175. A Case In Point

  Sometime there are news articles that surface regarding homelessness that prove how difficult it is for some communities to do the right thing for our homeless citizens. When you read these articles it just affirms what both the homeless and homeless advocates know to be the truth: until communities put the welfare of the homeless at the forefront of their agendas there will always be a reason to keep homelessness  on the back burner of social priorities.  

Here is such a case that took place in Enfield Connecticut. People for People, a nonprofit housing organization, is seeking a permit to turn a former school into apartments for the homeless and people at risk for homelessness. This organization is appying for a $2 million grant from the state to turn the former school into apartments.

161. The Man

 

Dear Friends:

The other day I was standing on a bridge just gazing, clearing my thoughts, not really thinking nor comprehending. People going back and forth, going to work, shopping and doing whatever it is that they do, swinging their bags to and fro. Cars, taxis, police vehicles and buses rolling along the streets. Just another day in a downtown.

As I was mindlessly staring something was nagging my consciousness. I started staring into the crowds and was watching them going around a man…

He was not well dressed. He was in a raggedy T-shirt, old sneakers and ratty pants. His hair was disheveled, eyes were cast down.

155. What do Homeless Sweeps Really Say About Us?

Photo of clean up after a homeless sweep in Seattle by Erica Shultz/The Seattle Times

 

Sweep is defined as:

a: to remove from a surface with or as if with a broom or brush  table> b: to destroy completely : c: to remove or take with a single continuous forceful action  d: to remove from sight or consideration  e: to drive or carry along with irresistible force

There has been alot of news lately about widespread homeless sweeps throughout the US. Just the defintion of this act denotes the unethical act it really is…. a forceful removal of people without a home. Included in homeless sweeps is the confiscation of personal property. Local governments are going into places where the homeless are trying to survive, ceasing property of those who live in poverty and claiming that they are doing their civic duty….to me this is a sad commentary on the lack of moral focus that seems to be  pervasive in our country.

148. Life Isn’t Fair~Especially for the Homeless.

                                                 
One of the most frustrating lessons we learn in life is that many things in this life just aren’t  fair.  In the current US economy there are daily reminders of unfairness that have a major impact on the everyday lives  of most Americans~ skyrocketing fuel prices while oil executives have unprecedented salaries, a government that asks our military personnel to endure great personal sacrifices yet fails to fully support  our veterans effectively once they return stateside and a current climate that often welcomes illegal immigrants into our government system giving them financial benefits that we fail to offer all American citizens including those who find themselves homeless.  These are but a few of the examples of the unfairness that life in our society hands out.

But there is one area of our government whose core mission is to assure fairness: The United States  Justice System. The Justice system works at the federal,state and local level to assure  that all citizens abide  by the laws of our nation  and to provide a means for fairly dealing with those who break our laws. Each and every American citizen is assured a fair & just trial in this country~its guranteed in writing. For lesser infractions such as traffic violations and city ordinances, punishments range from fees to time in jail.  Here’s the latest published data of our population of inmates for all jails in the US.

2,258,983 prisoners were held in Federal or State prisons or in local jails – an increase of 2.9% from yearend 2005, less than the average annual growth of 3.4% since yearend 1995.(Source:Us Justice Department)

The average daily cost of housing inmates in our jails is about $100/day.($700/week,$2800/month,$33,600/year.)

I’ve been shocked at the way our various Justice systems are handling the homeless of our country.

Who’s Counting? Parts I – IV

This is the compilation of the four articles that were written on the Subject of HUD/VA methods of counting the Homeless in the United States. It has been condensed into one spot for easier searching and reading…

146. Tacoma, Washington Chokes off Aid to Homeless forcing Shelter Closure

Dear Friends and Wanderingvets:

In the news the other day I am saddened to see another shelter of the Homeless being threatened. This time it is in Tacoma, Washington. Tacoma is well known as being a national leader in being tough on Homeless Persons. Whenever I think of Tacoma, I think of good old Tom Tuttle from Tacoma from the movie Volunteers. Every time I think of Tacoma, I think of John Candy’s goodly character that joins the Peace Corps to do good in the world and singing “Fight, Fight Fight for Washington State…”. The City of Tacoma is quite the opposite well when it comes to doing good on their own streets.

145. Governor Mike Easley of North Carolina

 NC Governor Mike Easley

 

To Be Political… is not me

I am going to make a political statement for North Carolina.

Governor Mike Easley took close to 1 million dollars for a grant from VA and HUD to refer veterans back to his own state agencies. These monies did nothing more than go into other peoples pockets. These grants were earmarked for homeless veterans and then rediverted.

http://wanderingvets.com/2007/10/25/an-inconvenient-truthcattle-drives/

Creating a phone line to redirect caller veterans back to the VA or other state departments under the guise of the Governors Charities… or the Governors Trust whatever. 

  I have a Mike Easley story about how money paves the way…

139. Homeless City, USA

I have ideas at times on ending homelessness in America. I often dream up my best ideas on my long walks to work. I walk rain, snow or sunshine. This is to remind me everyday of what the homeless in this country  are doing that day and experiencing also.

 

In the media, besides foreclosures leading the headlines, there are also new ordinances for further prosecution of the homeless as well as the government giving out increased subsidies for inefficient ethanol production. Going to ethanol by using corn has increased the cost of food, since corn is used in syrups, feeds and other common staples.

 

132. Cities Losing Taxpayers to Homelessness

 

Dear Friends and Wanderingvets:

In listening to the news about foreclosures being at its all time worst for the last 26 months, I have been wondering: Where all these homeowners have been going?

I have been reading about some creative homeless guys in Cleveland, Ohio who have been living in foreclosed homes that still have the power and water turned on. Does that make them homeless still? 

131. Presidential Candidates Forget Vets Again

 Dear Friends and Wanderingvets:

After the departure of a certain candidate from running for president, there has been total silence on homeless veterans among the political candidates running for office. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Others are suddenly silent for months regarding Homeless Veterans. Actually no candidates for office are talking about them anymore…

Since then, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Dr. James Peake has announced a miracle of 21% reduction in veteran homelessness due to the fact that World War II and Korean War Veterans have died at a rate of over 1,000 a day. This supposedly reduced the number of homeless veterans by over 40,000. Good Job VA!

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson has stated in the 2007 Annual Homeless Assessment Report presented before Congress that: Homelessness remained level regardless of the fact that there was a 6% increase in population since the last survey.

Last evening on CNN there was over 40,000 foreclosures for February

During this accounting period for 2008 during what is a 90 day count for homelessness. According to the last year survey, at least for the month of February, 1,000 of those people excluding family members will have ended up in emergency shelters. If you add those from apartment evictions that is greater than 12,000 excluding family members. 

I do not understand how Mr. Jackson and HUD can say that Homelessness has stayed level after 26 straight months of record foreclosures and evictions from apartments. The only way the VA can say that Veteran Homelessness reduced was through the mortality rate and not through anything they have accomplished to relieve the statistic otherwise.

Wanderingvet.