Wednesday, December 31, 2014

NEW YORK CITY HOMELESS - 58000 in SHELTERS, at least 3000 STAY AT BUS TERMINALS or WHEREVER

ALJAZEERA AMERICA on NEW YORK CITY HOMELESS - No Place Like Home for the Holidays  by Wilson Dizard

EXCERPT:

The charity Coalition For The Homeless estimates that as of September there were 58,000 people in the city shelters. But shelters can be dangerous for vulnerable members of the homeless community, according to those who opt to stay away.

According to a New York City census conducted earlier this week, "Of the 58,913 individuals in shelter there are 12,316 families with minor children and 2,135 adult families. There are 11,357 single adults."

The city's Department of Homeless Services said that according to an annual estimate  last conducted in January 2014 about three to four thousand people sleeping outside each night in New York. The agency said it could not respond to "anecdotal" accounts of dangerous conditions at indoor havens for the homeless, adding that many families sleep each night at public facilities.

In New York City, there is a legal right to shelter all eligible families and individuals in need," the DHS said in a statement. "This mandate requires us to provide a comprehensive system of services to homeless New Yorkers, treating them with dignity and respect.”

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

RUNAWAY HOMELESS YOUTH and TRAFFICKING PREVENTION ACT IS SITTING IN SENATE WITH 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF PASSING - NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT

SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT - HOMELESS YOUTH RESOURCES by Christina Kelley  full article

EXCERPT:

The Runaway Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act (RHYTPA, S. 2646) is a reauthorization that would provide additional federal grants to public agencies (as well as nonprofit private agencies) to provide street-based services to runaway and homeless youth, and street youth who have been subjected to, or are at risk of being subjected to, sexual abuse, violence, trafficking in persons, or sexual exploitation. It also allows for extra funding for the provision of specified resources for gay and trafficked youth. The bill is currently sitting in the Senate with a 20 percent prognosis of passing next year and needs support.

It is not enough that California has one of the largest homeless youth populations in the country with over 200,000 of the 1.6 billion homeless teens in the U.S. More concerning is that Santa Barbara County has between 5,000-10,000 of these young people, a large percentage of whom are gay. Gay runaway homeless youth have the highest potential risk of being sexually exploited, trafficked, and committing suicide.

There are currently only 15-17 beds available in Santa Barbara for homeless or placement youth funded by the local YMCA and the county’s Independent Living Program in an effort to assist the foster care system and those who have aged out of that system. Further, the resources for runaway homeless LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-sexual) and trafficked youth in Santa Barbara are slim to none. Pacific Pride Foundation’s staff provides street outreach and basic education in HIV and AIDS awareness and prevention. However, there are no specific resources to aid these youth in meeting their specialized needs.

PACIFIC PRIDE FOUNDATION  link to place that is doing outreach on the streets of Santa Barbara.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

SPIRIT OF SANTA PAULA -RICHARDS DROP IN CENTER - VENTURA COUNTY HOMELESS COURT, FOOD PANTRY AND 600 HOT MEALS A WEEK

SPIRIT OF SANTA PAULA - nonprofit - feeds - warming center etc

Our services range from serving a generous and nutritious hot meal each week for 600 people to assisting the community with rental assistance and utility payments. Each Wednesday from the Presbyterian Church at 121 Davis.


We serve as advocate in Homeless Court, counseling at Richard’s Drop In Center for Homeless people.  Open on Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 3 pm. It is located at 123 North 10th in the Century 21 Hometown Realty office.

Also located there is the food pantry, 15 refrigerators and freezers and our biblical counseling center and library. We met and greet people who are homeless. Many of the visitors just need a friend to help them connect with resources. They can check email or listen to the news.   Veronica is supervisor.


Also Pastoral visits to the jail to  working with parolees.  We assisted in the Homeless Count for Ventura County and we do food rescue, provide a food pantry, and supervise a USDA food distribution on Saturday mornings.  SPIRIT also provides counseling and neighborhood mediation for all ages.

We also provide free mediation and counseling services by appointment. 
We need people to pray for us.
The work is hard but the worth it beyond measure. 

Email Kay Wilson-Bolton at Kay@spiritsp.org    805.340.5025.

Dawn Bavero at dawn@spiritsp.org 805.302.9939'

Veronica Sandez at Veronica@spiritsp.org 805.625.4898.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

MAHALIA JACKSON - OH HOLY NIGHT This one goes out to those of you who Believe in Jesus



We believe homeless outreach and services should be given to homeless without any requirement that they believe, profess, or convert to Christianity or any other religion, but we know that many of you, despite everything that has happened to you and that you've experienced still believe in Jesus.  This one is for you.

Friday, December 19, 2014

VATICAN HOMELESS WILL HAVE SHOWERS - POPE FRANCIS SHOWING THE WAY

RELIGION NEWS - HOMELESS SHOWERS IN ST PETERS SQUARE  full article

"It’s an unconventional move, even for a pope who constantly preaches that more should be done to help the poor. It also could rankle traditionalists as the homeless line up to wash beneath the extravagant apostolic apartments that Francis shunned after his election....

Krajewski (Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner who distributes charity on the pope’s behalf) who is also Polish, was not available for comment. He told La Stampa’s Vatican Insider that he had visited 10 parishes in Rome where the homeless gather and asked them to install shower facilities. He said he tells parish priests: “The Holy Father is paying!”
The Community of Sant’Egidio, a Catholic charity that helps Rome’s homeless, also publishes a handbook, titled “Where to eat, sleep and wash,” in several languages.
“It is not simple, because it is easier to make sandwiches than run a shower service,” Krajewski said. “We need volunteers, towels, underwear.”

Monday, December 15, 2014

MAYOR ERIC GARCETTI TO COHOST HOMELESS AND MENTAL ILLNESS SUMMIT ON DEC 17 2014

VAN NUYS PRESS - Eric Garcetti to Cohost Homelessness and Mental Illness summit

 ... list of confirmed speakers include but are not limited to: Don LeStrange, Van Nuys LAPD Volunteer and Community Police Advisory Board (CPAB) Homeless Committee Chair.  Representatives from the Office of Councilwoman Nury Martinez (CD6).  Anthony Gonzales from the Village Family Center in North Hollywood.  Ryan Bell from Community Outreach for PATH in Los Angeles.  Representatives from the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission.  Representatives from the National Coalition For The Homeless.  Representatives from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.  Representatives from the Weingart Center Association.  Representatives from the Homeless Health Care Los Angeles.  Representatives from the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.  And representatives from the Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger & Homelessness.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

SAN BERNARDINO MASSIVE HOMELESS STUDENT POP 33, 859

VVDAILY PRESS : SAN BERNARDINO STUDENT HOMELESSNESS 2014  full article linkl

San Bernardino County ranks fifth among all counties in the state with a homeless student population of 33,859 out of its 411,000 students in K-12 public schools, according to data released Wednesday by the California Homeless Youth Project. The report states that 8.1 percent of the county’s students are homeless — more than double the statewide average of 4 percent. California accounts for more than one-fifth of all homeless public school students in the United States, according to the report from the California Homeless Youth Project, in partnership with the Lucile Packard Foundation of Children’s Health.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

WAUNAKEE WISCONSIN KIDS MAKE CARE PACKAGES FOR HOMELESS - KIDS OUTNUMBER ADULTS

CHANNEL 3000 - Children - CARE PACKAGES FOR HOMELESS - Waunakee Wisconsin  article by Matthew Simon  - go to link for video

FACEBOOK PEOPLE PAYING IT FORWARD

“I think it's so important we show our children how to be involved in the community, be thankful for the things they have and really pay it forward anytime they have to do so,” organizer Lisa Whiting said.

A few years ago Whiting’s daughter caught her throwing away travel shampoo, and came up with the idea of saving them and giving toiletries, food and warm clothing items to area homeless.
What started as a small, family pay-it-forward project for the last couple of years, grew into a large community affair this year. Whiting credits a simple Facebook post for the more than 230 care packages collected."

