The homeless in the US

[nadinbrzezinski]

Think about them tonight when you go to bed...

No, we are not to the level of desperation that drives revolutions... but we are not doing well either by any advanced OECD economy either.

[niyad]

1. thank you for reminding us about this horrific problem in this "best country in the world"

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. No problem, in the recent past I have

helped more than a few of my homeless neighbors... it is not easy to be honest... but at times I get them dinner at a less bad place.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Kicking for visibility

[sarcasmo]

4. Kick.

[bobbolink]

5. Thank you for thinking of us.

It is going to be -20 degrees (and more!) here tonight, and I am not hearing anything about concern for those of us without a warm place to be.

[laylah]

62. Be well, Bobbolink, all

differences aside, I do wish you well...safety, warmth, comfort, and love.

jenn

[Liberal_in_LA]

6. k&r

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Thanks

[bobbolink]

8. More photos...crowded shelters, women suffering, etc.

Sleeping in a crowded hallway, with only night masks to keep out the light!




Woman, 97, living in car

[mcollins]

11. did you take these?

it is so depressing that this sort of thing can happen in the US.

[bobbolink]

13. No.... I have mixed emotions, because I think photographing homeless people is exploitive of a

very vulnerable population.

I know *I* wouldn't want my photo in these conditions being posted all over!

And yes, it is depressing. It will remain so until good people all over the nation stand up and say

BASTA! (Enough!)

Given that as cold as it was yesterday, and being talked about by ALL the "progressive" radio people, and NOT ONE of them even *mentioned* homeless people, I see NO HOPE FOR CHANGE.

Will you help to bring this to light?

[MichiganVote]

22. Kick

[bobbolink]

25. Thank you, Michigan Vote. These pictures affect me deeply!

[MichiganVote]

32. Good to hear from you. How did your night go?

[bobbolink]

33. Scary. I was worried about frostbite...this is the coldest I have been through

Last year it was -20, adnd it affected my eyes. (Frostbite in my eyes)

Last night was colder than that.

However, while uncomfortable, I made it OK.

I really appreciate you asking! The worst part is feeling so alone.

I have heard no reports at all about homeless people in all this. This is the stuff that ends in amputations... and worse. And no word???

I hope you are doing OK...?

thanks again...:yourock:

[MichiganVote]

36. I'm fine bob..just have a care about yourself. Don't neglect warm food.

And beware the frostbite

[Starry Messenger]

9. k&r

We are not doing well for our most vulnerable, at all.

[Hannah Bell]

10. some going homeless due to the bankster bailout that prioritizes repaying the losses of

the speculator class over maintaining the welfare of the general population.

[bobbolink]

14. That money wasn't going to go into low-income housing anyway.

[Hannah Bell]

19. talking about the austerity program that is geared to making the people pay for the banksters'

debt & bad bets -- which is making more people homeless.

[Leithan]

12. K&R

[bobbolink]

15. The criminalization of homelessness

Harkins images of the past:

[Obamanaut]

16. We spend many billions of dollars in foreign aid, which from photos

readily available, are not going to feed or clothe anyone other than the leaders of the various countries.

President Obama has wanted to double these billions to fifty (yes, 50 billion dollars) by 2012. All these billions could really be used here in the US - homeless, hungry, unemployed, bridges/roads in disrepair, all kinds of projects that could be found.

Stop the foreign aid and the wars and fix the US.

From the way back machine

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/us/politics/24obama.html

“If elected, he said, he would double foreign aid to $50 billion by 2012, which would be the final year of his first term.”

[Broderick]

17. 11 percent of all homes in the US are vacant

and we have a homeless problem? Its all fucked up.

sigh.

Makes me sad.

[Tsiyu]

49. If anyone thinks that our society makes sense

when we have 11% unoccupied housing yet still have homeless on the streets, they need to be locked up for their own protection.

I don't care who you are, Democrat or Republican or Green Party or Independent, this is what makes this country seem foolish and ass backwards. This is what makes unfettered capitalism appear to be a chump's plan.

