Those who are forced into being without an abode and/or dwelling are all to quickly deemed less than citizens. In many regards are even treated as less than human. How about thinking that we are NOT homeless, nor last-class citizens or non-human? We think, have feelings, have intellect and struggle. How would you feel to be thought of as anything less than human just for circumstances due to those of profit/gain/control?
The front page of today’s New York Times has a powerful article
about the rising number of working New Yorkers who become "The Houseless" – the
result of NYC’s worsening affordability crisis and failed Bloomberg
policies.
Take notice citizens of the United States of America and all about the world, The New York Times finally comes forth to let you know - since you don't seem to trust us - that being "The Houseless" doesn't necessarily need to have you all stereotype us as: mentally ill; poor financial handlers; poor relationship intermingle people and so forth.
Is the trend reaching out into other areas, or are other areas pushing out those who fall victim to decayed society and/or profit/gain/control?
WELL?
How will you rate when and if you fall victim to society at hand?
Alpha Manzueta, who has lived in a homeless shelter for three years, says she feels “stuck.” Michael Nagle for The New York Times
On many days, Alpha Manzueta gets off from one job at 7 a.m., only to
start her second at noon. In between she goes to a place she’s called
home for the last three years — a homeless shelter.
“I feel stuck,” said Ms. Manzueta, 37, who has a 2 ½-year-old daughter
and who, on a recent Wednesday, looked crisp in her security guard
uniform, waving traffic away from the curb at Kennedy International
Airport. “You try, you try and you try and you’re getting nowhere. I’m
still in the shelter.”
Alpha Manzueta holds two security guard jobs, one at Kennedy Airport.
Michael Nagle for The New York Times
With New York City’s homeless population in shelters at a record high of
50,000, a growing number of New Yorkers punch out of work and then sign
in to a shelter, city officials and advocates for the homeless say.
More than one out of four families in shelters, 28 percent, include at
least one employed adult, city figures show, and 16 percent of single
adults in shelters hold jobs.
Mostly female, they are engaged in a variety of low-wage jobs as
security guards, bank tellers, sales clerks, computer instructors, home
health aides and office support staff members. At work they present an
image of adult responsibility, while in the shelter they must obey
curfews and show evidence that they are actively looking for housing and
saving part of their paycheck.
Advocates of affordable housing say that the employed homeless are proof
of the widening gap between wages and rents — which rose in the city
even during the latest recession — and, given the shortage of subsidized
housing, of just how difficult it is to escape the shelter system, even
for people with jobs.
“A one-bedroom in East New York or the South Bronx is still $1,000 a
month,” said Patrick Markee, senior policy analyst with the Coalition for the Homeless, an advocacy and housing services group.
“The jobs aren’t enough to get people out of homelessness.”
David Garza, executive director of Henry Street Settlement, which runs
three family shelters and one shelter for single women with mental
illnesses, said that five years ago his shelters were placing 200
families a year into permanent housing. Last year, he said, they placed
50.
“Without low-income housing, it’s a maze with no way out,” Mr. Garza said.
The employed homeless are constantly juggling the demands of their two worlds.
A 45-year-old woman named Barbara, who works part time as a public
transit customer service representative, said she had to keep items like
razors and nail clippers at a storage center because they were not
allowed in the shelter for security reasons.
Sometimes she takes a tote bag filled with dirty clothes to work to take
to the laundromat afterward, she said, because the machines at the
shelter are always either broken or being used.
But, she said, there is no escaping the noise and fitful sleep of a dormitory shared with eight other women.
Like most homeless employed people interviewed for this article, Barbara
did not want to be identified by her full name for fear of losing her
privacy or her job. She has been homeless since 2011, she said, when her
unemployment insurance ran out and she could no longer afford her
apartment in Brooklyn. No one at work knows, she said.
“When it comes to the professional arena, I want people to think that I
got it together, that I’m not living paycheck to paycheck, that my only
option isn’t to buy secondhand,” she said.
Sometimes homeless workers discover one another.
Deirdre Cunningham, 21, who works two part-time jobs — as a bank teller
and as a sales clerk for an electronics store in Manhattan, said that at
one point a co-worker at the store invited her to an evening event. “I
said, ‘I can’t go, because I have curfew,’ and this co-worker said,
‘What do you mean curfew?’ ”
“I said, ‘I live in a shelter,’ and she said, ‘I do, too.’ ”
Ms. Cunningham, who has a 4-year-old daughter, said she has always been
open about her struggles. “A lot of people have problems, too,” she
said.