Monday, December 8, 2014

GLORIUS - ONE VOICE CHILDEN'S CHOIR



Though the LDS church has its own social services, yes, we have met homeless Latter Day Saints. 

Glorious is by David Archuleta from Meet the Mormons.

Saturday, December 6, 2014

ORANGE COUNTY - MERCY HOUSE COLD WEATHER SHELTER OPEN - SANTA ANA HOMELESS SHELTER BATTLE CONTINUES - RESIDENTS HOSTILE TO STEREOTYPE HOMELESS

VOICE OF ORANGE CO - BATTLE OVER SANTA ANA HOMELESS SHELTER CONTINUES

"The proposed site, near the Madison Park, Wilshire Squire, and Cornerstone Village neighborhoods, has drawn fierce opposition from residents who, along with school district officials, argue the shelter would be too close to an elementary school and put neighborhood children at risk.

Meanwhile, some county officials, as well as homeless advocates, say the proposed site is in a light industrial area and that the residents' concerns are unrealistic and rooted in bigoted stereotypes of homeless people...."

MERCY HOUSE COLD WEATHER SHELTER OPEN

2014 -2015 Armory Emergency Shelter Program

SHELTERS WILL OPEN AT BOTH ARMORIES ON  MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH, 2014

General Information 
 
Armory Emergency Shelter Info. (714)836-7188 ext. 131

Armory Locations:
Santa Ana Armory – 612 East Warner (Warner / Main)
Fullerton Armory – 400 South Brookhurst (Brookhurst / Valencia)
Bus Pick Up Locations:
(There will be pick-up at these sites on dark nights)
Fullerton
Pick Up #1 5:00PM
N. La Palma Park Way & Harbor, Anaheim
On North La Palma Park Way between Harbor and Homer (Northwest Side of Park)
Santa Ana
Pick-Up #1 5:00PM
Flower & Civic Center – near 6th Street, Santa Ana
Pick Up #2 5:30PM
1901 W. Walnut, Santa Ana
Dark Nights and Alternative Sites:
The National Guard Armories are not available for use a few nights per month. On these “dark nights,” clients will be sheltered at alternate sites.
 
For more information, please contact:
 
 
James Brooks at (714)836-7188 ext. 107 or jamesb@mercyhouse.net
Austin Drissen at (714)836-7188 ext. 105 or austind@mercyhouse.net

Thursday, December 4, 2014

NO WINTER HOMELESS SHELTER IN GLENDALE THIS YEAR (2014-2015)

LATIMES - NO HOMELESS SHELTER IN GLENDALE

Excerpt

"The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which funds the shelter program, didn't support another alternative — operating a smaller shelter at Ascencia's own access center, Komuro said.
The lack of winter shelter will have no impact on any of Ascencia's existing operations, which include providing housing and other support services for the homeless.

For more than a decade, a roughly 150-bed shelter was made available each year at the Glendale National Guard Armory on Colorado Boulevard.
But the influx of homeless drew complaints from patrons at the Glendale Central Library, the Adult Recreation Center and nearby retailers.

To minimize the impact, Glendale broke from the county program in 2011 and spent roughly $150,000 in combination with the city of Burbank to run a smaller shelter, which was limited to local transients."

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If you're reading this searching for a cold weather shelter, please see our recent post about those shelters funded by County of LA...http://lahsa.org/winter_shelter_program.asp

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK - POVERTY ACTIVISTS "HOUSING IS A HUMAN RIGHT"

LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK

The mission of the Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA CAN) is to help people dealing with poverty create and discover opportunities, while serving as a vehicle to ensure we have voice, power and an opinion in the decisions that are directly affecting us. 

Our overarching social change goals are to:
  • Organize and empower community residents to work collectively to change the relationships of power that affect our community.
  • Create an organization and organizing model that eradicate the race, class, gender barriers that are used to prevent communities from building true power.
  • Eliminate the multiple forms of violence used against and within our community to maintain status quo.
LA CAN maintains that Housing is a Human Right and has engaged in preserving and improving extremely low-income housing since our inception. Starting with the organizing of Residential Hotel tenants in Downtown LA, then expanding to Citywide and National campaigns to preserve public housing, LA CAN has educated and mobilized tenants to promote and defend the human right to housing.

LA CAN organizes housing committees in Downtown LA and South LA.  These committees identify pressing issues and develop campaigns to address them. We are also a core member of the Los Angeles Human Right to Housing Collective, focused on building a Citywide voice for extremely low-income tenants and homeless residents.

***************

If you are homeless, ever were homeless, or want to prevent homelessness, this may be the organization to join.

Friday, November 28, 2014

OUR "BLACK FRIDAY" PICKS - OPEN YOUR WALLET TO THESE CHARITIES NOW!

The haves will be out spending their money today - mostly buying Christmas presents - so we are giving you a list of charities that we recommend who help the have-nots.  This short list is based on what people are saying on the street, our own experiences, as well as a good look at the number of hits various posts have gotten over the last year.  We know that if a homeless person is in need they may use this blog to find services they might be able to access.

HERE IS OUR LIST OF NON PROFITS THAT WE THINK DESERVE A DONATION:

http://sanfernandovalleyrescuemission.org/index.php/en/  SHOWER TRUCKS - SAN FERNANDO VALLEY RESCUE MISSION and rebuilding since fire.  Small family shelter.  Shower Trucks for anyone who can meet up with one.  We've met a number of people who depend on these showers to not just smell good but preserve their dignity while out among people.

http://mendpoverty.org/about-us/who-we-are/  M.E.N.D.  Meeting Each Need with Dignity.
Showers, clothes, hot meal, groceries, bus tokens on Tuesday AM for Homeless.  Takes no government funds.  Our experience is that they really do treat homeless with Dignity.

http://graceresources.org/LancasterCommunityShelter.asp  LANCASTER COMMUNITY SHELTER RUN BY GRACE RESOURCES.  Or other charities in the area that help the homeless.  The Antelope Valley has 12-13% of the homeless in Los Angeles County but only gets a small percentage of the funding from governmental agencies. Therefore Vice Mayor Crist this year started begging for funds.  If you're wondering where homeless people go when they don't want to go to skid row and have been "moved along" from various places in the county, it's north to the high desert, where you can freeze to death at night.

http://projecttouchonline.com/  PROJECT TOUCH TEMECULA  347 hits to our post in the last 12 months, we know that Riverside County homeless are looking for help through this organization. 

http://www.ascenciaca.org/  ASCENCIA
Since our original post in March 2012 on Ascencia, which separated from P.A.T.H and takes on Glendale, Burbank, North Hollywood, and Pasadena homeless, there have been over 1600 hits on Ascencia.  We think they are overburdened, do too much intake for the numbers of people they can help.  Donating may make those numbers more even.

AS ALWAYS READ "ASK THE SHELTER" which is on our PAGES part of the sidebar.  These are questions a person should ask who wants to go into a shelter, questions no intake person or management of a shelter should be shy about answering, and questions you as someone who wants to donate should ask have the answers to.

In some parts of the country the ONLY help homeless can receive is through religious organizations that may push a Biblical agenda, despite that person's religion of heritage or choice.

MAY WE SUGGEST THAT YOU "PAY IT FORWARD" by simply giving some money away, perhaps to someone you know or see around who is in need?  Be the secret elf who hands over an envelope of cash or a bag of your own gently worn clothes.  If you're shy about wanting a person to know the money is from you, hand it over saying someone else asked you to, and walk away.

T H A N K S!

