PovertyLine

November articles part 2

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:00:00 -0500

National

Report Indicates Nearly Half of Homeless Veterans Are Black - November 15, 2009
Afro American;Staff

Nearly half of the nation’s homeless population that are military veterans are also Black, according to a new study… Read more

Here is the full report by the National Coalition to End Homelessness

Vital Mission: Ending Homelessness Among Veterans

Alaska

Homeless addicts can wait months for help - November 14, 2009
by Lisa Demer; Anchorage Daily News
At the city sleep-off center next to the jail on Fourth Avenue, a young guy shakes uncontrollably. His alcohol level tested out above .30, enough to put most people into a coma if not kill them… Read more

Arizona

Judge Orders Phoenix Church to Stop Feeding Homeless - November 12, 2009
Huffington Post; Staff
The homeless in Phoenix, Ariz. will have to find a new place for a pancake breakfast after a court ruling forced a neighborhood church to shut down its charity dining hall… Read more

LA agencies dispute reported homelessness drop - November 11, 2009
San Jose Mercury News; Associated Press
Homeless service providers say they’re seeing more demand than ever in Los Angeles County and are baffled by a survey that shows the county’s homeless population has drastically decreased… Read more

Eviction Date Nears at Visalia Homeless Camp - November 14, 2009
by Norma Yuriar; KMPH Fox 26
The clock is ticking for dozens of people living along the St. Johns River in the South Valley. They now have less than 72–hours to pack up and leave. The Tulare County Sheriff’s Department says the eviction is in response to neighbor complaints of the increasing number of homeless people moving into the area and loitering… Read more

Monterey County’s new face of homelessness - November 14, 2009
by Dave Nordstrand; The Californian
At age 40, Roselia Baez, a soft-spoken woman in a powder-blue sweater and slacks, knows about surviving on the edge of insecurity. She’s a single mother of four with two daughters still living with her. In July, after five months working in housekeeping at Natividad Medical Center, Baez was laid off, she said. “Because of the economy going down,” she said. “A job. Then, no job. A place to live. Then no place to live. “It hurt.” … Read more

Deputies clear homeless camp along St. Johns River - November 17, 2009
by Valerie Gibbons; Visalia Times-Delta
Mike Whited took only the belongings that would fit in a shopping cart. The rest of his possessions — the extra tent, some blankets and the water jugs — would be left behind in the sand along the riverbank.It was 7 a.m. Monday and requests for a 30-day extension had been denied. Now the dozen or so remaining residents of the homeless encampment along St. Johns River were being told they had to move within the next hour or face arrest for trespassing… Read more

Florida

National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week - November 15, 2009
WMBB-ABC
The week of November 15th is National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week, and the Homeless and Hunger Coalition of Northwest Florida has scheduled a number of local events to bring greater understanding of the challenges that homeless individuals, families and children face daily in the Panama City area… Read more

Homeless question Bartolotta at news conference -November 20, 2009
by Anthony Cormier; Sarasota Herald Tribune
Sarasota police officers, union representatives and media members were not the only people to attend this morning’s news conference at the Sarasota Police Department. A group of homeless men showed up to ask City Manager Robert Bartolotta why their population was not represented on a newly-formed civilian advisory panel… Read more

Georgia

Report: Number of homeless veterans down in Ga. - November 11, 2009
Atlanta Journal Constitution; Associated Press
A national report shows that homelessness among veterans is declining in Georgia. The report released Tuesday by the National Alliance to End Homelessness examined the number of military veterans who are now living on the streets… Read more

Kansas

KC task force on homeless announced - November 17, 2009
by Lynn Horsley; Kansas City Star
Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser today announced formation of a new task force to address homelessness in Kansas City. The group consists of more than 30 advocates, including city council members and experts in health care, public safety, social services, and legal issues… Read more

Maryland

Md. death is blamed on trash compactor - November 20, 2009
by Matt Zapotosky; Washington Post
The Upper Marlboro man whose body was found at a Laurel recycling facility Tuesday was homeless and sleeping in a dumpster when he was picked up and compacted by a cardboard recycling truck, authorities said Thursday… Read more

Missouri

Schools see increase in free, reduced-price lunches - November 17, 2009
by Dawn Bormann and Jim Sullinger; Kansas City Star
Johnson County might be considered the affluent cousin to neighboring counties, but ask area school officials and they’ll share a much different story. The recession is hitting many suburban communities hard, and several Johnson County school districts are seeing large increases in students applying for free or reduced lunches, which is one measure of poverty… Read more

New Hampshire

3 charged with beating homeless NH man for boots - November 14, 2009Boston Herald; Associated Press
Three people have been charged with beating a homeless 19-year-old New Hampshire man and throwing him into a river to die over a pair of boots. Concord, N.H., police said the man, who was not identified, was in the hospital and expected to recover… Read more

New York

Schumer: 8,600 homeless in upstate NY - November 11, 2009
Newsday; Associated Press
Sen. Charles Shumer says there are about 8,600 homeless military veterans in upstate New York.The New York Democrat says that homelessness and mental health programs for veterans are starved for funding and aren’t able to handle the increasing number of new vets who end up on the streets. He’s calling for more money for those programs and for student loans to veterans… Read more

Ohio

City Leaders Hope to Tear Down Tent City - November 18, 2009
WHIO TV
Dayton city leaders are working to possibly tear down an old railroad trestle often called “Tent City.” The trestle is home to some of Dayton’s homeless and police believe the area has been a major source of crime. They are among members of the community who want that trestle gone… Read more

