Apr 27, 2011

Opinions

Canada Speaks: Report reveals public perceptions about the nation's homeless

by Nelson Daily staff on 26 May 2011

Canadians have spoken and they have something to say about homelessness in Canada.
A report released Wednesday provides a unique look into how Canadians feel about the more than 150,000 homeless living on the streets in cities across the country.

The report, Canada Speaks, is a part of The Salvation Army's ongoing Dignity Project — a national effort to educate and engage Canadians about the reality of poverty in the 21st Century.

The survey of more than 1,000 Canadians, conducted in April by Angus Reid Public Opinion, revealed that a surprising number of Canadians have had first-hand experience with homelessness and related issues.

As well, nearly one-quarter of Canadians have received or are currently receiving assistance from a food bank or charitable group, while seven per cent reported that they have had to sleep on the street or in a shelter due to lack of housing at some point in their lives.

Additional key findings include:

Approximately 40 percent of Canadians believe that most homeless people want to live on the street and in shelters.
Almost 30 percent of Canadians believe that a good work ethic is all you need to escape homelessness.
Nearly one-fifth of Canadians believe that individuals experiencing homelessness are always to blame for the situation they are in.
43 percent of Canadians never give money to a homeless person on the street.
40 percent believe that most homeless people are mentally ill.
More than one-third of Canadians are scared of homeless people.
Also:
Nearly all of the respondents believe that individuals experiencing homelessness deserve a sense of dignity.
93 percent agree that no one in Canada should be homeless.
86 percent of Canadians believe that housing is fundamental right for all Canadians.
75 percent acknowledge that once you become homeless it is exceptionally difficult to get into housing

"The people of Canada have spoken and revealed much about their attitudes and perceptions about the nation's homeless," said Commissioner William Francis, leader of The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda. "We hope that through this report and the Dignity Project, we can continue to educate and inspire the public and work towards a Canada without homelessness."

Apr 25, 2011

To Serve and Protect

Mooch Gets Handcuffed & Threatened by Police

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Mooch http://www.doingithomeless.com

May 24th – Tuesday – 1:25pm
I arrived at a gas station in town to fill up before I go to Hollywood to check my PO Box. I see a homeless guy sitting against the gas station’s store building off to the side, away from the front doors. I also saw him in the same spot yesterday when I was getting gas, but police came onsite, spoke to him for a few minutes then told him to leave. So today I decide to introduce myself and offer him something to drink. He told me his name is Kurt, and he’d like a coke.

I go inside to pay for gas and 2 cokes. I walk outside and see the same two cops talking to Kurt as he sits down against the building. As promised, I handed Kurt a coke, then handed him the second one since I assumed the police were going to be talking to him for a bit longer. I had planned to sit with him and enjoy a coke together, and learn about where he goes and what he does.
As I walk back to my car to pump gas, I hear one of the cops say, “hey Kurt, let me see that.” While pumping gas, I look over towards Kurt and I don’t see the cokes or black bag anywhere. After a few seconds of looking in his direction, one of the cops walks up to me and says the following;
“Next time you see a police officer talking to a suspect, don’t walk between them and interfere or you will be detained.”
I said, “What? What suspect?”
Officer J. Wismar repeated, “I could detain you right now for interfering with a suspect.”
“Wow, you really don’t like homeless guys do you?”
“Come here, I’m going to detain you. Come over here.”
“What? What about my gas?”
“Leave it, walk over here to the patrol car.”
“Wow, what an asshole.” I said under my breath, loud enough for him to hear. I wasn’t thinking, I simply called him an asshole because he was detaining me for no logical reason and wasting my time with his intimidation act. This is where Officer J. Wismar told me to put my hands behind my back, put me in handcuffs, and placed me into the back of his patrol car.
I couldn’t believe what had just taken place. I wanted to get to know Kurt and offer him a coke, now I am being put in a patrol car, handcuffed, while cops look through my car. Both Wismar and his partner looked through my windows for a few minutes. If my doors were unlocked, would they have opened them and fondle through all my stuff?
After 10 minutes of sitting in the back of the patrol car; which by the way is made out of plastic, very uncomfortable. I never knew this because I have never been thrown back there before. Officer Wismar helped me out of the car, took off the handcuffs and told me to sit down on the stoop, same place Kurt was only moments earlier.
For the next several minutes Officer Wismar explained to me that he could arrest me right then for interfering with a suspect. I tell him all I wanted to do was give the guy a coke, then you detain me for calling you an asshole, how is that illegal? His partner asks me for my phone number, my city of birth, and my employer. Yes, I answered his questions, and as soon as I state I am a security officer for a nearby apartment complex, Wismar interrupts and says he patrols those apartments all the time. Then he asks me flat out, “What would you say if I went down to the apartment manager and told her you called us assholes and were interfering with our job?”
“Did you just threaten my job?” I asked. He said he’s not going to do it, but he could. And explained further that being a security officer, I should have more respect and consideration for police officers.
So, what should I do? Should I make a complaint? Should I take this as a learning experience and become further intimidated by the police? What would you do?
Keep in mind my current situation. I will surely see either Wismar or other police officers at my job as a security officer, and possibly while I’m asleep in my car somewhere in town. If I cause any trouble, they can do the same for me, which in turn will undoubtedly affect my business, my job, and where I’m allowed to sleep.
Below, you may view the fresh photos I took of my wrists taken immediately after the fact, and watch the video I posted only minutes after I was let go.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F82lNZVDxOc

First Night

Mark Horvath

Founder of InvisiblePeople.tv

My First Night Homeless: A True Story

Posted: 04/20/11 09:32 PM E

There are first times for everything. The first time I drove a car, first time I broke my leg, first time I ate sushi, first time I went to work, first time I was fired -- and I'll never forget my first kiss. 'Firsts' are memorable parts of life and growing up.
Well, the same goes for that first night spent on the streets or in a homeless shelter. The first time you're homeless, the intense feelings of fear and uncertainty are impossible to forget.
I recently started working for a seasonal homeless shelter in Glendale, California. My job is to monitor a bus pick-up five nights a week. On New Year's Day, a girl in her early 30s showed up, and it was clear that it was her first night homeless. She looked so alone and scared. She told me she lost her job a few months back and was living with friends, bouncing from couch to couch, until all welcomes had run out. She called 2-1-1 (a phone number for social services) and the operator told her about the winter emergency shelter.
If you've never been homeless, it's tough to describe that first night sleeping on the street. The fear and disillusionment are almost paralyzing. You just go through the motions, but at the same time you're beating yourself up for being in this situation. It is very surreal because no one ever thinks they will become homeless. No one.
I'll never forget my first night. All of a sudden and without warning, I found myself homeless in Koreatown near downtown Los Angeles. I was sober, but I had no money, no place to go and no one I could call for help. I was officially homeless.
This was all new to me. I had no homeless training. I had no clue how I was going to survive. Just six months earlier I had a well-paying job in the television industry, overseeing syndicated programs like Wheel of Fortune. But now, I was the one who had suddenly landed on bankrupt. The irony was painful.
I decided to walk from Koreatown to North Hollywood, mainly because I knew the neighborhood and was comfortable with the area. I walked 11 or so miles to the valley. By the time I arrived, it was beginning to get dark, so I started to think about where I was going to sleep. I decided to try a park close to my old house where I used to play my conga drum on hot summer days. But when I arrived, I noticed gang members hanging around in the dark, so I moved on to another location.

