
27 Jan 2012 | 11:17 amWe are building a movement to reclaim our communities for all members: not just those who set the rents. We must make clear the myriad of ways in which our community members are treated as though they are less than human. Read more: Social Justice, Human Rights, Homelessness, Public Housing, Housing, Police, Homeless, Western Regional Advocacy Project, Policing, Civil Rights, Housing Crisis, Affordable Housing, Mental Illness, Social Services, Jail, Impact News -
Marian Wright Edelman: Rescuing the American Dream
27 Jan 2012 | 11:07 amFor decades, the cornerstone of fulfilling the American dream has been getting a good education. But that cornerstone has crumbled for millions of America's children. Thirty-five percent of Black and 29 percent of Hispanic high school students attend the more than 1,600 "dropout factories" across our country. For these students, the cost of tuition might be just one more thing on top of poor preparation that makes college seem like another impossible barrier separating them from the rapidly disappearing American dream. Read more: Working Poor, U.S. Economy, Child Poverty, Hunger, Poverty,… -
Te-Erika Patterson: I Am Not an Advocate for the Homeless
27 Jan 2012 | 8:54 amI am an advocate for people who are not afraid to fail and try again. I am an advocate for those who wish to contribute to our society. I am an advocate for those who believe they can and should attain their wildest dreams. Read more: United 9 to 5, Jobs Crisis, President Obama, Homelessness, Jobs Initiative, Homeless Mentality, Waitress, Rebuild Your Life Project, Government Assistance, Visionary, Denny's, Te-Erika, Impact News -
Nonprofit Dignity Memorial Buries 1,000th Homeless Veteran
27 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amVietnam War veteran Stevenson L. Roy died broke and homeless, but he wasn't put to rest alone. Naval Petty Officer 2nd Class Roy was buried in Wil... Read more: Video, Homeless Veterans, Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home, Homeless Veterans Funerals, Dignity Memorial, Portland, Crystal Friedrich, Oregon, Stevenson L. Roy, Impact News -
Joel John Roberts: Bashing the Homeless: When Pinkberry Becomes Punkberry
26 Jan 2012 | 4:26 amWhat is this country coming to when a guy in a car chases down a homeless man and pounds him with a tire iron, just because they exchanged angry words? Read more: Homelessness, Pinkberry, Orange County, Los Angeles, Pinkberry Young Lee, Pinkberry Homeless Man, Young-Lee-Assault-Charge, Impact News
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HOMELESS - Yahoo! News Search Results
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Homeless Hard Hit by Frigid Weather
28 Jan 2012 | 5:36 amA least one homeless person died and 33 others — including eight children — were hospitalized with hypothermia or frostbite in Moscow this week, City Hall's health care department announced Thursday. -
Programs Help Homeless Veterans Get Shelter, Direction
28 Jan 2012 | 4:01 amVeterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki's goal is to eliminate homelessness among veterans by 2015. If he succeeds in Las Vegas, he should thank Abe Efros of Jewish War Veterans Post 64, Dennis Larson of the Key Foundation and several other veterans groups -
Homeless man facing charges after downtown attack
27 Jan 2012 | 8:51 pmAUSTIN -- A homeless man is facing charges after another attack in Downtown Austin that a security guard managed to stop. Rodney Cook, 58, is facing robbery charges. Austin police said a woman who had just got off work Tuesday night and was walking to meet her ride when she was knocked to the ground and had her purse stolen. The woman told police she could see Cook running off with her purse ... -
Study Paints Picture of Aging, Homeless Veterans
27 Jan 2012 | 9:52 amVeterans are significantly more likely to be homeless than civilian adults, and these homeless vets are getting steadily older and sicker, researchers reported on Friday. -
Camden County begins 24-hour count of its homeless
27 Jan 2012 | 12:20 amDozens of volunteers carrying yellow federal forms fanned out Wednesday across Camden County - as many did all over New Jersey - to take a census of homeless people and refer them to such services as housing, medical care, and counseling.
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Homelessness: News & Videos about Homelessness - CNN.com
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Friend: Calif. homeless killings suspect serious, 'down' after return from Iraq
18 Jan 2012 | 11:54 pmA friend said Monday that "something happened" to the man police accused of killing four homeless people in California, after he came back from serving in the U.S. military in Iraq. -
Iraq war vet charged with first-degree murder in 4 homeless men's deaths
18 Jan 2012 | 11:53 pmProsecutors have yet to decide whether they will seek the death penalty in their murder case against Itzcoatl Ocampo, a 23-year-old Iraq war veteran accused of stabbing four homeless men to death in California, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said Tuesday. -
Stimulus money kept Americans off the street, study finds
18 Jan 2012 | 12:59 pmFederal aid helped many cash-strapped Americans keep a roof over their heads during the prolonged economic slump, but the number of people living a step away from the streets has grown sharply, researchers reported Wednesday. -
Pinkberry co-founder arrested on assault allegation
17 Jan 2012 | 11:14 pmA co-founder of the Pinkberry frozen yogurt franchise has been arrested and is accused of beating a homeless man with a tire iron near downtown Los Angeles, authorities said Tuesday. -
Police identify man arrested in killings of California homeless men
15 Jan 2012 | 9:05 pmAuthorities on Sunday identified a man arrested in connection with a series of fatal attacks on homeless men in Southern California.
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National Alliance to End Homelessness
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Advocacy Update: President's Budget Proposal Delayed; Webinar Rescheduled
26 Jan 2012 | 1:00 pmPresident's Budget Proposal Briefing Webinar -
Counting and Surveying Homeless Youth
26 Jan 2012 | 9:45 amHaving an accurate count of homeless youth helps a community to understand the scope of the problem and to design solutions. The District of Columbia Alliance of Youth Advocates (DCAYA) is leading the effort to deepen understanding about the prevalence and needs of homeless youth in Washington, DC. -
Younger people making up larger share of Sioux City homeless (Sioux City Journal, January 24, 2012)
25 Jan 2012 | 9:45 amSIOUX CITY -- Alan Graves may be the new face of homelessness: He's 29, out of work and has been living in a shelter since losing his job in September. "One bad decision or one lay-off," he said. "When the money runs out, you have nothing." Young, unemployed people like Graves are making up a growing part of the homeless population in the region. It's a group that will likely come into more focus as volunteers tonight fan out across the country to tally the nation's homeless. The point-in-time count is part an annual effort to determine how many people don't have permanent… -
How to curb chronic homelessness? First, a home! (Christian Science Monitor, January 25, 2012)
25 Jan 2012 | 9:45 amThe simple though revolutionary concept that the most lasting cure for homelessness is, in fact, a home has helped the federal government and private groups make significant headway against homelessness during the past decade. For years, the battle against homelessness was fought against symptoms. The answer to getting people off the streets, it was believed, was treating the underlying problems that faced the homeless, such as mental illness or drug and alcohol addiction. But last year, the number of so-called permanent supportive housing units in the United States exceeded the number of… -
Officials trying to save program that keeps people in homes and off streets (Ventura County Star, January 23, 2012)
25 Jan 2012 | 9:45 amAs the annual count of the homeless population in Ventura County gets under way today, officials are trying to save a program they say has prevented many more people from landing on the streets. The Homeless Prevention & Rapid Re-Housing Program has aided a little over 1,700 Ventura County residents since its launch in late 2009, but the federal stimulus dollars that paid for it are about to run out. The program provided $1.2 million in assistance payments for rent, move-in deposits, utilities and moving costs. Applicants must be homeless or on the verge and able to pay for their housing…
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Poverty Insights
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Letter to the Orange County District Attorney Regarding the Arrest of the Suspected Homeless Serial Killer
25 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amEditor’s note: The following is a letter that Dr. Mary McLaughlin sent to Orange County, California District Attorney Tony Rackauckas regarding the recent arrest of Marine Corps Veteran Itzcoatl Ocampo, who is suspected in the murders of four homeless men. District Attorney Rackauckas: I am a rehabilitation psychologist. My areas of specialty are psychiatric disabilities and brain injuries. I interned on the Psychology Service at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Syracuse, New York and I work with chronically homeless people. Ocampo’s arrest highlights two serious societal… -
Bashing the Homeless: When Pinkberry Becomes Punkberry
23 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amWhat is this country coming to when a guy in a car chases down a homeless man and pounds him with a tire iron, just because they exchanged angry words? Sounds like the old Wild West where guns were the primary mode of justice, or today’s drug cartels terrorizing its people just south of America. You would think the guy in the car was some young, angry teenage male wanting to harm homeless Americans just for the thrill of it, a sad trend in this country. But, no. Six months ago, the man in the Range Rover who used a tire iron as a violent weapon was the co-founder of Pinkberry yogurt… -
Let’s Recall Poverty Before the Safety Net
20 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amHuffington Post blogger Dan Morgan looks back nearly 50 years to tell us what poverty was like in his early reporting days. This is an important, timely post because it reminds us of how poor people lived — and died — before the creation of today’s safety net. Here in the District of Columbia, Morgan found “people living in basement apartments with dirt floors. Many were hungry, cold and short of coal for stoves. Some children were staying home because they had no shoes.” Found a penniless woman with no coat to brave the cold weather for a trip to the social service agency. -
Killing Homeless Stereotypes in Orange County