She said she left her parents’ home in the South Bronx in 2011 because
she did not want to expose her daughter to “family issues.” Two years
and three shelters later, she moved in August into her own $900-a-month
one-bedroom apartment in the Bronx with the help of a rent subsidy from
the Coalition for the Homeless. But the aid lasts for only two years.
“Now that I got my living situation under control, now it’s time for me
to go back to school, get a better job, be more of a mother,” said Ms.
Cunningham, who has completed training as a medical assistant but
aspires to be a journalist.
“My daughter wants to take ballet,” she said.
Deirdre Cunningham also works two jobs, as a bank teller and as a sales clerk at an electronics store.
Jabin Botsford/The New York Times
A city-commissioned study by the Vera Institute of Justice in 2005 found
that “contrary to popular belief,” 79 percent of homeless heads of
family had recent work histories and more than half had educational
levels, up to college, that made them employable.
Most, the study found, had experienced “destabilizing” events before
entering the shelter, most commonly the loss of a job, an eviction or
the loss of public assistance benefits.
In 2004, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg unveiled an ambitious plan to reduce
the city’s homeless population — then 38,000 — by two-thirds in five
years. The plan envisioned shifting dollars away from the shelter system
to create low-income housing with social services.
To make the shelter system less inviting, the city also stopped giving
homeless families priority for public housing, and made it harder for
those who left the system to return.
In 2011, when the state and federal support were withdrawn, the city
ended a program that gave rent subsidies for up to two years to help
families move out of shelters and into their own apartments.
Now the number of shelter residents
hovers around 50,000, according to the city’s Department of Homeless
Services. More than 9,000 are single adults and more than 40,000 other
residents are in families, including 21,600 children. The average
monthly cost for the government to shelter a family is more than $3,000;
the cost for a single person is more than $2,300.
Linda I. Gibbs, Mr. Bloomberg’s deputy mayor for health and human
services, said there were no local resources to keep up with demand for
subsidized housing after both federal and state money dried up.
Advocates for the homeless say the city should restore housing
assistance for shelter residents, including giving them priority for
public housing.
But in an interview, Ms. Gibbs reiterated the Bloomberg administration’s
long-held position that more benefits only attract more people to
shelters. “That drives more demand,” she said. “It’s a Catch-22.”
Ms. Gibbs said officials were now exploring expanding a city program
that helps families at risk of losing their homes to stay in place.
But those like Ms. Manzueta, the security guard, still need a way out.
She said she managed to hold on to her $8-an-hour positions and to take
courses to learn new skills. But with an eviction marring her credit
record and unable to afford more than $1,000 for rent, she has not been
able to land an apartment.
“New York City,” said Ms. Manzueta, a native, “is the hardest city to live in.”
STOP the madness being done to United States of America Veterans. STOP it now! Don't wait for any administration to guide you, you should know right from wrong. Right?
Updated: 1:51 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9, 2013 | Posted: 1:51 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9, 2013
FORT WAYNE, Ind. —
The
number of homeless veterans seeking help in northeastern Indiana has
tripled in the past year, according to a newly released survey that one
expert said isn't surprising and likely underestimates the plight of the
region's homeless veterans.
The survey released Thursday shows
that the number of homeless veterans in a nine-county area of Indiana's
northeastern corner grew from 32 last year to 96 this year, said United
Way of Allen County spokeswoman Molly Link.
Link said it's unclear
what might have caused the big increase in those counties, which are:
Allen, Adams, DeKalb, LaGrange, Huntington, Noble, Steuben, Wells and
Whitley.
"We are not sure if there are more homeless veterans or
if they are just more willing to ask for assistance since we now have
shelters specifically for veterans," Link told The Journal Gazette
(http://bit.ly/1ewYf1z ).
But the leader of an Indianapolis-based
group that serves more than 7,700 homeless veterans in 15 states every
year said he's not surprised by the numbers.
Timothy Campbell of
Volunteers of America in Indianapolis said the latest statistics suggest
there are about 800 homeless veterans across Indiana on any given
night. But he thinks the actual number of homeless veterans is much
higher.