Photo: Zoomar
I continued walking to park after park. I just didn't feel safe in any of them. My feet were becoming swollen; I was emotionally and physically exhausted. I knew that the worst crimes in the city -- muggings, beatings, shootings -- happened at night to people living outdoors. I knew that when you sleep outside, you are vulnerable to just about everything. I was scared. Probably more scared then I have been or ever will be.
I think it was around 3 a.m. when I finally found a park near a small shopping mall in North Hollywood. It was empty, and the first place where I felt safe enough to lay down. Exhaustion quickly set in and I closed my eyes. I don't remember how much time had passed -- maybe 20 minutes -- when, suddenly, all the water sprinklers went off. I just laid there in disbelief, soaking. It's impossible to describe the mixture of fear, anger, vulnerability and, well, homelessness I felt as I lay there.
Today, it's easier for me to laugh at that bit of misfortune with the sprinklers. But the deep memories of pain and loneliness from that night will always be with me.
Those of us who work in homeless services can usually spot someone fresh to the streets. It's usually not their clothes or hygiene, but rather the look of fear and confusion on their face. The young girl who showed up at the winter shelter on New Year's Day was scared. Luckily, there was a new female volunteer working that night. When I left the shelter, I noticed both of them sitting on the homeless girl's cot, talking.
I wish I knew how her story ended, but as of last night the girl has not returned to the shelter.
Sadly, thousands of people experience their first homeless night each year. No matter what circumstances led to their homelessness -- eviction, foreclosure, unemployment, addiction, mental illness, domestic violence -- being homeless for that first night is painful. Now imagine a personal crisis has hit, and you no longer have access to money or a place to stay. It is now your first night homeless. What would you do?

UP And Down

The Man I Would Not Hire Hands Me Twenty Dollars When I Was Homeless

Many years ago, when I was working in television syndication, my department was hiring. A friend from another department recommended his friend who had two years sober. I interviewed my co-workers friend, Jack, but I had no intention of hiring him. Jack WAS a drug addict, and even with two years sober he could still use drugs.
To put this into perspective, at the time, I was on drugs. In fact, I was wasted. One of my responsibilities was managing one of the largest video tape vaults in Los Angeles. One day walking down the aisles I found thirteen shelves with cocaine on them. I called my three vault employees into my office to yell at them. But not for using drugs at work; I yelled at them for not cleaning up after themselves and not inviting me. Yet I would not hire Jack who had two years sober!
Jack was a good worker and another department eventually hired him. We somewhat became friends. At least we learned more about each other.
As many of you know I ended up homeless. I remember one night walking the streets and I ran into Jack. Jack reached into his wallet and handed me $20. It was very humbling that a man I would not hire because he was ONCE a drug addict was giving me money and I was homeless. The thought still wrecks me.
This week I was visiting a homeless shelter and Jack recognized me. I visit that shelter often, I have even talked to Jack a few times, but we just didn’t place each other. The last few months I was trying to grow my hair long but had it all chopped off this week. That’s what it took for us to connect. Jack had fallen and was back in a homeless shelter.
We talked for a bit. The full circle of life kind of slammed me. Jack was doing great for 14 years when something happened that caused him to start using again. At least he is on the right road again. He has a job and will be in housing soon.
I really don’t know how to end this post. I knew I had to share this story because it will resonate with someone. Crazy as life is I could not plan circumstances like these. All I know is that every day I am sober, this August 24th will be sixteen years, I am grateful my life has changed for the better.

by Mark Horvath-Hardly Normal

Apr 20, 2011

Big Money

Christine Schanes

Consultant, public educator

GET UPDATES FROM Christine Schanes

Homelessness Myth #20: They Make Millions

Posted: 05/16/11 12:06 AM ET

The myth that homeless people make millions or thousands of dollars is a myth of gigantic proportions. This myth incorporates the mistaken belief that homeless people make big money by trading on their homelessness, which is simply not true.
Panhandling is one of the primary ways a homeless person can raise funds. In today's parlance "begging" is called "panhandling."
I learned a great deal about the nature and necessity of panhandling from a young homeless woman I met outside a theater in Los Angeles. It was 9:30 p.m. on a cool winter's night when I walked by her as she stood by a shopping cart that held her young child and her infant.
"Can you spare some change?" she asked.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out two $1 bills. As I handed these singles to the young mother, she pulled out a wad of bills from her pocket. She proceeded to place my bills on top of the high stack that she already had.
I began to walk away when I thought I would talk to the young mother.
"May I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"I'm wondering about something. It's late at night, you have two young children and you have a lot of money. Why are you and your children outside in the cold?"
"Well, you don't understand."
She pulled out all of her money from her pocket. For the first time I noticed that the high stack of bills was actually a bunch of crinkled one dollar bills stacked one on top of another.
"Before you came along, I had $26 here. Now, with your two dollars, I have $28. I'll be out here until I get $36 for a motel room for me and my babies."
I was silent. I had no more cash to give her. So, I wished the young mother well and left with a heavy heart.
Obviously, panhandling is not as lucrative as some of us think. This young mother taught me that appearances can be deceiving.
Recycling is another way a homeless person can make money. We've all seen a homeless person pushing a cart filled to overflowing with cans and bottles. Sometimes there are even plastic bags bulging with recyclables tied to the sides of the cart.
Can a homeless person "get rich quick" by recycling? Not really. Working from dawn to dust, a homeless person may gather as much as $40 in recyclables. Just enough for a motel room and perhaps one meal.
Also, recycling is not easy work. It requires some mental ability and more than a little physical strength. Certainly, this method of pursuing an income is not available to the elderly or infirm.
My homeless friend Danny recycled cans and bottles every day for years. Each morning Danny would follow the same route, visiting the same locations searching for discarded recyclables. He considered recycling his job and he was devoted to his work.
A lovely, responsible person, Danny was hired not long ago by the City to do part time maintenance work. Although he enjoys his new job, Danny says that he misses his old job of recycling and the places he would visit every day.
Government benefits are another way that a homeless person can acquire funds to live. In California general relief (GR), also known as "welfare," is a program funded by the county. Although each of the 58 California counties sets its own amount of benefits, San Diego County provides $234 as a loan to a single qualifying adult.
A $234 loan per month is a far cry from riches. Often a homeless person will use some of his or her GR to rent a motel room for several nights and to pay for food during this same period of time. His or her goal is to clean up, rest, and possibly remember what it is like to be housed once again. This brief respite gives the homeless person an opportunity to leave the harsh conditions living on the streets.
A homeless person may also qualify for Social Security benefits. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is available to assist the elderly, blind, or disabled person who has low or no income. In the year 2000, SSI's maximum monthly benefit was $512.