18 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amAt first glance, he appears to be the stereotypical image of a killer of homeless Americans. He is young, male, angry, and has short hair, almost to the point of being a skinhead. Since 1999, the National Coalition for the Homeless has documented nearly 1,200 violent crimes against homeless Americans with one in five ending up dead. Nearly 90% of the perpetrators were male, and 80% were under the age of 25 years old. The young man, nick-named “Izzy”, was recently charged with killing four homeless men in Orange County, California and perfectly fit the stereotype as if written by some… -
Weighing Racial Inequality and Poverty
17 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amYesterday the country celebrated Martin Luther King Day. While Dr. King is well known for his efforts to combat racial inequality, his focus on poverty is less known, largely on account of his untimely death. Shortly before his assassination, Dr. King turned his attention to highlighting endemic causes of poverty beyond racism, such as persistent unemployment and low-paying jobs that failed to pay living wages. He also noted that more whites lived in poverty and received public benefits than any other racial group, a historical fact that is still true today. In the year 2012, with a bi-racial…
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North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness Articles RSS Feed
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The State of Homelessness in America 2012
27 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amOn Wednesday, January 18, the National Alliance to End Homelessness released The State of Homelessness in America 2012. The second in a series, this year's report finds that, unexpectedly, the bad economy did not lead to a large increase in homelessness, but that the number of homeless people actually decreased slightly between 2009 and 2011. This can be largely attributed to the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), the stimulus-funded program aimed at curbing homelessness resulting from the recession. Moreover, the report found that indicators associated with… -
Summary of Changes to Definition of Homelessness
27 Jan 2012 | 7:00 amThe National Alliance to End Homelessness published a summary and analysis of the changes to the definition of homelessness under the HEARTH Act. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published the final regulation on December 5, which went into effect on January 4. The brief highlights the changes to the definition compared to both the previous regulation and the draft changes proposed by HUD in April 2010. The brief includes a table summarizing the changes to various categories of homelessness. It also outlines the decisions that communities and individual… -
US Conference of Mayors Hunger and Homelessness Survey 2011
10 Jan 2012 | 8:00 amOn December 15, The United States Conference of Mayors released their annual report on hunger and homelessness in U.S. cities. In 25 of the 29 cities surveyed for the report, requests for emergency food and housing have increased - with the majority of those requests coming from families. 58 percent of surveyed cities said they experienced an increase in the number of homeless families - up by an average of 15 percent from the previous year. The report also examines programs that cities are implementing to address homelessness and hunger. Three of the cities surveyed are in North… -
2011 Point-in-Time Estimates of Homelessness: Supplement to the AHAR
15 Dec 2011 | 10:00 amOn December 13, 2011, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released the results of the January 2011 point-in-time count. According to their report, 636,017 people were homeless in the United States on a single night in January. This represents a 2.1 percent decline from the year before. HUD and the Department of Veterans Affairs also announced a 12 percent decline in the number of veterans experiencing homelessness. The number of veterans experiencing homelessness decreased from 76,329 homeless veterans to 67,495 homeless veterans between January 2010 and January 2011. … -
NAEH Brief: Prevention Targeting 101
15 Dec 2011 | 10:00 amSince the implementation of the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) began in 2009, communities have been working to find the best possible way to use prevention funds. Figuring out how to target this limited resource is an important part of this and other homeless assistance grants. The National Alliance to End Homelessness has released a new brief entitled "Prevention Targeting 101" that sheds light on how communities can use local data to reach and preserve the housing situations of the households most at risk of homelessness. Techniques for evaluating…
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Cleveland Homeless
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Homeless Stand Down 2012
25 Jan 2012 | 1:00 pmA Wonderful Day for Those Experiencing Homelessness2012 Homeless Stand Down (photo by William Gilmore)2012 Stand Down at the Masonic Auditorium (photo by William Gilmore)All reports from the Stand Down was that it was a great day for those experiencing homelessness. There was a very good positive article in the Plain Dealer. HandsOn NEO took the lead and did a great job coordinating this huge event. Our long time partner, InterAct Cleveland, went out of business, and HandsOn Northeast Ohio took on all the responsibilities of this critical event. This is the 20th year… -
Los Angeles Times Questionable Behavior
22 Jan 2012 | 1:45 pmIs the LA Times Partially Responsible for a Homeless Death?Imagine the outcry if a major American paper put a picture of a women walking home in the dark on the front page of the paper when illustrating a story about a serial killer targeting women who were walking home late at night. What if they identified the woman's name and the very next week she was targeted and killed by that same serial killer. There would be protests and calls for a resignation of the editor from other papers. This happened in Los Angeles and there has not been a peep from the media or even an… -
Stand Down This Weekend
17 Jan 2012 | 12:19 pmHere are the services being offered this weekend at the Homeless Stand Down:Cleveland Dept. of Public Health / CenterpointCleveland Dept. of Public Health / Nursing (flu shots)Mental Health ServicesCareAllianceSanford Brown Nursing StudentsAmerican Sickle Cell Anemia Assoc.St. Vincent's / PodiatryEMSCleveland State University - College of Science and Health ProfessionalsPlanned ParenthoodMichael Christopher's Salon - 5 haircuttersPaul Mitchell/The Ohio Academy - 15 haircuttersCenter for Families and Children / WSEMEmpowerment Center of Greater ClevelandDept. of AgingJoseph's… -
More Blankets Coming In
17 Jan 2012 | 9:31 amStill Seeking BlanketsThe holidays are now over, but the we still have three long months of winter. Those warm fuzzy feelings of the Christmas season are fading, but homeless people still need your help. We are still collecting blankets for homeless people who are resistant to shelter. Thanks to Mission and Members of Holy Trinity Church on East 131st Street for collecting blanket this last week. We distributed those and are looking for help from other churches, synagogues or civic organizations in the community. Our goal is to collect between 3,000 and 5,000… -
New Street Card Available
16 Jan 2012 | 7:49 pmThe new Street Card was updated and printed. It is now available on the streets for distribution. In case you have not seen it before, it is a one page (front and back) with all the services available to homeless people on a walk in basis. This has all the shelters, daily or weekly meal programs, housing services, legal assistance and counseling help available in Cuyahoga County. We will have the new version on the website this week as we update our new site. Right now, you can pick the Street Card at our office or at many of the local social services. …
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The Blog
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Homeless but not Eligible for Shelter? - The Fight to Stop the City’s Shelter Denial Rules Continues
24 Jan 2012 | 1:35 pmThe City's proposed rules to deny shelter to homeless men and women faced its first major day in court. -
Advantage Tenants: January Rent Will Be Paid!
19 Jan 2012 | 12:33 pmGood news for current Advantage Tenants -- the City has announced it will pay January rent. -
Groups call on Albany to Close Corporate Tax Loopholes
10 Jan 2012 | 1:45 pmProgressive groups gathered today to call on Governor Cuomo and the legislature to close corporate tax loopholes that are depriving the State of much-needed revenues. -
New Yorkers Open Their Hearts this Holiday Season
23 Dec 2011 | 8:04 amThe Coalition's toy drive collected over 1,500 toys for homeless kids across the city! -
No Room at the Inn: The City’s Heartless Shelter Denial Rule}
20 Dec 2011 | 2:45 pmCity officials keep trying to spin their proposed new rules that would deny shelter to homeless New Yorkers. But the reality is that the mean-spirited rules would force countless homeless people out onto the streets.
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Picture the Homeless | The Blog - ORGANIZING FOR JUSTICE AND RESPECT
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Picture the Homeless and Hunter College Release Unprecedented Report, That Reveals the Extent of Vacant Property in NYC
26 Jan 2012 | 7:05 amBanking On Vacancy: Homelessness and Real Estate Speculation Picture the Homeless and Hunter College Release Unprecedented Report That Reveals the Extent of Vacant Property in NYC FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 26th, 2012 Contact: Adrian Antonio Paling or Kendall Jackman, Housing Campaign Leader read more -
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Report Reveals Extent of NYC Vacant Property
25 Jan 2012 | 8:10 am"Banking On Vacancy: Homelessness and Real Estate Speculation,” documents findings from citywide survey conducted by Picture the Homeless & Hunter College. read more -
PTH will be LIVESTREAMING Thursday's Huge Vacant Property Count Report Release!
23 Jan 2012 | 11:55 amThursday's HUGE VACANT PROPERTY COUNT REPORT RELEASE EVENT will be LIVESTREAMING for those of you who can't make it to the event, but want to watch. Starting @ 2:30 PM, just go here: read more -
This Week at the Homeless Organizing Academy!
20 Jan 2012 | 8:32 amThis Week At The Homeless Organizing Academy! read more -
Banking on Vacancy: Homelessness & Real Estate Speculation - Report Release on January 26th!
16 Jan 2012 | 2:17 pmPicture the Homeless partnered with the Hunter College Center for Community Development to develop and execute a count of vacant buildings and lots in 20 of NYC's 59 community boards. Our report, Banking on Vacancy, will reveal our findings in detail, but for right now here's a teaser: NYC VACANT PROPERTIES COULD HOUSE EVERY HOMELESS PERSON... read more
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ChosenFast.com
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“This is Joshua Junior’s story.”
