From Homelessness to Sustainable Living |
Every year, hundreds of thousands of American families become homeless.
Within these families are more than 1.3 million children. Most homeless
families are headed by a young single mother with two children under age 6.
She may have lost her job, or her home, become injured or ill, or be fleeing
from domestic violence. After teetering on the edge of homelessness for
weeks or months, a single crisis may have plunged her into the abyss.
Suddenly, she is completely alone with children to feed, shelter, nurture, and
protect. Homeless children face sickness, hunger, and fear. They suffer from
dramatically higher levels of acute and chronic illness. They go hungry at
twice the rate of other children. As night comes they wonder where they will
sleep. They dread being taken away from their family. Living on the streets,
they bear personal witness to violence and abuse. After years of research
and program development, we know how to help homeless children and
families. Many states and local communities have detailed plans in place. We
are poised at an historic moment for decisive action to end family
homelessness in America. National Center On Family Homelessness
More information and fact sheets can be found at
www.familyhomelessness.org.
Within these families are more than 1.3 million children. Most homeless
families are headed by a young single mother with two children under age 6.
She may have lost her job, or her home, become injured or ill, or be fleeing
from domestic violence. After teetering on the edge of homelessness for
weeks or months, a single crisis may have plunged her into the abyss.
Suddenly, she is completely alone with children to feed, shelter, nurture, and
protect. Homeless children face sickness, hunger, and fear. They suffer from
dramatically higher levels of acute and chronic illness. They go hungry at
twice the rate of other children. As night comes they wonder where they will
sleep. They dread being taken away from their family. Living on the streets,
they bear personal witness to violence and abuse. After years of research
and program development, we know how to help homeless children and
families. Many states and local communities have detailed plans in place. We
are poised at an historic moment for decisive action to end family
homelessness in America. National Center On Family Homelessness
More information and fact sheets can be found at
www.familyhomelessness.org.
| National News... |
One definition of the word need is"a condition marked by the lack of what is requisite (required). The
lives of homeless men,women, and children have been stripped of what is requisite. Even in a
crowded city they are as adrift and alone as they would be on a melting piece of ice in the ocean.
Connections to anything resembling normalcy have been severed. There is a direct correlation to
what all people need and where they rank on the chaos scale when it - the requisite- is missing. And
for homeless people chaos and fear becomes a daily fact of life.
SHELTER
Shelter is, naturally, first and foremost the major requisite. Without it a person becomes homeless.
Without an apartment or house, without a place to call home, a person is immediately scared,
remorseful, angry and sad beyond sadness - especially if there are children involved. Knowing your
children have no place to go is a pain beyond words. How can you look at them and tell them have no
home? Sometimes a relative will take someone in, but one can never feel truly at home. There is no
room for belongings, no room for privacy, and no room to be one's self. Homelessness strips away
self and leaves the constant feeling of being an intruder who can be asked to leave at anytime.
Shelter is more that physical space; it is the spiritual space where people can be themselves.
Without it, a human being ceases to be who they once were. Pride and dignity are drained away like
blood from a wound and replaced by shame. And if enough time passes living like this, shame is
replaced by utter hopelessness.
FOOD & WATER
In general, homeless people are hungry people. Without resources for a home, food is the second
huge problem to solve. Many of the homeless qualify for food stamps, but without a place to cook and
prepare a meal it is difficult to use them and often the nutritional value is low in prepackaged food. It
takes money to eat well. It also takes security, for if one is secure, feels safe, it is much easier to take
time for one's health. Diabetes and other health problems plague those who are homeless. How can
one have the energy to look for work, to be alert and ready for school, without adequate nutrition? How
can there be any joy or togetherness in a family when eating out of a can? The Poverty of
homelessness leads directly to poor health and increased disease.
to be continued......
| Jim Says..... |
Suggested Reading.....
| Books, Movies, Articles that are Relevant |
| The original boarding house shelter where New Beginnings began in 1989 |
The Working Poor - Invisible in America by David K. Shipler
In 1997, author Shipler found a group of people left out of the
prosperity of the 1990's and traced their lives for five years. The
result is a disturbing portrait of not making it in America and
why. Best line: "It is time to be ashamed."
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Journalist Ehrenreich went undercover as a working woman in
several states to see if she could make ends meet on $7.00 an
hour. This book is an eye-opener for everyone, but especially for
those in the upper echelons of income who have no idea of the
struggles of millions of American workers, millions who are in
reality borderline homeless. Like Shipler's book, she puts a
human face on poverty statistics.
In 1997, author Shipler found a group of people left out of the
prosperity of the 1990's and traced their lives for five years. The
result is a disturbing portrait of not making it in America and
why. Best line: "It is time to be ashamed."
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Journalist Ehrenreich went undercover as a working woman in
several states to see if she could make ends meet on $7.00 an
hour. This book is an eye-opener for everyone, but especially for
those in the upper echelons of income who have no idea of the
struggles of millions of American workers, millions who are in
reality borderline homeless. Like Shipler's book, she puts a
human face on poverty statistics.
One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us
All by Mark Robert Rank
America is governed by a system that guarantees a large portion of
its citizens will live in poverty, claims author Rank. He examines in
great detail why this is so (flawed economic structure and failed
public policy) and urges this nation to follow its principals of liberty,
justice, and equality rather than just pay lip service while the misery
continues for millions. He debunks common myths about he poor
and provides a set of strategies to solve the problems
Begging For Change by Robert Eggers
Eggers, director of the D.C. Central Kitchen in Washington D.C.,
examines the world of non-profits by trying to answer a simple
question: Why are the majority of charities an end in themselves
and solving problems secondary? He is brutally honest in
dissecting the waste rampant in the non-profit world and gives
practical solutions for fixing problems. He says, "The era of talk is
over. Say what you'll do, and do what you say." Words to live by for
us all.
All by Mark Robert Rank
America is governed by a system that guarantees a large portion of
its citizens will live in poverty, claims author Rank. He examines in
great detail why this is so (flawed economic structure and failed
public policy) and urges this nation to follow its principals of liberty,
justice, and equality rather than just pay lip service while the misery
continues for millions. He debunks common myths about he poor
and provides a set of strategies to solve the problems
Begging For Change by Robert Eggers
Eggers, director of the D.C. Central Kitchen in Washington D.C.,
examines the world of non-profits by trying to answer a simple
question: Why are the majority of charities an end in themselves
and solving problems secondary? He is brutally honest in
dissecting the waste rampant in the non-profit world and gives
practical solutions for fixing problems. He says, "The era of talk is
over. Say what you'll do, and do what you say." Words to live by for
us all.
| Human Need |
Jim Kanady is the Program
Director for New Beginnings,
Inc. He is a published author
and a filmmaker. He has been
with New Beginnings for the
past 10 years. You can reach
Jim at kanadyjim@sbcglobal.net
Director for New Beginnings,
Inc. He is a published author
and a filmmaker. He has been
with New Beginnings for the
past 10 years. You can reach
Jim at kanadyjim@sbcglobal.net
| "In these times of development, the whole world runs and is hurried. But there are some who fall down on the way and have no strength to go ahead. These are the ones we must care about." Mother Teresa |
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HOMELESSNESS IS THE VERY
BOTTOM OF POVERTY....
we need to continue to have a
dialgue about both in order to
solve either one.
BOTTOM OF POVERTY....
we need to continue to have a
dialgue about both in order to
solve either one.