What's Going On?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

I can not believe the number of homeless people I see in the course of a week. It's hard to help them all when your source of income has essentially disappeared. I commute between Orlando and Fort Lauderdale and the problem just seems to get worse. I have seen homeless people in wheel chairs, on walkers soliciting including soliciting in traffic.

Yesterday I was at the Publix Shopping Center on Lake Mary Blvd. in Lake Mary, Florida, a middle to upper middle class suburb of Orlando, and this young man , apparently in his twenties, comes up to me and tells me his unemployment insurance has run out, he has been evicted from his apartment, and him and his girlfriend need $15.00 to stay at the homeless shelter. I literally had no money in my wallet and showed the young man my empty wallet. Fortunately, my girlfriend had some dollar bills and I gave him a couple.

I don't blame President Obama for his plight. I don't blame President Obama for this crappy economy but this economy is beyond messed up and I don't see it improving...

God help us all...

[pretzel4gore]

1. but obama has tensa/billions for mister pig!

the entire scandal is just disgusting (we should have colonies on Mars by now, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!)

[ixion]

2. What's going on? The destruction of the Middle Class and a return to the Feudal State

is what is going on. The number of homeless is one of the proverbial Canaries in the Coal mine.

[Scuba]

4. Nailed it.

[Hannah Bell]

3. i meant to recommend this & hit the wrong button, sorry, i can kick it at least.

[zipplewrath]

5. 3 things

1. I've worked with this population on various occassions, don't believe everything you are told. I'm not telling you to be heartless, but don't wear it on your sleeve either. Give 'em cash, don't, either way, realize that you'll never know what is really going on. I do think you are seeing a touch of the realities of the economy though that more people are feeling the need to "work the streets" for what ever reasons. It's actually sort of "hard work" in a way and you have to figure people are getting just a tad desperate to be doing it is such numbers.

2. Strange place for a guy to be working the streets as I can't think of a shelter anywhere up there. The vast majority are in downtown Orlando (Rescue mission, Coalition, and Sally Army) and the other one that escapes my memory is out near Apopka/Zellwood. Anthony House? And I'm not real current on shelter pricing but $15 sounds a bit higher than I remember.

3. I don't blame Obama for this economy either. I do wonder though when he is going to acknowledge that the stimulus didn't bring unemployment down below 8%, and that we need a major jobs program, and like NOW.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. I Could Tell He Was New To Homelessness

Because I saw him repeating his story to other shoppers instead of just making a sign and standing at an intersection.