23 Jan 2012 | 4:04 pmJosh Jones (image credit: Joshua Jones, Jr.) Josh Jones has lived through poverty, dysfunction, disability and homelessness. He’s one of the most resilient, determined, positive, helpful and loving people that I know. We met when I was a case manager in a church-based assistance ministry and he was my client. But he very quickly became my friend and my encourager. Josh wrote a book, Joshua Jones Jr. Story, dedicated to his mom, whom he takes care of. Proceeds from the book will help both Josh and his mom. I just ordered my copy. I hope you will, too. Here’s an excerpt that has… -
Living wage and fair market rent
23 Jan 2012 | 1:13 pmI was talking to someone recently about employment and housing. How do you know the minimum hourly wage that you need to earn and what amount should you expect to pay for rent? Here are some links for Living Wage (the hourly rate that an individual must earn to support themselves or their family, if they are the sole provider and are working full-time) and Fair Market Rent (the amount that is required to rent a modest and standard apartment): Living Wage, Fair Market Rent. Coincidentally, I just finished re-reading Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. -
News & Record editorial: IRC a bright ray of hope
3 Jan 2012 | 6:59 pm…the IRC is a lot like its neighbor, the J. Douglas Galyon Depot, connecting clients to the means to get from here to there through an impressive assortment of partner agencies. A recent visit on a gray, rainy day revealed a full house of homeless clients, some conferring quietly with center staff, others socializing as they waited to be seen. Two huge, brightly lit Christmas trees stood in opposite corners of the reception area. On a big, white, dry-erase board was a quote for the day, which read in part, “Remember, every day is a new day.” That doesn’t necessarily mean every day…
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The Homeless Guy
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Being Flynn
27 Jan 2012 | 11:41 pmBased on the book, "Another Bullshit Night In Suck City" this movie, "Being Flynn" is the movie to see. If it's half as good as the book, this movie will be great. -
25 Jan 2012 | 10:32 am
25 Jan 2012 | 10:32 am -
More On Asperger Syndrome
20 Jan 2012 | 12:21 pmThe Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership, Inc. Dear all: There is breaking news regarding the forthcoming fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V), which is due out in early 2013. Spectrum individuals who are better able to mirror greater society will most likely not qualify for a diagnosis under the most recent revisions. Please contact the DSM-V committee through the American Psychiatric Association (see below) and protest their newest proposed changes. Though our membership was split on the subject, GRASP supported the changes in terminology that were… -
Living The Lie
4 Jan 2012 | 6:04 amHumans are an imaginative bunch. We can think all sorts of things beyond what actually exists. For that, we have been able to make certain improvements in our lives. We had to imagine automobiles and air planes before we had them. Our creativity has paid off in many respects. But, sometimes we lose our sense of realty when we think creatively. There are certain characteristics of humans that despite our desire to change them for the better, they cannot. I have had dreams in which I could fly just by willing myself to do so. But I never actually will be able to do so. The reality of physics… -
The Christian Politician
3 Jan 2012 | 6:30 amThere's a lot to talk about here regarding supposed Christian politicians. We could start with the separation of church and state. The founding fathers had seen the problems that come with a government heavily influenced by religion in England, and so they devised a government that purposely kept the two entities "church" and "state" separate. I also recall Jesus commanding his followers to make no oath to anything or anyone but Him. Seems to me that a true Christian would see a conflict of interest in following Jesus and being a politician. And it wasn't just in England where this was a…
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Homeless Family's Blog
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IN THE KITCHEN
27 Jan 2012 | 11:16 amGuest post from: Kent LaraI made an appointment for satellite television to be put in our home by logging onto satellitetvfamily.com. I had them add some places where you wouldn’t traditionally have television, but I think that we are going to really enjoy it. I had them put a hook up on the covered porch. I know that my husband is going to absolutely love being able to cook out in the fall, stand near the fire pit, and watch his favorite college games. I think that people that we have over will enjoy it too. The other place that I really wanted television and had to have it put in was in… -
One person's faith...
17 Jan 2012 | 2:30 pmOnce in a while I come across something as pretty as a handful of steel rings when walking down sidewalks, but for the most part not. The same goes for when I use public facilities where people experiencing homelessness get access to the internet freely.On one hand many communities work to preserve the rights of digital access to all of it's community members, but like any good thing it can get abused...and it doesn't matter the level, status, or caste of the perpetrator.The other day I overheard someone bringing attention to a computer lab the issue of music being played by others through… -
When it gets this bad
2 Jan 2012 | 4:47 amDepending on where you go in America there’s a certain quality to outdoor signs you get in some areas as opposed to others. This one sums it up across the masses more than the usual ones sitting against walls. Why? Because funny gets money, and the term ‘invisible homeless’ still has weight after it was coined…well, makes me think ‘when’ was it coined if the homeless were invisible all those years before someone realized they were there! -
A way to keep them occupied
2 Jan 2012 | 4:33 amTons of people have answers to how they believe the homeless can either be helped or they themselves can be helped from further bother of people experiencing homelessness. Two years ago I sat at a table in which a Mayoral candidate professed making it’s business’s location home to an upcoming drop in center for street people. The rub? When I asked the impact of the already numerous families with children there and the risks imposed I was rebuttled, “They won’t be housed there”. Needless to say, she didn’t win the race, the families are still there, and I haven’t heard word of… -
Not all mats are created equally
2 Jan 2012 | 4:25 amDecades ago it was the rhetorical cardboard box. As time went by new materials and the information available via the internet brought changes to what people experiencing homelessness could work with. While some still use age old techniques of crumbled newspapers stuffed in their jackets and pants, others are finding uses for things such as a yoga mat to keep losing precious body heat to the ground. Years ago I remember seeing first hand the uses of heat grates in metropolitan cities. The only problem with this “they’ll be ok” imagery is that it’s not common throughout all…
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Union Rescue Mission
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South Pasadena High-School Class Hosts Charity Tutoring
23 Jan 2012 | 5:35 pmHats off to South Pasadena High School Teacher Ruth Moonesinghe and her Calculus students for making a difference in the lives of people experiencing homelessness this weekend by hosting “Charity Tutoring” at South Pasadena High School! For a $20 donation to Union Rescue Mission, over 125 students received up to 3 hours of tutoring in Math, Algebra, Math Analysis, Calculus or Statistics. Approximately 50 teachers, parents and students volunteered their time handling everything from publicity, to registration to tutoring. The event raised over $2500 for Union Rescue Mission which was… -
Surprising Update on Union Rescue Mission’s Gateway Program
19 Jan 2012 | 4:31 pmApril 1st of 2011, Union Rescue Mission, in some eyes, made a controversial decision to ask our guests who were able, to begin paying part of their way. The decision was made with a lot of thought, planning, and prayer. There is no question that the economy was a factor in the decision, but it goes much deeper than that. Let me start by saying that I have long believed in guests paying part of their own way thanks to the influence of the grandfather of Christian Community Development, Dr. John Perkins, and his book, “Let Justice Roll Down.” John taught me that the dignity of people… -
The Mission Newsletter – January 2012
9 Jan 2012 | 5:03 pmKimberly’s Full-Circle Life My mom did her best, but as an alcoholic trying to raise eight kids, it was hard. However, we all graduated from high school, and none of my siblings ever turned to drugs or alcohol — except me. I was 17 when I learned my new boyfriend was a drug dealer. I started selling crack cocaine for him, then I started to smoke it as well. And just as I started using, my mom passed away, my nephew died of cancer, and my boyfriend got shot and died right in front of me. I blamed myself because I believed that somehow my drug use caused their deaths. To cope, I just… -
Controller
22 Dec 2011 | 7:29 pmThis position is full-time benefit eligible and reports to the Chief Financial Officer in the accounting department.This person in this position is in charge of keeping the books covering all phases of accounting. Financial transactions are classified, recorded and summarized by this department producing monthly Financial Statements for the organization and its affiliates. This position strives to manage and improve the efficiency and maintain the integrity of the department. To apply or for more information please use the link below: https://home.eease.adp.com/recruit/?id=800461 -
The Mission Newsletter – December 2011