Social Security Disability Insurance is a monthly benefit for disabled people who have worked within 10 years of the disability and paid Social Security taxes. In the year 2000, the average benefit was about $750.
The monthly benefits available to a qualifying adult through SSI or SSDI will not make a homeless person rich. The goal of these programs is to provide a safety net for those who do qualify. These funds may be sufficient for a homeless person to secure housing.
People are homeless for a host of reasons, but they are not pretending to be poor. They do not have the funds for three meals a day and a roof over their heads every night.
No homeless person is getting rich through panhandling, recycling or any government program.
I look forward to your comments.

Apr 19, 2011

Being Homeless gets tougher

Being Homeless gets tougher

The current recession and foreclosure crisis have resulted in greater numbers of people becoming homeless. People who have gone through a recent bankruptcy and the loss of a job are finding themselves getting evicted from their homes only to find their living options dwindling and the possibility of homelessness quickly becoming a reality.

As homelessness spreads throughout our cities, municipal services strain to keep up with the increasing demand for social services. In the state of Colorado, for example, nearly 28% of the homeless are people that have just become homeless in the past twenty-four months.

The sad truth is that most states fail to provide enough affordable shelter and food to meet the increased needs of their homeless. Unfortunately, many cities are resorting to using local law enforcement to remove the homeless from streets and parks – making it illegal to eat, sit, or sleep in public places and effectively making homelessness a crime. Some states have even made it illegal to feed the homeless by passing laws that prohibit food sharing and by dissuading individuals and groups from serving the homeless.

The criminalization of homelessness takes many insidious forms, including, making it illegal to sleep, sit, or store personal belongings in public spaces. Some cities have made sweeping away the homeless a routine part of law enforcement’s responsibilities. Police regularly perform sweeps of areas in which homeless are living in an organized effort to drive the homeless away form population centers. Sweeps can be dangerous and the process can often result in the destruction of a homeless person’s personal property. When homeless persons are arrested and charged with violating vagrancy laws, they eventually end up with a criminal record, making it even more difficult to find a job or obtain housing in the future.

Another way of criminalizing homelessness is through the enforcement of laws that punish people for begging or panhandling. These common practices of removal and avoidance of an entire class of people based on their economic status is nothing short of reprehensible in a society as wealthy as ours. Still worse, is the ambivalence in which public officials view the homeless “problem” while doing precious little to address the underlying causes of homelessness.

Instead of criminalizing homelessness, public officials along with private groups should be constructively working to end homelessness by dedicating more public and private resources to developing affordable housing, emergency shelters, education, and outreach services.

Private industry can play a vital and positive role in helping to address the key causes of homelessness. Instead of advocating avoidance of the issue through the criminalization of homelessness, business groups can join with non-profits to work on real solutions that benefit all of society.

The good news is that there are many public and legal advocacy groups who care deeply about the homeless and are dedicated to improving their lives through the use of the legal system.

Legal advocates for the homeless have successfully argued that any law that punishes the homeless for engaging in life-sustaining activities violates the constitution as well as the publics sense of fairness and fundamental human dignity for all it’s citizens.

People Experiencing Homelessness In The U.S.

Apr 13, 2011

5 Things

04-27-2009, 05:19 PM

5 Things You Should Know About Homelessness

Shannon Moriarty Boston, MA Shannon has worked in homeless shelters and service organizations in San Francisco, the Triangle region of North Carolina, and currently in the greater Boston area. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.

1. Homelessness is prevalent among foster children
"About 25 percent of those who experience homelessness have spent some time in foster care or other out-of-home placements," says Martha Burt, a researcher and leading expert on homelessness for the Urban Institute. TheUS Department of Health & Human Service estimates that about 20,000 youth "age out" of the foster care system each year, meaning they are forced to leave their foster care placement and do not reunite with their biological family. Many of these youth have no choice but to become homeless. An estimated40 percent of young adults (18 to 20 years old) experiencing homelessness spent time in the foster care system as a child.
According to Burt, homelessness as a young adult is a strong indicator in predicting who will be chronically homeless as adults.

These youth have few ties, or no ties, and most have a history of abuse-both physical and sexual. This makes them very poor candidates for stable relationships, with either partners or friends who could help them get out of homelessness and create a stable home life.

Given this vastly disproportionate representation of foster children among homeless youth, many communities are creating programs specifically for this population. Given the vastly disproportionate representation of homeless foster children among 18 to 21 year-olds, this should be a focus for communities seeking to end the cycle of poverty and homelessness.

2. Homeless people are being criminalized for being homeless
Criminalizing the homeless can take many forms. For example, Sarasota, Florida has passed city ordinances preventing sitting, sleeping, or storing personal belongings in public places. Other cities have implemented sweeps designed to drive homeless people out of certain areas, often resulting in the destruction of personal property, including paperwork and medications.
The list of Top 20 Meanest U.S. Cities is compiled bi-annually by theNational Coalition for the Homeless. The rankings are based on the number of anti-homeless laws in the city, the enforcement of those laws and severities of penalties, the general political climate toward homeless people in the city, local advocate support for the meanest designation, the city's history of criminalization measures, and the existence of pending or recently enacted criminalization legislation in the city.
See if your hometown is identified as one of the Top 20 Meanest U.S. Cities towards the homeless.

3. The effects of the foreclosure crisis
Nearly 61% of state and local homeless service organizations have seen a rise in homelessness since the foreclosure crisis began in 2007, according to an April 2008 studyby the National Coalition for the Homeless. According to the study, 76% of displaced homeowners and renters are moving in with family or friends and 54% are moving to emergency or transitional homeless shelters. 40% of those surveyed are already living on the streets.
Major George Hood, national community relations secretary for the Salvation Army told ABC News

We're really seeing an uptick in homelessness right now. You have to rescue some from sleeping in vehicles. They're embarrassed and don't want to ask for help. They've found themselves in situations they never expected.