South Carolina

Working to find solution to Charleston homelessness - November 13, 2009
by Prentiss Findley; Charleston Post and Courier
South Carolina has an estimated 7,000 homeless people on any given night but has beds for only about 2,100 of them. That’s a disgrace, and the government, churches and civic groups need to work together to end it, community leaders said Thursday… Read more

Texas

Valley homeless shelter sees increase - November 13, 2009
by Raphael Carranza; KGBT TV
The downfall in the economy has placed more families in greater need of the services from homeless and food shelters, according to one Valley shelter… Read more

Homeless children in Fort Worth area increases - November 20, 2009
by Chilton Tippin; Daily Skiff
Each day, Jo Carter, the liaison specialist for homeless students in the Fort Worth Independent School District, sorts through a massive stack of forms on her desk. The forms, which steadily increase in number each day, ask a series of questions that help to identify students in need of assistance because they are homeless. The forms are the only way the school district has of seeking these children in need, and they cannot reflect actual number of homeless children, Carter said… Read more

November articles part 1

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:02:00 -0500

Alaska

Homeless camp to be razed Thursday - November 8, 2009
by Eric Morrison; Juneau Empire
After the tent city Michael Talton has called home for the past year and a half is razed on Thursday, the 58-year-old has no idea where he will bed down… Read more

Arizona

Tent city fights ignorance - November 10, 2009
by Gabriel Matthew Schivone; Daily Wildcat
Sociology senior Hali Nurnberg, co-founder of Social Justice League, the UA student club putting on Tentropolis, a sort of tent city erected on the UA Mall all this week, describes the event as a simulation of homelessness designed to bring awareness to an issue that we don’t often see or understand… Read more

(The article above is one of the best opinion pieces I’ve seen regarding the portrayal of the poor in TV and film, written on the occasion of the “Tentropolis,” put on by the Social Justice League at the University of Arizona. Bravo!)

California

Homeless man burned to death near Carson not homicide victim - November 9, 2009

by Sandy Mazza; Los Angeles Daily Breeze
A homeless man found burned beyond recognition in a shanty near Carson was not the victim of a homicide, investigators said today…The fire had fully engulfed a homeless shanty. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames and found the man’s charred body inside… Read more

Homeless count results released in San Bernardino County - November 9, 2009
by Imran Ghori; Riverside Press-Enterprise
On the same day a survey was released reporting that 1,736 were found to be homeless, San Bernardino County officials said coordination between the county, cities and service organizations has improved in the two years since the San Bernardino County Homeless Partnership was formed… Read more

Colorado

Cheyenne sees uptick in homelessness - November 8, 2009
by Jeffrey Wolfe and Adam Chodak; KUSA-TV
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - The homeless population has grown significantly in Cheyenne over the past year, according to area shelters. “A lot of people are struggling,” said Teresa Garrido, executive director of COMEA House, a Cheyenne shelter that provides beds and food for those in need… Read more

Florida

Holidays amplify debate about feeding homeless - November 1, 2009
by Megan Rolland; Gainesville Sun
Public outcry against city laws limiting how many destitute people can be served at any one location resounded this past week as the city’s largest meal provider on Thanksgiving and Christmas grapples with a 130-meal limit… Read more

Schools must help homeless students, but the problem is often hidden - November 4, 2009
by James Kirley; TCPalm
Nakia Contois and his sister, Emma, were students at Pelican Island Elementary in Sebastian last school year, which began with a short bus ride from the family home. By late November, the family was homeless, bouncing between efficiency apartments, motels — any place that parents Jason and Stacey Contois could afford after his work as a chef and hers as a nursing assistant dried up… Read more

Idaho

Homeless Idaho residents sue city over camping law - November 8, 2009
by Rebecca Boone (Associated Press); Miami Herald
BOISE, Idaho — Seven homeless Boise residents are suing the city and the police department, saying that rules against camping in public spaces amount to cruel and unusual punishment in a city where homeless shelters are overflowing… Read more

Indiana

Homeless man dies in church he helped look after - November 3, 2009
by Robert King; Indianapolis Star
“Father, is there somebody asleep back there?” In the darkness of St. Mary Catholic Church, a Downtown sanctuary rimmed in stained glass so rich that light struggles to penetrate, it wasn’t clear what the boy had found. But when the Rev. Michael O’Mara investigated Saturday morning, he knew he needed to get the children out of the church… Read more

Kansas

Number of homeless Kansas veterans rises - November 10, 2009
by Brent D. Wistrom; Wichita Eagle
The number of homeless veterans in Kansas has grown in recent years, according to a new report from the National Alliance to End Homelessness. New estimates show that there were 712 homeless vets in Kansas in 2008. That’s up from 689 in 2007 and 601 in 2006… Read more

Maine

Homeless Veterans Stand Down Day - November 8, 2009
by Wayne Harvey; WABI-TV

As lawmakers debated health care reform in Washington, the medical needs of needy veterans were being addressed here in Maine. The Togus V-A center hosted its annual “Homeless Veterans Stand-Down” event Saturday… Read more

Michigan

Homeless tell their story through art - November 4, 2009
by Kathryn Prater; Lansing State Journal
About a dozen Lansing-area homeless adults are telling their stories through artwork in a traveling exhibit that is raising awareness about homelessness. Lansing-based Advent House Ministries and the Michigan Historical Museum today unveiled “Your Story and Mine: A Community of Hope”… Read more

Mich. homelessness rises - November 4, 2009
by Brittanny Shamas; The State News
His accent is so deeply Southern everyone knows him only as “Tennessee,” but 31-year-old Daniel “Tennessee” Berry has not been home for 11 months, and has not seen his three children for three years. He hasn’t looked back since the July day he packed up his belongings and was dropped off outside a Lansing homeless shelter after losing the job that brought him to Michigan. Four months later, Tennessee still is living at the shelter, where he says he’s blessed to have a job and three meals a day… Read more