21 Dec 2011 | 1:11 pmSecrets and Highs When I came to Union Rescue Mission a year ago, I had no self-respect and no dignity. I had lost everything that mattered to me. I was a broken man — with a lifelong secret. I was just 6 years old when a teenage girl sexually molested me. When I told my parents, they didn’t believe me. The whole experience left me so traumatized, I started to stutter. And I’ve never been able to stop. All through school, I got into fights because of my speech impediment. But when I turned 18, I discovered crystal meth — and I felt a rush of power and liberation I’d never…
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Portland Rescue Mission - Blog
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Paige’s Story of Hope
26 Jan 2012 | 5:09 pmPaige’s problems started early in life. “I grew up in a good home filled with love, lots of family… we’d pray together, and I knew about God,” she recalls. “But in the 5th grade a good friend killed herself with a gun. Then one of my best friends committed suicide in the 8th grade.” Paige’s Story of Hope on YouTube A few months later, Paige was gang raped at a high-school party. “I suddenly found myself really, really angry toward God. He was supposed to protect me. Why would he let these things happen to me?” Her family moved… -
The New Wave of Veteran Homeless
19 Jan 2012 | 1:23 pmWe’re all glad to have so many soldiers coming back home from Iraq. But what kind of future do they face as they adjust to life stateside? A recent article by StreetRoots highlights: The Oregon National Guard has the highest rate of suicide among all U.S. National Guards. Thanks to medical advances, more veterans are surviving combat wounds. This also means a higher percentage of veterans are returning with physical and cognitive disabilities. Veterans are especially susceptible to substance abuse due to the addictive pain killers they’re prescribed. The downward spiral of a… -
Man With Golden Voice – 1 Year Later
18 Jan 2012 | 6:32 pmOne year ago, Ted Williams gained national attention as the homeless man with the “golden voice”. And where is Ted now? AdWeek and Entertainment Tonight review the ups and downs of Ted’s efforts to put his life back together. -
Reports Shed Light On Portland Homeless
11 Jan 2012 | 10:00 pmSeveral new reports reveal the latest trends in homelessness in Portland and across the United States. Oregon One-Night Homeless Count http://www.oregon.gov/OHCS/RA_2011_Point_In_Time_Homeless_Counts.shtml 2011 Point-In-Time Count of Homelessness, Portland/Multnomah County http://www.portlandonline.com/phb/index.cfm?c=43985 U.S. Conference of Mayors Hunger and Homelessness Report http://www.usmayors.org/pressreleases/uploads/2011-hhreport.pdf -
Nike Employees Donate 6000 Pounds of Clothing
10 Jan 2012 | 10:00 pmOur special thanks go to Nike Golf employees who recently donated over 6,000 lbs. of clothing, shoes and blankets for Portland’s homeless men, women and children. The clothing drive, led by employee Judd Nelson, has been an annual tradition for 10 years, resulting in over 32,000 lbs. of much needed clothing. The gesture of goodwill began after the 9/11 attacks as a way of giving back to the community, inspiring hope in people trying to rebuild their lives. The clothing items will be distributed through Portland Rescue Mission, providing essential emergency care. Each interaction with a…
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Stone Soup Station
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Reminding Myself Of My "Consumer" Status
27 Jan 2012 | 5:57 amThose of you who know me know it's no secret that I'm in a methadone maintenance program. Currently at a 30mg daily dose I started "Medication-Assisted Treatment" (MAT) for substance use conditions" in 2000 and have been a fierce advocate for the use of MAT for those of us who suffer from opiate addiction ever since. In talks and presentations around the country, I have been sharing the fact that Methadone maintenance not only saved my life, it allowed me to take my recovery to a point that I could establish stability and predictability in my life. The associated counseling and clinic… -
Carey Fuller Sounds Off: "If you can't guarantee me immediate permanent housing, why would I call you?"
25 Jan 2012 | 6:40 amMy friend Mark Horvath (@hardlynormal, Invisible People TV) turned me on to Carey some time ago and I quickly became a fan of her, both for her straightforward writing and her tenacity in dealing with homelessness as a mother with children in tow. The other thing I appreciate about Carey Fuller (@careyfuller, http://www.facebook.com/people/Carey-Fuller/1632070933) is that she tells it as she sees it and that can often get tamped down in the discussions at the "professional" level because we're afraid to speak out too strongly, lest we end up offending a colleague, stepping on the toes… -
Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis: “The homeless people I see are not alcoholic, drunk men lying on a grate...They’re kids who live with grandma one weekend, the other grandma the next, auntie the next week, moving from school to school to school."
21 Jan 2012 | 6:16 amMy friend and colleague Mark Horvath (@hardlynormal / http://invisiblepeople.tv/blog/) recently tweeted this story posted in the Fiscal Times, and it is just one more take on the coming "homeless surge" many of us believe is inevitable, and some of us believe has long been underway. High Rents, Low Wages and the Coming Homeless Surge By MICHELLE HIRSCH, ALIX PIANIN, The Fiscal Times January 20, 2012 Photo: Lucy Nicholson / Reuters Get ready for the next big financial bubble—the growth of America’s homeless population. The biggest boon for the homeless was President… -
Advocates Unhappy With Nashville Homelessness Commission Performance
20 Jan 2012 | 6:28 amI attended my first Nashville Metropolitan Homelessness Commission meeting in my official capacity as Commissioner on 1/6/2012 and the perfunctory progression of the Commission meeting brought little in the way of new news about the status of homelessness or the work towards ending it in our community. This isn't the Commission's fault, since three new members were appointed and it took a chunk of time to cover that, as well as to discuss the "highlights" of 2011. I also wasn't surprised to hear public comments from many of the people I have worked with on the streets here that… -
"Arrests of 2 alleged gang members in connection with the murders of five people in a shooting rampage at a homeless camp in 2008"
19 Jan 2012 | 7:37 amThe wheels of justice turn slowly, but turn they do. I'm not a proponent of the death penalty because frankly it's not a deterrent but rather a punitive "feel-good" measure we as a society mete out to those guilty of heinous crimes. With that said however, I think if you are going to have a death penalty, it should be reserved for cases like this, child murderers, and the twisted rapists who prey on the most vulnerable. Okay, enough of the vengeance-promotion; the truth is that even though these crimes rise to the level of having "special circumstances" that "enhance" the…
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the 13th juror
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The high cost of poverty: Why the poor pay more
8 Jan 2012 | 10:40 amYou have to be rich to be poor.That's what some people who have never lived below the poverty line don't understand.Put it another way: The poorer you are, the more things cost. More in money, time, hassle, exhaustion, menace. This is a fact of life that reality television and magazines don't often explain.The Washington Post explains it here. Consider this a primer on the economics of poverty.And check out John Scalzi's wrenching blog post, Being Poor. -
Judge says tent city residents can stay -- for now
6 Jan 2012 | 11:16 amA judge in New Jersey — saying the government has a responsibility to provide for the poor — refused to evict residents from a makeshift camp that township officials claim is a dangerous public nuisance.Since 2006, from 25 to 70 homeless people have been living in the communal setting. Lakewood officials want the camp closed, and point to serious injuries suffered by a handful of its residents from exploding propane tanks and the harsh elements."This is pure and simple a seizure of property," said Michael DeCicco, an attorney for Lakewood. "The importance of this decision, this case, I… -
3 homeless men killed while sleeping
3 Jan 2012 | 11:13 pmThree homeless men have been stabbed to death in north Orange County, California, in recent weeks, raising alarm in homeless camps as police try to determine whether any single motive links the killings.The men were all stabbed multiple times as they slept alone. Police posted bulletins at homeless shelters describing the killings as "remarkably similar," but said it was still too early to say whether anything more than the men's homelessness connected their deaths.Homeless people said the killings have only underscored a rule of life on the streets. "Nobody here sleeps alone," said Sherissa… -
Vacant houses outnumber homeless people in U.S.
3 Jan 2012 | 8:00 amThere are more than five times as many vacant homes in the U.S. as there are homeless people, according to Amnesty International USA.About 3.5 million people in the nation are homeless while, at the same time, 18.5 million vacant homes stand vacant.Since 2007, banks have foreclosed around 8 million homes.In boom-and-bust Metro Orlando, the number of vacant houses and apartments jumped by more than 80,000 during the past decade, according to U.S. census figures. The number of vacant homes in the four-county Orlando metropolitan area rose from 58,303 to 143,867.On a typical night in metro… -
Gov. Scott to appeal order barring drug-testing for welfare recipients
3 Nov 2011 | 2:25 pmGov. Rick Scott announced Thursday that the state was appealing a preliminary injunction that stopped the drug testing of welfare applicants."It's disappointing – but not surprising -- that the governor has instructed his attorneys to continue defending the indefensible," said ACLU Executive Director Howard Simon.Read the Orlando Sentinel report here. And see previous posts here, here and here.