Sunday, November 23, 2014

ONE CHILD IN 30 IN AMERICA IS HOMELESS - TWO AND A HALF MILLION EASY

NBC NEWS ECONOMY : CHILDREN HOMELESS REPORT  So many families are living on the edge of poverty, that one little setback can push them into the abyss of homelessness... That's about 2.5 million kids, and an 8 percent increase to "an historic high," according to the study from the National Center on Family Homelesness. Just over half are younger than six years old.
“It is pretty alarming,” said center director Carmela DeCandia, who co-authored the report. “Poverty is really the driver,” she said. About 20 percent of American kids live below the poverty line, where even a small financial setback can have catastrophic consequences for a family.
 
check our other posts on NATIONAL CENTER ON FAMILY HOMELESS BY USING THE SEARCH FEATURE IN THIS GOOGLE BLOGGER

Thursday, November 20, 2014

HOMELESS NEWSPAPERS DIRECTORY - WHERE TO BUY - HOW TO SELL - WRITING and POETRY NEEDED

From the linked site above, a list of HOMELESS OPERATED NEWSPAPERS in the UNITED STATES

Community Connection - Los Angeles, California  (Community Action Network)

Forgotten Voice - Las Vegas, Nevada  (The voice of homeless people in Nevada.)

Denver Voice - Denver, Colorado  (For Everyone who calls Denver Home)

Homeward Street Journal - Sacramento, California  SOLD ON THE STREET We welcome any participation or contributions: Articles, poems and other writing can be submitted at our office in Friendship Park (1321 North C Street, Sacramento), or mailed to Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee., P.O. Box 952, Sacramento, CA 95812, or emailed to Homeward2@yahoo.com.

Real Change - Seattle  VENDOR PROGRAM - Seeking Op Ed's

Spare Change News - Boston   Providing Thoughts and Stories "HOMELESS EMPOWERMENT"

Street Roots - Portland, Oregon  (For Those who Cannot Afford Free Speech)

Street Sense - Washington, DC  (Elevates Voices on Poverty Issues)

Street Speech - Columbus, Ohio  (Columbus Coalition for the Homeless)

Street Zine - Dallas, Texas  (The Stew Pot Serving Second Chances)

StreetWise - Chicago  (Empowering People To Work)

The Contributor - Nashville  (Genuine Opportunities for Advancement)


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Since posting our list in 2009 some publications have disappeared and some have gone online rather than be published on paper.  These links are fresh.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

HOW MUCH OF YOUR SSI - SSDI - SS CHECK DO YOU USE FOR FOOD? DO YOU USE FOOD BANKS? WHICH ONE?

HOW MUCH OF YOUR SSI - SSDI - SS CHECK DO YOU USE FOR FOOD?  DO YOU USE FOOD BANKS?  WHICH ONE?

We're experimenting with the Ap on the side bar which tells us where some of those who are reading EXPOSE HOMELESSNESS are using computers.  Although so far we see that this Ap is not close to keeping up with the stats that Google Blogger gives us, we see that a great number of hits have been for our post about CALIFORNIA RESTAURANT MEALS PROGRAM, SNAP-EBT-FOODSTAMPS.

If you are on SSI -SSDI - or SS you do not get SNAP-EBT-FOODSTAMPS too.  That means that you have to use the money you have coming in for food.

We know of people who spend a lot of their week going on the bus from one food bank to another to get enough food free that they can eat and pay for a room for rent too.  Carrying the food in roll carts and suitcases on the bus is difficult.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

FORT LAUDERDALE CRIMINALIZES CHRISTIANITY - 3 ARRESTED FOR FEEDING THE HOMELESS - SHAME ON FORT LAUDERDALE!

ABC 7 - 90 YEAR OLD CHARGED FOR FEEDING HOMELESS PEOPLE

EXCERPT:

Abbott and two pastors in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were charged for feeding the homeless in public on Sunday, the city's first crackdowns under a new ordinance banning public food sharing, CNN affiliate WPLG reported.

Now they face possible jail time and a $500 fine, WPLG said.

Despite some criticism from homeless advocates, city officials have vowed the new rules will be enforced.

"Just because of media attention we don't stop enforcing the law. We enforce the laws here in Fort Lauderdale," Mayor Jack Seiler told WPLG.

He defended the law in an interview with the Sun-Sentinel newspaper.

"I'm not satisfied with having a cycle of homeless in the city of Fort Lauderdale," Seiler said. "Providing them with a meal and keeping them in that cycle on the street is not productive."

(HEY SEILER WHERE DO YOU PLAN TO SEND THESE PEOPLE?)

But Abbott, who has been helping feed homeless people in the area through his Love Thy Neighbor nonprofit since 1991, said authorities are targeting the city's most vulnerable residents.

"These are the poorest of the poor. They have nothing. They don't have a roof over their head," he said. "Who can turn them away?"

Recently, the city has also passed an ordinance limiting the storage of personal property in public, WPLG said. Then came the restrictions for food sharing.

"The city passed an ordinance requiring us to have a Porta-Potty. It's ridiculous. The whole thing was designed to rid Fort Lauderdale of its homeless," Abbott said. "Police told me anyone who touches a pan ... anyone who is involved, will be arrested."

It's a battle Abbott has fought before. In 1999 he sued the city for banning him from feeding homeless people on the beach -- and won, according to WPLG.

ANOTHER ARTICLE

ABC NEWS - 3 CHARGED WITH FEEDING HOMELESS IN FORT LAUDERDALE

EXCERPT:

Police arrested homeless advocate Arnold Abbot and ministers Dwayne Black and Mark Sims on Sunday as they handed out food to homeless people in a Fort Lauderdale park. The city ordinance took effect Friday...Black pastors The Sanctuary Church in Fort Lauderdale. Sims is pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church in Coral Springs.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

CAN A HOMELESS PERSON BE THROWN OUT OF A SYNAGOG?

CHABAD ORG GIVES A GOOD JEWISH ANSWER  Web site and full article.


"The solution is quite simple: Provide Joe a place, either in the shul or elsewhere, to store his things. Find other ways that he can be helped without embarrassment.

When parents bring their children to shul, and the children ask what the Torah is talking about, what does the prophet mean, they can introduce their children to Joe. They can show how the shul helps him out, without embarrassing him, as a peer and a friend—because we are Jews, and this is what we were chosen to teach the world.

And when they ask, “Where is the most special place in our shul?” you can tell them: it is not the seat where the rabbi sits; it is not the bimah where the Torah is read; it is not even the aron that stores the Torah—even though the Torah is very holy and guides us in all our ways. The most special place in our shul is the little cubby we gave to Joe to store his things.

King David said in his Psalms, “Let the world sit before G‑d.” The Midrash tells that he was complaining to G‑d. “Why did You create inequality in the world?” he said. “Why did You make some poor and some rich, some wise and some dull, some joyful and some sad? Make a world in which all are equal!”

And G‑d replied with the second half of the verse: “Who, then, will guard kindness and truth?”

Monday, November 10, 2014

VETNET - AN OPPORTUNITY FOR VETERANS TO TRANSITION INTO CIVILIAN LIFE WITH JOBS



If you go to YOUTUBE and run the word search for "vetnet" you will find a number of informational videos.  This is the basic intro but there are many others.  We first heard of this VETERAN'S OPPORTUNITY reading Los Angeles magazine.  The purpose is to help recent veterans transition back to civilian life.

Saturday, November 8, 2014

ZEV YAROSLAVSKY OUTLINES THE ALTERNATIVE SENTENCING PROGRAM THAT DIVERTS MENTALLY ILL HOMELESS FROM JAIL

VCSTAR - LOS ANGELES TO DIVERT MENTALLY ILL HOMELESS FROM JAIL full article

"That cycle so familiar to many Californians with mental illnesses may soon be interrupted thanks to the new Third District Diversion and Alternative Sentencing Program in Los Angeles County.
Designed for adults who are chronically homeless, seriously mentally ill, and who commit specific misdemeanor and low-level felony crimes, the demonstration project could help reduce recidivism by as much as two-thirds, Third District Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said..."Clearly, treating mental illness in jail does not produce the best results," Yaroslavsky said. "At present we put offenders into the mental health unit of the jail -- it's the largest mental health facility in the state. We provide mental health treatment and custodial care for approximately 3,500 people each day."