Homeless numbers continue to grow -November 12, 2009
WWMT Newschannel 3
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Many West Michigan families are already struggling with the state’s unemployment rate over 15 percent. Some of them find there are no options but to live on the streets or in a shelter… Read more

Missouri

Homeless Tent Cities Popping Up Across St. Louis - November 4, 2009
by John Auble; KTVI-FOX2now.com
ST. LOUIS, MO - The economy is swelling the ranks of the homeless who are taking to small tent cities being set up around town. Two of the largest groupings are beneath an old railroad tunnel on Tucker near the Post-Dispatchdowntown, and a spot near 1st and Florida on the Near North Side… Read more

City official apologizes to the homeless, says park rangers violated protocol by throwing away homeless’ belongings away - November 5, 2009
by Carolyn Tuft; St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Shortly after 5 p.m. today, a city official called to apologize for what he characterized as a “disturbing” display of disrespect for homeless people who had been camping in a small park near the St. Patrick’s Center for the homeless… Read more

North Dakota

NJ native sees ‘hidden homeless’ in ND - November 12, 2009
by Jill Schramm; Philadelphia Inquirer
MINOT, N.D. - New Jersey native Joe Lasky has seen a side of North Dakota that many people native to the state often don’t see. Lasky, 23, an Americorps worker with the Minot Area Homeless Coalition, has spent the past year working with a homeless population that stays largely under most people’s radar… Read more

Ohio

Homeless flock to Tent City for assistance - November 1, 2009
by Mark Reiter; Toledo Blade
Sandy Hartford waited for more than three hours Saturday to get inside the warm mobile clinic to have a dentist poke inside her mouth. Unemployed for almost two years, Ms. Hartford was one of hundreds of homeless people at 1Matters Tent City on downtown’s Civic Center Mall… Read more

Options shrink for elders, advocates say - November 3, 2009
by Mark Curnutte; Cincinnati Enquirer
In-home and assisted-living care options for Ohio seniors and disabled adults are another casualty of the state’s smaller 2010-11 budget… Read more

Cleveland: Former convent donated to homeless outreach organization - November 4, 2009
WKYC-TV; Staff
CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Diocese has donated the former St. Procop convent to the Community Service Alliance (CSA), the parent organization which assists men moving from homelessness to self sufficiency. CSA has operated its housing program out of the site, now known as Procop House, for the past five years… Read more

Oklahoma

Homeless overflow shelter already busy - November 3, 2009
by Stan Finger; The Oklahoman
Michael recalled spending Sunday night under a Wichita bridge. “I’m don’t want to say,” he said when asked which bridge. “But it was warm.” Monday, the 50-year-old was at the Warming Souls Winter Overflow Shelter, which already is filling beds faster than expected… Read more

Tennesee

Homeless man shot to death in downtown Nashville - November 3, 2009
by Clay Carey; The Tennessean
Metro police have identified the homeless man found shot to death on a bench in downtown Nashville early this morning as Edward Mitchell, 46… Read more

Wisconsin

Homelessness Soars In Milwaukee Area - November 9, 2009
WISN- TV; Staff
It’s happening in every community - both city and suburbs - families are unable to find shelter, and left with no place to call home…It’s the end of the school day, but unlike his classmates, 17-year-old Nick isn’t heading home because he has no home… Read more

Homelessness Not Just Problem In City - November 10, 2009
WISN-TV
More families are living on the street than ever before, and the problem reaches beyond the city into every community in the region… Read more

Wyoming

Homeless population on the rise, say local non-profits - November 2, 2009
by Jodi Rogstad; Wyoming Tribune Eagle
CHEYENNE - In the past year, the economy has taken a turn for the worse, which means local non-profits are seeing an increase in homeless people. While they say the community is very generous, the COMEA House homeless shelter can use more winter gear, such as hats, gloves and scarves. The Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless reports an overwhelming response to requests for supplies - what it really needs now is cash… Read more

October articles part 3

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:37:15 -0500

National

Foreclosures Force Ex-Homeowners to Turn to Shelters - October 18, 2009
by Peter S. Goodman; New York Times
CLEVELAND — The first night after she surrendered her house to foreclosure, Sheri West endured the darkness in her Hyundai sedan. She parked in her old driveway, with her flower-print dresses and hats piled in boxes on the back seat, and three cherished houseplants on the floor. She used her backyard as a restroom… Read more

Alaska

Mountain View homeless camp cleared out - October 19, 2009
by Lisa Demer; Anchorage Daily News
Four days after Anchorage police red-tagged homeless camps in Mountain View for shutdown, they returned Monday to find illegal campers still squatting on city land and gave them 20 minutes to clear out… Read more

Homeless Deaths Rise, and Anchorage Copes - October 24, 2009
by William Yardley; New York Times
ANCHORAGE — A man was down, immobile at the edge of one of this city’s busiest intersections. No sirens sounded, no ambulance rushed to the scene. Dealing with the scourge that has consumed Alaska’s biggest city is often delegated to two men in a white van, the Community Service Patrol… Read more

Anchorage organizations pay to fly homeless back home - October 26, 2009
by Christina Grande; KTVA For the first time ever, Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC) is teaming up with Lutheran Social Services to combat the growing problem of homelessness in Anchorage. But instead of targeting alcoholism or helping with rent, the program is sending Alaska Natives back to their home villages… Read more