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Sans Houses
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Sans Houses
1 Jan 2013 | 12:22 pmThis project utilizes photography, sound, and relationship to attempt to capture a piece of those in and around the homeless community in Nashville, Tennessee.All photos and interviews © 2006-2012. Please do not use or reproduce.Thanks go out to all of these individuals for their openness, kindness and trust. -
Newest Images - Color:
31 Dec 2012 | 1:00 amThese images are a continuance of my original work. Most of the subjects are homeless and formerly homeless writers and/or vendors of The Contributor and/or subjects for articles in the paper.These photographs are full-frame digital shots from a Nikon D300.©2009-2012 Tasha French -
David
9 Nov 2011 | 11:52 amDavid, Vendor, The Contributor -
Anita
9 Nov 2011 | 11:52 amAnita, The Contributor Vendor, Friend -
Antonio "The Waver"
9 Nov 2011 | 11:51 amAntonio "The Waver", Vendor, The Contributor
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Vagabond
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How I Became Homeless: Loyalty and Respect
13 Jan 2012 | 10:00 pmIt is the stuff of Greek tragedies and great movies. It is the stuff we hope never happens to us in real life, for the end is very, very bad; and there is nothing to help it but to tear your eyes out at the sockets, wander aimlessly through the barren landscape of a life destroyed, and wish for death to come early. Revealing any part of a difficult truth seems to betray God and every hope of humankind. Friends scatter at the horror. There is nothing to say. Nothing left to do. The curtain falls, and we desperately want to laugh.What lessons were intended in this time of my life and their… -
Gone to Hell in a Handcart . . . or Just Decompressing
12 Jan 2012 | 4:05 amIt is common knowledge among my friends and family that I do not drink. I simply never acquired a taste for alcohol. Fine wines are entirely lost on me as I am disabled by a slow nose and humble palate that barely recognize the distinctions in bouquet such as hints of berry, soupcons of citrus, or smells of oak. I do not taste or smell pepper, butter, or grass in my wine; and even if I could, I would prefer those flavors alone to the overriding raw sensation of alcohol burning in my throat. The alcohol, of course, is the point; otherwise, everyone would just have soda.All that changed in the… -
A Note to Readers
15 Aug 2011 | 2:18 pmAs I read through old posts, I sometimes come across misspellings and other mistakes. I apologize that I cannot seem to find a way to edit a post without also republishing it. The better news is that I am writing, and there will be new posts soon! -
Prozac Nation, Prozac Me
26 Feb 2011 | 4:50 pmAlmost twenty million people in America take Prozac or another anti-depressant like it. Millions upon millions more people around the world take Prozac by a different trade name. Recent reports claim that users of the serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitor kind of anti-depressant, which Prozac is, can become more depressed, hostile, psychopathic, and even suicidal, the very condition anti-depressants hope to mediate. As a footnote, however, many people are happy with the results they are getting from Prozac; and that would include me.While I am not a proponent of prescription-drug use and… -
Christmas 2010 *
13 Feb 2011 | 10:30 pmThis was the year of the black hole of the heart.While years past were challenging, 2010 felt impossible. It has been the worst year of my life. There is now less than a week to go; and if we are lucky in 2011, we are all the closer to the end of the world. I say this in kindness given the problems we have on the planet that are not going away soon enough: we are losing species at a phenomenal rate, and the lose of other species does not, in turn, bode well for our human prospects. The corporation, a behemoth of destruction, is sorely in need of a legal definition that places greater…
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The Girl's Guide to Homelessness
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Serial Killer Murdering Homeless in Orange County, CA
4 Jan 2012 | 7:53 pmNot at all a pleasant post today, but a necessary one: Police believe there is a dangerous serial killer on the loose in Orange County, CA targeting homeless people. Three homeless men have already been murdered between Dec. 20 and Dec. 30. Attacks on the homeless have been on the rise for the past few years and it’s one of the major reasons I was so keen on keeping my identity and location secret while I was initially blogging. (FYI, all three murders took place extremely close to the area I was staying. Like, within a mile or two close. One in a public shopping center. This is my… -
Happy Holidays!
23 Dec 2011 | 12:17 pmImage Credit: edmontonatheists.ca I wish all of you guys and gals Seasons Greetings, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Festive Kwanzaa, Pleasant Winter Solstice, or whatever else you do/do not celebrate (dude, I’m just happy to have a few days off work to relax and unwind). Mostly I just hope that your holiday is filled with happiness and joy and that you forget your troubles for a while :) I saw this excellent 60 Minutes story that I would like to share with you. I loved how brave and articulate the homeless children profiled in this story are. I hope they have a lovely holiday… -
Girls Think Tank Community Picnic!
14 Oct 2011 | 11:26 pmGirls Think Tank Founders. Image Credit: GirlsThinkTank.org I am in San Diego right now because I will be speaking at the Girls Think Tank Community Picnic tomorrow (Oct. 15), which will be taking place in Balboa Park from noon to 4:00 p.m. I’d love to meet you, talk with you, and/or sign a copy of your book (there will be a few copies available for purchase, as well, I believe…like 20 or something). There will be several homeless services orgs from the San Diego community in attendance, and I’m told that Occupy San Diego may be in the park as well, so this should… -
Virgin Islands Officially Declares 10-10 Homeless Day!
11 Oct 2011 | 6:50 pmFirst Lady Cecile DeJongh distributes food and Tiny Tokens of Hope in St. John. Just a quickie post…the Virgin Islands officially declared 10/10 “V.I. Homeless Day”, in recognition of and solidarity with World Homeless Day! OK, gotta admit, I’m wiping away a tiny tear. So, so proud of how far this has spread. I know I’ve said it before, but there it is. Thanks to Governor John deJongh Jr. and First Lady Cecile deJongh for making my day. -
It’s World Homeless Day!
10 Oct 2011 | 10:54 amToday is the 2nd Annual World Homeless Day/World Homeless Action Day. We’re really proud of what we’ve accomplished. (Please consider using the hashtag #morethanwords today on Twitter to help get WHAD trending.) As a co-founder, it’s weird (and cool!) to see how far the day has spread and the ingeniously creative ways so many homeless services organizations are taking the concept and running with it, along with the endorsement of celebs such as Crystal Bowersox, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim All-Star outfielder Vernon Wells, and John Mellencamp (for his second year in a…
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invisible homeless kids
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Counting Homeless Kids--Do They Count?
17 Jan 2012 | 3:54 pmIn a couple nights countless teams of volunteers and staff across the country will fan out and count the uncountable--homeless adults and kids for HUD's annual "Point in Time" count. It's a gallant effort. But too bad it's a misguided one.3 sisters in Reno, NV bemoan their plightYou see, and this is where it gets confusing, the definition of "homelessness" is different depending on the federal department using it. And HUD, the primary source of funding to address homelessness (albeit inadequately), has a very narrow, inaccurate definition that excludes lots of kids and families.Why does this… -
Storm Cloud Darkens for Homeless Children
12 Dec 2011 | 11:22 amEver since I became aware of homelessness, from the early 1980s,I figured it was, at least in some part, about money. I knew people didn’t care much for the homeless men andwomen being seen more and more on streets of cities across the country. Mediadepictions of these frightening bedraggled “street people” began theperhaps inadvertent campaign to demonize people without homes. It worked. Ifyou ask people to describe homeless persons, you’ll see what I mean.My memory goes back to Mitch Snyder, a DCactivist who took up the issue, going head-to-head with federal officials… -
Disappointing That I'm Not Disappointed
9 Dec 2011 | 2:43 pmNever a shortage of topics to spew about. I just read the description of looming changes in the way homeless families and youth will be treated by HUD, the agency our federal government charges with overseeing programs to end homelessness.I have to scream, on behalf of all who will undoubtedly be harmed by these changes,WHAT???ARE YOU FRICKIN' NUTS??? ARE YOU JUST PLAIN STUPID OR IS IT MEANNESS?Having run a shelter for many years, I am painfully aware of the too-little-staff syndrome that causes shortcuts to be taken, some potentially harmful. I'm also painfully aware of things on the other… -
Back-to-School Nightmares Rampant for Homeless Parents
16 Nov 2011 | 1:06 pmYou don't get it until you live it.The reality of shelter life is...impermanence; where will we end up? Add this to the day after day awareness of their parents preoccupation with seeking employment, overcoming the despair that poverty invites or banging your head daily to live with seriously limited resources, and feeling isolated because as much as we don't want to feel ashamed of our circumstances...we suffer the judgmental slings and arrows from school personnel and all the jabs and jeers of those automated letters and voicemails. [Paula, mom in a homeless situation with… -
Compassion Call-Out!
14 Oct 2011 | 7:42 amOregon Family Campsite, Photo by Rob Finch, 11-2007All across America, as weather shifts into the raw winter chill, record numbers of families are turning to the "great outdoors" for their new homes.This photo, by friend Rob Finch (Oregonian), gives you a peek at what passes for camping for families with no other place to stay. Once they lose their homes--for a variety of reasons--and discover that their town has no shelter, the shelter is full, or the shelter doesn't allow intact families, they get, um, creative, and camp. Rob and I followed this family around for several days during a raw,…
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Sacramento Homeless blog
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Jefferson Bethke's poem
21 Jan 2012 | 8:02 pmJefferson BethkeSince I have spent A LOT of time in Homeless World Sacramento where most of the homeless guys have a family background that is Christian, and where most of the guys, themselves, too, say they are Christian, I thought I would embed this poem that has, I understand, gone viral on the Internet.I found it via elephant journal, a mostly Buddhist online publication, that does its thing in Boulder, Colorado, a famously Buddhist (and liberal) city -- home of Naropa University. [I consider myself to be a Skyhooks Buddhist -- someone who is a secular Western Buddhist who believes we… -
Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.