This used to be the stuff of National Lampoon Parody...or a Dickens tale

We have the solutions right at our fingertips but those in charge want to play political games.


Kick and rec for this thread.

[maryf]

18. K&R nt

[cate94]

20. It makes me sick

to see people treated this way. It makes me sick to think that we - as a country- would rather kill people in wars than feed our poor or house our homeless. WTF happened to our country that we have become so callous?

[Cali_Democrat]

21. Ugh

This should never be allowed to happen in a country with so much money and resources.

[RegieRocker]

23. Kick to the Moon

[MichiganVote]

24. Kick

[AmandaMae]

26. k&r.

[sad sally]

27. reminders of the inequity - so much for some, so little for others...

One day a man has a job, and life is full of possibilities. The next day the job and car are gone, and the man cannot look his wife in the eye. There is no paycheck, no way to earn money for food and clothing. Life is taken up with trying to survive. It takes all the time there is, this trying to survive.
Anita Shreve, Sea Glass

There are certain things that trump doing good. Money trumps doing good. Power trumps doing good. Getting more for yourself at the expense of others trumps doing good. Figuring out how to get ahead of other peoples, especially helpless people like the mental ill, trumps doing good.
Joe Barone The Body in the Records Room

[PufPuf23]

28. Thanks for this and your other OP about the mountain poor, Nadine.

The USA populace should be ashamed.

Back in the depression agencies like the CCC, WPA, and TVA were relatively good days for mountain poor.

I live in Indian country. IHS expansion since Clinton (and including GWB) has been game changing. On the other hand, a greater proportion of monies and political support has gone to law enforcement and homeland security measures over cultural and environmental; within and between the Tribes, political and family factions are on steroids. There is a tendency for those families that once most embraced white culture and left, returned, and lead now that Federal recognition and Federal money and Tribe Sovereignty is real.

The Cobell Settlement viewed as a victory by POTUS Obama and Liberals not close to the case is obscene to the Indian interests but provides large short-term crumbs for some Indian politicians too.

[nadinbrzezinski]

42. You welcome we need to change our national

priorities, it is either guns or butter. You cannot do both.

[niyad]

29. kick again for this very important topic

[TBF]

30. Thank you for this thread - particularly given the weather

here is one way folks can help in Houston

time or donations: http://www.sohmission.org/NetCommunity//

[foxfeet]

31. K&R

[Starry Messenger]

34. kick.

[datasuspect]

35. those people just don't know the power of positive thinking

why they can all become entrepreneurs and subcontractors in the new global economy!

[Odin2005]

37. That there is ANYBODY in this country without a home is enraging.

:grr:

[bobbolink]

39. .

:hug:

[Odin2005]

44. Thanks!

:hug:

[Toon Me Out]

38. Obscene amounts of foreign Military aid...

...if we stopped building war-machines to sell on the cheap or give away to dictators, think what good could be done with that money
here at home.

[GreenPartyVoter]

40. Yes, provided we demanded that it was used the right way.

[bobbolink]

45. Same thought at the same time....

You frighten me. :)

:hug:

[GreenPartyVoter]

48. I'm a scary, scary person. LOL *hugs*

[bobbolink]

41. That money wouldn't be "redirected" unless you and a lot of others speak out and Speak Out

Loudly!

So far, none of you seem willing to do that.

[Obamanaut]

51. $50 billion by 2012 was Obama's goal during the campaign

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/us/politics/24obama.h...

“If elected, he said, he would double foreign aid to $50 billion by 2012, which would be the final year of his first term.”

[readmoreoften]

43. 22% of kids in Texas are unsure whether or not they'll get their next meal.

http://www.ketknbc.com/news/texas-has-highest-child-starvation-rate

About 682,000 people are "doubled up" in Texas, which means they are couch-surfing/housing insecure due to poverty.

