Families go homeless as rents increase, Part I

Nifty Penny

With all the focus being on homes, it was easy for me to completely forget about the cost of renting.

The Details

For households with children, rising housing costs, elevated unemployment and stagnant earnings are increasingly placing rent beyond reach.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness analyzed recent nationwide statistics and found that the number of homeless people who are part of a family climbed 1.4 percent in January 2012 from the prior year. This is despite the fact homeless numbers declined.

Extremely low-income households could afford to spend no more than $495 a month on an apartment this year, while the national two-bedroom fair-market rent was $977.

According to data from Trulia.com, rents rose 3.5 percent nationally through Aug. 31, from a year earlier.

Nationally, the average hourly wage among renters is $14.32 this year compared with the $18.79 needed to afford an apartment at a fair-market rent…

View original post 424 more words

Home Sweet Home

I used to see a couple that rented a storage unit where I did; they took turns sleeping in the unit over night and (the one who spent the night outside) would come by in the morning to unlock the door and let the other one out. Never tried this, but it happens. — T.J.

desert.street.rat

When I say I live out of a storage unit some of my friends misinterpret me as living in a storage unit.  That’s not the case. I visit my unit once or twice a day and exchange the dirty clothes and things I won’t use that day for things I will and a new change of clothes.

I thought someone might be interested in what my unit looks like. It’s a 5x10ft space with a lot of totes full of books and belongings I wasn’t quite ready to let go of, and a few duffel-bags and suitcases for clothing. There’s no light inside. I plan to get an LED lantern with my next paycheck.

In the top left corner you’ll notice one of my black work shirts hanging from an adjustable shower rod. My employer requires me to have well pressed shirts with creases ironed in. Since the whole purpose…

View original post 98 more words

Families go homeless as rents increase, Part II

Nifty Penny

The Details

For households with children, rising housing costs, elevated unemployment and stagnant earnings are increasingly placing rent beyond reach.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness analyzed recent nationwide statistics and found that the number of homeless people who are part of a family climbed 1.4 percent in January 2012 from the prior year. This is despite the fact homeless numbers declined.

Extremely low-income households could afford to spend no more than $495 a month on an apartment this year, while the national two-bedroom fair-market rent was $977.

According to data from Trulia.com, rents rose 3.5 percent nationally through Aug. 31, from a year earlier.

Nationally, the average hourly wage among renters is $14.32 this year compared with the $18.79 needed to afford an apartment at a fair-market rent, as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The $4.47 gap this year is wider than the…

View original post 632 more words

Homelessness Action Week to focus on ‘invisible homeless’

You Don’t Have To Be Einstein

“You can not solve a problem with the same consciousness that caused it.” Einstein said.

I have noticed that in our city, the people most willing to “find solutions to the homeless problem” are in real estate or politicians from wealthy districts that are worried about the drop in property values.

Greed and materialism can not solve homelessness. Expanding the ideal of the American dream will. Not everyone wants or can afford a large home. We have to be given options. Making one bedroom homes and apartments as available and attractive to people who want to rent or buy would do low income people so much good and keep them off the street, but when greedy people want to only build castles and estates to sell to the highest bidder, that makes the cause of the poor that much more difficult.

Many of these low income people are employed in low paying jobs, such as health care workers, service workers, and part time job holders who are looking after a young child or elderly family member. Shall we punish people who are otherwise good human beings, because they can not pull down a $300,000 a year salary.

Changes have to be made. Not by the people who want to sweep homelessness under the rug to satisfy their own lust for big bucks. Elect public officials who will solve homelessness by correcting the inequities in the work place, instituting rent control, and building housing for the low income renter/buyer. And force them to ignore the clamor of  of real estate developers and city council members from wealthy districts, whose only aim is to become rich from selling to the rich.

Related articles

• Cities of Renters (in News) (thetyee.ca)
• Obama helps make sandwiches for the homeless (itv.com)
• What you learn about humanity from living on the streets | Mary, homeless in New York (theguardian.com)
• Capital region’s low-income earners at risk of homelessness, report says (timescolonist.com)
• Homeless In America (brainsections.wordpress.com)
• Homeless Hero Is Homeless No More (on.aol.com)
• A Quotation About A Human Being From Albert Einstein (renardmoreau.wordpress.com)
• Narratives On Homelessness (thehomelessguy.blogspot.com)
• So Close To Being Homeless (mbward1222.wordpress.com)
• More housing options in California (danielvega8.wordpress.com)

Homelessness is Where the Heart is

Great title. I feel the same. You can’t save everybody, but you can help somebody. –T.J.

Kim's Ability Books

It has been almost a year ago today that I found myself in a situation that I never dreamed would happen to me.  My son and I were homeless in Seattle, Washington.  Don’t ever think that it won’t happen to you, but I pray it never does.  I worked a full time job, had my own business, but it happened.  I used to think that homelessness looked like the bum on the street who didn’t want to work for a living and was running a scam.  Or the person who emitted a foul smell on the bus or looking through trash to find something to eat.  God had to humble me.  I was a professional, business and Christian woman, mother, author and advocate, but found myself homeless through eviction and a domestic violence situation. 

You see, God changed my perspective on what a homeless person looked like by allowing me…

View original post 550 more words

This is just wrong.

Yes, it is.

a42universe

View original post

Families too poor to heat up food given by charity

If you find yourself in this situation, specify “no kitchen facilities” at the food bank and get food that does not need heating or refrigeration. — T.J.

Down Not Out

See an article published in the Metro:

Hungry people given food parcels are sending them back – because they are too poor to pay for the electricity to heat them up.

http://metro.co.uk/2013/10/16/families-too-poor-to-heat-up-food-given-by-charity-4147655/

View original post

America and the War on the Poor

Bush sure left his mark on this country. So many now think with his small mind. — T.J.

Being Homeless in Washington DC

Great idea. Puts people in the position of the homeless to collect funds to be used for the homeless. Building empathy (and startling some passers-by) for a good cause 🙂 — T.J.

Postcards of Service

View original post