"The program will divert adults from the traditional fines, probation and incarceration typically imposed, and instead place them on a path to secure permanent, supportive housing and treatment, the MOU says.

Up to 50 adults -- including as many as 20 U.S. military veterans -- who elect to participate in the program will be released to San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center. The diversion program provides bridge and permanent supportive housing, health and mental health care, group and individual treatment and support, and employment and vocational services, said Yaroslavsky.

Misdemeanor offenders will receive a post-filing of criminal charges option and the pre-plea diversion program. Once they've completed the 90-day program, they can continue to earn permanent, supportive housing, as well as have charges against them dismissed. For felons who successfully complete the program, the court will consider whether to terminate probation early and or dismiss the case. The program for felons runs at least 18 months, and begins with a court order of 36 months of formal probation..."

Friday, November 7, 2014

STREET QUESTION - WHY AREN'T YOU IN A SHELTER?

We asked some homeless people WHY AREN"T YOU IN A SHELTER?

Here is what they said.

A, 50's, female, home base Northern California
"Shelters overall have a bad reputation.  I'm OK in my van."

B. 30's, male.
"I don't want some case manager ruling my life or minding my personal business."

C. 20's male.
"I like the people in my caravan.  We watch out for each other.  We're all good people.  I don't want to deal with criminals in shelters."

D. 50's male.  Ex heroin addict.
"A shelter kicked me out.  They didn't get me housing.  The same day they took in another guy and gave him my bed.  They're all scammers.  I'll never go to another one.  I'll make it."

E. 20's female.  Foster Child.
"I've been on a wait list for months.  I'll try it if they call me."

F. 50's female. home base,  Valley Village, California.
"I'm Jewish.  I'm not into all that Christian prayer and bible preaching.  I go to a Jewish food bank and I reach out for Jewish social services.  I just want to be me."

THANKS TO YOU WHO WERE WILLING TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION.

Monday, November 3, 2014

VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA HEAD START/STATE PRESCHOOL and SERVICES FOR SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN INC FREE MEALS

CALL 818 980 2287 FOR MORE Information  VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA

To enroll a child into a HEAD START/ STATE PRESCHOOL, several which are in North Hollywood, Sun Valley, and Tujunga areas of the San Fernando

VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA - NATIONAL LINK  extensive links to programs in many states including Veterans Programs

Saturday, November 1, 2014

HAVE YOU BEEN THROWN OUT OF A SHELTER BECAUSE YOU HAD OR NEED SURGERY?

We have heard about people being told that they have to leave a shelter if they need surgery, such as having a knee or ankle or shoulder or elbow fixed.  We can understand that if you have surgery that requires a nursing home like some back surgeries, but if the hospital is doing surgery on you and sending you "home" the same day or in a few days, why not back to the shelter?

We've met people who refused surgery they needed, hoping to get housing first, and the delay made it all worse.  One woman was told that her shoulder will never be the same again.  One man we know was told by the director of a local shelter he was not supposed to be using the shelter as a rehab.  Mostly what we hear is that some people get to stay and others don't/

SO HAVE YOU BEEN THROWN OUT OF A SHELTER BECAUSE YOU HAD OR NEED SURGERY?

Thursday, October 30, 2014

SETH CAMM - SAN ANTONIO ARTIST PORTRAITS OF HOPE

KSAT HOMELESS PORTRAITS TELL STORIES OF HOPE

Seth Camm has been painting portraits of homeless people for years and doing exhibits of the paintings. "For the past 12 years, he's dedicated himself and much of his career to painting America's homeless population and documenting their stories.

"I'm basically trying to make it possible that people can understand and relate a little bit more to people on the streets," said Camm..."




SETH's WB SITE ANARTGALLERY representing SETH CAMM

Seth Camm studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts where his talent burgeoned and was rewarded with a scholarship to study art and travel across Europe and the Netherlands. While in Norway, Seth studied under one of the most important living masters, Odd Nedrum. 
Seth Camm is fascinated by people, and has drawn extensive media coverage for his artistic and philanthropic work with the homeless. His Trinity University exhibition, “Misplaced Hopes and Shattered Dreams, grabbed people’s attention and esteem.

OLD 2010 VIDEO FROM HAVEN OF HOPE mentioned in the article
HAVEN OF HOPE ORG - SAN ANTONIO TEXAS   link to organization

Monday, October 27, 2014

Sunday, October 26, 2014

FASCISTS - CITY OF LA - LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY - IN NORTH HOLLYWOOD PARK - WORD ON THE STREET

FROM URBAN DICTIONARY

FASCIST

2. A lesser authority (corporation, mayor, cop, boss, parent) who legally issues harsh, burdensome, micro-managing, insensitive, or uncaring orders -- especially when they know, or should know, that their goals can be accomplished with more autonomy and much less hardship or distress.

WE'VE BEEN HEARING A LOT FROM THE FOLKS IN THE AREA WHO ARE VERY UPSET ABOUT WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING IN THE PARK.

WORD ON THE STREET - Magnolia and Tujunga - North Hollywood

Earlier this month, the two metal benches that have been for years at the Amelia Earhart statue have been removed because homeless were sleeping on them.  Well, senior citizens and many other people were sitting on them to have conversations, eat their lunch, or rest from dog walking.  THE  PARK SURROUNDING THE NORTH HOLLYWOOD LIBRARY AND SENIOR CENTER AND THE PARK ACROSS THE STREET ARE BOTH IN DIRE NEED OF SEATING.  THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR, if you have to sit, sit on the grass (which much of has turned to dirt because it hasn't been watered due to the drought.)  Some people can barely get up off the ground.

For years the FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH in the area has provided a Sunday picnic lunch EVERY SECOND SUNDAY of the month as part of their Christian outreach in the park.  (If anyone knows the name of the people who head up this effort please let us know.)  They serve between 25 and 50 people.

As we hear it LAPD showed up and closely FILMED THE LINE UP OF PEOPLE STANDING THERE WAITING TO EAT!   AND EXACTLY WHAT DID THEY DO WITH THE FILM? 

Not only that but Angel Hanz for the Homeless and their Pets, a non profit we support in posts and links to this blog, also has been providing supplies and information to the local homeless in the park area.  NOW THE PARK TABLES AND BENCHES that were used to put out food and where people sat and gathered have been removed.  THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR - GO FEED PEOPLE SOMEWHERE ELSE or LET THEM SIT ON THE GROUND TO SERVE AND TO EAT.

We are also hearing that THE NORTH HOLLYWOOD LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY librarians have been calling LAPD repeatedly to remove anyone they consider "intimidating" including people with disabilities.  We hear that the head librarian at this branch has gone to CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS AND THAT THE NORTH HOLLYWOOD CITY COUNCIL SUPPORTS HER EFFORT TO CLEAR THE LIBRARY AREA OF HOMELESS by repeatedly calling LADP.

TO US THIS IS A MISUSE OF THE LAPD'S RESOURCES and SHE IS CAUSING HOMELESS PEOPLE TO BE CRIMINALIZED NEEDLESSLY BECAUSE SHE CAN'T COPE WITH THE LOCAL PEOPLE WHO USE THAT BRANCH - maybe a transfer to another branch would be a good idea! 

THE NORTH HOLLYWOOD CITY COUNCIL welcomed big developers into the area and much affordable housing was torn down and not replaced with affordable housing units in the area.  A number of the NORTH HOLLYWOOD HOMELESS are people who've been displaced due to tear downs of their housing and small business locations including businesses along Magnolia Blvd that planners want to turn into restaurant row.  Since the RedLine has it's end point at North Hollywood people from all over the city and not just money spending tourists have come to the area.  We know there is more real crime than ever around that hub of public transportation and WE DON'T MEAN THE CRIME OF DESPERATE POVERTY.

SHAME ON NORTH HOLLYWOOD CITY COUNCIL, NORTH HOLLYWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY!