16 Jan 2012 | 2:08 pm… the words of the late John F. Kennedy come back to haunt us. Five years ago he said, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” [Applause]Increasingly, by choice or by accident, this is the role our nation has taken, the role of those who make peaceful revolution impossible by refusing to give up the privileges and the pleasures that come from the immense profits of overseas investments. I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must… -
sacHO now on Google Plus
12 Jan 2012 | 5:17 pmFind your mouse and grab your hat. Make the click in a second flat. Make your way to the 'puter and have a look. To see sacHO -- Sacramento Homeless, that is -- now on Google Plus.So come on down. Befriend us, or love us, or +1 us or be non-plussed. Whatever suits. Watch as Sacramento Homeless takes over the world, or something well short of that. See you there! (Well, not really; the Internet doesn't work quite that way.)Thank you for reading the Sacramento Homeless blog -
A Bee Editorial and a faked 'fact' to stoke donations
12 Jan 2012 | 2:04 pmI am forever disgusted that "the truth" of what homelessness in Sacramento is like, and what undergirds the politics, and what the skanky homeless-help charities are like, never gets to the public. Instead, the public gets from the charities and the Bee and SNR bleetings that the homeless are pathetic or secret Jesuses or a crowd of children or all viscious psychopaths. Whatever works to represent the homeless in a way to make coffers overflow or stoke sympathy or entice the weary (and should be wary!) public is used, the truth be damned.The hopeless Bee, today, in another of its… -
Weirdness on "Robert and Gerald" night
4 Jan 2012 | 2:06 pmWhile the great majority of homeless people are fully able to formulate their own conclusions about how the world works, what they want in life and what to believe, some of the guys out here are less in command of “how the world works” and can be vulnerable to being manipulated or being taken advantage of in various ways. And, they can fall under sway of political-indoctrination efforts at Loaves & Fishes or be influenced by preachers too easily.I worry more than a little about the easily-influenced guys, left to slosh around in hardscrabble Homeless World, with all the nuttiness they…
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Shelter: connect
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Design With the Other 90%: CITIES
20 Jan 2012 | 5:30 amThis article, written by Lee Schneider, originally appeared in The Huffington Post. You’ve heard about the “99%,” but there’s a “90%” you should also know about. They are the 90% of people on Earth who usually do not have access to design services, because designers mostly have focused on just 10% of the world’s population. Now that’s changing, as powerfully illustrated in an exhibit at the United Nations in New York, presented by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. The exhibit shows, both in person and online, that… -
Hope Floats in Bangladesh and at Sundance
17 Jan 2012 | 5:29 pmWritten by Glenn Baker, director of Easy Like Water [Editor's note: Glenn got in touch with the Shelter project after he came across Lee Schneider's Huffington Post blog and be global podcast about the Design With the Other 90%: CITIES exhibit. The subject of Glenn's film, Easy Like Water, has a prominent position in the exhibit. Glenn is on his way to Sundance and sent in this report. ] I’m heading off to the Sundance Film Festival Jan. 20 to pitch my film-in-progress, Easy Like Water, to broadcasters. The film is almost ready – we’ve got an early rough cut — and… -
Announcing Shelter: connect
16 Dec 2011 | 7:50 amShelter | Written by Lee Schneider I’m thrilled to announce the debut of Shelter: connect, the educational outreach initiative of the Shelter documentary. Shelter: connect creates a virtual bridge between cultures, enabling design students in the U.S. to connect with communities in the developing world, sharing innovative design ideas to address urgent shelter needs. It is driven by a series of workshops Richard Neill and I will be leading. A key player in the Shelter: connect initiative is our new hire – outreach coordinator Caroline Markowitz. Caroline is a recent… -
Virtual Exchange: The Shelter Project Reaches Out
18 Oct 2011 | 1:28 pmThe Virtual Exchange Program got off to an energetic start yesterday at the University of Minnesota College of Design. Richard Neill and I traveled to the campus to run a workshop with architecture professor James Lutz. What is the Virtual Exchange Program? During this active production time for Shelter we are meeting architects and engineers all over the world who are designing for good. We also meet people everywhere who would benefit from good design. We started to think about how to bring them all together… The Virtual Exchange Program (vXp) is an open source forum for sharing… -
Design and Hope in Arch 114
10 Oct 2011 | 4:48 pmShelter | Written by Lee Schneider Hope comes designed in amazing packages. I experienced a little of that hope this morning at USC, where I was giving a talk about Shelter on the theme of ‘designing for a culture.’ The freshmen architecture students liked the Shelter clips I played. Nobody napped during the talk. (Hey, students can be a tough crowd.) I focused on two questions: Why does design matter? And also, when you design, who is really your client? After filming in Haiti this summer, a conceptual driver for the film took shape. Designing for good might begin as a…
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Change.org News / Economic Justice
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Victory! Video Game Industry Drops Support for SOPA
23 Jan 2012 | 5:44 pmWhile the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) were both put on hold on Friday, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) became the first major industry association to drop its support for SOPA. The ESA is the main trade association for video game companies and was one of the main business associations pushing for the bills that critics say would result in internet censorship. The ESA spent $190,000 lobbying the Senate to pass PIPA in just six months in 2011. In a statement, the ESA said: "Although the need to address this pervasive threat to our… -
Two Cities, Two Victories Against 'Corporate Personhood'
19 Jan 2012 | 2:53 pmA couple of weeks ago we took note of the exciting role Change.org is playing in the fight against corporate personhood, as more than a dozen regular folks from around the country have started petitions demanding that their municipal governments get behind a constitutional amendment declaring that corporations don't have the same rights as people and that political contributions aren't speech. Well hold on to your hats, because we've got some exciting news -- two of these campaigns were victorious this month! Change.org member Erin Madden's petition to the Portland, Oregon City Council… -
How to Take a Stand Against Corporate Personhood
10 Jan 2012 | 10:06 amThere's a exciting, new front in the battle for economic justice on Change.org: real citizens vs. Citizens United. You probably know that in January 2010 the United States Supreme Court, led by a conservative majority, overturned decades of legal precedent in ruling that corporations had the same First Amendment protections as flesh-and-blood people, and that contributions to political campaigns by corporations can be considered protected speech. The decision was handed down in the court case Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission. Americans of all political stripes were outraged by… -
More ways to hold banks accountable to homeowners
6 Dec 2011 | 4:21 pmWith today's "Occupy Our Homes" kickoff, the Occupy movement has gone from inhabiting the most public of spaces to the most private. They're not taking over just any home, though -- organizers are defending homeowners around the country facing imminent foreclosure. It's a natural next step for the young but increasingly influential movement. The effort has already been met with great media coverage, and will likely be critical in once again refocusing public conversation on the plight of the 99%. Besides that, there's little question Occupy Our Homes will be successful in saving some homes… -
What's the Real Story Behind 'Black Friday' Sales?
28 Nov 2011 | 3:11 pmThis post was authored by Change.org petition creator and Target employee Anthony Hardwick. In November, 2011, Anthony launched a viral Change.org petition asking his employer to "Save Thanksgiving" and push the "Black Friday" opening from midnight on Thanksgiving to 5 a.m. the following morning. It's fitting that while I write a blog post about Gregg Steinhafel and the NRF'S trumped up Black Friday data, three Target Christmas ads blast me with manufactured cheer. In one of the ads a woman says good bye to her relatives after Thanksgiving dinner (must not be a Target employee) when she…
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Homeless in LA
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What happens to what you donate
27 Jan 2012 | 2:59 pm@OTC_ThriftStore #fb @mendpoverty1 Lamp Community Continue reading → -
@dodgers Job Fair!
25 Jan 2012 | 4:21 pmAssembly Speaker John A. Pérez in partnership with local elected officials and the Los Angeles Dodgers will host the 17th Annual Community Job Fair on Saturday, March 10, 2012 from 10:00 am-1:00 pm at the Dodger Stadium (1000 Elysian Park … Continue reading → -
MEND’s Oscar Party: I want to go and dress up as a movie character #fb
24 Jan 2012 | 2:28 pm@mendpoverty1 MEND invites you to join us for our Oscar Night® America Los Angeles Gala Celebrating the 84th Annual Academy Awards® Globe Theatre – Universal Studios Sunday, February 26, 2012 Honoring: Universal Studios Hollywood Discover A Star Foundation UNIDOS, A Warner … Continue reading → -
En Espanol – foodstamps
23 Jan 2012 | 5:57 pmAppliqué Para Estampillas de Comida Sobre este sitio La intención de nuestro sitio de la red es de proveer un recurso electrónico para la comunidad latina en su propia lengua. En el proceso de crear este recurso, nos estamos … Continue reading → -
testing
23 Jan 2012 | 5:09 pmFiled under: homeless
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Joe Anybody Homeless Blog
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VIDEO: Sleep is a Human Right - Metal at City Hall Homeless Vigil 1.5.12
15 Jan 2012 | 12:47 pmSleep is a Human Right - Metal at City Hall Homeless Vigil 1.5.12http://youtu.be/yr3YXBjGNng [13:44 minute video}I stop by the vigil for housless folks that is going on 24-7 in front of Portland City Hall.This was around noon on Thursday 1.5.11.Metal tells me what is happening with regards to this vigil outside of city halls front doors.He tells me about his involvement the vigil, which began after Occupy Portland protesters was evicted from the parks across the street. -
1438 Flags displayed for the homeless in my community 2008 video
8 Jan 2012 | 2:46 pmhttp://www.archive.org/details/HomelessOnMayDay1438FlagsMay Day 2008 I filmed this in Portland Oregon at the May Day celebration. A display with flags for those that were homeless on May Day in my community. -
Adopt a Homeless Person - Portland website
30 Sep 2011 | 12:25 pmA website that I stumbled upon today that looks like it may be one that is produced here in Portland Oregon. It seems like it has some good ideas going on it. I only briefly looked. http://liv-n-on-the-streets.com/mission-statement/One concern was the topic "Adopt a Bum" Not sure if that is PC to be saying / using the word "bum" in that fashion.The term is derogatory and demeaning in my opinion.I do have some reserve about the integrity of the website when I see words used like that being used.But am giving some print space here to ...look into this more and see "just what going… -
State of the Union (blogspot) Pictures and more
28 Sep 2011 | 5:17 pmhttp://linhdinhphotos.blogspot.com/Worth checking out folks - good pictures & more Solidarity = LoveThanks From Joe Anybody -
LACAN - What I found about them .... is all good stuff!
