A COLD WEATHER HOLIDAY MESSAGE FOR OUR READERS

As every homeless person knows Thanksgiving and Christmas guarantee meals. But with all the closures of libraries and other places where, frankly, we hang out to have a roof over our head, heat, and bathrooms, the holidays can also mean days of being uncomfortable, hungry, and sick.

Those of you who have never been homeless might like to think that it's like an extended holiday trip to live in a RV or VA or your car, like going camping. The difference is, there is no home to go home to. A break down. Finding parking spaces - the police identifying you as homeless and harassing you to move on.  The metal cold and damp.

Those of you who have never been homeless probably thank your lucky stars - or God - and those of you with empathy probably think "There but for the grace of God go I." Others of you avoid us. Avoid looking at us, talking to us, thinking about us. You deny that loosing everything - or a whole lot - will ever happen to you.

Think of all those people who lost their homes in Paradise, California fires. Thousands of buildings went down. Those people woke up the morning of the fires never imagining that they would loose everything - and some lost their lives. Some will never be found. As we hear about how thousands of former residents of the town are now far flung in other California cities, we wonder how they got there, if relatives took them in, and if they will ever be able to own a home again.

Blessings to those who have opened their homes and hearts to those in need.

Natural disasters everyone understands as a crisis. It is personal crisis that lands many into homelessness. Health issues and expenses. Unaffordable rent. Divorce. Death of a partner. A car accident. The bite of a black widow spider. One paycheck away from homelessness because the rent is too high to actually save for a rainy day. Job loss. The death of a parent or caregiver. Out of foster care.

Yes, some homeless are mentally ill and therefore cannot cope with life and their circumstances. Homelessness can also make a person mentally ill. It's a stressful existence.

And so here we are the holidays. Watching news about the immigrant caravans coming to the United States.

WE WONDER. WHY NOT HOMELESS PEOPLE - AMERICANS - FIRST and then legal immigrants?

Yes we have heart. We do. It's just that our very lives are so much about finances - affordability - and so we think maybe the United States cannot afford to support the people in these caravans if it cannot afford to support us.

Senior Citizens who worked most of their lives who can't get into senior buildings with long wait lists.
The lady who lost a leg to diabetes and can't give up her dog.
The man whose car was totaled by an uninsured motorist.
The woman who got run over.
The molested girl who ran away to Hollywood.

However, what Tulsa Oklahoma just did - inviting people to apply to live there - 25 people to be given $10,000 each - providing they are self employed or telacommute - we think is the wave of the future. Put it this way. If there are affordable living cities willing to take homeless people - well - provide the transportation and the apartments. Some of us - more than you may realize - are willing to work at something. There may be physical limitations to consider. But most of us would rather earn than be totally dependent on government funds.

Something to think about, anyway.

c 2018 Expose Homelessness BlogSpot.

A HELLO TO EVERYONE READING EXPOSE HOMELESSNESS

Yes, we are still around - and it's nice to know that over a thousand hits registered on our blog, even though we have stepped away from it for a while.  As the cold season is upon us, we know that everyone out there who is in their cars and street homeless (which is easily 2/3rds of homeless) are gearing up for the cold and damp. 

Our friend who has been working while camped out is just one of many who needs a free blanket.
So those of you who have spares donate!

HOMELESSNESS IN THE NEWS - SO IS SKYROCKETING RENT - PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER

Hello Friends!
We've been hearing the news, just like you, about funds going to the remedy for homelessness.  Sometimes we even OVERHEAR this talk all around us.  What it comes down to is that rents are so high people can't move like they used to in Southern California.  Building tear downs put people on the street.  PEOPLE LOOSE THEIR SECTION 8 VOUCHERS BECAUSE THEY STILL CAN'T FIND AN AFFORDABLE PLACE before time runs out.  The millions in homeless related services and the construction of new buildings sounds impressive, until you realize that the numbers of people waiting for these is so high, well, it was once said that if tomorrow housing was provided for the HOMELESS, an entire new town would have to be built.

It's is NO LONGER TRUE that homeless people are "all" mentally ill, or disabled, or on drugs, or addicts, or criminals, or just out of prison.  IT IS TRUE THAT IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR DISABILITY, homeless in shelters are pressured to "go mental." when their other medical issues won't do it.

So called "Advocacy," lawyers seem to be chasing ambulances around homeless shelters and services. Programs see applying for and getting SSI as the key to income and housing.  Don't be fooled by those who say it is only a matter of months.  It can take years and many tries.

THE PROFESSION OF PSYCHOLOGY is supposed to be about helping you get well, not condemning you to the mental illness stigma.  So many of those working for county mental health and other facilities are pressured by shelters.  If  you have a client and  you really care and they come to you and say that they are going to be thrown out onto the street if they are not "compliant" with a shelter director's command that they "go mental," what does this "professional" do?

As a matter of HEALTH, no one should be homeless.  So what do the nurse practitioners and doctors in the system do when someone is or is going to become street homeless?  Help them find a job?

We just want all of you HOMELESS to know that WE KNOW, WE CARE.  We hope this blog can help  you!  We know there is a lot to sort through.

TRYING TO SURVIVE?

JUST WANTED OUR READERS TO KNOW THAT WE ARE STILL IN SURVIVAL MODE but doing well enough overall.  We're still checking in.  Still hoping that this blog is helpful to some of you.  Though the posts are archived or older, we believe most of the informational links are still valid.  If you find a bad link let us know (comments are open!)

THANKS FOR CHECKINGIN WITH US!