Homeless News Roundup

(10:00PM EST – promoted by Nightprowlkitty)

Respite in the Redwoods: Homeless vets find help in the redwoods of Boulder Creek

by Bruce Newman

San Jose Mercury News

September 20, 2009

In times of war, frontline troops occasionally are ordered to retreat to a place of relative safety — known in military jargon as a “stand down” — where soldiers can rest and receive medical attention before returning to combat.

But for nearly 200 homeless veterans bivouacked among the redwoods at Boulder Creek this weekend, the South Bay Stand Down provided a welcome respite from the daily combat they face on the streets.

Hi everybody. I’m collecting so much material that I’m going to split it in two and post again early this next week. Thanks for reading.

CALIFORNIA

NoHo-based homeless shelter awarded $10 million

by Dana Bartholomew

Daily News

September 23, 2009

The San Fernando Valley’s largest shelter will receive $10 million in federal economic stimulus money to get newly homeless residents off the street and help pay their living expenses.

L.A. Family Housing in North Hollywood is one of three Los Angeles agencies to share in a $30 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“I’m very excited,” said Stephanie Klasky-Gamer, president and CEO of L.A. Family Housing. “This will be a huge, huge help.

City gets funding for homeless prevention

Santa Barbara Edhat

September 23, 2009

SANTA BARBARA, CA – 9/23/2009 – Mayor Marty Blum announced today that a City of Santa Barbara Collaborative will receive a grant totaling $1.2 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) funding from the federal Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP). The funding was awarded through a competitive grant process from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The funds are available until September 30, 2012.

The federal funding is designated to provide short and medium-term rental assistance with case management to individuals and families who are currently in housing but at risk of becoming homeless, and to individuals and families who are homeless.

Homeless Citizens Claim Workers Threw Away Personal Items

10News

San Diego

September 24, 2009

The cart meant everything to Dillard, but on Tuesday she parked it on the sidewalk and went inside a church on 17th Street to have something to eat. When she left the church, she saw something very shocking.

“I ran across the street. I started crying,” said Dillard.

She and 12 other homeless citizens said they saw police and city crews tossing carts — and everything inside — into garbage trucks.

“I was begging, screaming, but the police said don’t touch anything. It’s heartbreaking and I get depressed all the time,” said homeless citizen Robert Barajas.

Controversial Homeless Camp Shuts Down

CBS13 – Sacramento

September 20, 2009

A controversial homeless camp on private property that was the centerpiece of a brewing court battle is being shut down, and its residents are moving on.

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Attorney Mark Merin, the property’s owner and a local civil rights lawyer, had given permission for the homeless to camp there in exchange for a $1 a year lease about a month ago.

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Mayor Johnson said he promised the campers that he would work on a long-term solution for the homeless problem.

OREGON

Churches join crusade to end homelessness in Washington County

By Jill Rehkopf Smith

The Oregonian

September 23, 2009

HILLSBORO — Drawn by the misery on their home turf, more of Washington County’s conservative megachurches are stepping forward to help.

Some of these massive churches that typically 1,000 attendees or more will even brave a little theological discomfort to participate in Saturday’s faith forum in Hillsboro on hunger, homelessness and healthcare.

Eric Canon, chair of the Washington County Interfaith Committee on Homelessness, which is sponsoring the forum, welcomes all newcomers: “The churches are the safety net right now. The social service agencies are overwhelmed. There’s not nearly enough resources out there to meet the need.”

WYOMING

Homeless-student advocate sees ‘long road ahead of us’

By Jackie Borchardt

Casper Star-Tribune

September 24, 2009

CASPER – As the Natrona County School District’s advocate for homeless students, Greta Hinderliter finds herself working out of her Honda CR-V more often than at a desk in her office.

She has recorded at least 250 homeless youth in Natrona County schools this school year, and as she pointed out, it’s been warm enough to sleep in cars. Last year, the district served about 300 students for the entire school year.