LAPL NORTH HOLLYWOOD BRANCH - link and send your opinion to LAPL
If a head librarian and her staff can't cope with people who are disabled should they work at this branch?

LA CITY PAUL KREKORIAN COUNCIL DISTRICT 2 inc NORTH HOLLYWOOD
Is Paul Krekorian and the City Council supporting the ETHNIC CLEANSING OF POOR PEOPLE FROM NORTH HOLLYWOOD?

FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH - SPONSORS NOHO FEED
Does this church need a lawyer to make sure they can continue to feed homeless in the park?

ANGLEHANZ for THE HOMELESS

Friday, October 24, 2014

SRO HOUSING CORP CELEBRATES 30 YEARS PROVIDING HOUSING - ANITA NELSON CEO SAYS THEY'VE HOUSED 2300 and HAVE A WAITING LIST OF 500

SRO HOUSING ORG.

Social Services Information Desk(213) 620-7146
9:00 - 11:00 AM



Anita Nelson, CEO... They buy and rehab old buildings around skid row... have rehabbed 30 buildings.  2300 people live in one of their buildings.  They hire from the community and have a wait list of 500 people.  The room in this video looks pretty good!  Emergency, Transitional, and Permanent Housing.


Wednesday, October 22, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO VETERANS HOMELESS OUTREACH - BART STATION - ENDING CRIMINALIZATION OF HOMELESSNESS - THE ROLL OF COURTS AND ADVOCATES



THIS VIDEO IS OVER AN HOUR. It's interesting and important.

FROM YOUTUBE :  THIS VIDEO WAS Published on May 21, 2014
ENDING THE CRIMINALIZATION OF HOMELESSNESS:
THE ROLE OF COURTS, LAWYERS AND ADVOCATES
San Francisco, CA
April 25, 2014

Program materials can be accessed at:

AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION - POVERTY - HOMELESSNESS - EVENTS

Welcome, Introductions and Framing Questions
Hon. Gordon Baranco, Superior Court of Alameda County, CA

It Takes a BIG Village: The Success behind the VA's Homeless Veterans Outreach Initiative

In 2009, President Barack Obama and VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki announced the goal of ending Veteran homelessness by the end of 2015. Since 2009, the number of Veterans who are homeless has dropped by 17.2 percent. Together with partners and supporters nationwide, the VA Homeless Veterans Outreach Initiative has facilitated the establishment of a comprehensive, inter-disciplinary and highly effective network of programs addressing the myriad barriers to ending homelessness among veterans. The network includes outreach initiatives, housing, income supports, medical and mental healthcare, education, job training, reentry planning and other critically needed services. The network also includes the Veterans Justice Outreach Program which seeks to prevent the unnecessary criminalization of mental illness and extended incarceration among veterans. As a result of VA leadership, the legal community across the country has joined
together to create not only Veterans Treatment Courts, but a variety of pro bono and specialty programs aimed at addressing the civil and criminal legal issues facing veterans. The panelists will discuss why this comprehensive network has succeeded in ending homelessness among significant numbers of veterans at a time when homelessness among individuals and families continues to increase.

Moderator:
Paul Freese, JD, Vice President, Public Counsel, Los Angeles, CA; Special Advisor on Homeless Veterans, ABA Commission on Homelessness & Poverty

Speakers:

Suzanne Will, JD, Regional Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs, San Francisco, CA

Joel Rosenthal, PhD, National Training Director, VA Veterans Justice Programs

Monday, October 20, 2014

MIDNIGHT MISSION - SKID ROW LOS ANGELES CELEBRATES 100 YEARS IN SERVICE - COURTYARD OUTREACH

MIDNIGHT MISSION ORG OFFICIAL WEB SITE   lots to read.  Here is some of it.

"Get Help

When you or a family member is struggling with drug addiction, sobriety can seem like an impossible goal. But recovery is never out of reach, no matter how hopeless the situation seems. Change is possible with the right treatment and support, and by addressing the root cause of your addiction. Don’t give up—even if you’ve tried and failed before. The road to recovery often involves bumps, pitfalls, and setbacks. But by examining the problem and thinking about change, you’re already on your way.

If you or someone you care for is dependent on alcohol or drugs and needs treatment, it is important to know that no single treatment approach is appropriate for all individuals. Finding the right treatment program involves careful consideration of such things as the setting, length of care, philosophical approach and your or your loved one’s needs.

During The Midnight’s 100 years of service we have helped thousands of individuals and their families rebuild their lives.  Our impact has stretched across the country and across the globe.  Many of our alumnus live successful, productive and self sufficient lives within our communities."

"Courtyard Outreach

The Courtyard Outreach Program is a unique form of outreach for the Skid Row community. Our outdoor courtyard is open to anyone during the day and is a safe place to sleep in at night for those who are resistant to the idea of shelters. The overarching program helps break the cycle of homelessness by identifying the most vulnerable individuals in our courtyard and creating a bridge to our life-saving services. Our courtyard is a safe, monitored outdoor space specifically for homeless individuals.
 
The courtyard team performs a subtle form of engagement in order to connect with our homeless guests, many of whom experience the reluctance of accepting help or shelter that comes with chronic homelessness. The guiding idea is to gradually move individuals into services over time through regular daily engagement. The use of EDARs,  a canvas tent-like structure on wheels  has been instrumental in helping courtyard residents get a feel for having a roof over their head in a safe environment. With the program, we continue to establish trust, allowing us to provide services to those once thought of as unreachable.
 
During the course of a 90-day EDAR stay, Case Managers actively assess and monitor the courtyard guests’ needs and goals. Many of those who transition into EDARs ultimately access other social service programs, like addiction treatment, mental health care and permanent supportive housing."

Friday, October 17, 2014

NEW ORLEANS DOING GREYHOUND THERAPY - SENDING HOMELESS TO LOS ANGELES - THE WORD ON THE STREET

WORD ON THE STREET, especially in the North Hollywood and Metro Red Line (subway) Terminal area, is that NEW ORLEANS has been doing GREYHOUND THERAPY, providing one way tickets to homeless to Los Angeles who get off at the North Hollywood Greyhound Station.

GREYHOUND THERAPY is the term used when a city sends its homeless problem to another town.  Currently there are actual lawsuits between cities over this issue.   At it's worst GREYHOUND THERAPY IS NOT JUST A ONE WAY TICKET TO ANOTHER CITY THAT TAKES THE PERSON AWAY FROM THEIR HOME BASE TO A PLACE WHERE THEY KNOW NO ONE (EXCEPT MAYBE THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO WERE SENT FORTH), DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO, OR HAVE ANY RESOURCES TO TURN TO.

Some of these homeless and mentally ill people are actually given a bad lunch and A ONE DAY SUPPPLY OF THEIR PSYCH MEDS!

Los Angeles and Southern California in general -  Santa Barbara County - Orange County - is a very expensive place to live with rents easily a thousand dollars a month for a single or one bedroom apartment, and though the weather here may be better than in the snow belt, in some parts you can die of the cold here too.  Winter in the beach areas and the high desert areas of Lancaster Palmdale can be very rough outdoors at night.

We've been told that a number of homeless people from New Orleans have been sent here and are now in the usual competition for shelters and other services and in line for government benefits.

One of the lawsuits is against Nevada, which allegedly sent 500 mental patients to San Francisco. 

SACRAMENTO BEE: NEVADA BUSES HUNDREDS OF MENTALLY ILL TO SF

"Since July 2008, Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital in Las Vegas has transported more than 1,500 patients to other cities via Greyhound bus, sending at least one person to every state in the continental United States, according to a Bee review of bus receipts kept by Nevada's mental health division.

About a third of those patients were dispatched to California, including more than 200 to Los Angeles County, about 70 to San Diego County and 19 to the city of Sacramento."