He said the numbers do not include the veterans who
staying at a friend's or relative's home because they have no home of
their own.
Campbell said Indiana has a disproportionately high
number of homeless veterans because it has a high incidence of residents
who volunteer to serve in the military.
"We are fourth in the
nation with the highest percentage of population that serves in the
military," he said. "It's a tradition that is strong in Indiana."
The
sluggish economy and more veterans returning home with stress-related
mental and physical issues only increases the number of veterans who end
up homeless, he said.
"It can be hard for them to find a job, and add to that the stress of coming home with more challenges," Campbell said.
The Obama administration which came out running during election times as being supportive of the less fortunate, actually shows his real colours when his chips are put on the table.
Major problems loom all across the United States of America, not the least of which is with regards to citizens being forced and even kept in rough times.
There was once a time not so distant when communities would come together to help others without having to be directed to do so under the control of org's and/or those of profit/gain/control.
Even with cuts and greed, United States of America citizens can get thru any rough times if they fully adopt and go back to a one simple way of life the United States of America used to have: Being Neighbors!
Now a days, even those who live under the mystique they are doing right unto their fellow human actually don't do what is needed to those in need. Perhaps it is a defense mechanism, or just social/economic times which have them confused themselves, but what ever the reason, it is just a reason to not be about it when actually "Helping" those who are real need.
The problem isn't getting better, and even with all of the so called "Help" organizations, the numbers of those in "real need" continues to increase.
The system does however seem to overlook those who don't fall into any one of the categories of mental health issues, drug and/or alcohol addictions and/or being in the penal system. The people who aren't into one of the groups that are designed to get org's paid have to just deal with being "Houseless" are almost left out in the cold - literally.
This isn't to take notice away from the thousands who are scamming the system, and it seems that they are almost always given precedence over others.
Story related to the struggling in the United States of America on All Things Considered
Roger Bottomley of Fairfax, Va., has been homeless for 10 years. He
expected to get a housing voucher, but then his appointment with the
local housing authority was canceled because of sequestration. He keeps
his belongings in a locker at a homeless day center. Pam Fessler/NPR
Congress decided last week to ease the effects of the
across-the-board federal spending cuts on travelers upset over airport
delays. But low-income Americans who rely on government housing aid are
still feeling the pain.
Housing authorities across the country
have all but stopped issuing rent vouchers as they try to deal with the
cuts known as sequestration. Many newly issued vouchers have been
rescinded, leaving some people homeless or doubled up with family and
friends.
And the cuts come at a time when there's a severe shortage of affordable housing across the country.
"Homeless Again"
Melissa
Rothkugel, 28, had waited seven years for a housing voucher to help
cover her rent in Connecticut. Last year, she lost her job, became
homeless and got pregnant. So you can imagine how happy she was in
February when she got a letter telling her she had finally been approved
for aid.
"I actually broke down and cried," she recalls.
"Because, I mean, when they issued me the voucher, I thought everything
was going to start getting better and looking up."
She filled
out the paperwork, attended orientation in Hartford and started to look
for an apartment. But within days she was rushed to the hospital to give
birth to a baby daughter. A week later, she got another letter that
made her cry.
"It said, due to the budget cuts, that they were
revoking my voucher," she says. "So I was back to square one in being
homeless again."
Now, she, her baby and her boyfriend are living in her brother's basement.
Rothkugel's voucher was one of 88 rescinded by the city of Hartford in response to federal spending cuts.
"No Recourse"
Hartford
isn't alone. In Fort Worth, Texas, 99 vouchers were canceled for
families that hadn't yet signed leases. In Minnesota, more than 160
vouchers have been put on hold.
In Fairfax, Va., Roger
Bottomley thought a voucher was within reach after 10 years of
homelessness, when he was scheduled for an interview this month with the
local housing authority. Then it was canceled.
"They didn't have the money for it, the way I understand it," he says.
So he's still living on the street.
"I stayed at the bus stop last night," he says. "It wasn't too cold out."
Across
the country, housing authorities say their hands are tied. They have to
cut about $2 billion this year in public housing and voucher programs
that subsidize rents for the poorest Americans. It's part of the larger
stalemate in Washington over how to deal with the budget.
"There
is no recourse," says Alex Sanchez, executive director of the housing
authority in Santa Clara County, Calif. "We're simply passing on what
the Congress decided."
