I was excited to find an organization that was starting up micro-housing in my area. But, on closer examination, this organization has no intention of housing the homeless, but putting portable housing units on private property and using them to rent “to low income people”. The person who runs this program told me it WAS NOT intended for homeless individuals, BUT when interviewed on the news, he claimed the program was to relieve homelessness in our area. Two faced!
Tag Archives: Affordable housing
Oops!
Recently something popped up in the newspaper. Homeless people can not qualify for Housing First because the state discarded many homeless individuals ID information when they dismantled camps and threw possessions away. What idiots run this state!
My Life In Storage
Just went by my old storage facility today. Glad I have a place now and don’t have to rent a locker any more. It is awful when you can’t get to something and then have to dig 5 feet in to get to a box with the stuff you need in it. Sometimes you just end up buying another one of the thing you can’t find, but know you have. I think storage places would be a great place for the VA to put brochures about their services. Lots of homeless vets use lockers. Just an idea.
Well, I Hoped Things Were Getting Better…
But, they seem to be getting worse. The state lawmakers have gotten back from their holiday break and the homeless abuse has began again. Yesterday a couple with 2 small girls got all their clothes and food taken from them. I hope all the new residents of this country (that are pushing for these kinds of sweeps) get a chance to experience the same sense of loss some day. They returned our welcome with such cold hearts, and I think it only fair.
Glad that more people are interested in the small time…
I see that more people have been clicking on my Small Houses Resource Guide post. It would be great if the mayors of our cities would take an interest in providing small housing options for people who do not want or need a large house, but who do want to feel like they have a house and a piece of land to work on and grow food.
I know, I know, we are all supposed to live in apartments, if we can’t afford big monstrous homes. That’s our punishment, right?
When did housing your body get so complicated? Lots of people only need one room and can only afford it. But does that mean they should be cramped into an apartment slum? Think about it; land that is just going to waste somewhere. Lay some plumbing and a road. Some street lights. Then divide up lots. 25’x25′ or 50’x50′. The people can move in with just tents, if the climate permits, and then move around in the space to find neighbors that they are comfortable with. No assigning and locking people in. Too George Orwell. When they find their spot and keep peaceful for a trial period (about a year)… then they get to meet with charities who can help them build their safe, affordable, snug home. Whooo ray for us, we helped stop homelessness.
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)
Stats that tell only part of the story…
A few days ago a story ran on the news about how the city was finally getting rid of the tents around town, they were celebrating a victory. Then right after that a front page newspaper story announced how the mental illness issues and emergency room stays for the homeless were rising in the last 4 years. Now if people could put two and two together. Maybe the rise in mental illness among the homeless and the jump in emergency room costs are related to the “tents in the trash” programs (which, coincidentally, began around 4 years ago).
Another precious news story from just today: The homeless rates are going down from 2005 to now. If they would study the amount of homeless dying every year (which surely has risen) they might see the cause of the decline. As usual, public policy has chosen the low road to solving the problems of homelessness.
Related articles
- Homeless Hero Is Homeless No More (on.aol.com)
- U.S. Rep. Kelly talks about homelessness in Erie (goerie.com)
- When homelessness hits home (solidgroundblog.wordpress.com)
- How do you view homelessness? (homelessnessinsavannah.wordpress.com)
- Thieves steal van used to feed homeless (newsnet5.com)
- Illinois homeless granted special Bill of Rights (illinoisreview.typepad.com)
- Rev. Rice Returning to Site of Arrest (stlouis.cbslocal.com)
Struggling with the System
Most homeless people give up on their struggle with the system. I have seen this among people I know and feel it is a damn shame that they don’t stand up for themselves if they are right. The maze of paperwork and angry faces gets to them and they give up. If you need job training, housing, food, medical help, etc. don’t give up. But if you do ask for help, do the right thing and find a way to pull your own weight or help someone else if you are able. If you get a low-income housing unit, take care of it and don’t be an idiot blasting the stereo all night. If you get food from the food bank and don’t want/can’t use part of it, don’t throw it out, give some to a friend (or stranger!). If you get job training, do something with it. If you pound your fist on the table demanding help, be responsible after you get it. That’s all I have to say about that.
Related articles
- Demand for food banks triples ‘because of benefit delays or changes’ (standard.co.uk)
- Why some people turn from helping the homeless to becoming homeless bashers (brainsections.wordpress.com)
- Huge rise in use of food banks since welfare changes, says aid body (guardian.co.uk)
- Homeless and penniless – the food bank users with nowhere else to turn (guardian.co.uk)
- Non-profit cuts through red tape, houses homeless (dailynightly.nbcnews.com)
- Working from Homeless (mediasetfree.com)
- A crush of homeless overwhelming Ariz. shelter (usatoday.com)
I Have Just Read A Report On Homelessness In Our State.
The report said that 46% of homeless people here are life long residents. So much for that “they are all from out of town” theory. Yet, not one of our elected officials will dare to bring up the subject of rent control.
Joshua Duerk on Helping Those in Need of Housing
….”Though there are many helpful organizations, perhaps most important in the fight against homelessness is ensuring the availability of low-cost housing.” Ain’t that the truth! — T.J.
With the steady increase in homelessness in America over the past two decades, the need for housing subsidy programs has become especially resonant. Maryland is no exception—Baltimore-Towson ranked 23rd in a survey of homelessness in America’s highest-populated metro areas. Fortunately, there are programs in existence that can help.
The federal government’s Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) offers financial assistance in the form of vouchers to very low-income families and individuals, the disabled, and the elderly to help cover housing costs.
Another program, the state of Maryland’s Rental Allowance Program, provides grants to local governments, who then subsidize low-income or homeless individuals’ and families’ housing needs.
Baltimore-based Alliance, Inc. offers help to veterans who are either homeless or near homelessness by providing access to housing resources and financial assistance for permanent housing.
Though there are many helpful organizations, perhaps most important in the fight against homelessness is ensuring the availability…
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