Many believe that the crisis has not yet reached its peak. The Center for Responsible Lending, for example, predicts that one in four subprime mortgages made in 2005 - 2006 will default. If this trend continues, and homelessness continues affecting people facing foreclosure, the housing crisis could very well morph into the homelessness crisis.

4. Homelessness among Iraq war veterans expected to increase

One in four homeless people in America is a veteran. According to CNN, "government reports state that there are as many as 200,000 homeless veterans on any given night; the majority served in the Vietnam War. Some served in Korea or even World War II. About 2,000 served in Iraq or Afghanistan."
The Department of Veteran's Affairs anticipates the rate of homelessness among veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan to increase steadily due to the post-traumatic stress disorder experienced by returning veterans. According to CNN:

The VA says 70 percent of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan saw some form of combat, either through firefights, rocket attacks or the most common strikes on troops -- roadside bomb attacks on their vehicles. That is three times the rate of combat experienced by Vietnam veterans.

Special traits of the current wars may contribute to homelessness, said the NY Times, including PTSD and traumatic brain injury, "which can cause unstable behavior and substance abuse, and the long and repeated tours of duty, which can make the reintegration into families and work all the harder."
Phil Landis, chairman of Veterans Village of San Diego,told the NY Times, "We're beginning to see, across the country, the first trickle of this generation of warriors in homeless shelters. But we anticipate that it's going to be a tsunami."

5. Hate crimes directed at homeless people are on the rise
From 2002 to 2005, hate crimes against the homeless increased 300%. Fatal attacks rose by 67%. A new study found that this number has increased even more - 65% - since 2005.
Perhaps the most alarming element of these crimes, beyond the cruelty of the abuse, is that overwhelmingly the attackers are teenagers and young adults. In Florida, the problem is so severe (23% of violent crimes reported in 2007 occurred in Florida) that "the National Coalition for the Homeless is setting up speakers bureaus to address a culture that sees attacking the homeless as a sport," according to the NY Times.
Michael Stoops, of the National Coalition for the Homeless, said that:

There is currently no federal criminal prohibition against violent crimes directed at individuals because of their housing status, poverty or homelessness. People who are forced to live and sleep on the streets for lack of an appropriate alternative are in an extremely vulnerable situation, and it is unacceptable that hate crime prevention laws do not protect them.

In the wake of this increase in violence towards the homeless, some states have added homeless people to groups protected by hate crime legislation.

Apr 10, 2011

Why Pay Rent

I've been spending so much time in the office over the last month or 2; I've slept in the office in the past and the last time really got me thinking.
What if you just lived at work? Literally. You could do it. We have tons of closet space, a dry cleaner and a gym/shower in the building. Stick everything in storage and keep about 10 shirts and 4 suits in the office. Leave all your undershirts, socks, boxers, ties... in a large filing drawer. Most people already have 3 pairs of shoes sitting under their desk.
My place of choice to rest my head in the office is one of 3 places. We have a large conference room, more of an auditorium that has very comfortable bench seats lining the outside. The second is one of the couches in the "entertaining" conference rooms, and 3 is on the floor in a conference room. Obviously you need to be out of sight, thus the conference rooms. If push comes to shove, maybe one of the privacy rooms.
Work until about 4... wake up around 8, shower and get dressed and be back at your desk by 9 / 9:15.
You'll save rent, utilities and transportation expenses. In addition, since you're always at work, you'll also save on going out and meals.
So now the main question... are you fucking serious? Who would want to live at work and have no other life. And thats what got me thinking about this in the first place, its not much different than what I do now anyway. I pay $2,200 a month to use a bed 4 hours per night and a shower every morning. I pay another $90 a month to commute to and from that $2,200 bed/shower. I pay another $300 for cable I don't watch and gas and electric I don't use. So quality of life is not much different really... I honestly feel like a complete idiot for not actually doing this.
As an analyst... you'll probably save literally 80% of your after tax income across 2 years. So after your analyst stint you will have $125K in the bank... more if you factor in 401K contributions+match. Next assuming you're intelligent, you will hands down be THE most productive analyst most bankers will have encountered in their entire careers.
The caveat is... #1- you will have literally had no social development over a 2 year period. #2- it takes a certain type of person to be able to do something like that day in and day out and still have a smile on your face.

My Comment- There is a silver lining in every cloud - $$$ saved.

I edited out the vulgarity in this article , It is lowbrow and unneccisary.

by Marcus_Halberstram IB

)

on 3/6/11

Apr 8, 2011

Gov.'s help

Pat LaMarche

Vice President of Community Affairs at Safe Harbour, Inc

Contempt for the Poor

Posted: 05/16/11 09:15 AM ET

My Comment - The Waste is staggering , Big brother just won't trust the People to do the right thing

If you work with the poor in the United States it's very easy to believe that this country doesn't like "those people." According to the National Poverty Center nearly fifteen percent of the U.S. lived in poverty in 2009. It's counterproductive to detest 1/6 of the population especially when that translates into loathing fifteen and a half million children.
I work in a homeless shelter and daily learn stories that prove few folks in power think about the poor when they are making the rules which effect them. One of my residents is a sixty-four year old woman who works at a fast food joint. She makes minimum wage and seldom gets more than twenty hours. She's been poor her whole life and always earned minimum wage. Consequently over the years she's allowed "little things" like her dental health to decline and now has no teeth. Because of this she is not selected for counter work at her job and cleans the lobby three to four hours a day.
The budget issues which have made federal and state lawmakers use as justification for cutting basic necessities to the needy resulted the elimination of her state subsidized health insurance because her income exceeded $415 last month.
She stood in my office -- still dressed in her uniform with the famous cheeseburger logo on the left breast side -- and asked me what she was going to do. I muttered, "Join the other 45 million American working poor that have no access to healthcare and then sign up at the poverty clinic in town." I could have told her to quit her job and qualify again, but she's already living in a homeless shelter, she'd never get a home if she did that.
I asked her if her employer appreciated the subsidies it received from the community when shelters and clinics kept their work force in place. "You're right," she shouted, "if the minimum wage was a decent wage I wouldn't have to live here." According to the Taco Bell food chain, which is not number one but they're up there, they sell 2 billion tacos a year. If each taco were five cents more they would have a hundred million more dollars with which they could increase their workers pay. Imagine what the burger joints would be able to do with five cents a cheeseburger -- including provide healthcare.
Homeless Advocate Diane Nilan has a extensive list of homelessness causes in her book "Crossing the Line: Taking steps to end homelessness." But the three main causes are low wages, and healthcare and housing priced out of the reach of the poor.
But it's not just a disregard for low wage workers that makes the country seem self loathing. The education laws don't help. When you are homeless it's hard to keep your kid in school. Actually, that because being homeless makes it hard to do everything. And holding a family together and making sure the kids stay healthy and stay in school is exponentially tough when homeless. Many of our nation's individual truancy laws demand fines and/or jail time for parents with children who miss too much school. And for the child the punishment is often suspension from school.
Let me type that again. The punishment for truancy is being barred from school: reinforcing many barriers to education.
And the last little proof that the lawmakers at-worst don't like the poor and at-best don't consider them when writing laws; is that in many states if a parent cannot provide an adequate home for his or her children those kids get put in foster care. The non-profit Foster Care Alumni of America finds, "The U.S. spends $22 billion dollars ($5 billion from the Federal government and the balance from state/county governments) to provide services for children and youth in foster care. This averages out to $40,000 per child."
Even for a family with just one child, it's a lot cheaper to just give a homeless family a home than to take their kids away. And yet that's what's done.
Come to think of it, the U.S. doesn't just seem to dislike the poor. The U.S. appears to dislike the taxpayer as well -- subsidizing power retailers and fast food joints, clogging the courts with kids who have difficulty getting to school and paying many times over the cost of an dwelling to separate families because they have none -- really wastes tax resources.