Sure we're not "as bad" as Egypt. Maybe. Is that the bar? We're also not as bad as Afghanistan or Tanzania. Are we supposed to wait until we get that bad before we fight back? This relativism is bizarre. What happens if some nation gets to 100% homelessness? Is it suddenly okay to have a 50% homeless rate.

We have a horrible and unequal system. That's bad enough, thanks.

[nadinbrzezinski]

46. The "relativism" matters insofar as this

you do not have enough of the population DESPERATE and hungry enough to do this.

Our TRENDS point to that, but it will take anywhere from ten to twenty years before we get to that point.

[ceile]

56. capitol area food bank advocacy director just spoke about that

was at the capitol today listening to testimony at the senate finance cmte hearing. of the 50,000 people that come through their doors EVERY WEEK, 20,000 are children.

[riderinthestorm]

47. Every week at my food pantry, I see new faces.

New families, new people. Along with the ones I call old friends ( .:loveya: ). While I love meeting new people, I'm stricken by their plights.

I'm so discouraged and sad by these pictures. These are people I know and love. I hate seeing them exploited but I know that only these images can move others if they aren't "on the front lines".


Thanks Nadin for posting. Peace.

[AsahinaKimi]

50. So many of them are Veterans...

This is so sad. I wonder if there are many places like Swords to Plowshares across the US?

[bobbolink]

53. There are more women vets from Iraq and Afghanistan becoming homeless than the men.

A high rate of PTSD, in large part because of rapes by their peers.

:nuke:

[upi402]

52. Thanks for posting this

Can't rec now but can :kick:

[Tsiyu]

54. kick

why aren't we all ashamed?

[bobbolink]

55. Because "we" have been programmed to blame homeless people themselves.

Since it is all our fault, where's the shame?

Even here on DU, there are still many who cling to the myth that homelessness was begun by Rayguns closing mental hospitals. That is NOT the case, but people keep repeating it, so that homeless people are all viewed as "mentally ill", and should be locked up.

What Rayguns DID do was to slash the low-income housing funds. If I am remembering the figures right, the low-income housing budget was $83 billion in 1978, and $18 billion in 1983. That is obviously significant, and when the homelessness epidemic began.

When "progressives" can't understand that basic fact, how are things going to change?

[Tsiyu]

58. Access to affordable housing for all

is the issue.

The majority of discussions about housing on DU involve those in foreclosure or those worried about the value of their homes.

Or those who discuss housing as a facet of economic expansion or contraction.

While there is nothing wrong with discussing these aspects of the housing "market," we appear as a society to view housing as the same sort of "product" we call health care.

If you can afford it, great.

If not, screw you.

End of discussion.

Too bad, so sad.

But if we are truly a decent, god-fearing society, we don't let anyone sleep on the street.

So what does that make us?

[bobbolink]

60. You have described the attitude towards the housing issue exactly right. More than sad.. tragic.

And the majority of the thought about homelessness is Charity. Exactly the same as the RW. Exactly the same.

I keep saying we've done charity for over 30 years and not only has it not solved the problem, it has gotten much worse, so its time to stop with the shelters and go a different direction. But you know the names I get called for that.

Being in such a small minority is horrible. Painful to the max. Especially a minority that is reviled and totally misunderstood.

I appreciate the few of you who understand what I am talking about, and those few who don't understand,, but are willing to listen.

And thank you, Tsiyu, for having not only a level head, but a huge heart! :pals:

[Tsiyu]

61. It must be really frustrating on your end

Thank you for your kind words.

Even the general issue of poverty is frightening to Americans.

Only recently have we been able to have a few honest discussions here on DU, and I believe that is due to the fact that more and more DUers themselves are facing poverty - people who once felt relatively safe are now afraid.

They want to help address these issues because they want to fix what's hurting them. They can literally "feel the pain" of those who are poor.

Empathy is starting to appear on the horizon...I have hope that it lands soon...:pals:

[raouldukelives]

57. Kick

[Hannah Bell]

59. nobody even noticed the first picture = stuffed clothing, not a person.