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?
Emily has a Home it's her family, but she is missing a House!
Below is yet another story about a family who find themselves at the mercy of a system in the United States of America that often shuns its own citizens for nothing more than falling on hard times.
Life is quite good for many in the USA, but for many, praying for a roof over ones head and food to eat becomes the major focus of survival. Sure there are many, many so-called not for profits in the business of HELP, but who do they actually serve? For many it's their business interest of keeping real estate, pensions and/or some sort of tax benefit. Others do it for the correct reasons, but don't favour as well.
The sad part of people having to live as Emily and her children, is that the United States of America claims itself as a "Christian" nation, but for this to be true and actual, the only ones without a place to lay their head, have food to eat and a life for them, would be those who willingly choose the "Houseless" way of life. Perhaps the saddest part is that the USA is not, in fact, a real life practicing nation that follows the one called "Christo".
Pray and if you can, search out this family and/or others such as Emily and her children and do what is natural and correct, HELP!
Emily and her husband live in a hotel near St Louis with their 4 kids
and another one on the way. When we walked in Emily was giving her
son a “time out” by sending him to the bathroom. There is no other
room. There is no privacy. My heart broke while visiting with Emily and
her children. You can feel the nonstop stress this young mother must
experience.
Emily’s husband lost his job. They then bounced around family until
their car broke down and they ended up at this hotel. That was almost a
year ago.
Living in weekly rate hotels often becomes a strap. It’s $1,000 a
month to live there, which is often just most people’s paycheck. Emily’s
husband is now back working and they have been lucky enough to save up
some money, yet with an eviction on their record – finding a house or
apartment to rent can be challenging.
Honesty: Glen James smiles as Boston police commissioner Edward Davis looks on (Picture: AP)
Glen James: Boston "Houseless" man disproves stereotype by returning cash, checks & property he found
The whole problem with falling victim to becoming "The Houseless" is all too quickly being stereotyped, especially those who often turn out to be more righteous than those with jobs, a place to call home and/or have standing in society. Granted, there are many who only play the system for their own profit/gain/control, but does that excuse those who claim to be qualified to help from not actually HELPING? WELL?
"The Houseless" has accumulated countless "Houseless" stories of abuse; wrongful stereotyping; help organizations and/or those calling themselves "HUMANITARIANS" who AREN'T qualified to actually be righteous unto those they claim to HELP and more. Stay tuned as the TRUTH comes to you via www.Houseless.org
Could it be that the massive system of "HELP" that has been created is first and foremost about profit/gain/control while only "PIMPING" the less fortunate? Well?
Could it be that it had taken about 1 year to finally recognize Mr. Glen James is only due to ? WELL?
Whyisn't Mr. Glen James actually being treated as a human in accordance with what he needs, not what the system wants him to be treated as? WELL
It's always a blessing to know that there does exist those who are "about it" without needing a "pat on the back", a tax break, and/or some sort of cause to fund their business. Thanks to Ethan Whittington, a 27-year-old from
Midlothian, Va. and all of those who are about it when it comes to being righteous. Could it be more than about time society in the United States of
America actually puts into place what they preach unto other countries? WELL? "The Houseless"
A homeless man in the US who returned a backpack containing thousands
in cash and traveller’s cheques said he would not have kept ‘even a
penny’ if he was desperate.
Glen James found the rucksack at a shopping mall in Boston and flagged down patrol officers to hand it over.
The backpack contained about £1,500 worth of US dollars, almost
£25,000 in traveller’s cheques, a Chinese passport and personal papers.
Its owner told workers at a store at the mall he had lost the bag. He
went to the police station, where officers confirmed it belonged to
him.
Mr James, who has been homeless since 2005, was honoured on Monday at
Boston police headquarters, where commissioner Edward Davis thanked him
for his honesty and gave him a special citation.
In a statement, Mr James said: ‘Even if I were desperate for money, I would not have kept even a penny of the money I found.
‘I am extremely religious, God has always very well looked after me.
‘I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone –
every pedestrian stranger – who has given me spare change. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.’
Sept. 16, 2013: Glen James, of Boston, left, smiles in the direction of
members of the media as Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, right,
looks on during a news conference at the police headquarters, in Boston. (AP)
A homeless man in Boston was honored Monday for flagging down
police after he discovered a bag filled with $2,400 in cash and nearly
$40,000 in travelers checks, The Boston Globe reported.
Last summer, Glen James, who is in his 50s and lives in a homeless
shelter, noticed a young man at the South Bay plaza in Boston leave
behind a large bag, the report said. James observed the bag’s contents,
and alerted police because “God has always very well looked after me.”
“Even if I were desperate for money, I would not have kept even a
penny,” he wrote in a statement due to embarrassment about a speech
impediment.