Homeless man in hospital after beating, his tent burned - October 16, 2009
by Lisa Demer; Anchorage Daily News
Violence erupted this week in one of Anchorage’s biggest homeless camps, clusters of tents and tarps in Mountain View known as Veterans’ Ridge. One man was beaten up Wednesday night and sent to the hospital. Three men are now in jail, accused of setting fire to the victim’s tent and belongings on Thursday evening… Read more

Arizona

Homeless students in Mesa rising dramatically - October 23, 2009
by Ray Parker; Arizona Republic
The number of homeless students attending Mesa Public Schools has increased dramatically in the last three years.Statewide, there are 25,250 homeless students, an increase of about 75 percent since 2006. Mesa Public Schools, the state’s largest school district, has seen its homeless student population grow by more than 400 the last three years to 1,280… Read more

California

Homeless 97-Year-Old Woman Sleeps in a Suburban - October 19, 2009
by Tam Vo; Huffington Post
Bessie Mae Berger is 97 years old and homeless. Her two sons, Larry and Charlie, are ages 60 and 62, respectively. Together, the three of them live in a rusty 1973 Chevrolet Suburban that they shuttle around Venice, California and Los Angeles… Read more

Sacramento Announces Winter Shelter Plan for Homeless - October 24, 2009
by C. Johnson; KXTV
SACRAMENTO, CA - A task force charged by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson to find a solution to provide the homeless with shelter during the winter has come up with a solution, the mayor announced Friday… Read more

Despite Recession, Homelessness Declines - October 29, 2009
by Scott Weber; NBC Los Angeles
Despite a tough recession, LA County’s homeless population has actually dropped. According to a survey released by the Los Angeles Homelessness Services Authority, the number of people who are homeless in the area has dropped by 38% since 2007… Read more

In recession, shelters short on space, funding - October 16, 2009
by Baobao Zhang; Yale Daily News
James Scott came to New Haven four months ago on a Greyhound bus from Richmond, Va., looking for a new job and a new life. Now he sits on a bench on the New Haven Green, his arms folded inside his thin blue polo, shivering as the wind rustles the tree branches above him. Unlike most of the other homeless people on the Green, Scott has no duffle bag, backpack or coat. All he owns are the clothes on his back… Read more

Georgia

Homeless woman found shot on church steps - October 16, 2009
by Kristi E. Swarts; Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta police are looking for the person who shot and killed an elderly woman found on the front steps of a West End church Monday. Police would confirm few details, other than the church was on the 1300 block of Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard. The woman is 66-year-old Jeanette Smith, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office. She is homeless… Read more

Macon’s placing in Forbes’ report on poverty in America hard to quantify - October 26, 2009
by Mike Stucka; Macon Telegraph
This is a story about a number. Last week, Forbes magazine declared Macon was the seventh-most impoverished city in America. Forbes ranked Albany as fourth… Read more

Illinois

Homeless students: Increasingly, families taking shelter anywhere they can - October 28, 2009
by Bonnie Miller Rubin; Chicago Tribune
Maria Maior’s son is a football-playing, skateboard-riding, Xbox-loving kid whose home reveals all the trappings of domesticity: a cushy sofa, big-screen TV, a framed poster of Brian Urlacher — one of the 12-year-old’s favorite football players. On most evenings, two big dogs curl up on the carpeting. The scene could be lifted from any suburban subdivision — except that it’s located not in a den, but in a storage unit… Read more

Indiana

FWCS helps district’s 450 homeless kids adapt - October 24, 2009
by Ashley Smith; Fort Wayne News-Sentinel
Nearly 450 children were identified as homeless within Fort Wayne Community Schools last year. Many more are presumed to be homeless, but will not come forward for fear of being removed from their families. Some sleep in shelters, but many more find refuge in crowded homes, motels, vehicles or even abandoned houses… Read more

Michigan

Homeless Veterans Get Help in Detroit - October 15, 2009
by Al Allen; myFoxDetroit
DETROIT (myFOXDetroit.com) - Homeless veterans in metro Detroit are getting assistance for a second day. The annual Veteran’s Stand Down is taking place at the State Fairgrounds in Detroit. They were winners in war, but for whatever reason, losers on the mean streets of life. Homeless and jobless, these veterans are in need of help… Read more

Number of homeless grows in western Michigan - October 18, 2009
Associated Press
More than 13,000 people were homeless across five counties in western Michigan last year, an increase of more than 10 percent over the year before, according to a state count… Read more

Mich. teen guilty in beating death of homeless man - October 28, 2009
Associated Press
PONTIAC, Mich. — Two teenagers will spend the rest of their lives in prison for beating a homeless man to death, while a third accused in the attack faces charges that could also put him behind bars for life… Read more

Montana

Montana educators report more homeless preschoolers - October 24, 2009
Missoulian; Associated Press
BILLINGS - Montana educators attending a conference on early childhood development say they are seeing more preschoolers who are members of homeless families or are in families close to becoming homeless… Read more

New York

‘Golden Girls’ star Bea Arthur leaves $300,000 in will to NY group that helps gay homeless youths - October 27, 2009
New York Daily News; Staff
Bea Arthur left $300,000 in her will to a New York organization that aids homeless gay youth… Read more

Homeless Shelters at Capacity -October 30, 2009
by Alex Kane; The Independent
Herberth Rodriguez was about 17 years old when he was evicted from his Bronx apartment after his mother died in 2006. After briefly living with family, he became homeless. “I didn’t know whether to go to the shelter, I was always in the streets, not knowing what to do,” Rodriguez said… Read more