20 Jul 2011 | 9:39 pmhttp://www.cangress.org/our_work.htmOur MissionThe mission of the Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA CAN) is to help people dealing with poverty create & discover opportunities, while serving as a vehicle to ensure they have voice, power & opinion in the decisions that are directly affecting them. Our overarching goals focused on social change are: •Organize and empower community residents to work collectively to change the relationships of power that affect our community.•Create an organization and organizing model that eradicate the race, class, gender barriers that are used to…
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Funders Together > Blog
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Research Recap: The Latest Data on Homelessness
24 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pmOver the last few months, a wealth of data on homelessness has been published—much of which we have tweeted, blogged about, or posted to our Facebook page. We also have made links available via the Funders Together website. The variety of research produced includes both national and state-by-state data focused on overall homelessness as well as homelessness among children and veterans in particular. In case you missed any of it, we’ve summarized the key findings for you below and provided links to each resource. -
Integrating Systems and Improving Services for Homeless Families in Chicago
17 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pmFunders Together members from the Polk Bros. and McCormick Foundations write about efforts to improve services and outcomes for homeless families in Chicago. -
Calling All Funders Interested in Veterans Homelessness
11 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pmFunders Together announces launch of a new funders working group on veterans homelessness. -
Lessons Learned in Ending Chronic Homelessness
8 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pmA new Conrad N. Hilton Foundation report details the Foundation's 2004-2010 initiative with the Corporation for Supportive Housing to help end chronic homelessness in Los Angeles County. -
Hope for the Holidays: HUD Reports Decrease in Homelessness
19 Dec 2011 | 11:00 pmAccording to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, homelessness decreased 2.1% between January 2010 and January 2011, and 5.3% since 2007. The data are an indication that we are on the right track with our overall approaches to the problem. Ending homelessness starts with creating more affordable housing, but our efforts cannot end there.
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westernmasshousingfirst.org
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Housing Sex Offenders Summit: 2/1
27 Jan 2012 | 6:48 amPlease see the invitation below to faith leaders and housing, health care and other non-profit providers to a “summit” on the challenges and possible solutions for housing sex offenders. We have an excellent turn-out already and welcome others who are interested in attending. Please RSVP to Pamela Schwartz at pschwartz77@gmail.com. Thank you! Dear Friend: The Western Massachusetts Network’s Committee on Housing Homeless Sex Offenders would like to invite you to join in a conversation regarding how best to preserve our public safety through stable, supportive housing for… -
Free Tax Return Assistance Available!
27 Jan 2012 | 6:39 amCOMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS PARTNER TO OFFER FREE TAX PREPARATION WITH VITA Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites available to low-income families across the region Pioneer Valley, January 26, 2012 – Springfield Partners for Community Action, Valley Opportunity Council and United Way of Pioneer Valley are joining forces as part of an annual effort to increase tax refunds and credits for low- income families and individuals. Together they will operate and fund several free community tax preparation programs and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites throughout the region. The VITA program… -
Individual Services Committee Meeting Minutes – 1/19/12
26 Jan 2012 | 7:59 pmIndividual Services Committee Meeting – January 19, 2012 In attendance: Beth Coombs, Treehouse Foundation, Jason Cuyler, Berkshire county Sherriffs office, Danielle DeBerry, ServiceNet, Gena Dube, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Lisa Goldsmith, Dial/Self, Dave Havens, Mental Health Association, Peg Keller, City of Northampton, Ann Lentini, Domus, Inc., Jay Levy, Eliot CHS – Homeless Services, Kim Majewski, Gandara Center, David Modzelewski, Mental Health Association, Jennifer Moore, Behavioral Health Network, Jordana O’Connell, Holyoke Public Schools, Claudia Phillips, Mercy Medical… -
Network Leadership Council Hosts Region’s Mayors
26 Jan 2012 | 8:46 amThe Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness put the call out to leaders across the region to come learn about the Network, its mission and how we can help support them in their efforts to combat homelessness. They responded in force: Springfield Mayor Dominic Sarno, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, West Springfield Mayor Greg Neffinger, Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette, Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz, Easthampton Mayor Michael Tautznik, Greenfield Mayor Bill Martin and Amherst Town Manager John Musante all joined over 50 Leadership Council members at the Network’s quarterly… -
Housing Trainings Offered Through Mass Housing
16 Jan 2012 | 9:26 pmHousing Trainings Offered Through Mass Housing Still Time to Register for TAP Winter Trainings: MassHousing.com/TAPtraining Animals: Pets, Service Animals, and Companion Animals: Level 2 1/26/12, 8:45 – 1:00, Worcester Aging in Place: Meeting the Needs of Elders in Housing 2/3/12, 8:45 – 1:00, Worcester Strategies for Dealing with Cognitive Impairments 2/7/12, 8:45 – 1:00, Taunton Overview of Adolescence: Understanding Risk & Opportunity Through a Developmental Perspective 2/15/12, 8:45 – 1:00, Hyde Park Advanced Managing Conflict on Site: Taking Your…
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Elizabeth Lombino
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A Special Martin Luther King Jr. Day
16 Jan 2012 | 1:00 pmDarkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. ~ Martin Luther King Jr. Today is a beautiful day for many reasons. It is the day we honor Martin Luther King Jr. and his unwavering spirit of love and inclusion. It is also the day [...] -
2012: The Year Ahead, From the View of a 5 Year Old
2 Jan 2012 | 9:08 amOur 5 year old daughter, Mia, can barely tell time. She can say it’s 2012 and have a vague idea of what that means, but really, she has no clue. Like most of us, really. So what does 2012 have in store for us? If Mia were to help me write this post, I’m sure [...] -
Thanks for the Guilt, Online Moms (So-Called) Support Community
30 Oct 2011 | 6:48 pmIt’s no secret that my husband and I have decided to have one child. I have written about this topic and have shared my thoughts openly. We are proud of our decision. Yet, as I’ve discussed, those around us seem to be more uncomfortable with our decision than we are. I have found solace and wide support [...] -
Ode to September
2 Sep 2011 | 8:09 amSeptember is a month of meaning for me. Some of the most amazing and most heartbreaking moments of my life happened during this month. Amazing ~ My husband and I got married on September 6. Such a magical day. Heartbreaking ~ Anniversary of September 11. We were living in NYC at the time and while [...] -
Breaking the Silence Again: Why We ALL Need to Care About HIV/AIDS
23 Jun 2011 | 8:04 amPost originally published on TheBody.com ~ Spread Hope: A Therapist’s Guide to Living and Laughing With HIV/AIDS Okay, this blog entry is directed at those who are not actively involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS. For those who are active and would like to persuade others to join us, please share it with them. We [...]