“We’ve got a long road ahead of us until June,” Hinderliter told district staff and representatives from social-services providers Thursday morning. “Right now, I’m a one-woman show.”

UTAH

Provo coalition for homeless getting new facility

by Marc Haddock

Deseret News

September 24, 2009

It’s 4 p.m. Thursday, and the first customers for dinner have started to filter into the Food & Care Coalition’s downtown soup kitchen.

…

“Just last night we fed 140 for dinner,” says Kenneth Larsen, kitchen supervisor and one of six full-time employees for the coalition, as he shows off the facility’s cramped freezer and produce cooler, both so full that he may have to turn away food donations that require refrigeration.

But that’s all about to change. One day next week, after city inspectors give the final OK, Larsen will light the burners in a brand new, $11 million facility in Provo’s East Bay industrial park and the county’s homeless community will have a new place to break bread – but not to lay their heads, at least not yet.

INDIANA

Indiana to use new Web tool to help homeless

AP

September 24, 2009

SOUTH BEND, Ind. –  Indiana has created a new Web tool to help people in homeless shelters.

The tool will be up and running on Oct. 1 and will be used to assess to each person in a shelter, identify barriers to self-sufficiency and help find housing.

About $500,000 out of $16 million the state is getting in federal funding to help the homeless was used to create the tool for shelters and train people on using the system.

OHIO

Homeless shelter task force forms

by Loren Genson

September 24, 2009

The Ross County Continuum of Care formed a task force Thursday with the goal of creating a bigger homeless shelter in Ross County.

As the Gazette reported earlier this week, aboout $1 million in federal stimulus money is available, but only if the local agencies currently providing care can pull together and support a new facility.

“This money is all part of the stimulus package, so it isn’t going to be around again,” said Bud Scharfetter, chair of the Continuum of Care and executive director of the Ross County Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

RHODE ISLAND

Providence camp for homeless ordered to move

by Paul Davis

September 22, 2009

PROVIDENCE – The homeless men and women living in a city park near Roger Williams Medical Center must pack their tents by Sept. 28, a Superior Court judge ruled Monday.

The eviction case has helped illuminate the “severe problem of the homeless” in Providence, said Judge Jeffrey Lanphear. “The homeless are not being adequately cared for on a regular basis.”

But the city has the right to enforce its laws regarding illegal camping in parks such as the one on Pleasant Valley Parkway, near the medical center.

NEW YORK

‘Night in A Box’ raises homeless awareness

by William Moyer

PressConnects

September 23, 2009

JOHNSON CITY — Michelle McCabe and Anthony Russo usually sleep in cozy, warm beds.

For one night, though, the two youths from St. James Catholic Church will be among the about 40 who will sleep in cardboard boxes in the parish’s parking lot on Main Street to raise awareness of the nightly plight of the homeless.

“I want to put my faith into action,” said Russo, 15, a sophomore at Newark Valley High School. “It’ll show me how hard it is to not have a home and have to live without necessities.”

Troy mayor shrugs off criticism of homeless funds rejection

by Chris Churchill

September 25, 2009

TROY — Mayor Harry Tutunjian is sticking by his decision to turn down $845,000 in homelessness prevention money, despite criticism from some of the city’s political and religious leaders.

The city had been awarded the money as part of a $1.5 billion Homelessness Prevention Fund created under the federal government’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — better known as the stimulus package.

Tutunjian quietly rejected the money in August, turning it over to a state agency that now says it is working to return the money to Troy.

VERMONT

Vermont gets homelessness grant

AP

September 20, 2009

BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Vermont Department of Mental Health has been awarded a $400,000-a-year grant to address homelessness around the state.

The four-year grant, from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, will allow the state to pursue a model under which homeless people are provided with housing before anything else, in hopes that will lead to other improvements.

Sixty homeless people in the Burlington area will be targeted in the first year and the program will be expanded into rural areas of Vermont after that, serving up to 150 people.