North Carolina

Chronically homeless will live in apartments - October 19, 2009
by Mark Price; Charlotte Observer
The Urban Ministry Center will unveil a $10 million project Monday that could forever change the way Charlotte deals with the chronically homeless… Read more

Ohio

Homeless Veterans receive free clothes, food, services - October 20, 2009
by Jeb Phillips; Columbus Dispatch
Kepha Todd, a Navy veteran, said he became homeless three months ago in two quick steps. He lost his job, and his car broke down. He had no money left for a place… Read more

Toledo area charities report surge in 1st-time clients - October 25, 2009
by JC Reindl; Toledo Blade
Yvonne Soldan could sense her hard-won, middle-class life slipping away, although she never anticipated the eventual depths of her economic misfortune - a homeless shelter… Read more

Stimulus dollars boost programs for homeless students - October 28, 2009
WKYC TV
CLEVELAND — Thousands of students come to class everyday with no real home waiting for them when the final bell of the day rings. They are homeless, and they are still coming to class each day thanks in part to stimulus funds, which are boosting local programs… Read more

Oklahoma

Fixing our lives: Homeless Tulsans defy stereotype, document struggle - October 19, 2009
by Mike Averill; Tulsa World
Not all homeless people are dirty panhandlers with no intention of getting their lives back together. That’s the premise of “How Sally Changed My Life,” a documentary created by a group of men in the Salvation Army’s Project Able transitional living program … Read more

Oregon

No Place to Call Home: Bend’s Homeless Services Stretched Thin - October 22, 2009
by Ethan Lindsay; OPB News
Central Oregon has the sixth-highest rate of homelessness in the country. The National Alliance to End Homelessness just released a report that found with 22,000 homeless people, the region has more homeless per capita than cities like Boston or Washington… Read more

Recession brings increase in runaways - October 26, 2009
by Ian Urbina; St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Medford, Ore. - Dressed in soaked green pajamas, Betty, 14, huddled under a cold drizzle at the city park as several older teens discussed how to help her. Betty said she had run away from home a week earlier after a violent argument with her mother. Shivering and sullen-faced, she vowed that she was not going to sleep by herself again behind the hedges downtown, where the older homeless men and methamphetamine addicts might find her… Read more

Pennsylvania

New apartments open to homeless youth with children - October 21, 2009
by Jennifer Lin; Philadelphia Inquirer
On Tuesday night, Gail Floyd and her two-year-old son moved out of a West Philadelphia homeless shelter to spend the night on the floor of their new two-bedroom apartment… Read more

Utah

Homelessness increases in Utah amid recession - October 16, 2009
KTVX; Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A new report by two state agencies says the number of people who experienced homelessness in Utah has risen for the third consecutive year… Read more

Utah homelessness up - but number of chronics falls again - October 16, 2009
by Matthew D. LaPlente; Salt Lake Tribune
The number of people who experienced homelessness in Utah in 2009 has risen, making it the third consecutive year to show an increase as the state felt the effects of a national recession, according to a new report by two state agencies… Read more

Virginia

Va. Beach demand from homeless greater than city’s supply - October 19, 2009
by Judy Le; Virginian-Pilot
On a chilly fall night, the porticoes of an Oceanfront church are filled with a few dozen bodies, evenly spaced to balance personal space and warmth, covered in blue tarps in anticipation of rain… Read more

Wisconsin

Student homelessness on the rise in the Oshkosh - October 25, 2009
WBAY; Associated Press
OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) - The number of homeless students in Oshkosh schools is rising, in large part due to job losses related to the sour economy…Read more

October aricles part 2

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:18:14 -0400

Alaska

Crackdown on Homeless Camps as well as Solutions - October 14, 2009
by Christina Grande; KTVA
After more than a dozen homeless deaths this past summer and tent cities sprouting up all over town, advocates gathered to find a solution before the cold winter hits… Read more

Arizona

112 homeless families move into new Phoenix shelter - October 11, 2009
by Katrina Wessman; KNXV-TV(ABC 15)
An opening ceremony and ribbon cutting marked a historic day in Phoenix on Saturday as 112 homeless families were moved into a new shelter… Read more

California

Tulare County tent city to be dismantled - October 9, 2009
San Jose Mercury News; Associated Press
Residents of neighboring properties have complained as the encampment has grown over the last year because of the recession. There’s no water at the site and no garbage pickup. More than 200 homeless people will be relocated as Visalia officials dismantle an encampment along the St. Johns River… Read more

Finding Shelter in Tough Times - October 12, 2009

by Nancy Pasternack; Marysville Appeal-Democrat

In a region that suffers from one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, addressing problems of homelessness has become an increasingly grim task… Read more

East Village to house winter homeless shelter - October 13, 2009
San Diego News Network
One of two locations in downtown San Diego’s East Village will be the site of the city’s 220-bed temporary winter homeless shelter, the City Council decided today… Read more

Florida

‘Tent City’ of Homeless Is Rejected in Florida - October 13, 2009
by Damien Cave and Lynn Waddell
When retirees say they have bought guns to protect themselves from a plan to house the homeless a quarter mile from their neighborhood, Florida politicians pay attention. When 200 people show up at a 9 a.m. meeting, some wearing yellow T-shirts that say “no tent city,” elected officials tend to go along… Read more

Hawaii

Homeless in Hawaii - October 15, 2009
by Sarah Ruppenthal; Maui Weekly
State, county statistics and personal testimonies from homeless individuals indicate a rapidly growing crisis compounded by economic uncertainties. “I was ashamed at first, but then I saw I wasn’t alone.” … Read more

Massachusetts

Middleboro schools face high cost to bus homeless students - October 10, 2009
By Alice C. Elwell; Wicked Local Middleboro

As the number of homeless families in town skyrockets, the schools are struggling under an agreement that holds it responsible for half the transportation cost to shuttle the students back to their hometown schools… Read more

Minnesota

For the homeless, lines are long and beds are scarce - October 13, 2009
by Mary Lynn Smith; Minneapolis Star Tribune

The line of 40 to 50 men wrapped along the side of the church and into the alley as they waited for their chance at a place to sleep — a lottery for a mat on the floor of a church… Read more

Montana

Homeless in Helena - October 11, 2009
by Martin J. Kidston; Helena Independent Record

On his 59th birthday, Jeff McClun stood on the corner of Wal-Mart holding a cardboard sign saying anything helps. His beard flashed gray in the sun and his homemade cane, topped with a polished antler, rested at his side… Read more

Nevada

Fundraiser aims to lift spirits of city’s homeless teens - October 12, 2009
by Tiffany Gibson; Las Vegas Sun
The underlying theme of this year’s third annual H.O.P.E. for the Holidays event was homelessness is not a choice. Kelly Robson, director of the Help of Southern Nevada Youth Center, said if teenagers leave home to get away from a bad situation, it’s not their choice to become homeless… Read more

New York

One in five kids is homeless at PS 636 but after-school program makes them feel at home - October 12, 2009
by Meredith Kolodner; NY Daily News
Budget cuts forced many schools to ax after-school programs, but almost every child at one Brooklyn school is dancing, cooking, fencing or building robots until 6 p.m. Parents at Public School 636, where one in five kids is homeless and living at one of 10 area shelters, say the after-school program has transformed their lives… Read more

Homeless record in NYC shelters - October 14, 2009
by David Seifman; New York Post
The number of homeless sheltered by the city reached an all-time high of 39,243 last month, advocates reported yesterday. In releasing the figures, the Coalition for the Homeless called on the administration to give priority to the homeless for federal housing programs and to expand the number of shelter beds… Read more

Ohio

Poverty in Ohio spreading and getting worse - October 1, 2009
by Catherine Candisky and Alan Johnson
rushing job losses and rising unemployment pushed nearly one in five Marion County residents into poverty last year, the highest rate among the state’s larger counties, according to new U.S. Census statistics… Read more

Texas

Number of homeless students soaring - October 13, 2009
by Nancy Preyer-Johnson
Public schools are used to dealing with children in poverty, but this school year, San Antonio school districts are seeing more children than ever from families that have gone from struggling to put food on the table to keeping a roof over their heads. School social workers say the increases are extreme… Read more

Washington

Families, Cities Too Poor to Bury Dead - October 11, 2009
by Mike Brody; KAYU Fox 28
Bodies of dead people from poor families are piling up in morgues around the country as some states, counties and private funeral homes claim they can’t afford to help the families bury their loved ones… Read more

October articles part 1

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:13:25 -0400

Global

Share H1N1 Vaccines With Poor Countries, U.N. Urges - October 4, 2009
ABC News; Reuters
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Rich countries should make more vaccine available to poorer nations where the H1N1 virus is starting to hit, U.N. health officials said on Sunday… Read more

Alaska

Homelessness on the rise in Anchorage schools - October 5, 2009

by Joshua Saul, Alaska Dispatch
The number of homeless students in the Anchorage School District has grown by 38 percent from this time last year, and large increases have also been recorded in the Fairbanks and Matanuska-Susitna Borough districts… Read more

California

SD Poverty Rate Reaches Highest Level In A Decade - October 2, 2009
by Hank Crook, Gloria Penner; KPBS
GLORIA PENNER (Host): I’m Gloria Penner and I’m joined by the editors at the roundtable These Days in San Diego. Today we’ll talk about San Diego’s newest black mark as its poverty rate growth exceeds the state and the nation… Read more

Number of homeless families skyrocketing - October 2, 2009
by Tamara Barak Aparton; The San Francisco Examiner
SAN FRANCISCO — In 2007, Alice Mabry was raising her son, confident that with her ambition and education, things would only get brighter. But in a matter of months she lost her job, and it all crumbled. The pair landed in a San Francisco homeless shelter… Read more

Colorado

Denver’s homeless find range of helping services - October 10, 2009
by Colleen O’Connor; Denver Post
More than 600 people attended the Family Project Homeless Connect at the Pepsi Center on Friday, seeking help with everything from finding jobs to legal aid… Read more

District of Columbia

City Budget Cuts Stun Advocates for Homeless - October , 2009
by Darryl Fears; Washington Post
D.C. Council members and shelter providers were stunned to learn this week that the Fenty administration has cut $20 million from the city’s homeless services budget for fiscal 2010… Read more

Florida

USF building program to help nation’s homeless vets - October 1, 2009
by Lindsay Peterson; Tampa Tribune
TAMPA - People who work with homeless veterans across the country will be taking guidance soon from staff at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital and the University of South Florida… Read more

Illinois

Napierville bans homeless camping downtown - October 7, 2009
United Press International
A homeless man argued in vain against a city ordinance that kicked him off the streets of a Chicago suburb where he has camped for years… Read more

Indiana

Lt. Gov. Skillman announces plans to fight homelessness - October 1, 2009
by Bill Engel; Palladium-Item
Indiana Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman visited Richmond today to announce a new program that will use federal stimulus dollars to address the growing homeless situation in Wayne and several surrounding counties… Read more

Massachusetts

Cambridge tent city raises issues about use of public park - October 8, 2009
by Meghan E. Irons; Boston Globe
After peddling donated books in Harvard Square each day, Kenneth O’Brien packs up his belongings and family and heads around the corner to a city-owned park, where he sets up for the night… Read more

Ohio

54% increase in homeless TPS students - October 7, 2009
by Laura Rice; NBC 24 Toledo On the Move
In a shocking example of just how hard the recession has hit Northwest Ohio, the number of homeless students at Toledo Public Schools rose 54% in the last year. The district says that for years that number remained steady but from last year to this year, the number of homeless students rose from 840 to 1,290… Read more

Pennsylvania

Carlynton faces suit for opposing enrollment of homeless children - October 6, 2009
by Joe Smydo; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In a case that may turn on which is more important — where a troubled family spends its days or its nights — two groups plan to file suit today to keep four homeless students enrolled in Carlynton School District… Read more

Rhode Island

Falugo not quitting on ‘Tent City’ residents - October 3, 2009
by Tom Langford; NECN
A group of homeless people in Rhode Island were in search for a new place to live, after getting the boot from a “tent city” built on a vacant lot in the state capital. The lot’s owner gave them permission to camp on his land, but the tents have upset some neighbors… Read more

Tennessee

Nashville homeless camp transformed after calls for closure - October 6, 2009
by Kate Howard; The Tennessean
A year ago, Tent City was on the chopping block.Today, the makeshift homeless camp is bustling with activity — advocates and church groups are regular visitors to the community by the Cumberland River where more than 80 people live. The residents have formed a council, laying down rules about dogs on leashes and where new residents can live… Read more

September articles

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:42:00 -0400

Global

Global Poverty Rolls Projected to Surge - Sept. 17, 2009
by Annys Shin, Washington Post
The global recession is expected to push 89 million more people into extreme poverty by the end of 2010, the World Bank said Wednesday as it called on the leaders of the 20 largest economies to engage in “responsible globalization.” … Read more

National

In hard times, tent cities rise across the country - Sept. 18, 2009
MSNBC, Associated Press
A few tents cropped up hard by the railroad tracks, pitched by men left with nowhere to go once the emergency winter shelter closed for the summer… Read more

Immigrants Cling to Fragile Lifeline at Safety-net Hospital - Sept. 23, 2009

by Kevin Sack, New York Times
If Grady Memorial Hospital succeeds in closing its outpatient dialysis clinic, Tadesse A. Amdago, a 69-year-old immigrant from Ethiopia, said he would begin “counting the days until I die.” Rosa Lira, 78, a permanent resident from Mexico, said she also assumed she “would just die.”… Read more

Alabama

Warm weather census set for homeless - Sept. 14, 2009
by Patricia C. McCarter, Huntsville Times
The theory is, more people live on the street when it’s warm than when it’s cold. The North Alabama Coalition for the Homeless will test that theory Tuesday when volunteers and social workers count people living in shelters, under bridges and in the woods… Read more

California

After 15 more arrests, homeless campsite still not resolved - Sept. 13, 2009
by Julie Johnson and Cathy Locke, Sacramento Bee
Sacramento police arrested 15 more homeless people Saturday at a vacant lot just north of downtown… Read more

Colorado

Boulder homeless set ablaze by fellow transient - Sept. 15, 2009
Denver Post
A homeless man was set on fire by another transient armed with an aerosol can and either a match or lighter this afternoon, according to Boulder police… Read more

Homeless in Colorado metro area up to 11,061 - Sept. 17, 2009
by Mike McPhee, Denver Post
There are 11,061 homeless people in the seven-county metro region, and about half of them say they are homeless for the first time, according to the results of a 24-hour survey conducted Jan. 27 by the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative… Read more

Advocates: Slow economy fueling Colo. homelessness - Sept. 18, 2009
by Catherine Tsai, Forbes
The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless says the number of homeless Coloradans is rising, just as services for them are being axed because of state budget shortfalls… Read more

District of Columbia

Suburbs not immune to homeless boom - Sept. 16, 2009
by Bill Myers, Washington Examiner
Some of D.C.’s affluent suburbs are facing homeless crises of their own. A May study by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments found that homelessness had increased dramatically in nearly every suburb between 2005 and 2009… Read more

Florida

Homeless children find stability at school - Sept. 17, 2009
by Chad Oliver, NBC2 WBBH
A federal law is helping Southwest Florida’s growing number of homeless students find some stability in a trying time… Read more

Homeless population not limited to the urban center - Sept. 16, 2009
by Dierdre Conner, Florida Times-Union
A corner of the woods near Interstate 295 has been Robert Pope’s home off and on for four years. Every morning and evening, thousands of Clay County commuters rush past the makeshift camp where Pope, 34, and eight others have holed up… Read more

Georgia

Tent Cities popping up in Richmond County - Sept. 14, 2009
Navideh Forghani, NBC Augusta
Richmond County deputies say they’re a growing problem: Tent cities, make-shift communities for the homeless… Read more

Hawaii

Homeless Find Way Around City’s Ban - Sept. 15, 2009
KITV ABC
Many homeless, particularly in Waikiki, have found a way around the city’s ban against camping in public parks. They sleep on the sidewalk at night and pop back into parks during the day… Read more

Illinois

Naperville’s homeless prefer to live in shadows - Sept. 13, 2009
by Susan Frick Carlman, Naperville Sun
It was job loss that triggered Donna’s downhill spiral. Laid off at the end of April after many years in the Naperville business community, she was evicted from her apartment a month later… Read more

Maryland

Homeless numbers difficult to estimate - Sept. 19 2009
by Erin Julius, Hagerstown Herald-Mail
In Washington County, some homeless people live in the woods, others spend a night here and there in shelters. Some live in temporary housing provided by an agency. Some hold full-time jobs, others work part time. Some are students… Read more