Apr 7, 2011

Always Something

Will 2012 Be the End of the World? by Eric J. Leech

This is pretty scary or do you think it is a hoax??

Warnings From “End of World” Prophets

“Something has arrived over vast expanses of space and time, opportunistically cloaking itself within the ambiguities of human perception, seeking propagation channels where the race has vowed not to look. It is currently watching and testing the collective wit. If not recognized, it will simply depart. Then, lives that could have been saved will not. Suffering that might have been circumvented will be felt… The retreat uneventfully comes in 2012, if they fail to count the number of the beast.”

– The Creative Machine

The Creative Machine and Web Bots

The Creative Machine (CM) is an artificial intelligence computer, designed by Dr. Stephen L. Thaler. So far, this machine has learned to compose its own music, develop inventions (Oral-B CrossAction toothbrush), and has evolved itself enough to answer difficult questions about life and death. The CM is not the only computer that senses a sixth mass extinction on the way—the computer search program known as Web Bot has made a similar prediction.

Web Bot is a program designed by George Ure, that uses an organized system of automated “bots” that scavenge the Internet reading “web chatter” from news stories, blogs, and forums. It then takes this information, finding patterns within the chatter, and uses it to create its own predictions. Prior to its prediction of a mass extinction in 2012, the Web Bot predicted the attack on the US Trade Center (9/11) and the stock market meltdown of recent years.

Mother Shipton

Born in the late 1400s, in the British Isles, Mother Shipton predicted the world would end in 1881. As that doomsday came and went, theorists began to look at her poems, suggesting that perhaps they misread her predictions, and have reset the date for 2012. According to the poem below, written by Mother Shipton, the end of the world should be near:

And men shall fly as birds do now, (Airplanes)
When boats like fishes swim the sea, (Submarines)
When men like birds shall scour the sky
Then half the world, blood drenched shall die. (Armageddon 2012?)

Nostradamus

In his book The Prophecies, Nostradamus predicted the death of Henry II, the great London fire (1666), the French Revolution, Napoleon, Hitler (WWII), and the assassination of President Kennedy. Within these predictions of death and turmoil, Nostradamus had one final prediction… the end of the world. He perceived a dark comet would travel beyond the Earth’s line of sight for many years, making its presence known just before plunging to the surface, causing gravitational upheaval and boiling seas.

While many theorists stand by the predictions of Nostradamus, Christine Pulliam, a public affairs specialist for the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, says, “If a comet that size was headed our way, we would know about it!” Even if the government was withholding information about a pending impact, millions of armchair astronomers would see it coming. According to Pulliam, we could spot an asteroid or comet months or even years before it reached Earth.

Retroactive Clairvoyance

“If the writings of Nostradamus were to accurately predict a comet impact,” says Pulliam, “It would be the first prediction he’s had right in 450 years.” Many of the predictions we have spoken of today could be explained by what is called retroactive clairvoyance (post-diction). This is when a prediction is applied after an event has already occurred. It’s easy to find a connection or significance behind any story when we already know the ending.

While these prophecies are certainly entertaining, most skeptics would not recommend reading very much into them. With this said, there is one truth that we can’t deny for our future. We have been hit before (comet, asteroid, super volcano, etc.) and will again. Just don’t count on knowing when that date with destiny will be.

My Comment - Please not in my lifetime.

Apr 6, 2011

A Big Break Coming ?

A Big Break Coming ?

(   Ignore the dates - I wanted these posts in progressive order    )

I applied for a training position driving city bus about 2 months ago.I passed the application process , then some preliminary testing. Then I was interviewed by a panel of three on 4/26/ 11 .Now I'm waiting to hear back from the bus company , they said I should know by 2 weeks.I went and got the study handbook (CDL ) because if I am accepted training starts on   6/13 . I was told to have my permit with me so wish me luck. I really need a good job to rise up out of this present situation.I just hope I get hired and can figure a way to stay alive until I get that first paycheck. I think it is a bi-weekly ( of course ) Here's to hoping fortunes do change.

TILL NEXT TIME.............

Apr 5, 2011

Getting Closer

Getting Closer

I got the call I'm in at the bus company. the unexpected happened again. I need proof of my H.S. diploma and I have to have a checking account because they only pay through direct deposit. Passing the drug test and physical should be no problem as long as I don't get nervous and my pulse and blood pressure rise. I can also pass the background check and driving record but I don't even know if my H.S. still has my diploma on file . I have to be in Mon. morning to fill out paperwork. I'm so close but here's where everything always goes wrong. O.K. I'll be positive , no sweat right .Improvise and overcome . Don't take no for an answer.

TILL NEXT TIME...........

Apr 4, 2011

Closer Still

Closer Still

Hello Hurray Let the show begin.... I went in to fill out paperwork for RTS , That's the Gainesville Bus Co. They set me up for my D.O.T. physical on thurs 5/12 . They sent me down to the health stop for drug testing. ( See I told you not everyone that's homeless is a drug user ) They are still in the process of doing background checks but I should be fine on that. I'm still working on the direct deposit problem . I can almost allow myself to be happy , I'm actually starting to believe this is all going to work out. I will be getting paid bi-weekly $11.50 to start. THEY pay for the training , only I had to sign a paper that states If for some reason I don't complete the training and go to work for the city. Then I'll have to pay them back for that portion , some or all of what they spent on me It's about $2,000 . So I better Pass. I hate to ask but if some of you could donate a little something I'd really appreciate it I'll need food money, bus $ etc. until I get a check because if I'm training and studying I won't be able to get to the soup kitchen.