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/14/5340078/nevada-buses-hundreds-of-mentally.html#storylink=cpy

Saturday, October 11, 2014

IMPERIAL VALLEY FOOD BANK - MULTIPLE PROGRAMS INCLUDING $25 BOX OF FOOD

IMPERIAL VALLEY FOOD BANK - AN INDEPENDENT NON PROFIT - MULTIPLE PROGRAMS 

CalFresh Outreach
Nutrition Education
Community Gardens


Weekend Backpack Program

We partner with 35 schools in Imperial Valley to distribute close to 600 backpacks of food for children for the weekends.  Many students in the Imperial Valley qualify for free and reduced fee breakfasts and lunches, and may not know if they'll have food to eat over the weekend without the Backpack Program.  Please contact Cecilia (cecilia@ivfoodbank.org), 760-370-0966 for more information.

Mobile Food Pantry

Thanks to a generous donation from the WalMart Foundation, we are able to bring food to the rural communities in our Valley.  We go to Winterhaven, Bombay, Ocotillo, Seeley, Calipatria, Niland, Westmorland, and the Salton Sea.  Please contact Cecilia (cecilia@ivfoodbank.org) or 760-370-0966 for more information.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

ROLLING STONE : 40 % OF HOMELESS YOUTH ARE GAY - HOMELESS GAY TEENS CAST OUT BY RELIGIOUS FAMILIES

EXCERPT: "Research done by San Francisco State University's Family Acceptance Project, which studies and works to prevent health and mental­health risks facing LGBT youth, empirically confirms what common sense would imply to be true: Highly religious parents are significantly more likely than their less-religious counterparts to reject their children for being gay – a finding that social-service workers believe goes a long way toward explaining why LGBT people make up roughly five percent of the youth population overall, but an estimated 40 percent of the homeless-youth population. The Center for American Progress has reported that there are between 320,000 and 400,000 homeless LGBT youths in the United States."

Read more: ROLLING STONE - HOMELESS GAY TEENS CAST OUT BY RELIGIOUS FAMILIES

Excerpt: "The summer that marriage equality passed in New York, we saw the number of homeless kids looking for shelter go up 40 percent," says Carl Siciliano, founder of the Ali Forney Center, the nation's largest organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth. ... Siciliano was working at a housing program for the homeless in the Nineties when he noticed that his clientele was getting younger and younger. Until then, he says, "you almost never saw kids. It was Vietnam vets, alcoholics and deinstitutionalized mentally ill people." But not only were more kids showing up, they were also disappearing. "Every couple of months one of our kids would get killed," Siciliano says. "And it would always be a gay kid." In 2002, he founded the Ali Forney Center, naming it after a homeless 22-year-old who'd been shot in the head on the street in Harlem, not far from where the organization's drop-in center currently resides. Siciliano had been close with Forney and felt that had he had a safe place to go, he might be alive today... Since founding the center, Siciliano, 49, has become one of the nation's most outspoken homeless advocates."

ALI FORNEY CENTER

Monday, October 6, 2014

EBOLA, ETC - KFI RADIO RADIO PERSONALITIES CONTINUE IGNORANCE about THE HOMELESS and POOR

Sunday night - Monday morning; that's THIS morning, listening to the powerful KFI RADIO Station, and what do we hear?  Bill Handle and his male sidekick this morning were talking about EBOLA, the frightening, killing disease that's left thousands dead in Africa and threatens to invade the United States next. We aren't hitting the panic button about EBOLA yet but we know that like drug resistant TB, and like HIV/AIDS, there are plenty of innocent people who can get this disease, which we are being told is NOT airborne (like most viruses that you can get by being in sneeze zone) but is through the exchange of bodily fluids...  which means sneezing in close range of someone's eyes or mouth, kissing, changing a diaper, and sex.  Close quarters such as sleeping next to sick people on cots in an armory shelter could be enough.  Many of us have gotten sick from virus and colds from sleeping near strangers in shelters.

We heard Bill handle call the HOMELESS MAN who was in the SAME AMBULANCE as the African tourist who is fighting for his life, a "Fruitcake" and his sidekick call the man a "Crazypants."  SO THIS IS THE KIND OF LANGUAGE USED ON MENTALLY ILL PEOPLE?  It was said to DISMISS THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT HOMELESS MAN'S LIFE.

Last night a newish female "personality" spent some time talking about beggars who are committing fraud to get you to give them money.  We know that some of these people are out there, collecting a few hundred a day begging and then going around the corner to the alley where they' ve parked their Cadillac.  This person played a tape of her friend's confrontation with the woman who he had sacrificed to give $3 a day to.  We feel for him too but THE MAJORITY OF HOMELESS BEGGARS ARE REAL PEOPLE who have run out of their EBT money for food already.  (We dare you to try to live on $5 a day food with no cooking or refrigeration!)

Besides these recent offenses, another of their regular male "personalities" who is selling some sort of retirement plan/investment is now saying "YOU WILL NOT HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO RETIRE.  YOU WILL HAVE TO LIVE IN YOUR CAR!"

Well, yes, we have met and know people who have LOST THEIR RETIREMENTS due to schemes (speaking of FRAUD), people who have lost their homes after many years of paying their mortgages because they couldn't come up with the taxes, and many people who once had spectacular resumes beginning with college but who are now in the park.

WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR KFI PERSONALITIES
TO SHOW MORE SENSITIVITY?

Saturday, October 4, 2014

WHY SHELTER NOISE CAN LOWER YOUR TEST SCORES AND RUIN YOUR HEALTH

"Both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization link noise pollution to high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, anxiety, poorer work habits, and lover grades at school.  Sleep is where the impact registers most.  Research shows that while a degree of habituation occurs with low decibel interruptions at night - was that a possum?  An earthquake? Whatever - we never get used to them completely.  Our heart rate spikes and REM falters even if we believe we're out cold.  The brain listens night and day.  Researchers studied a New York City school located a couple of hundred feet from an elevated subway track.  Every four and a half minutes a train passed by for 30 seconds at 89 dBs, roughly the level at which sustained exposure causes hearing loss. Student performance in classrooms facing the tracks was as much as 11 months behind that of students whose rooms faced away from the train.  Now think of the many L.A. schools you see beside freeways, here decibel levels can easily reach 65 and beyond.

From  Los Angeles Magazine, page 96, August 2014 edition.  Article "Sound Check" in Well Being column by David Hochman

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

NO SHELTER IN GLENDALE FOR 2014 - 2015 SEASON UPDATE GLENDALE WINTER HOMELESS SHELTER PLAN ? DEPENDENT ON ASCENCIA

UPDATE DEC 2014 - there is no armory shelter in Glendale for the winter 2014-2015 season.  Ascencia was not funded either.  Use our search feature to bring up shelter searches.

There is always 211, but they collect information on you, and may not refer you if they think you are "chronically homeless"  (6 months or more, or repetitive.)

GO TO OUR LINK FOR http://www.shelterlistings.org/  NATIONAL

BURBANK LEADER ARTICLE from 2012

So Glendale and Burbank want to lean heavily on the non-profit called Ascenia, the previously named PATH- Glendale, to deal with homeless.  We believe that every city should have it's own year round shelter so people who become homeless can stay in their own familiar surroundings




IF YOU GET TO THIS POST IN 2015 or thereafter you may find shelters by calling your local city or county hotlines for information.







ORANGE COUNTY'S FOOD BANKS and CHILD HUNGER in ONE OF THE RICHEST COUNTIES IN THE UNITED STATES

ORANGE COUNTY WEEKLY - FOOD INSECURITY IN ORANGE COUNTY by Matt Coker    

"What does Orange County have in common with Los Angeles, New York, Houston and Chicago? Well, besides whatever it is you filled in the blank, O to the C is among the top 10 counties or metropolitan areas in the entire United States where food insecurity is most rampant for those under the age of 18. Fortunately, our charitable types say there are things you can do to turn that sorry statistic around...."     

ORANGE COUNTY FOOD BANK  link

OC Food Bank
11870 Monarch St. Garden Grove, CA 92841
Phone: 714.897.6670

ONE IN FIVE CHILDREN IN ONE OF THE NATION'S RICHEST COUNTIES IS GOING HUNGRY!


SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK

Need food?
Email us at agency@feedoc.org or call 949-653-2900.

We will need your location in order to direct you to a nearby agency. 

Sunday, September 28, 2014

BEDBUG TRAP SO SIMPLE AND CHEAP THE PROFESSOR ON GILLIGAN'S ISLAND COULD HAVE RIGGED IT UP!

but it was invented by PHD types such as Phil Koehler, UF/IFAS urban entomology professor.

SCIENCE DAILY - $1 HOMEMADE BED BUG CATCHER INVENTED BY SCIENTISTS  full article

Here's how to make one:
• Cut four pieces of rough-surfaced tape. Each piece should be at least as long as the wall of smaller container is tall.
 
• Evenly space and firmly press the four pieces of tape vertically on the inside surface of the smaller container. The tape allows the bugs to escape the small container easily and fall into the space between the small and the large container wall, where they are trapped.
 
• Wrap tape around the exterior of the larger container from the base to its upper edge so the bedbugs can enter the trap easily.
 
• Glue the smaller container onto the center of the bottom of the larger container.
 
• The traps work best if you apply talc, including baby powder, to the space between the small and large container walls to make it harder for the bugs to escape. Many people use incorrect methods to treat bedbugs. Koehler advises against using flammable liquids, mothballs, treating mattresses with pesticides and using bug bombs.

Friday, September 26, 2014

DID YOU KNOW SHELTERS TAKE GOVERNMENT FUNDS SO YOU CAN LIVE WITH THREE TO FIVE OTHER PEOPLE IN A ROOM WITH BUNK BEDS?

If you have never lived in a homeless shelter, you may think that you're going to live in a room by yourself rather than in an open gym with people of both genders close together on cots, or in a shared room of cots, or in a small room with two or more bunk beds in it.

If homelessness were just a few days or even a few weeks of deprivation you might think of it like camping, but when months and years go by in these situations, when grown adults are close in together like that, tensions rise.

If you're heading for a homeless shelter this may be a big improvement from being in a sleeping bag on the street or park, but not for long.

If you are donating to a shelter you might want to ask how many people they have living there at any one time, what the rooms are like, if people sleep on beds, and how many people are in what sized room.

THE ANSWERS MAY SHOCK YOU!

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

SHELTERWISE MITERBOX HOMES are 150 SQUARE FEET EACH

SHELTERWISE OFFICIAL SITE - TINY HOMES   Derin Williams is the inventor.

ZILLOW BLOG ON TINY HOMES

"To make this possible, almost everything in The Miter Box serves a dual purpose. The kitchen has a hydraulic dining room table that converts into a bed, while a “wet bath” is designed as both a shower and lavatory with a flushing toilet.

These design choices make the house feel bigger, which is especially important in a space the size of some people’s closets.

“We are bombarded with buy, buy, buy,” Williams said. “If you limit your living space, you have to make smart decisions about what to fill it with.”

After visiting Africa with his wife and seeing how people live with less, Williams was inspired to design more space- and energy-efficient houses. To keep building costs down and make his designs portable, Williams’ tiny homes are also on wheels.

“People just keep asking us to put them on wheels,” he said."


*****

OUR QUESTION IS, does the design makes this house on wheels different than living in an RV when it comes to parking it and the police?

Sunday, September 21, 2014

HEY KFI "MOTEL KIDS" ARE HOMELESS KIDS! CATARINA'S CLUB FUNDRAISING NOW

hKFI640 BILL HANDEL - CATARINA CLUB INSPIRATION PASSES AWAY

Caterina's Club  - Bruno Serato
887 S. Anaheim Blvd.
Anaheim, CA 92805
thecaterinasclub.org
714-772-1381

CATERINA's CLUB ORG feeding 1000 motel kids a night in Orange County.

OK we've been listening to KFI and what is it that some of their "personalities" REFUSE TO SAY THAT MOTEL KIDS ARE HOMELESS KIDS?  Anyway, we blogged about Caterina's Club before and we want to give them a plug.  Now, we are hoping the menu has varied some from spaghetti...

**************************  NEW VIDEO DEC 2014


THE NONPROFIT IS NOW COMING UP WITH FIRST AND LAST DEPOSITE MONEY

Saturday, September 20, 2014

B-TAC IN NEED OF FINANCIAL AND FOOD DONATIONS - EXPANDING SPACE IN BURBANK

BURBANK TEMPORARY AID CENTER

Burbank Temporary Aid Center

1304 W. Burbank Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91506
Phone: (818) 848-2822
Fax: (818) 848-8280
General Email: info(at)theBTAC.org
Tax exempt ID #: 95-3309130

Open: Monday – Friday
9:00am – 12:00pm
1:30pm – 5:00pm
Closed Holidays

BTAC takes donations from individuals as well as stores and is always in need of personal care supplies as well as food.

BURBANK LEADER on EXPANSION OF BTAC    Executive Director Barbara Howell on expansion.  More elbow room, not more volunteers or employees.

"The agency serves dozens of households daily, providing about 45 lunches, 22 showers, nine loads of laundry, 25 grocery orders and six case-management sessions, said Barbara Howell, the agency’s chief executive officer.

Every morning before the center opens, a handful of people are usually waiting to shower, do laundry or pick up food, she added. The agency also provides gas and taxi vouchers as well as bus tokens."

Thursday, September 18, 2014

MILEY CYRUS FINDS HER CALLING - ADVOCATING FOR HOMELESS TEENS - JESSE HELT - MY FRIEND'S PLACE

HUFFPOST ON MILEY CYRUS - YOUTH HOMELESSNESS article

"It wasn't enough that Miley Cyrus' acceptance speech (or lack thereof) at last month's VMAs had nothing to do with music and everything to do with youth homelessness. Now, she's taken the critical issue to Facebook, engaging her more than 49 million fans regarding the crisis.

Cyrus had opted out of giving a speech at the Aug. 24 awards show, letting homeless 22-year-old and VMA date Jesse Helt take the mic instead. Helt accepted Cyrus' prize "on behalf of the 1.6 million runaways and homeless youth in the United States," and Cyrus seized the moment to help raise more than $200,000 for LA-based youth homeless shelter My Friend's Place within 24 hours, the New York Times reported.

But the star's commitment to young people like Helt didn't end with the event.

Last week, Cyrus used Facebook to fight back against the media's attention to Helt's troubles with the law, focusing instead on her Prizeo fundraising page collecting funds for My Friend's Place. Cyrus used the post to interact with fans who were touched by the singer's admirable mission..."

PRIZEO LINK TO MILEY'S CAMPAIGN FOR MY FRIENDS PLACE HOLLYWOOD


JESSE HELT said ...  Thank you all,  my name's Jess and I'm accepting this award on behalf of the 1.6 million runaways and homeless youth in the United States who are starving, lost, and scared for their lives right now.  I know this because I'm one of these people.  I've survived in shelters all over the city, I've cleaned your hotel rooms, I've been an extra in your movies...  Los Angeles Entertainment Capital has largest population of homeless youth ...  music industry will make over 7 billion dollars -- and outside this doors are 54000 human beings whole have no place to call home..."

MY FRIENDS PLACE LINK

Location:
5850 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028

Phone:
(323) 908-0011
1-888-YOUTH-50

Hours of Operation:
9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Monday through Friday

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

TAY DROP IN CENTER - AT RISK TEENS can HANG OUT AT VILLAGE TEEN CENTER NORTH HOLLYWOOD

THE VILLAGE TEEN CENTER

"In the past two years alone, we have served more than 3,000 children, adults and families in the San Fernando Valley and beyond.

In the past year, our Foster Care program placed more than 800 abused children and teens in loving foster-care homes. More than 600 at-risk and homeless youth accessed our Transition Age Youth (TAY) Drop-In Center. And some 400 children and teens graduate from our Mental Health program every year."