Massachusetts

Homeless families use of motels still on the rise - Sept. 16, 2009
by Jenifer McKim, Boston Globe
The number of homeless families living in motels funded by the state now tops more than 1,000, a dramatic 37 percent increase since June 1, a top official for the state Department of Housing and Community Development said yesterday… Read more

Missouri

Homeless mother’s plight typical of those found in city study - Sept. 18, 2009
by Debbie Woodin, Joplin Globe
Tina Ridenour was used to having a home and a way to provide for her children. But when child protective services intervened in an abusive relationship with another family member and finally required her to leave the home two months ago or give up her children, she faced a tough situation… Read more

New York

Number of Homeless Multiplies - Sept. 16, 2009
by Cindy Rodriguez, WNYC
In 2004, Mayor Bloomberg made the bold pledge to dramatically reduce homelessness in five years… Read more

Homeless in school - Sept. 19, 2009
by Amanda Robbins, Albany Democrat-Herald
Jacob Hernandez, 17, a senior at South Albany High School, has been bouncing around since he was in eighth grade. It was only a year ago that he found a stable home… Read more

North Carolina

Homeless try to stay hopeful during down economy - Sept. 15, 2009
by Adam Owens, WRAL
Homeless shelters in Wake County say people in need of a place to sleep are up due to the down economy… Read more

Ohio

One in 8 Ohioans is in poverty - Sept. 29, 2009
by David Knox and Katie Byard, Akron Beacon Journal
More than one in eight Ohioans fell below the poverty line last year, pushing the state’s rate to 13.4 percent — the highest recorded in a decade, according to the latest Census figures… Read more

Akron: ‘Goodwill Bandit’ banned from dumpsters - Sept.18, 2009
by Michael O’Mara, WKYC TV
Cruising down the sidewalk on a motorized wheelchair in Tallmadge, Marion Lesher has become a familiar sight for neighbors as she heads for Midway Plaza on Brittain Road. Her target: the dumpsters behind the Goodwill retail store… Read more

Oregon

Student homelessness soars in Oregon schools - Sept. 18, 2009
by Betsy Hammond, Portland Oregonian
Amid the recession, the number of Oregon students who are homeless surged 14 percent in the past year, rising to 18,000 children and teens without a permanent home of their own, the state reported Friday… Read more

Homeless Students in Central Oregon - Sept. 18, 2009
KOHD TV
Seventeen year old Nick Tyler is a Junior at Summit High School and has been homeless for two years. His favorite subject is Art. He loves to draw. “When I have hard days I just want to draw something and then I feel better” said Tyler… Read more

Rhode Island

Living in Tents, and by the Rules, Under a Bridge - July 30, 2009
by Dan Barry, New York Times
he chief emerges from his tent to face the leaden morning light. It had been a rare, rough night in his homeless Brigadoon: a boozy brawl, the wielding of a knife taped to a stick. But the community handled it, he says with pride, his day’s first cigar already aglow… Read more

Providence says homeless camp is illegal - Sept. 15, 2009
by Paul Davis, Providence Journal
A city official testified in Superior Court Monday that the homeless people living near Roger Williams Medical Center are camped illegally in a city park. The community, Camp Runamuck II, moved to the park on Labor Day weekend to avoid eviction from an East Providence site. .. Read more

Court tells second R.I. homeless group to move from Providence site - Sept. 18, 2009
by Paul Davis, Providence Journal
The 20 people living in Provitents, a homeless camp off Westminster Street, have one week to find a new place to pitch their tents, a city Housing Court judge said Thursday. The group moved to the private lot on Labor Day weekend to avoid eviction from its previous home under an East Providence bridge … Read more

Texas

Poverty level rises in region - Sept. 13, 2009
by Enrique Rangel, Amarillo Globe-News
In 2007, one of every four residents in Potter and Hall counties was poor, a rate twice as high as the rest of the nation. And in all likelihood the number of destitute people in those counties and in most of the Texas Panhandle increased last year… Read more

Utah

Utah’s homeless youth: ‘Because I got jumped in my sleep, I got off the street’ - Sept. 12, 2009
by Julia Lyon, Salt Lake Tribune
As he remembers it, Mike Montoya was sleeping when two young men — one with a wooden bat — beat him severely in May. When the homeless teenager woke up in a hospital, he was hurt so badly he couldn’t chew… Read more

Life on the streets for Utah youth - Sept. 13, 2009
by Julia Lyon, Salt Lake Tribune
The girl sitting behind the crumpled cardboard sign, panhandling across the street from the Bees stadium, doesn’t know where she’s going to sleep tonight. She doesn’t know how she’s going to buy her next meal… Read more

Washington

Face of homeless changing as more kinds of people seek help - Sept. 17, 2009
by Kristi Heim, Seattle Times
When you’re homeless your feet take a beating. That was the simple fact behind the idea to provide a foot washing service… Read more

Wisconsin

Number of homeless youths on the rise - Sept. 16, 2009
by Jessica Stephen, Kenosha News
From finding shelter to storing the donated furniture used to fill available housing, there are big challenges to helping homeless youth. But they’re not insurmountable — at least that was the message Wednesday during a homeless youth symposium at the Kenosha County Job Center in Kenosha… Read more

Welcome to PovertyLine

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:46:00 -0400

PovertyLine is here to offer news regarding poverty, homelessness, and related issues. It is my hope that this blog can be of help to those who would like to follow the trends of economic distress in the United States. I hope it can be a resource to those who want to advocate for people in need.