JACQUELINE DOWD - THE 13the JUROR - HOMELESS AND POVERTY ACTIVIST - ORLANDO FLORIDA - IDIGINITY HELPS HOMELESS GET A PICTURE ID

We learned about Jacqueline and the 13th Juror blog through one of our other homeless /poverty activist writers. Those of you who have a little extra money may want to donate: Help support IDIGNITY! People without photo ID have difficulty accessing the critical services and benefits that help move people off the streets and out of poverty. Help us eliminate the barriers that are forcing people to live on the streets. Make a donation that will help one person – or 10 – get the photo ID that will enable them to access critical, life-sustaining services.

LEGAL ADVOCACY AT WORK is a registered Florida non-profit corporation that provides legal services to homeless people.

SUNLAND HOMELESS FACING GENOCIDE BY THE LIKES OF CITY COUNCIL MEMBER BOWLING : HOMELESS DECREASING REAL ESTATE VALUES

That's our take on this article that hit the front page of the DAILY NEWS, this morning, with the title 'Homeless Descend on Sunland Park as Crackdowns Shuffle Transients From Place to Place.' Written by journalist Susan Abram who has the homeless beat over at the Daily News, who you can contact if you'd like to testify to the reality of living at Los Angeles Family Housing shelter, where people have been known to live for many years, all the time under the threat of being kicked out, before they get housing. We'd also like the reader to read our other posts, including the scandle at Palo Verde apartments in Sun Valley, to get a more well rounded story than the one linked to here.

LMFAO - I"M SEXY AND I'M HOMELESS - X RATED ?

We saw those garbage bag underpants in Vogue! Seriously, this video is going to upset some of you, but then you know you can leave comments on it over at YouTube! We can't take ourselves so seriously all the time, can we?

FBI ROUND UP FREES 77 TEEN GIRLS and 2 TEEN BOYS IN FORCED PROSTITUTION

"Seventy-nine teenagers held against their will and forced into prostitution were rescued at hotels, truck stops and storefronts in a three-day sweep of sex-trafficking rings across the United States, law enforcement officials said on Monday.

The FBI said 104 alleged pimps were arrested during sting operations in 57 U.S. cities including Atlanta, Sacramento, and Toledo, Ohio. The operation lasted between Thursday and Saturday and involved state and local authorities as well as the FBI.

The teenagers, aged from 13 to 17 years old, were being held in custody until they could be placed with child welfare organizations. They were all U.S. citizens and included 77 girls and two boys, the FBI said."

YOUR FRIEND JUST MADE A DESPERATE CALL TO YOU -SHE MAY BECOME HOMELESS - HOW DO YOU RESPOND?

You've known your friend for some time, a few or many many years,
and have seen each other through ups and downs.
Somehow you always pulled through.
But now you get the call, a desperate call. Your friend is reaching
out, in need of help, on the way down to homeless, or calling to say she just
became homeless. She may be your next door neighbor with an eviction taped on her door, someone you knew since high school who has been self supporting for years, the person who babysat your children, the person who has visited you at your senior living center... anyone...

She may be calling on a cell phone that she won't be able afford
too much longer, from a shelter or program (some are cult-like and have black out
periods when a new resident is not allowed to communicate with the outside
world). She may be at a pay phone with her last quarter or at a friend's house where she can stay only a few days.

WHAT CAN YOU SAY OR DO?

Even if you're dead broke and can't take your friend in, PLEASE DO
NOT DESERT YOUR FRIEND. Let her know she still has your friendship even if
honestly you are in no position to take her in.

Encourage her to call, be willing to take her collect calls, be
willing to e-mail with her. YOUR CONTACT WITH HER IS VITAL TO HER SURVIVAL AND HER SUCCESS in making it out of homelessness.

Even being willing to accept her mail is a big help. Being willing
to store some of her precious possessions is a big help. So many homeless have
lost their family photos, their college diplomas, and their clothes. Why do you think there are so many homeless in libraries around this country checking e-mail when they don't have the clothes to interview for a decent job?

Here are some small things you can do: Even if she's staying at a
shelter. Take her out for coffee or have her over for a meal or let her stay for a
weekend once in a while. Offer to let her recieve mail at your address.

Make phone calls to programs to get basic information for her or
with her.

Or simply LISTEN!