Thankyou Friends!



                                          TILL NEXT TIME...........

Apr 3, 2011

Getting Hot

Getting Hot

I had to do my newspaper stuffing job this morning 12:30am - 3:00am then I slept from 4:00 - 7:30 . I had to get going , big day ahead. I first went to my secret shower spot , got back to my tent and put on clean clothes.
Then I hoofed it to the library , so I could be there when it opened . Last night I left and forgot my flash drive in a computer . Of course it wasn't there or at lost and found . I suppose I can over time replace my files and folders but man this sure did bum me out.
I'm to happy to worry about that now because I took my D.O.T. ( department of transportation ) physical today.
I PASSED ( just barely ) remember I said I get nervous when that blood pressure cuff goes on me , well my pressure was too high and that would have flunked me out of the training program. I relaxed and they took it again . O.K. This was a full physical - urine , blood , hearing , vision , Doctor exam .
I got my card and it is good for two years . Although the bus co. re tests annually. So one more hurdle jumped . pat , pat , pat , on my own back .

5/13/11 TILL NEXT TIME...........

Job Details

Job Details

I was informed there will be a 3hour orientation class. I will be notified when it is to be held. This will answer remaining questions . where and when , how long does training last ? etc. I will post an update when I know more

6/1/2011-post date

CONFIRMED

Human resources just sent me an E-MAIL . We have cleared your paperwork , can you start training on 6/13? ( Hells yes !! ) I replied and asked if my payroll info was acceptable. I guess it was but I want solid answers , no surprises and what time exactly do I have to be there. Now if I can solve the transportation issue ie- bike or bus pass. and lunch $$ I'll be fine .I've been studying the CDL manual and plan to take my permit test Fri. to give me time to retake it if I fail. but failure is not an option . besides first exam is free re-takes cost $10 so I need to get it right the first time.

TILL NEXT TIME..............

My Story

My Story


                           ( This Blog    started in April 2011   )

I was working doing construction until the bottom fell out in 2008. Since then I collected unemployment benefits. Then they ran out. Then my wife ran out. Then my Mom passed away. Then my car died. I couldn't pay rent so out I went.
At first I tried to stay with a friend, but that got old real fast. At least he let me store my stuff until I got a tent. I did check out a homeless shelter first but, I found out that I had to be there by 4:00pm everyday , stand in line and hope to get a bed ( cot ) for the night. I figured that just wouldn't work, How am I supposed to work and be there at check in at the same time. Besides , I might not get in anyway. Most people at shelters seem real nice, some are not. some will give you one of their only two shirts, others will steal your shoes while you sleep.
I refuse to panhandle ( beg ). I go to day labor halls, sometimes I get sent out but mostly not. I was donating plasma ( blood ) until one day my pulse was to high . ( come back and try again tomorrow ) Then I started getting so nervous I would fail that my blood pressure and pulse would go through the roof. No more money that way, sometimes I find a little under the table work. I'm always asking and looking. I fill out lots of job applications. These days it is all on computer, I can't even look someone in the eye to get the job.
So now I live in the woods. My biggest worry is when I get back at night my gear will be ripped off. The cops sometimes find camps and like to cut up tents and destroy belongings. A very persuasive way of saying " move along ". I have my freedom and come and go as I please. It is lonely though, I cannot afford to let anyone know where my camp is or that I'm even without doors.
Personal hygiene is a challenge sometimes ( showers ) but sponge baths and shaving , brushing teeth can be easily accomplished everyday. There is no reason to be stinky and dirty.
I try to stay upbeat and hopeful. If I find myself feeling self-pity or lonely, I will myself to be positive. It is very easy to sink into depression and despair if you don't keep your wits about you. I try to have a laugh now and then but truthfully I haven't in quite some time. everything is serious that's all. It can be life or death out on the streets. Anger and resentment will drag you down to a place you don't want to go. So I smile, and keep chugging along because I believe that happy circumstance is just around the next bend of the road. Don't worry , be happy, every things going to be alright.

They're all
Sitting on the sidewalks, sleeping in the parks,
The invisible people everybody walks past.
Ignored by society, nobody cares,
They think it's your fault, that you've chosen to be there.
If only they knew, how desperate you are,
To hear just one person say they care about your life.
But they don't even look at you, they walk on by.
You're not their problem, it's not their life.

TILL NEXT TIME...........

Apr 2, 2011

Hardships

Hardships

I have been homeless about 4 months now. It was a rough winter but I made it through O.K.
Right now I'm so hungry that my butt's eating my underwear.
Anyway , about 3 months ago after scrimping and saving I bought a second hand bicycle for $35 , It needed a tube and a lock. total spent $60. I had it for two weeks. It was locked up in a bike rack in a well lit place. I went to get it and found it vandalized , the wheels were almost folded in half , the frame was bent , it was totaled. I was back to walking miles a day.
Going to the laundry mat is a three hour affair and that costs $5 . I get to shower 2x a week but that is top secret ingenuity. There are ways to look normal . I;m not smelly and dirty , I shave and brush my teeth everyday. Always have.
I don't get much sleep usually 4 or 5 hours a night. My mind always races at night. thinking what i can do or have to do. I have a part time gig stuffing newspapers 3x a week. 1:00am - 4:00am depending some times I'm done by 3:00am . I get a flat rate of $20 . no matter how long it takes . I never miss because I can be easily replaced.
So I'm always yawning. I could sleep in but by 9:00am it is stifling hot here in Florida. I have to make it downtown everyday ( 4 miles ). That's where the soup kitchen is and the library so I can check my e-mail and write my blog , do a computer job search and get some relief from the sun and heat.
Oh , one good thing I do is I know an apartment complex where I go swimming on Sundays. So far no one has asked me if I belong

TILL NEXT TIME.............