********
TV – Wii – Cyber Lounge – Outdoor Patio – Group Rooms – Kitchen – Showers – Laundry

TAY Drop-In Center   drop-in@thevillagefs

A Center for Transition Age Youth (TAY)
Empowering at-risk, foster, LGBTQ and homeless youth ages 14-24.
6801 Coldwater Canyon Avenue
North Hollywood, CA 91605
(located on the first floor of Valley Community Clinic…use rear entrance).

(818)755-8786 Main

THEY ARE WORKING ON:

TAY Emergency Shelter

shelter@thevillagefs

An Emergency Shelter for Transition Age Youth (TAY)
A safe place to stay for homeless youth ages 18-24.

*******

OK so we're telling a couple kids we know, one just graduated high school and has a job lined up and is sofa hoping, the other is 16 and locked out of his parent's apartment, so he's doing a lot of sitting in fast food restaurants, about this place.  It sounds good.  Like all our postings though, we would like reports about your true experiences dealing with this non-profit.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO BART STATIONS REFUGE FOR HOMELESS BEING TARGETED BY POLICE

SF GATE : CRACKDOWN ON HOMELESS IN BART STATIONS HEATING UP 
By Heather Knight
Some of the article

... "But boy, has that changed. The Coalition on Homelessness late last week released a video in which homeless people who sleep in BART stations are interviewed and talk about being roughed up and treated poorly just because they have nowhere else to go.

"We are facing an unprecedented housing crisis in San Francisco," reads the press release accompanying the video. "Mothers with their children are being forced to sleep at the Civic Center station while waiting six months for proper shelter. People are so desperate for a place to sleep, free of harassment, they are sneaking into elevator shafts and down train tunnels, literally risking their lives to get some rest."

(It's true, by the way, that homeless families are waiting many months for shelter. And that regular homeless shelters are 97 percent full each night. And that a transient was crushed to death in an elevator shaft at the Montgomery Street BART Station last year.)

Jennifer Friedenbach, director of the coalition, and Public Defender Jeff Adachi say BART police are misreading a section of the state penal code. It applies to public transit systems throughout California and states that people are subject to imprisonment for "willfully blocking the free movement of another person in a system facility or vehicle."

Adachi said most of the arrests are happening because people are lying or sitting against a wall in a 20-foot wide hallway or wide-open plaza, which he maintains hardly constitutes an obstruction. They're not lying at the bottom of escalators or sprawled across narrow passageways, he said...."

Friday, September 12, 2014

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO CALL FOOD BANKS - ASK ABOUT THEIR HOMELESS POLICIES

We have a list of about 20 FOOD BANKS and would like some volunteers to call them.  We prefer that you use your own cell or other phone and we have a list of questions for each of them.  Would you like to help us so we can report on what these food bank's have to offer the homeless?

Some food banks have more to offer the homeless than others.

If so, please leave a COMMENT with your e-mail address.  One of us will e-mail you about this little project.  We do not publish these comments so your name and e-mail address will not be seen by the world.

THANKS!

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

SAN BERNARDINO NEW HOMELESS PROGRAM - H.O.P.E. THROUGH SHERIFFS

HESPARIA STAR - SAN BERNARDO HOMELESS PROGRAM

"Help for the homeless will be the topic at the High Desert Resource Network (a program of the Academy for Grassroots Organizations) from 9 to 11 a.m. Sept. 4, at the Desert/Mountain Educational Service Center, 17800 Highway 18 in Apple Valley.The H.O.P.E. (Homeless Outreach and Proactive Enforcement) Team was created in January by San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon to address the quality of life issues for the homeless community in San Bernardino County. The four-person team goes into the homeless camps and attempts to connect the inhabitants with available resources throughout San Bernardino County. By networking with non-profit, faith-based and government entities the H.O.P.E. Team seeks to give incentives to the homeless population to break the cycle of incarceration or addiction by getting them back into mainstream society and on the road to success."

SBC COUNTY SHERRIFF CONTACT

Sunday, September 7, 2014

NATIONAL ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS REPORTS ON FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA'S SPEECH

NATIONAL ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS  First Lady Michelle Obama recently spoke on ending Veteran's homelessness.  Plus lots of other articles on policies, action, and other things that effect YOU as a homeless person. 


CLICK ON THAT LINK - UPDATED JANUARY 2016!


http://www.endhomelessness.org/

Friday, September 5, 2014

OC REGISTER - ANAHEIM, COSTA MESA, FULLERTON - WHAT THEY ARE DOING ABOUT HOMELESSNESS

OC REGISTER - HUNTINGDON BEACH HOMELESS  Full article includes the following:

Anaheim: The Anaheim Police Department formed a Homeless Outreach Team to help the homeless find shelter or work.

The city is also partnering with Mercy House to hold belongings for up to a week while the homeless look for jobs and find a temporary place or permanent home to stay in.
The city reports there are 447 homeless people in the city during the day. Police field more than 4,400 calls for service related to homeless people.

Costa Mesa: City leaders are working to find a way to house the homeless.
City officials had earmarked Civic Center Park for a 50-unit apartment complex for transients. But council members backed off from the project earlier this year, saying the decision to build a housing project there was rushed.

The city is studying other options for sheltering the homeless that include converting a motel, building a new project or buying various apartments in the city and subsidizing rent.
Since 2009, volunteers and students from Vanguard University each year count the people sleeping on the street for a homeless census. In the most recent count in October, volunteers said there were 109 people with a margin of plus or minus five. There are typically about 120 people who sleep on Costa Mesa's streets, according to the city.

Fullerton: The Police Department in 2013 launched an effort to catalog the estimated 200 people who call the city streets home in Fullerton.

The work included identifying each person, photographing them and recording next-of-kin and health information to create a database police officers could tap into.

City officials are also working on a plan to provide year-round shelters for the homeless, which would decrease the number of people on the streets. The county agreed to put up about $3.1 million for the shelter.

A plan to convert a furniture store into an emergency shelter was protested by residents and eventually rejected by the City Council in June.

Residents opposed to the shelter said they were concerned about how close it was to a local elementary school.

City officials have not yet set their sights on an alternative plan for the shelter.

Santa Ana: City Council members in August approved a city rule that allows emergency shelters in industrial zones. The new ordinance allows for some shelters to expand to up to 75 beds, which was a provision added to accommodate the rebuilding of the Salvation Army Hospitality House.

A 2011 study said an estimated 1,388 homeless live in Santa Ana and about 1,060 of them need shelter.

Sources: Articles from Register staff writers Art Marroquin, Antonie Boessenkool and Lou Ponsi and Register archives

County's 10-year plan

The county in 2012 launched a 10-year plan to end homelessness, a complex mission that includes finding ways to provide housing and emergency shelters as well as implementing prevention measures.

The plan involves representatives from nearly 20 organizations, including nonprofits, advocacy groups and government agencies.

These representatives are planning projects and securing funding to meet their goals.

Development of the plan was handed down by an initiative of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which persuaded cities and counties to create comprehensive plans to target the issue.

The county is currently in phase three of its 10-year plan to end homelessness.

This phase is expected to conclude in 2015.

Here's the work that's being done now:

Establish year-round emergency centers: The county in 2013 identified $4.5 million in funding that could help develop year-round emergency shelters and multi-service centers in Orange County.
The Board of Supervisors in January 2013 also approved $3.2 million in funding for an emergency shelter in Fullerton, but the site was not approved by the City Council.

The county is looking to find space for emergency shelters and service centers in Anaheim, Fullerton and Santa Ana.

Strengthen transitional housing: OC Community Services and representatives from the county's HUD office in July analyzed how resources could be used differently to provide transitional housing.

Implement prevention strategies: Continue to develop list of resource centers for the homeless and earmark funding of homeless prevention.

Implement rapid re-housing strategies: This provides financial assistance to those living in transitional housing to get them back into their own place. More than $3 million in various grant funds in 2013 went toward these programs.