NORTH CAROLINA

Charlotte Homeless Coalition gets lifelines to keep serving the needy

Charlotte County – There is a waiting list for beds at the county homeless shelter. And about 170 people a day go to the dining hall for meals, nearly five times more than a year ago.

As the needs of homeless people in Charlotte County are rising, money is on the way to aid the Homeless Coalition.

Executive Director Angela Hogan said the coalition recently signed grant contracts for $446,000 in federal stimulus funding that will be available Oct. 1, the start of the fiscal year. The money, coming to the state through the Department of Housing and Urban Development, will be spent on homeless prevention over two years.

IOWA

Homelessness: ‘It could happen to anybody’

by Barb Ickes

September 20, 2009

Drunks, drug addicts and people who are too lazy to keep a job.

The image of a homeless person is what some homeless people fear the most.

Pete Monnier said only a handful of the people he has shared a homeless shelter with fit the stereotype.

Most, he said, do not.

WISCONSIN

Waukesha approves winter shelter for homeless men

by Laura Walker

Journal-Sentinel

September 23, 2009

A nighttime shelter for homeless men can again operate at a downtown Waukesha church hall this winter, the city Plan Commission decided Wednesday.

A majority in the standing-room only crowd of about 100 literally stood in support of the 5-1 decision, rising to their feet as their spokesmen told the commission that Waukesha was showing compassion by its action.

“No one thinks this is a permanent solution, but we’re in an emergency situation,” said the Rev. David Simmons, rector of St. Matthias Episcopal Church, which will again house the shelter. “The jobless and homeless statistics are staggering.”

MINNESOTA

St. Paul council OKs giving $3.3 million for homelessness

by Chris Havens

Star-Tribune

September 23, 2009

The St. Paul City Council on Wednesday approved the distribution of about $3.3 million to a dozen organizations to help prevent homelessness.

The money, which came from the 2008 federal Housing and Economic Recovery Act, will be used to pay a portion of rent to help people stay in their homes or to get people who recently lost their housing out of a shelter and into a new place as fast as possible. It’s one-time money that is expected to last for two years.

FLORIDA

Broward chef takes breakfasts for homeless on the road

by Toluse Olorunnipa

September 24, 2009

Executive chef Jonas Hagg is taking his homeless feeding operation on the road.

Hagg, who had his daily breakfasts for the homeless shut down by the city of Oakland Park this month, met with city officials Wednesday in pursuit of a compromise.

City officials stood by their mandate that Hagg must get a permit if he wants to use the Steven’s Field pavilion on a regular basis, but committed to help him find another location. In the meantime, Hagg is welcome to show up temporarily at various locations in the city, so long as he does not set up shop at one place at the same time on a regular basis without a permit.

Homeless vets seek help at Stand Down

by Daniel Carson

News Herald

September 24, 2009

PANAMA CITY – Dale Estep has lived in Panama City for nine years, but he said he’s been homeless off and on for most of his time here.

Estep, who said he also goes by “Rick,” attended the 2009 Homeless Veterans Stand Down on Thursday, an event designed to assist the area’s homeless veterans.

The Homeless and Hunger Coalition estimates 250 to 300 homeless veterans are in the area on a given day.

The Changing Face of Homelessness

by Whitney Ray

September 21, 2009

The foreclosure crisis is forcing families onto the street and changing the makeup of the state’s homeless population. Florida is receiving 65 million stimulus dollars to help combat the problem.

Part of the money will be used to keep families from being kicked out of their homes. Anicia Zaprata, A.K.A. Mama Bear, has been living on the streets for a full year. In that time she’s seen the shelter she calls home grow past capacity.

“It’s really overly crowded.”

BRITISH COLUMBIA

B.C. wants to force homeless into shelters in extreme weather

by Frances Bula

Globe & Mail

September 22, 2009

British Columbia is drafting the country’s first legislation that would give authorities the power to compel homeless people to go to shelters or even jail during extreme cold- or wet-weather periods.