Shelters

Shelters

When I became homeless on the streets. I didn't know where to go or whereto turn. I asked someone if there was a shelter around here and there was. When I finally found it , It was already full for the night. I slept outside on a picnic table that I came across, lucky for me it was covered because it rained.
I was told the next day to come back at 4:00pm get in line wait and hope when my turn comes up that a bed ( cot ) is still available. It wasn't. I was told I could use the shower between 8:00am- 10:00am if I sign up on the list for it. first come first served but you have to be on the list and if you don't show up your privilege will be suspended ( I never did find out how long the suspension was ). The good thing is they serve lunch 10:30am-12:00 mon-fri. The bad thing is they can only serve 130 meals by city code or law. That meal has kept me alive I'm sure because sometimes I only eat once every two days. I lost ten pounds in the last month I feel tired and scrawny.
The food they feed you is donated . It could be better, food on the verge of spoiling, bread that's just short of growing mold . I hope you like rice and beans. water to wash it down with and a wilted salad. I'm only saying this because you wonder where the money goes that people donate . the churches give to the food pantrys and soup kitchen . direct donations. etc. Believe me I am grateful but getting something to eat you wouldn't serve the family dog just isn't right When I have enough money to buy McDonalds dollar items. I'm in tastebud heaven. So that is why I camp .

Counselling amounts to telling you to apply for food stamps. job hunting advice goes like this "fill out ten apps. a day then bug them every day until they give you a job." It also helps to be accountable to someone so you can check in with me once a week and I'll go over your job search with you. Really Thanks! Are you telling me that if I stay in my tent that a man isn't going to come up to me telling me that he's handing out city, state, federal, jobs with high pay and full benefits WOW I thought that's how it worked thanks for the great advice. ( a little sarcastic I know ) but that's the help they give you or have you tried going down to the job office? Duh, they have those? Not to mention infection, disease , thieves , gossips and busybody's.

Sorry but shelters suck big time.

TILL NEXT TIME.......

Finding Work

Finding Work

Here's the thing about seeking work when your homeless. ( GET A JOB YOU BUM ).

People want to see an address on your application
They want a phone number where you can be reached
Most employers pay by check or direct deposit ( Most are not willing to pay cash )
A bank account is needed ( min. to open ? checking w/ debit card . $200. ) + address
Transportation
Food- At the very least lunch and water

So your very clever and industrious and overcome these obstacles.

This truly happened to me. " O.K. buddy I'll give you a try .meet me at xxx in the morning we start at 6:00am and work until 4:00pm. Do you think you can handle it, landscaping is hot , hard work. I'll pay you $8 an hour and we'll see how it goes. "
I made it through the week, ruined a good pair of jeans and a couple of shirts but it was worth it because today was payday and I knew the boss was satisfied with my work because he told me so. He even brought me a sandwich everyday , he knew I was broke. " Sorry guy but I can't pay you today, I haven't been paid on that job yet myself but here's $20 I hope it helps. I should have the rest of your money by mid-week are you still coming in? " Yes. I had no choice and he seemed like a good guy. I worked two more days when I finally realized he was screwing me. He had excuses but no cash. I didn't know where he lived . I didn't even know his last name. I didn't know if he had a company name.

Who do I call and complain too. No one that's who. This is where desperation leads.

Live and learn , talk about disappointment , anger , I suffered having only a sandwich a day , My feet were so sore I could hardly walk. My clothes were wrecked. he gave me the hardest ,dirtiest , work.
I guess that's all folks think you deserve when they have no respect for you.
I just keep on trying .I want to live! ( get a job you bum )
I guess that's why there's a lot of homeless , jobless people holding up cardboard signs.

It is humiliating

It is not easy standing in the sun doing this
sometimes people throw things at you
sometimes people insult you

The cops can arrest you ( interfering with traffic )

The cops can trespass you ( from shopping malls , parks , forever )

sometimes bad people offer you work and try to get you into their car ( you figure it out )
I'm sure a lot of them just want drinking and drugging money to ease their pain. but if you think this is a lazy way to do it - You try.
I myself don't do drugs but I will drink a four pack of beer on Sunday ( I treat myself )
Sometimes the person with that sign is hungry or have a kid(s) or girlfriend or wife.
I don't " fly the sign " for the above reasons but believe me I've been tempted.

TILL NEXT TIME.........