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100kHomes Blog
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Communities Combine Point-in-Time Counts with Registry Weeks
27 Jan 2012 | 12:59 pmThis month, thousands of volunteers are canvassing their communities, block-by-block, as required by law, to count the number of people sleeping on their streets and sidewalks. But several participating Campaign communities are doing much more than that-- they are combining legally mandated “point-in-time” counts of their homeless populations with full-scale Campaign registry week efforts. read more -
Statewide Efforts Gain Steam in Virginia, Nationally
9 Jan 2012 | 10:05 amThe Campaign is seeing a new trend in enrollments as more and more communities band together to enroll as states. Already, Louisiana, Virginia, Georgia, and Delaware have signed up with statewide efforts, and several other states are preparing to take this step. Communities that enroll as states agree to work together and coordinate, often through a single statewide player like the governor’s office or a state coalition to end homelessness, to move their most vulnerable residents into permanent housing. Richmond, VA read more -
In Illinois, a Holiday Housing Miracle
23 Dec 2011 | 1:58 pmWhen Melany Jackson felt God calling her to end homelessness, she quit her job, sold everything she owned and got to work. This week, she moved her first homeless neighbor into housing. "It's almost hard to believe it's true," Jackson wrote in an email, calling the story of Vern, her newly housed friend, a "Christmas housing miracle." Indeed, much of Vern's story seems miraculous. Champaign-Urbana, IL read more -
Registry Week Helps Louisville Come Together
28 Nov 2011 | 4:44 pm“Everybody loves a good idea,” Nolan Nelson observed after the completion of Louisville, KY's recent Registry Week. But “100,000 Homes moves people from having a good idea into acting on this good idea.” Nelson, along with the entire Rx: Housing team, experienced the power of such action firsthand over five days during Louisville's Registry Week. Louisville, KY read more -
Veteran Homelessness and What Every Community Can Do to Solve It
9 Nov 2011 | 8:59 amCombat ought to be the most difficult experience of a veteran’s life, but our new report on veteran homelessness reveals that many veterans go on to become homeless for eight or nine times the length of their deployments. read more
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...With Housing and Justice For All
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WLCH’s “Fact Sheet on Homelessness and Poverty”
17 Jan 2012 | 2:47 pmApproximately 14 years ago, the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless drafted for the first time a document which has since come to be known simply as “The Fact Sheet.” This document was originally entitled “Homelessness in D.C.—Some Basic Facts”, … Continue reading → -
Oversight Roundtable on Winter Plan
20 Oct 2011 | 1:44 pmToday, starting at 2pm, the District of Columbia Council’s Committee on Human Services is conducting a roundtable to discuss the Department of Human Services’ plan to protect the lives of people who are homeless this winter. Below is the testimony … Continue reading → -
{Client Victories – 6/14/2011}
14 Jun 2011 | 3:49 pmWhen Alison Battiste, an attorney with Kalorama Partners, first met her client, LB, at our Unity Clinic intake site, LB had no source of income and no place to call her own. After many months of work, Alison won over … Continue reading → -
Open Letter to Chairman Brown
7 Jun 2011 | 4:17 pmDear Chairman Brown: In large measure due to your leadership, over 1500 District residents struggling with homelessness have been sleeping a little easier since May 25th. Especially in these challenging fiscal times, we at the Washington Legal Clinic for the … Continue reading → -
Mind the [Wealth] Gap!
1 Jun 2011 | 11:38 amGuest blog post by Stephanie Niedringhaus Each day, as I walk between Washington’s Union Station and my office, I see people who are either homeless or in difficult housing situations. I buy Street Sense from some, chat with others. Whether I … Continue reading →
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Covenant House
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Lose the Inflated Predictions: Trafficking Victims Need Help, Game Day and Every Day
25 Jan 2012 | 9:11 amKevin discusses quantifying human trafficking and the impact it has upon our battle against it. -
Four More Lives Lost
13 Jan 2012 | 9:17 amKevin discusses recent tragedy in Detroit and efforts to cease the buying and selling of children. -
Happy New Year from Covenant House
3 Jan 2012 | 8:59 amKevin discusses Covenant House's plans for 2012. -
Merry Christmas from Covenant House
21 Dec 2011 | 9:34 amKevin reflects upon how an amazing Covenant House kid taught him the meaning of Christmas. -
Frightening Truths Behind Child Trafficking
21 Dec 2011 | 8:27 amKevin discusses Lawrence Taylor's civil lawsuit and how children are forced into prostitution.
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Love, Life, Light
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2 Sep 2011 | 9:00 pm -
it's not really me "asking" you anything its more of me telling you that i love your work. seeing pictures of somewhere i love to be, makes me feel closer to where i need to be.
2 Sep 2011 | 9:18 amYour words are too kind! Thank you. Pittsburgh is a city deserving to be photographed time and time again. -
Bike and City
2 Sep 2011 | 9:00 amBike and City
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Stone Soup Station
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Reminding Myself Of My "Consumer" Status
27 Jan 2012 | 5:57 amThose of you who know me know it's no secret that I'm in a methadone maintenance program. Currently at a 30mg daily dose I started "Medication-Assisted Treatment" (MAT) for substance use conditions" in 2000 and have been a fierce advocate for the use of MAT for those of us who suffer from opiate addiction ever since. In talks and presentations around the country, I have been sharing the fact that Methadone maintenance not only saved my life, it allowed me to take my recovery to a point that I could establish stability and predictability in my life. The associated counseling and clinic… -
Carey Fuller Sounds Off: "If you can't guarantee me immediate permanent housing, why would I call you?"
25 Jan 2012 | 6:40 amMy friend Mark Horvath (@hardlynormal, Invisible People TV) turned me on to Carey some time ago and I quickly became a fan of her, both for her straightforward writing and her tenacity in dealing with homelessness as a mother with children in tow. The other thing I appreciate about Carey Fuller (@careyfuller, http://www.facebook.com/people/Carey-Fuller/1632070933) is that she tells it as she sees it and that can often get tamped down in the discussions at the "professional" level because we're afraid to speak out too strongly, lest we end up offending a colleague, stepping on the toes… -
Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis: “The homeless people I see are not alcoholic, drunk men lying on a grate...They’re kids who live with grandma one weekend, the other grandma the next, auntie the next week, moving from school to school to school."
21 Jan 2012 | 6:16 amMy friend and colleague Mark Horvath (@hardlynormal / http://invisiblepeople.tv/blog/) recently tweeted this story posted in the Fiscal Times, and it is just one more take on the coming "homeless surge" many of us believe is inevitable, and some of us believe has long been underway. High Rents, Low Wages and the Coming Homeless Surge By MICHELLE HIRSCH, ALIX PIANIN, The Fiscal Times January 20, 2012 Photo: Lucy Nicholson / Reuters Get ready for the next big financial bubble—the growth of America’s homeless population. The biggest boon for the homeless was President… -
Advocates Unhappy With Nashville Homelessness Commission Performance
20 Jan 2012 | 6:28 amI attended my first Nashville Metropolitan Homelessness Commission meeting in my official capacity as Commissioner on 1/6/2012 and the perfunctory progression of the Commission meeting brought little in the way of new news about the status of homelessness or the work towards ending it in our community. This isn't the Commission's fault, since three new members were appointed and it took a chunk of time to cover that, as well as to discuss the "highlights" of 2011. I also wasn't surprised to hear public comments from many of the people I have worked with on the streets here that… -
"Arrests of 2 alleged gang members in connection with the murders of five people in a shooting rampage at a homeless camp in 2008"
19 Jan 2012 | 7:37 amThe wheels of justice turn slowly, but turn they do. I'm not a proponent of the death penalty because frankly it's not a deterrent but rather a punitive "feel-good" measure we as a society mete out to those guilty of heinous crimes. With that said however, I think if you are going to have a death penalty, it should be reserved for cases like this, child murderers, and the twisted rapists who prey on the most vulnerable. Okay, enough of the vengeance-promotion; the truth is that even though these crimes rise to the level of having "special circumstances" that "enhance" the…
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Hugh's Views
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Deciding to Change
8 Jan 2012 | 4:51 pmIt was the window seat I snagged that day, to the left of a sixty-something year old man who smelled vaguely of urine and cigarettes. “If you stay on this road long enough”, my odiferous neighbor tells me, “you hit the Atlantic Ocean.” He then laughs, as if he has revealed previously hidden wisdom. As his laughter descends into his chest, creating a raspy cough, we pass to the right of the Pyramid, its shiny metal siding reflecting light into my eyes as the driver heads toward the ocean. I won’t be going quite that far. For 13 years, I lived in Memphis. Growing up, a dirt-poor… -
Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence
3 Jan 2012 | 8:03 pmThe following is being put on by some pretty cool local folks – I wanted to pass it on to those of you who may be interested. If you are interested, but not local, check out this link to see if there is a vigil in your neck of the woods. Too Many Victims January 8 is the one-year anniversary of the Tucson Massacre, which claimed the lives of six Americans and wounded 13 others. On this somber day, we will remember all of those who have been hurt by and lost to gun violence. In cities across the country, we will gather. In Raleigh we will light a candle for those we’ve lost… -
Writing With ADHD
30 Dec 2011 | 9:45 amAt 8:30 AM, I sit down to write for an hour and a half. Suddenly, I feel thirsty. “No”, I tell myself. “You cannot get up to get a drink of water. You are just procrastinating.” As long as I am distracted, I might as well check Facebook, just one last time. I look at the clock and notice it is now 8:42AM. Damn Facebook all to hell. I got caught up reading about the “Top 11 Pop Culture events of 2011“. (Is it just me, or is it cold in here?) The problem is the internet, obviously. It’s then I remember, earlier this year, Seth Godin had written about a… -
Blogging Hiatus
21 Dec 2011 | 6:30 pmHey Friends, Just a note to let you know I will be largely offline (and 100% out of the blogging world) for the balance of 2011. A lot of incredible things (and a few that sucked) have hapened in 2011, and I want to be able to give them the introspection they deserve. I hope you and your family have an incredible holiday season, and I wish for you every good thing in the coming year. See you in 2012. Grace and Peace, Hugh PS: If you need me, twitter or email are going to be the best way. But then again, they are always the best way. -
Christmas Battles
19 Dec 2011 | 12:03 pmIt is that time of year again. You see the signs of it’s approaching in the shorter days, the cooling air, the presence of black friday sales. That’s right – it is time for the annual Evangelical event called “Fighting the War on Christmas”. Someone somewhere will call for a boycott of some store because they use the phrase Happy Holidays in their advertising instead of Merry Christmas. This is, quite frankly, a bit embarrassing. I myself tend to be a Happy Holidays person, especially if I do not know you. After all, how do I know if you celebrate Christmas or…