The plan has sparked intense discussions in Gordon Campbell’s government between the B.C. Housing Ministry and the office of the Attorney-General about Charter of Rights issues and liability problems, according to e-mails obtained by The Globe and Mail.

And the B.C. Civil Liberties Association is questioning the timing of the announcement, given the impending Olympic Games.

ENGLAND

A homeless shelter so nice you might want to live there, too

by Jacqueline Dowd

13th Juror

Orlando, FL

Instead of sticking homeless people in dank, miserable-looking shelters, why not put them in open, airy accommodations that inspire confidence?

That’s the idea behind Spring Gardens, a hostel for the homeless built by St. Mungo’s, a homeless charity in London.

“Spring Gardens is fresh thinking in hostel design, having been built from a blank canvas,” said Charles Fraser, chief executive of St Mungo’s. “Homeless people deserve decent homes and supportive environments. We have a transformational building which we hope will stimulate transformations in the lives of those who live here.”

SPORTS

Get your Limited Edition Homeless World Cup 2009 T-Shirt – Proceeds go to HWC

The guys over at Soccerpro.com have produced a Limited edition Homeless World Cup T-Shirt, to help raise funds for future competitions. If you are a regular on here and purchased our latest issue of The 12th man fanzine, you would know all about the Homeless World Cup. If no then please visit their website. The t-shirt is priced at just US$18.00, that works out just over £11 for a quality t-shirt in our opinion.

PERSONAL

The Invisibles

by Becky Blanton

DesignMind

circa September 20, 2009

The working homeless are too often unseen. One woman brought her story from the streets to the stage at TEDGlobal.

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“Three years ago, I was living in a van with my Rottweiler and a housecat in a Wal-Mart parking lot in the US. By July 2009, I was speaking at TEDGlobal in Oxford, England. Physically, the journey from “homeless” to an international stage was a rough one, but the emotional and mental challenges were greater. I was one of the lucky ones.”

LGBT

(previously noted as an addendum)

Hundreds of thousands of homeless gay youth

by Joe Openshaw

Birmingham Gay County Examiner

September 18, 2009

That is per year.  In the United States 575,000 to 1.6 million youth are homeless each year, of which 20-40% identify as LGBT

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Twenty-six percent of LGBT youth that come out to their parents are kicked out of their home.Twenty-five to thirty-three percent of homeless youth have engaged in survival sex. Forty-two percent of LGBT youth abuse alcohol. Nearly 50% of LGBT homeless youth have attempted suicide.

MISCELLENY

25 Awesome Homeless Guy Signs

by Mark J Perry

Carpe Diem

September 24, 2009

(photo essay)

These days, being homeless is more competitive than ever. Only the most clever and creative signs are going to get people to let go of their precious spare change. This makes for some pretty awesome homeless dude signage.

Right-Wing Conspiracy Theory: American Girl Doll an Agent of Political Indoctrination

by Tana Ganeva

Alternet

September 24, 2009

Last week, the intrepid reporting of Matt Drudge — and incisive analysis of Rush Limbaugh — revealed that in “Obama’s America”, kids get bullied by other kids. Unfortunately, things have only gotten worse since then. Today, we learn that an American Girl doll named Gwen is faring even worse than that white kid on the bus: she’s homeless! And, if sleeping in a car weren’t bad enough, she is also a tool of a sinister left-wing agenda. Glenn Beck isn’t going to take this well.

BrokenRoots is a group for bloggers and advocates interested in issues about and facing homeless people. Our goal is to a create a network of regional “stringers” who can dispatch news and photos from communities across the country to report on the effects of the economic crisis on the homeless situation. We welcome first person stories, analysis, and reporting. The BrokenRoots project team will discuss, create and promote journalism on these issues, connect bloggers; create projects, and share related news and resources. (photo by Stranded Wind)