The stories of homeless making the last call to the best friend they (thought they) had are endless. One of our friends was told by her best friend of 16 years "I don't want to be involved with your ilk." What ilk did she mean as our friend personally has no criminal background or substance abuse problems. She simply was over 50 and couldn't find a job. As a few homeless witches say "A pox on you!"

SAN FRANCISCO PAIRS PUPPIES WITH PANHANDLERS - WOOF - WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES FOR OCCUPANTS AND FIDOS

Part of the article we're linking to.

"A new program in San Francisco will pair carefully selected dogs from shelters with panhandlers in an effort to steer the latter away from asking for money on the streets and keep the animals from being euthanized.

The temporary guardians (the words "pet" and "owner" are frowned upon in San Francisco) will receive weekly stipends of $50 to $75 and must agree to jettison their cardboard signs in the pilot project believed to be the first of its kind in the country.

The program, scheduled to start in August, is called WOOF, short for Wonderful Opportunities for Occupants and Fidos. The animals will eventually be placed in permanent homes."

FUNNY BUTTERFLY

Dover Free Use Sampler Image for nonprofit use.

MEREDITH MARY RAND wants to ORGANIZE A HOMELESS RALLY IN WASHINGTON DC.

A message from me, a formerly-homeless individual. I lived for 16 years in the outdoors.

The last three years I worked 9 hours a day, 7 days a week in order to save enough money to get myself a place to live.

Unfortunately, I tripped and broke my ankle, so badly I had to have surgery. The hospital refused to take out the nuts, bolts, plate and other stuff they had put in me, leaving me crippled and in a wheelchair.

Because I am an ordained minister and never, ever did drugs, was not mentally ill, but a normal, hard working individual, I was railroaded into a facility where I witnessed actual genocide being carried out on a euthanize ward!

There is absolutely no way out of being homeless, unless you cooperate with the authorities, slander yourself for their benefit, claim to do drugs or "hear voices". This leaves millions of Americans with NO HOPE WHATSOEVER, stranded outdoors BECAUSE YOU CAN'T LIVE IN A SHELTER WITHOUT BEING IN A TREATMENT PROGRAM. And once you accept a " treatment program" you become a PRISONER FOREVER!!!

Living outdoors forces a person to go without sanitation, to sleep in life-threatening conditions: cold, snow, rain, heat, and etc. Because of the deliberate forcing of the homeless to accept treatment programs, or die, I believe we are in a situation of deliberate genocide BY OUR GOVERNMENT here in the United States.

This travesty included TORTURE of myself by the hospital that falsely claimed I was "imagining my pain" so they denied me pain killers. I suffered two years of agony at their hands, unable to expose their lies until I again twisted an ankle, and an x-ray revealed all the metal they had left inside of me!

I know for a fact that homeless individuals are being medically murdered here in our Nation's capital: Washington, DC I would love to organize a big rally here, but would need help, as I am still wheelchair bound.

Please e-mail me at MeredithMaryRand at gmail.com

OK Readers, Meredith Mary Rand posted a comment with her e-mail address and we think this is a comment worth repeating. Please contact her only if you're serious. Respect her by not spamming her. She's going to need some dedicated people to get her rally going. We have heard testimonials like this one before.

DO YOU HAVE SEX IN THE SHELTER THAT YOU LIVE IN?

Some of you are living in shelters and most shelters have a rule that men and woman cannot mix. You might be a married couple living apart in the shelter, men on one side, women on another. Or you might be interested in having sex, with a man or a woman, be it that you're straight or gay or whatever, and have to sneak to do it or go to a motel or in the bushes.

DO YOU HAVE SEX IN THE SHELTER THAT YOU LIVE IN?

MARY MAGDALENE PROJECT - FOR WOMEN WHO WANT OUT OF PROSTITUTION OR SEX TRAFFICING - OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE - ASKING FOR FIVE DOLLARS

"It’s a fact: everyone is stretching dollars these days. In the current economic climate, the Mary Magdalene Project (MMP) recognizes that many people are no longer able to donate to every worthwhile organization seeking funds. This is why MMP is launching a new $5 campaign called “Five Could Change A Life”.

The Mary Magdalene Project, a nonprofit organization established in 1980, has given women who have been victimized by domestic trafficking and street prostitution the opportunity to turn their lives around and permanently exit the life. Through an intensive and comprehensive program, the women face, cope with and then overcome the many obstacles that life has dealt them.

