From Invisible People --
Randy used to have a home, but has been homeless for 12 years. He makes his money recycling, but a recent law requiring photo ID to get money from recycling may deprive him of this source of income. He describes his daily migration to beach areas during the day, then inland at night, where he goes to avoid the gangs that come to Venice Beach at night.
From Yahoo News/India Abroad --Music, fashion and a celebrity-based auction took center stage at a fund raiser for street children in India.
“ The child rights activist who has been working with celebrities for the last 20 years feels the movie 'Slumdog Millionaire' (which portrays the life of children living in Indian slums) has been a catalyst in generating more aid for street children. ”
From CNN -- At Jefferson High School, 58 percent of students drop out. Most of the families are poor and English is the students' second language.
From CNN: An irreverent website is changing the way people help and interact with the homeless -- but not everyone's happy about it.
“ "We knew that the same campaign with a sincere appeal and a Web site like helpthehomeless.com would be ignored," he said. "We knew that if we insulted people's sensitivity or appealed to their humor on a subject as sensitive as this we would get their attention." ”
From New York Times -- Struggling working-class families have joined other "hidden homeless" taking refuge at local motels.
“ As the recession has deepened, longtime workers who lost their jobs are facing the terror and stigma of homelessness for the first time, including those who have owned or rented for years. Some show up in shelters and on the streets, but others, like the Hayworths, are the hidden homeless — living doubled up in apartments, in garages or in motels, uncounted in federal homeless data and often receiving little public aid. ”
From UCLA (You Tube) -- This is one of two parts to a report on the effects of homelessness and social reform. It contains interviews with people who are living in homeless shelters and how the government is providing housing and welfare. It explains the effects it has on the community.
From Seattle Post-Intelligencer -- Hundreds of local volunteers are scouring the streets for homeless in an ambitious effort to understand their needs and the factors that are limiting their progress.
“ If you happen to be hanging outside in downtown Seattle Monday night -- say, between the hours of 9 p.m. and midnight -- don't be offended if a trio of earnest volunteers asks if you're homeless. ”
From Cornell University Law School --This is an article that provides the historical insight on how welfare and social insurance began after the great depression. It explains how congress passed this act to help provide for families and granting funds to banks to support this economic adjustment.
“ In addition to establishing two major "social insurance" programs to respond to future income loss (Social Security and Unemployment compensation), the Social Security Act of 1935 launched federal grants to support state welfare programs for low-income elderly and families with children. ”
From CAN-TV Chicago (courtesy of Google Video): What is homelessness? This program attempts to end the misinterpretation and put a face on Chicago's homeless.
This piece explores the manner in which locals find ways to help homeless Youth in Ottawa County, Michigan.
“ According to a 2007 countywide study, about 250 young people in Ottawa County were defined as homeless. Most don't fit the classic definition of homelessness of living on the street. ”
From Channel 7 News (You Tube) -- Miriam Hernandez provides a report about multiple suspects that are accused with using fake IDs to quadruple dip into home supportive services which is a form of welfare. This report explains the abuse of welfare reform.