Apr 1, 2011

A Little To Real

A little too real

Posted by Carey Fuller in Homelessness

Two days ago I submitted my story to a single mother’s group online because they had advertised that they were looking for real stories from single mothers. I of course submitted the following:
“I am still a mother
I’m not that kind of person you often hear about. I’m neither an addict nor a mental health patient. I don’t smoke and I don’t drink. I don’t sleep around and I’m not lazy. I’m not a high school drop out and have never been a pregnant teen. I’m not a quitter, a liar or a thief.
I am a homeless mother.
In April of 2004, when I no longer had a job and used up my savings and monies from my 401K plan, I bought a used 1981 Minnie Winnebago with my tax refund and moved my nine year old and one and half year old into it. Here in Seattle, there’s no such thing as Section 8 for help with housing as our state has been closed to applications for years now. I called shelter after shelter only to be turned away because more people than ever are using them and there aren’t enough built to handle the scores of people entering homelessness. I met with our local welfare office, the last place I wanted to visit, and was told by the social worker that they couldn’t do anything to stop us from being omeless but if I wanted to sell our only shelter and transportation, I could qualify for $400.00 a month in cash. I was then given a food stamp card and sent on my way. I prayed child support for my eldest would show up but to
this day it hasn’t.
For the first several months in our new “home”, I quickly learned just how “as is” the Minnie Winnie was as I read the owner’s manual to figure out what worked and what didn’t. I learned by surprise that the master cylinder on the
brakes needed to be replaced when I went down a hill and couldn’t stop. I learned how to replace an alternator on my own. I paid to have the brakes, generator, voltage regulator, and tires replaced. My plan was to make the Winnebago as safe and livable as possible while trying to get another job and hopefully save enough money to get our lives back. Maybe it would only be a temporary situation lasting a year or two I thought.
In the meantime I worked various jobs through temp agencies, never telling my employers about my living arrangements and definitely never telling them that I was working two jobs every time I got the chance. One day though, my body caught up with me. I happened to be working at a financial services company during the day and had just clocked out. As I headed to the elevators, my peripheral vision started getting watery and a supervisor walking by caught me by the arm and asked if I was alright. I didn’t even realize I was sliding down the wall but I shook it off and told her I would be fine. I didn’t say I say I had to be since I couldn’t afford to be late to the next job.
I made it out to the far end of the parking lot since that was where I always put the RV. I was on my way to my babysitter’s house but halfway there, I felt the left side of my face, then arm go numb. I almost panicked because I was thinking I might be having a stroke or heart attack. I told myself to stay calm and find a place to pull over in case I cause an accident. I remembered a garage nearby that my babysitter’s husband had told me about since the owner was a friend of his. By the time I reached the garage, I was vomiting and couldn’t move my left arm. I could barely stand up and my speech was slurred but I managed to get the mechanic to call my babysitter. Her husband rushed over and took me to the nearest hospital. At first I wasn’t going to go since I had no insurance and knew the hospital wasn’t going to be cheap but my babysitter’s husband made me go anyway. The hospital kept me for observation for about six hours before letting me go. I don’t remember anything else after that except that a few days later I woke up in my babysitter’s room with her holding a cup of water to my mouth. My head was pounding and all I wanted to do was vomit. My face felt numb and for some reason my motor skills were really shaky. My head kept shaking and I could barely talk. All I could think about was the RV getting towed so I tried to sit up but my babysitter pushed me back down and said her husband had talked to the owner of the garage so it was ok to be there until I got back on my feet.
The next day I made myself get up and walk around because I didn’t want to get my babysitter’s family in trouble with their apartment landlord’s who didn’t like me driving the Winnebago through the complex when I came to pick my kids up. Even though my babysitter and her husband wanted me to stay for awhile, I went back to the RV because I didn’t want to be an inconvenience to them. Needless to say I couldn’t work when I could barely walk or keep my head from shaking side to side. The hospital referred me to a local neurologist to find out why I got paralysis with a major migraine. It took me about 10 days or so to recover from whatever this was and I did that by sleeping in the RV at parks during the time my eldest was in school and my youngest was with the babysitter. Eventually I lost the temp job I had and once again found myself looking for work.
In the meantime, the RV needed gas to keep us moving since police harassment is an everyday concern when you live out of your vehicle. I went to local plasma centers to sell my blood for gas money. About 8 months went by before I landed a part-time position at a local newspaper. I couldn’t afford daycare so working the graveyard shift was perfect. The newspaper plant was located in a rural area and had a well lit parking lot. I parked the RV where I could see it from the warehouse windows since my kids slept in the upper bunk while I worked. My shift ended early enough that I had time to get them breakfast and ready for school. Because my eldest was embarrassed to be in a motor home, I would drop her off around the block from her school so that she could walk in without any of her friends seeing her get out of a Winnebago every morning.
I spent the days scanning want ads for a full-time day job as it soon became apparent with the gas hikes that I would again need two jobs to survive. I took my toddler to the parks and hung out with her in public libraries when the weather wasn’t so great. When it was time for dinner, I asked my eldest how her day went and reassured her that everything would be alright and this is only a temporary situation for us. All the consoling I did couldn’t keep her from feeling angry and depressed. She asked why our relatives weren’t helping and how could the government let us live like this? Why wasn’t anybody helping us?
We met some interesting folks living out here and I was surprised to meet other families doing exactly what we were doing. At a Wal-Mart parking lot, we met a family that had come down from Alaska looking for work. They too were living out of motor home but smaller than ours. I was impressed since my Minnie was only 21 feet long, bumper to bumper. When my eldest daughter saw that she wasn’t the only kid living this way, she felt a little better but struggled with the fact that we had no permanency. We also met another single mother living out of class “A” motor home the size of a bus and she told me how she raised both her boys out of it. She was close to retirement and her youngest son at the time was about 19 years old. They worked every day the way I did and saved what they could but the last time I saw them, she was still living out of her motor home. It was through this community of folks living out of motor homes and their cars that I learned where I could park for the night and where the rest stops were that had dumping stations for free. Some camp grounds only charged $5.00 to dump the sewage tanks on RV’s plus I could refill my water tank. The “community” also looked out for us by telling me what places were dangerous to be in and which neighborhoods had a lot of police harassment going on. It didn’t take long to learn how to be “invisible”.
In October of 2006, I landed a full-time day job with another national financial services company and was able to find daycare through a co-worker I befriended at the newspaper job. To this day we call her “Cousin Pam” because she went out of her way to treat us like family. She helped me to get my kids enrolled in the school district next to her house since my kids would be there all day. She told me about sales at local thrift stores to help us with school clothes and she enrolled my kids in programs that helped with school supplies and summer time free lunch programs. If it hadn’t been for “Cousin Pam”, I have no idea how I would’ve worked the day job we so desperately needed. It was a good thing I had that day job because a few months after I got it, the newspaper went out of business. My day job paid twice as much but I still could not save any money. All I could do was maintain living out of the Winnebago since it needed regular maintenance and the gas alone was eating whatever I could’ve saved.
I had been at my day job for over a year when an old complaint returned with a vengeance. This time, the migraine attacks were becoming more frequent and the shakiness had returned. I had bouts of numbness on the left side of my body and didn’t understand why these symptoms were coming back. I took advantage of my employer paid health insurance and went to specialists to figure out what was wrong with me. At first they thought I had the beginnings of
Meniere ’s disease but extensive testing ruled that out. It wasn’t until a year ago that my doctor figured out I had hemiplegic migraines. I had one big attack that left me in serious trouble. I had to go to physical therapy to be able to
walk a straight line without falling due to vertigo that just would not go away. It took eighteen months to recover and needless to say, I exhausted FMLA and lost my job. I even tried to reapply to the same company only to never hear
from them again.
I could’ve given up and ended my life. I could’ve sunk into despair and hopelessness. I could’ve turned to prostitution, drugs, alcohol or violence. But I didn’t and continue to refuse going down that path because that’s not the kind of example I want my kids to see. When everything seemed hopeless I did the only thing I knew how to do; write. I sat behind the steering wheel of the Winnebago and poured all my feelings and thoughts onto paper. To keep my oldest daughter from sinking into depression, I wrote a book to keep her mind occupied on something other than being homeless.
It was through writing to an editor from Change.org that I got connected with a man named Mark Horvath. Thanks to him I’ve had the opportunity to share my story with more people than I ever thought possible. I felt honored when he asked me to manage We Are Visible which is an online community that helps the homeless connect through social media on the internet. I am still connecting with other people, have been on radio programs, have seen my writings on more sites than I can count and I am always amazed at how one story can impact so many other people. I am still homeless. I am still fighting for a better life and doing what I can to help other single mother’s out there keep their hopes alive.
I am not that stereotypical “bum” on a sidewalk corner asking for spare change. I am not that drunk lying on filth in an open alleyway. I am not a “welfare queen”. I am not asking to be pitied or handed a lifestyle. I am not less of a human being because of homelessness.
I am still a mother.”
The interesting thing about this site is that so far, they’ve posted many stories but conveniently have skipped over mine. In all honestly, it’s exactly what I expected. I don’t take it personally because this isn’t the first time my story has been “overlooked”. There were times I joined in online conversations designed for single mothers but whenever I commented about my situation, it was if the room suddenly went quiet.
I am after all…a little too real.

My Comment - We are both decent but struggling people and I hope happier days on Carey and her kids.