This week is National Homelessness and Hunger Awareness Week. As TakePart’s Danny Jensen wrote back in July, the number of homeless families has been steadily increasing in the U.S. this year. Today, approximately 700,000 people in the U.S. are homeless. And as we discussed here on TakePart in June, something as unpredictable as an injury or illness can bring a person to homelessness.

Beth’s Story, which we released in conjunction with the release of The Soloist, is a case in point.

Everybody has a story. Here is Beth’s.

Beth’s Story from TakePart on Vimeo.

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As Veteran’s Day comes to a close we should pay special consideration to homeless veterans and encourage the Obama administration to continue pursuing new efforts to end homelessness among veterans.  No one should have to live with out a home, and it’s shameful that those who have committed their lives to serving the country often do not receive support and assistance when they need it most.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, one out of every four homeless people in America is a veteran and over the course of the year roughly 336,627 veterans experience homelessness.  The new report also reveal that veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are falling into homelessness earlier than those who served in Vietnam, which makes it clear that new approaches are vital to address the needs of returning troops.

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Ever been tempted to get a mohawk or even a fauxhawk?  Well, by participating in Hawks for Homeless, a new campaign started in Los Angeles, you can try out the bold hairstyle and raise money for homeless service providers at the same time.

The volunteer based initiative is a fun way to increase awareness of homelessness and considering that November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, the youthful style seems particularly fitting to help those in need.  Read the rest of this entry >>

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Canned food drives are an important way for food banks to provide food for those in need, and the Canstruction competition  gives you the chance to help fight hunger and create art at the same time.  Canstruction, founded by the Society of Art and Design in 1992, invites architects, engineers and designers to create sculptures made entirely of donated cans, and when the competition is over, the food will be donated to local food banks in time for Thanksgiving.

Donations are now being accepted for events this year, which will be held in 130 cities in the U.S., Canada, Columbia, Australia and New Zealand, and be placed on exhibition from October 30 to November 15th.  The clever creations from previous competitions have been nothing short of astounding and involved thousands of cans each, which went on to provide much needed meals for so many people.  Read the rest of this entry >>

I’ve frequently featured the remarkable video interviews with homeless people created by Mark Horvath for InvisiblePeople.tv, as well as the informative and thought provoking writing of Shannon Moriarty for Change.org.  I’ve learned so much about the issues surrounding homelessness from these two, and they recently came together (for the first time in person) to discuss homelessness at The Idea Camp conference.

I wanted to share with you the video of their discussion, facilitated by Charles Lee, which highlights the importance of collaboration between organizations, as well as individuals taking action to help end homelessness.  Watch the video below and use the action links to get involved: Read the rest of this entry >>

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Homelessness will not be solved through discussion alone, and while some people choose to take action by volunteering at a shelter or soup kitchen, one man has decided to run barefoot across the United States to raise money for homeless teens.

Tellman Knudson, an Internet marketer began his admirable, ambitious 3,200-mile journey on Wednesday in New York’s Battery Park City, and has already raised $300,000 of his $100 million goal, which he plans to donate to Covenant House, a New York based organization that provides shelter and services to homeless teens in several countries.  Read the rest of this entry >>

Often times the only medical attention that people living on the streets receive is emergency care when severe situations arise, but  new proposals currently being considered by Congress will extend Medicare coverage to many homeless individuals, and help to provide much needed primary and preventative care.  Health care reform must include an increase of support for the country’s most vulnerable citizens, and these proposals give me hope that serious change is under way.   These reforms will also increase funding to more sufficiently reimburse hospitals and clinics that provide charity care for low-income patients. Read the rest of this entry >>

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Increasing numbers of homeless families and individuals are taking shelter in weekly-rate motels as an alternative to living on the streets, but the temporary residence is not a sustainable or pleasant solution to their situation.  Often times the motels are the only affordable alternative available to people, as renting an apartment requires a credit check, a deposit and other up-front costs.  Mark Hovarth of InvisiblePeople.tv recently interviewed Tracy, who lives with her husband and children in a weekly-rate motel and he explains:

…Don’t let the roof fool you, many of these motels-turned-homes are shoddy, small, and unkempt. Hardly ideal living conditions for any person, nevermind young children.

Fortunately homeless advocacy groups and some cities, including Boston, are working to address the problem by helping to find them permanent housing that is far more safe, stable and desirable than struggling week to week.  Watch Mark’s interview with Tracy after the jump to understand the harsh challenges she faces and use the link below to find out what you can do to make a difference: Read the rest of this entry >>

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In 2007 New York City began offering one-way plane tickets to homeless families who could move in with a relative elsewhere, providing the city with a surprisingly cheaper alternative than keeping the families in the shelter system.  Mayor Bloomberg has repeatedly come under fire for questionable tactics to handle the cities continual challenge of homelessness, and while this plan may work out well for many families, the move strikes me as a refusal to address the root causes of homelessness.  According to Arnold S. Cohen, the president and chief executive of the Partnership for the Homeless:

The city is engaged in cosmetics.  What we’re doing is passing the problem of homelessness to another city. We’re taking people from a shelter bed here to the living room couch of another family. Essentially, this family is still homeless.

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Rock For Kids is a remarkable non-profit that offers year-round music classes to homeless and underprivileged youth in the Chicago area, providing a stable environment to help kids develop musical, academic and social skills and build self-esteem.  Music education is vital to every kids cognitive development, creativity, and confidence, not to mention how much fun playing an instrument can be, and those benefits are especially important for children who are facing enormous challenges at a young age.  And as arts and music programs continue to struggle in public schools across the country, it’s reassuring to know programs like Rock For Kids exist to play such a critical role.  While I no longer play the recorder that I struggled to master in 3rd grade, music is still a huge part of my life as a singer, and those early lessons undoubtedly helped me develop as a learner and a human.

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