James received a citation from Boston’s police commissioner and there
has been a website made, www.gofundme.com/4by2as, to raise money for
James, who said he receives food stamps and panhandles at times because
“It’s just nice to have some money in one’s pockets so that as a
homeless man I don’t feel absolutely broke all the time.”
Under the canopy at the T.J. Maxx store, Glen James sat among the
shopping carts, shaded from the late-summer sun. As shoppers bustled
through the South Bay plaza Saturday, James proofread a letter, resting
on the bag he brings with him when he panhandles.
As he read, James noticed a young man nearby, sitting on an
overturned carriage. He had a bag, too, a black backpack at his feet.
James went back to his letter.
When James looked up again, the man was gone. But his bag was still there.
After a time, James went over to see what had been left behind.
Inside, he found $2,400 in cash and nearly $40,000 in travelers checks,
along with a passport and personal papers. For a homeless man who
subsists on food stamps and spare change, it was a staggering sum, maybe
even a chance at a new life.
But James, a slight, bespectacled man in his mid-50s who says he has
been homeless for five years, said the thought of keeping the money
never crossed his mind.
“Even if I were desperate for money, I would not have kept even a
penny of the money found,” he said Monday in a handwritten statement.
“God has always very well looked after me.”
James immediately flagged down police, who in short order returned
the bag to its owner, a student visiting Boston from China. James, a man
who lives in a homeless shelter and relies on charity for change to
wash his clothes, had returned a small fortune without a second thought.
For his actions, James received a citation Monday at Boston police
headquarters, where Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis praised his
“extraordinary show of character and honesty.”
“It really is a remarkable tribute to him,” Davis said.
James, who has a speech impediment, said little at the ceremony,
saying he was self-conscious about his stutter. As cameras flashed, he
smiled nervously and appeared somewhat overwhelmed.
But when asked how he felt about returning so much money, he did not pause.
“Very, very good,” he said, letting loose a hearty laugh.
In his statement, James wrote about how he found the money and a bit
about himself. He had worked at a courthouse for 13 years as a file
clerk, he said, before being fired. On Monday, the courts could not
immediately confirm his employment. James could have gotten another job,
he said, but he suffers from an inner-ear disorder that causes
prolonged vertigo spells.
“The shelter is the perfect living situation with someone
who has Meniere’s disease,” he wrote. “There are many people in the
shelter to attend to me.”
Glen James said it never occurred to him to keep the money in the bag he
discovered at the South Bay shopping plaza in Boston. The backpack had
$2,400 in cash and nearly $40,000 in travelers checks and belonged to a
student from China. Matthew J. Lee/Globe staff
James said he has siblings and other relatives he could live with, but does not want to burden them.
He said he had not met the man whose bag he found, but said he was “very glad to make sure” it was returned to him safely.
James said he receives the “blessing” of food stamps and panhandles
for money for laundry, transportation, and “odds and ends.” Just having a
little money, he said, can make all the difference.
“It’s just nice to have some money in one’s pockets so that as a homeless man I don’t feel absolutely broke all the time.”
James thanked all the people who have given him spare change,
including mayoral candidate Charles Yancey, who had dropped a total of
$7 into his cup.
James’s story compelled Ethan Whittington, a 27-year-old from
Midlothian, Va., who has never been to Boston, to launch a fund for
James at www.gofundme.com/4by2as
. Within the first four hours, Whittington’s campaign raised $3,152, which he plans to deliver to James.
After receiving the backpack from James, police notified mall
security. They were later contacted by an employee at Best Buy, who said
a customer had told them he had lost his backpack containing a large
sum of money.
The owner was positively identified by his passport, police said.
As he left the ceremony at police headquarters, James took deliberate
steps, his eyes fixed on the floor. Then employees watching from behind
their desks stood and applauded. His eyes widened, and he nodded his
thanks.
Outside the station, James was asked if there was anything he would like, anything at all.
As he got into a police cruiser that would take him back to the shelter, he said, “No war.”
Matt Lee of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Peter Schworm can be reached at schworm@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globepete.
Michael Winter, USA TODAY
5:44 p.m. EDT September 16, 2013
"Even if I were desperate for money, I would not have kept even a ... penny," Glen James said.
(Photo: Karen Bleier AFP/Getty Images)
A homeless man in Boston who said "God has always very well looked
after me" was honored Monday for returning a Chinese visitor's lost
backpack that contained $2,400 in cash, nearly $40,000 in traveler's
checks and passports.
Though he has been homeless for several years, Glen James
said in a written statement, "Even if I were desperate for money, I
would not have kept even a ... penny of the money I found," The Boston Globe reported. He flagged down a police officer Saturday after finding the bag at the South Bay Center in Dorchester.
"I
would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone — every
pedestrian stranger — who has given me spare change. Thank you!" read
the statement James handed out at police headquarters because "I don't
talk too much because I stutter."
"It's just nice to have some
money in one's pocket so that as a homeless man I don't feel absolutely
broke all the time," he said.