New relationships are formed, skills and strengths are discovered.
Mary Magdalene Project programs and services include Hayman House Residential Treatment Program, Drop-In-Center, Transitional Living Program, Family Reunification Program, Emergency Intervention Support Services

RIVERSIDE COUNTY CALIFORNIA HOMELESS SERVICES AND OPTIONS

Linked here.

Currently Homeless in Riverside?If you are currently experiencing homelessness in Riverside and are in need of assistance or know someone in need of assistance with a homeless situation, please contact the :City of Riverside

HOMELESS STREET OUTREACH TEAM at 951-826-2200
PATH OF LIFE RIVERSIDE EMERGENCY SHELTER at 951-683-4101.
PATH OF LIFE RIVERSIDE FAMILY SHELTER at 951-275-8755

DAWN LOGGINS - HOMELESS STUDENT TO STUDY AT HARVARD

The news that DAWN LOGGINS, who endured being evicted with her family many times. In various news articles we learned she studied by candlelight when the electric bill didn't get paid. She worked as a custodian at the high school she attended, was abandoned by her parents, sofa hopped. WE WANT TO CONGRADULATE DAWN who will never be any ordinary Harvard student. Her years of experience as a poor person in the United States of America have already formed her, in this case to somehow stay focused and succeed but we also hope that in her adult life she'll have a long memory and stand for the disadvantaged.

While we are always happy to hear of success stories, let us remind ourselves that for people living in pain success is making it through the day, or even the hour. FOr people who are stuck in a struggle for survival and scrounging their next meal, hunger is what informs their politics and their mentality. It's more common for homeless children to have difficulty with school because of their time out of school, moving school districts, or being kept as a outsider socially. We just posted the link to LA Unified School District Homeless programs. If that's you, try to stay in school.

LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT HOMELESS EDUCATION - YOU CAN STILL GO TO SCHOOL

Hector Madrigal, Director of Pupil Services
Melissa Schoonmaker, Coordinator Pupil Services and Attendance

LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
1430 South San Julian Street,
Building 7
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 765-2880

If your child, 2- 18 years old, is missing school because you live in a shelter or motel or in a car, or move frequently... Or YOU as a child live in an abandoned building, parked car, share housing with another family due to economic hardship, live in a trailer park or campsite, are abandoned at a hospital, are awaiting shelter, foster care, are migratory, runway, or abandoned. YES YOU CAN STILL GO TO SCHOOL. LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL HELP.

You still have rights. You do not need to wait for your academic or health records to arrive. You can go to preschool. You can go to a magnet program. You will get backpacks, school supplies, transportation, and school clothing. SCHOOL HAS STARTED. CALL THIS NUMBER RIGHT AWAY!

LOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK - KIDS CAFE FOOD RESOURCE

THE LA BAR ASSOCIATION HAS BEEN RAISING FUNDS FOR KIDS CAFE - A service of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. Informational Web Site Linked here.

"The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank implements the Kids Cafe program at 27 sites in Los Angeles County and serves approximately 1,900 children each day. The Kids Cafe program addresses the needs for both proper nutrition and quality day and after school care in low-income communities. At each Kids Cafe site, healthy meals and snacks are served to needy children in a safe, nurturing environment. Children in Kids Cafe also often receive tutoring assistance, participate in sports, and benefit from mentoring. The Nutrition Director at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank works closely with participating agencies such as after school programs, day care centers, community centers and youth centers to insure that children get the support they need to excel through Kids Cafe.


During the summer, many children struggle with hunger because federal school meal programs are not operating. To combat this problem, the Food Bank provides hot lunches to the students who qualify for reduced price or free lunches during the school year through the Kids Cafe Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)."

LA COUNTY ORDERS CITY OF LA TO CLEAN UP SKID ROW - HEALTH CODE VIOLATIONS!

"The city of Los Angeles is violating the county health code in its Skid Row area by allowing the nation's densest population of homeless people to live on streets infested with rats, human excrement and used hypodermic needles, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has found.

An extensive agency inspection of the downtown district found nearly 90 rats' nests, mostly around street planters, people living in about 60 tents on sidewalks — some with animals — and 90 piles of human waste. The inspection last month focused on eight blocks of the 10-block district. On one block alone, close to 30 piles of excrement were noted."