The Santa Clara County housing authority
has 25,000 people on its waiting list. But there will be no new
vouchers this year. The agency has also asked the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development for permission to raise the amount that
tenants already in the program will have to pay. Sanchez says it's a
hardship on his clients — who are mostly elderly and disabled — but he
hopes it will do the trick.
"The very last step we want to take
is to actually take people off the program," he says. "But if the cuts
continue, I don't believe there will be any other alternative."
"Inflicting Pain"
Sanchez says he thinks Congress should reverse the sequester. But it doesn't look promising.
President
Obama has called the sequester "dumb." But he said at a news conference
Tuesday that the kind of action lawmakers took last week — to prevent
the furloughing of air-traffic controllers — is too shortsighted.
"They
should be thinking about what's going to happen five years from now, 10
years from now or 15 years from now," he said. "The only way to do that
is for them to engage with me on coming up with a broader deal."
But
the president's broader deal would include more tax revenue, something
Republicans vehemently oppose. They want deeper spending cuts instead.
In the GOP radio address this past weekend, Pennsylvania Rep. Bill
Shuster blamed the sequester mess squarely on the president.
"There
are some in the Obama administration who thought inflicting pain on the
public would give the president more leverage to avoid making necessary
spending cuts and to impose more tax hikes on the American people," he
said.
But to people like Rothkugel in Connecticut and Bottomley
in Virginia, this is all business as usual. They don't expect to get
help anytime soon.
Link to a transcript of an audio portion on All Things Considered
addressing the "Houseless" and poverty situation in the United States of America.
Under the axe of sequestration, 140,000 families are set to lose
housing assistance, mainly through cuts to Section 8 vouchers. "We're
moving in the wrong direction from a collective perspective," The Nation's
Greg Kaufmann says. "Half of the recipients are people with
disabilities or seniors, the other half are families with children"—and,
as is, only one in four families who are eligible for vouchers actually
receive them. Kaufmann joins The Melissa Harris-Perry Show to discuss the impending crisis and what the big banks have to do with it.
—James Cersonsky
Sequestration can seem a little vague, abstract, difficult to wrap your head around.
But here’s what it means when it comes to housing: up to 140,000
fewer low-income families receiving housing vouchers, more children
exposed to lead paint, higher rent for people who can’t afford it and a
rise in homelessness.
These are among the human costs of sequestration noted in a new paper
by Doug Rice, senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy
Priorities, who has worked on housing policy for ten years.
“These kinds of cuts are really unprecedented,” Rice told me. “The
Section 8 voucher program has been around for nearly 40 years—it was
created during the Nixon Administration and has had strong, bipartisan
support for its entire history. Part of that support has consisted of
Congress providing adequate money to ensure that the vouchers currently
used by families are renewed from year to year.”
But for just the third time in 39 years, Congress will not fund local
housing agencies so that they can renew all current vouchers. A $938
million cut in the voucher program translates to a 6 percent shortfall
below what is needed to maintain assistance to the same number of
families in 2013 as last year.
“Here we are in 2013 looking at severe cuts in the number of families
that receive assistance, even at a time when the number of families in
need has been rising sharply,” said Rice.
Indeed, as the report notes, there are currently “waiting lists for
vouchers in almost every community,” and only 1 in 4 eligible households
receives a voucher or some other form of federal rental assistance.
Half of the current households in the voucher program include seniors or
people with disabilities, and the rest are mostly families with
children. The average household income is just $12,500—well below the
poverty line of about $18,000 for a family of three.
Currently, Rice writes, about 1.5 million Americans spend some time
in emergency or temporary shelters every year. Since 2007, the number of
families with children living in shelters and other emergency housing
has increased by approximately 32 percent.
This bleak picture is about to get worse.
While 140,000 fewer low-income families will receive vouchers by
early 2014—increasing the risk of homelessness for many families already
deemed at-risk—there will simultaneously be cuts in federal funding
that enables communities to assist homeless people. Emergency Solutions
Grants (ESGs) are used by local communities for emergency shelters,
temporary rental assistance and other services that help families avoid
homelessness; these grants face up to a 34 percent cut.
“Communities will be forced to either close down shelters or cut back
efforts to prevent homelessness or re-house homeless families,” writes
Rice.
At the same time, Continuum of Care (CoC) grants targeting “chronic
homelessness” prevention—assisting homeless individuals with mental or
physical disabilities who live on the streets for extended periods—will
likely be reduced by at least $180 million. (More if HUD decides to
reallocate a greater proportion of these funds towards ESGs.)
“There has been a 10-year effort at the federal level to reduce
chronic homelessness among individuals with significant mental health or
other kinds of disabilities,” said Rice. “It is a lot cheaper to help them afford stable housing
with the services they need than to allow them to languish on the
streets, which costs the government more money in health care costs,
trips to emergency rooms—not to mention jail.”
Some of the effects of sequestration aren’t coming down the pike—they are already here.
Local agencies are already “shelving” vouchers, which means that they aren’t reissuing them to families on the waiting lists when other families leave the program. Agencies are withdrawing vouchers
from families who recently received them but are still searching for an
apartment. They are alerting current families that their assistance may be terminated later this year. They are considering raising rents
on current tenants (which requires permission from the Department of
Housing and Urban Development), charging fees for parking and other
services or requiring tenants to pay more for utilities. The report
notes that these policies “are likely to steer families into
neighborhoods with more crime, lower-performing schools, and less access
to jobs.”
Sequestration will also result in housing agencies receiving “only
about 70 percent of the administrative funds for which they are eligible
this year,” according to the report. That means less ability to perform
property inspections and address “potentially serious problems” in
apartments.
Due to cuts in other HUD programs, there will be reduced efforts to
minimize children’s exposure to lead in older units, and decreased
production of new affordable housing for low-income seniors and people
with disabilities. Further, local agencies will receive only about half
of the monies needed to cover new repairs and renovations this year—never mind the $26 billion backlog of capital repairs in public housing developments.
“When agencies don’t receive enough monies to operate and maintain
their properties, they delay and forgo maintenance and basic repairs,
and these kinds of delays can increase costs in the long-term by causing
more costly structural damage,” said Rice.
At best, it means deteriorating living conditions for too many
families. At worst, it means more affordable units lost to disrepair.
The report notes that more than 260,000 public housing units have been
demolished or removed from stock since the mid-1990s.
Not to be lost in all of this is the effect these policies have on children over the long-term.
“Children who experience repeated or extended periods of
homelessness—especially when they are very young or in teenage
years—tend to do much less well at school, [their] graduation rates are
lower, and they are more likely to have certain health problems,” said
Rice. “They are much less likely to be productive economically if they
live in deep poverty as young kids, and part of this is a housing situation. For kids that do well in school, stable housing in a decent, safe home is a pretty important component.”
In a country where 82 percent
of voters want Congress and the White House to deliver a plan to cut
child poverty in half within 10 years, this is clearly not the direction
in which we want to be moving.
“What we should be looking at is reducing homelessness and reducing
the number of low-income families who have what HUD calls ‘worst case
housing needs’—which are all households with very low incomes, paying
housing costs that exceed half of their income, or they live in
substandard housing,” said Rice.
Rice has done a real service with this report. The question is the
same one that seems to come up again and again when it comes to issues
that are important to low-income people—is anyone listening, and does
anyone give a damn?
TODAY at 12:15, livestreamed:
“The New (Suburban) Homeless: How Foreclosures and the Great Recession
Have Impacted American Families,” New American Foundation. American Prospect senior
writer Monica Potts will discuss her new piece, “The Weeklies,” about
suburban homelessness outside of Denver. Janis Bowdler, economic policy
director of the National Council of La Raza, will participate as well.
#TheWeeklies
Tuesday, April 9: NC Women’s Advocacy Day, at the state legislature in Raleigh, with NC Women United
(NCWU), a coalition of organizations and individuals working to achieve
the full political, social and economic equality of all women. NCWU
will bring activists from across the state to urge their legislators to
support issues related to the advancement of women and families,
including economic self-sufficiency, access to health care, civic
participation and ending violence against women. NCWU is particularly
interested in maintaining the EITC and work supports for struggling
families in North Carolina. Register for Advocacy Day here.
Wednesday, April 10: LIHEAP Action Day,
US Congress. Supporters of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance
Program from across the country will meet with members of Congress to
urge them to restore funding for the federal energy assistance program.
You can register here.
If you can’t attend, show your support on April 10 by posting the
following message on your Facebook status and in messages to your
representatives: “The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
helps millions of Americans keep their lights on and their homes livable
in winter and summer. Congress, please restore funding for LIHEAP to at
least $4.7 billion for FY 2014.” You can also tweet using #LIHEAPAction.
The Sequester and Seniors
Cuts to programs like home-delivered meals, senior housing and energy
assistance are starting to impact seniors in need. The National Council
on Aging wants to hear what’s happening in your community, and take
those accounts to legislators. Share your story here.
Clips on Disability
There were many inaccuracies and distortions about federal disability programs in a recent series
on NPR, “Unfit for Work: The Startling Rise of Disability in America.”
Below are some of the smart responses to it. You can hear more good
commentary on the subject tonight at 8 PM on MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes. Disability
is going to continue to come under attack. I’ll definitely be doing my
best to stay on top of this, and I would also recommend that you follow
the work of Rebecca Vallas (Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities),
Shawn Fremstad (CEPR) and Kathy Ruffing (CBPP).
Studies/Briefs (summaries written by James Cersonsky)
“A Real Fix: A Gun-Free to School Safety,” Advancement Project. Not only does increased police presence in schools have a consistent track record of making students less safe,
it also draws resources from more holistic approaches that have been
shown to benefit students—especially low-income students of color. This
brief proposes the creation of school safety plans by teams comprising a
range of school stakeholders, including parents and students. The plans
should focus on three components: crisis prevention—through restorative
justice practices, conflict resolution programs, mental health
resources and school-family communication; school security measures
involving all members of the school community; and school crisis plans
in preparation for emergency.
“Scarring Effects: Demographics of the Long-Term Unemployed and the Danger of Ignoring the Jobs Deficit,”
National Employment Law Project. The US labor force counts 27 million
unemployed or underemployed workers, and 40 percent of jobless workers
have been out of work for 27 weeks or longer. This report exposes the
demographics of the crisis. Those suffering the greatest are the oldest:
more than half of unemployed workers at least 45 years old have been
out for longer than 27 weeks. Public sector cuts have come down
particularly hard on women and people of color. Black workers, for
example, account for twenty percent of state and local job losses;
Latino youth account for 30 percent of enrollment in federal job
training programs, which have also been hit heavily. For workers across
the board, the recovery has been a regressive one: low-wage job growth
has been 2.8 times greater than mid- and high-wage job growth.
“Hard Choices: Navigating the Economic Shock of Unemployment,”
The Pew Charitable Trusts. Drawing on a mix of quantitative and
qualitative data, this report breaks down the influence of unemployment
on short-term economic stability—and long-term mobility and wealth.
Families that experienced unemployment between 1999 and 2009 were 1.3
times more likely to lose wealth during that decade than other families
(even when controlling for a variety of factors). When hit with
unemployment, families tap into a variety of resources—first, assets
like personal savings and home equity. But if those resources are
lacking, they use monies saved for their children’s education,
high-interest loans, even their own retirement funds. The report
proposes a slate of remedies, including low-cost loan options for
families in times of need, stronger unemployment insurance and revised
tax-incentive structures to encourage emergency saving.
Vital Statistics
US poverty (less than $17,916 for a family of three): 46.2 million people, 15.1 percent.
Children in poverty: 16.1 million, 22 percent
of all children, including 39 percent of African-American children and
34 percent of Latino children. Poorest age group in country.
Deep poverty (less than $11,510 for a family of four): 20.4 million
people, 1 in 15 Americans, including more than 15 million women and
children.
People who would have been in poverty if not for Social Security, 2011:67.6 million (program kept 21.4 million people out of poverty).
People in the US experiencing poverty by age 65: Roughly half.
Gender gap, 2011: Women 34 percent more likely to be poor than men.
Gender gap, 2010: Women 29 percent more likely to be poor than men.
Twice the poverty level (less than $46,042 for a family of four): 106 million people, more than 1 in 3 Americans.
Jobs in the US paying less than $34,000 a year: 50 percent.
Jobs in the US paying below the poverty line for a family of four, less than $23,000 annually: 25 percent.
Percentage of entitlement benefits going to elderly, disabled, or working households: over 90 percent.
Food stamp recipients with no other cash income: 6.5 million people.
Children living on streets or in homeless shelters, US: 1.6 million, 42 percent under age six.
Number of homeless children in US public schools: 1,065,794.
Annual cost of child poverty nationwide: $550 billion.
Quote of the Week
“Over the past few decades, politicians have made an art form out of
pledging to get tough with welfare recipients. These days, hardly a week
goes by without a new call to impose ‘real consequences’ on aid
recipients if they don’t shape up, accept personal responsibility and
change their behavior. But here’s what you should know: Social policies
that focus on penalties inflict real hardships on poor families but
rarely produce the promised results.”
—Joe Soss, on Tennessee bill which would cut low-income parents’ cash assistance if their children falter in school.
James Cersonsky wrote the “Studies/Briefs” and co-wrote the “Clips and other resources” sections in this blog.
In New Britain, CCSU unit studies degrees of homelessness
Monday, March 18, 2013 10:20 AM EDT
BY BRIAN M. JOHNSON STAFF WRITER
NEW BRITAIN — Members of Community Central, a community-based
program affiliated with Central Connecticut State University, and
Briggitte Brown, community organizer for the city of New Britain,
recently sat down with Michael Lexton Hawkins, a formerly homeless New
Britain resident, to discuss the causes of homelessness and to work
toward solutions.
Hannah Hurwitz, a member of Community Central,
said, “We’re basically trying to collect information to put everything
into perspective. We want to learn their stories, find out about the
barriers they face, and find ways to help them overcome those barriers.
We want to see them succeed, get a good job and get back on their feet.”
Hawkins
had been a longtime homeless resident. He has also been living with
AIDS since 1987. A recovering drug addict, Hawkins has been clean for
three years. He is now living in an apartment in New Britain, is on
disability and volunteers at organizations such as Safety Counts.
At the meeting, Hawkins shared what it was like to experience homelessness.
“I know the feeling of hopelessness and the various things that cause
it,” said Hawkins. “There are so many organizations that say they will
help you. However, if you don’t have a foundation, if you don’t have
warmth and security, where’s the hope? My biggest obstacle was myself
and my way of thinking.”
John Carey, an intern from CCSU and an
environmental geography major with a geographical information systems
minor, explained the degrees of homelessness.
“Some have been
homeless before and are no longer,” said Carey. “Others are staying with
friends and have their basic needs provided. Some are living in
shelters or churches, and then there’s the people actually living on the
streets.”
Carey is currently compiling an online database that
maps out places where the homeless of New Britain can go for food,
health care, recreation, housing assistance and behavioral help as well
resources such as the police and fire departments.
“My goal is to
make this database as user-friendly as possible,” Carey said. “I also
want to work with public libraries to get the homeless a library card
they can use to read or use the Internet at the library even if they
can’t check out books.”
There are many reasons people become homeless, according to Hawkins.
“Situations
happen in life, I don’t blame anyone,” said Hawkins. “Some people
drink, some people use drugs, with others it’s psychological. Some
people become homeless through no fault of their own. I had a friend who
was an executive before his wife left him and took his child. The
bottom line is we’re human beings, and it could happen to any of us.”
Brown
discussed the mayor’s plan to create a homeless commission where
homeless people can give advice to policy makers directly. She also
discussed the upcoming Brunch and Conversation event taking place at
Community Central April 6 at 11 a.m.
“That’s beautiful, the first time I’ve seen something like this,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins
has also written a book of poetry, “To Touch a Nerve,” based on his
experience with homelessness, AIDS and prison. The book is slated for
release at the end of the month through the AuthorHouse publishing
company. It is the first of three books he plans to release. He plans to
donate money that he receives from the sales to organizations that
support the homeless.
In 2008, Hawkins served a six-month prison term for using and selling drugs.
“When
I was in prison, they helped me treat my heroin and cocaine addiction,”
Hawkins said. “I wasn’t taking any HIV medication and I wasn’t being
treated for my bipolar disorder. The agencies told me that I was killing
myself and that I needed to receive treatment. Prison was a curse, but
it was also a blessing in disguise. It was a rude awakening to a
spiritual awakening.”
“I believe I’m here for a reason, through
the grace of God,” Hawkins said. “I’m glad to be part of the solution,
not part of the problem today. It’s not going to happen overnight, I’m
not looking for miracles, but if we can help one person or a few it’s
worth it.”
For more information on Community Central, call Hurwitz at (203) 843-2121, or visit ccsu.edu/communitycentral
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