Police Commissioner Edward Davis presented James with a special citation.
"He's an honest guy and realized the property belonged to someone else," Davis said.
James said he had worked at a courthouse for 13 years but lost his job and became homeless in 2005.
As word of the good deed spread, a Virginia man began an online campaign Monday to raise $50,000 to donate to James.
"I thought what he did was very honorable," Ethan Whittington, of Richmond, Va., told Boston Magazine.
Come tourist to the good ole' United States of America and see it in its transformation stages - Change - of being ripped apart. We do not seem to want to learn from mistakes, nor history.
Boy, oh boy, the U.S.A. used to be a really fine place to call home and I want it back.
How about others?
By Susan Heavey and Lisa Lambert and Lucia Mutikani WASHINGTON |
Thu Dec 20, 2012 1:28pm EST
(Reuters)
- Across the United States, the number of hungry and homeless people is
growing, and budget fights at the federal level are threatening the aid
many need to survive, the U.S. Conference of Mayors said on Thursday.
Amidst the holiday season of family feasts and
corporate dinners, the mayors released a report that found requests for
emergency food assistance rose in 21 out of the 25 cities it surveyed
in 2012 and remained at the same level in three. More than half the
cities said homelessness increased.
"This report is a stark reminder of the long-lasting impact the recession
has had on many of our citizens," Greg Fischer, mayor of Louisville,
Kentucky, said in a statement. "Families, who once lived in middle class
homes, now find themselves without a roof over their heads, needing
multiple social services for the first time in their lives."
The
25 cities are of varying size and wealth in all regions of the country.
They included Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Los Angeles, Salt
Lake City and Nashville, Tennessee.
Among
those seeking emergency food, 51 percent were in families and 37
percent were employed. Nearly 1 in 6 - 17 percent - were elderly and 8.5
percent were homeless, according to the survey.
Nearly all of the cities reported a rise in the number of people seeking emergency food for the first time.
"In
Philadelphia, I see people who are hungry and in need of shelter on a
daily basis and explaining to them that Congress is cutting funding for
the help they need is not acceptable," said Philadelphia Mayor Michael
Nutter in a statement.
The impending "fiscal cliff"
has people with lower and middle incomes worried government funds for
safety net programs will drop just as emergency unemployment benefits
end. President Barack Obama
and Republican leaders in the U.S. Congress are negotiating on how to
avert tax increases and spending cuts due to take effect at the
beginning of 2013.
Republicans in the House of Representatives are pressing to cut $16 billion from food stamps as they hammer out an overdue farm bill.
The 2007-2009 recession
pushed up poverty and unemployment, while enrollment for food stamps,
which help cover grocery costs, soared. As economic recovery takes hold,
the unemployment rate has fallen to 7.7 percent from a peak of 10
percent. Still, the country's poverty rate remains at 15 percent and a
record 47.7 million people use food stamps.
Meeting the demand has been hard, and many places had to portion out aid in 2012, the survey found.
In
95 percent of the cities surveyed, food pantries cut the amount of food
each person received and soup kitchens reduced meal sizes. In almost
all the cities, pantries capped people's monthly visits as well. More
than half the cities said homeless families with children were denied
shelter in 2012.
The hunger
problem is likely to get worse next year. Three-fourths of the cities
expect the need for food to rise. No city expects a decrease.
Sixty
percent of the cities surveyed expect an increase in the number of
families without shelter and 56 percent anticipate a rise in homeless
individuals. More than half the cities say there will not be enough
shelters available.
LIKE ADDING WATER TO A FLOOD
The survey confirms what many soup kitchens, pantries and other charities have been saying throughout 2012.
"We
are always at capacity. If you are in a flood and someone says more
water is coming you might not be able to tell because you are already in
a flood," said George Jones, chief executive officer of Bread for the City in Washington, this fall about a rise in the number of people
seeking help.
In the survey,
Washington said the Capital Area Food Bank, an umbrella organization for
assistance groups in Washington, is reaching two-thirds of those at
risk of hunger.
Officials at the
food bank said calls to its hotline jumped 25 percent last year and it
also opened a new warehouse in June to double its capacity and keep up
with rising hunger. For the first time they are coordinating help at a
military base, sending a truck to serve about 250 families at Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
Michael Blue, a
62-year-old part-time bus driver in Washington, gets help from Bread
for the City.
He says work is so sporadic that he has to scrounge for
cash to pay rent and utilities. But his $13,300 annual income tops the
government's poverty threshold, disqualifying him from some welfare
programs. He receives about $200 a month in food stamps.
"They
tell me that I don't qualify for help, but anybody who makes $13,000 or
even $20,000 a year these days cannot survive," Blue said.
Between
jobs he jots down telephone numbers from tour buses headed to
Washington's monuments, then calls to see if they need drivers. He
cannot recall the last time he had a full-time job.
"I am just being priced out of existence," he said.
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