"The city says the order is making it difficult to clean up the area as sanitation workers are not sure what is personal property and what is trash. Meanwhile, nearby businesses and residents have complained about the proliferation of furniture and shopping carts and people living in tents as police have stopped removing tents due to the order."

IS THAT SECTION 8 VOUCHER YOURS OR NOT? PALO VERDE APARTMENTS SCANDAL HEATING UP - RESIDENTS JERKED AROUND - LINK TO HOWARD BERMAN'S OFFICE HERE!

OUTRAGEOUS! BUT THEN WHAT CAN WE EXPECT DEALING WITH MEGALOMANIACS WHO ARE GOING TO REINVENT THE LAW AS THEY GO?

We've learned that some residents of the Palo Verde Apartments in Sun Valley, commonly refered to as "Glen Oaks," where a number of residents of Los Angeles Family Housing shelter and other programs were placed thanks to CITY OF LOS ANGELES SECTION 8 VOUCHERS or various mental health programs including COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES were told to give back their vouchers or they have 30 days to go find somewhere else to live. Let's say it again: These people are NO LONGER HOMELESS having made it into the building using section 8 vouchers but according to management, IF THEY GIVE UP THEIR VOUCHERS UNDER THREAT OF 30 DAYS NOTICE they get to stay. Then they get to pay rent directly. IF THEY DON'T GIVE UP THEIR VOUCHERS they will be EVICTED, repeating the cycle of homelessness.

So apparently a non profit that exists to "end the cycle of homelessness" and which receives donations from numerous donors, and accepts funds from various governmental sources is not fulfilling their mission statement. Instead they are brain fucking.

(Are they hoping to get the stat of having placed TWO homeless people into housing with ONE VOUCHER?)

We want to remind everyone involved that homeless people and once homeless people do have CIVIL RIGHTS and we strongly urge you to contact the MAYOR, who makes many photo-op stops at the shelter, HOWARD BERMAN (we've linked to his information and a map showing these issues are occuring in his district), HUD, FAIR EMPLOYMENT and HOUSING of the SAN FERNANDO VALLEY, as well as lawyers. In fact calling City of LA Section 8 is probably a first step, but with so little time and these frightening intimidating TACTICS, calling all of them is the next thing to do.

(Go to the bottom of this blog for the link beneath our YouTube station that will give you the names and addresses of all your politicians!)
We've learned from multiple sources that PANIC and BITTERNESS SET IN RIGHT AWAY. SECTION 8 VOUCHER HOLDERS HAVE ALREADY GONE THROUGH THE PAPERWORK AND APPROVAL PROCESS with the CITY OF LOS ANGELES or the COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES. THESE PEOPLE MOVED IN ALREADY. THEY ARE IN THE APARTMENTS USING THE FURNITURE, BEDDING, TOWELS, AND BODY LOTION DONATED BY IKEA! THEY ARE PAYING THEIR RENT PORTION. THEY WERE TOLD THEY HAD TO STAY A YEAR TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF SECTION 8 PROGRAMS.

WHO IS PLAYING GOD - GIVING AND TAKING AWAY THIS TIME? (We've heard some names. Should we break the news or let the press? Or will LAFH continue to depend on the yellow journalism of those Reporters who went on a little tour and were told humanitarian tales , those reporters that never report anything but the do good feel good side of the rotten story?)

WHO IS SCREWING WITH THE MINDS AND THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALREADY BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH EMPTY PROMISES?

Who is only interested in mortgages for buildings that were not constructed on solid business principles? Who only cares about statistics rather than human beings that non profits claim to serve. Who only cares how they look to donators and HUD? Is it true they just want to be in good with HUD to break ground for yet another building? Who actually expects people to give their vouchers back in order to pay the building rent directly? Who will these turned in vouchers be given to next?

Some of these previously homeless residents lived in shelter hell conditions with promises being made to them that if they were good campers they would reach the goal of housing. Some of these people waited for much longer than a year till the Section 8 program was unfrozen. Some were jerked around about receiving RAPID REHOUSING funds for security deposits. Then Rapid Rehousing funds were given out indiscriminately to management favorites - thousands to certain individuals - no money to others. These previously homeless residents were told that their deposit money would go with them when they move, that if they put a year in at "Glen Oaks," they could then go ahead and move into a Section 8 apartment elsewhere.

PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS!

STREETS OF PHILADEPHIA - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN