About Homelessness….

I have just watched a fact based movie where they stated that there were 90,000 homeless people in LA. usa.

I was totally shocked at this number, so googled to see if this was correct.

My findings were that Los Angeles County (with a population of approximately 10 million). the homeless people rose 15% from 2011 to 2013 to 57,737, a total second only to New York City.

New York City with a population of 8.5 million shows homeless people in municipal shelters in 2013 as 64,060, which includes 22,712 children.

I can’t express in words how sad I am.

I know that every country has their share of those who find it hard to get accommodation. The UK Guardian reports the number of rough sleepers in London Uk, has risen again to 6,437, with a population of 8.5 million.

People and health should be the first priority.

What is wrong with the USA administration to allow this uncaring attitude to the homeless to get out of hand?

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  1. About Homelessness

    It’s hard to imagine living on the streets, where a piece of cardboard could be your pillow, your bed, your roof, your home.

    Every night across Australia, more than 100,000 people are homeless, of these 14,000 sleep rough. Every day, two out of three people who look for crisis accommodation are turned away; there are ‘no vacancies’.

    Many end up on the street or living in inadequate single rooms, caravans, squats, cars, refuges, or sleeping on friends’ couches. Vast numbers of our fellow Australians live in these dangerous and miserable conditions.

    Each has a different journey into homelessness, and they are not who you may think. Close to half the homeless are female — many with young children — and nearly half of all homeless are under the age of 25.

    A recent study by SAAP showed that domestic/family violence was the biggest single contributor to homelessness. Other major contributors are poor mental health, family breakdown, debt, poverty, lease expiry, family violence and abuse, chronic gambling and substance addiction. This is a long way from the favoured media image of our homeless population. It is a national disgrace that, in some areas, four out of five of those seeking help are suffering from a mental illness, but have nowhere else to go.

    1. I’ve got this article from the internet , I’m not sure of its accuracy. .. This number it’s supposed to be Australia wide .
      I have only seen one person sleeping on the streets near were I live …

      1. I doubt any figures that are published are accurate, and even those differed dramatically. Im sure the published figure is far less than the actual figure.

  2. PollyPie….very sad indeed! It is called US Politics!! The government keeps cutting the aid to the homeless and to the people in need. To balance the budget they keep cutting programs for the poor and homeless….as the rich…….hmmmmmm
    The USA is very divided by our governing parties, the Republicans and the Democrats. Nothing ever gets accomplished ! Very sad statistics Polly Pie! 🙁

  3. Here in my city there is a church who aggressively tried to combat homelessness by providing food and shelter for homeless. They even partnered with local businesses to get them jobs. Not only that the church assisted these homeless people with enrolling in trade school and the local community college. The church is able to achieve this from donations from the so called “rich members”.
    I never seen a poor person give anyone a job. Anyway, the church had a empty lot donated by a “rich” developer. The church would set up mobile kitchen to feed these homeless. Local retailers “so called rich” such as clothing, food and others would set up and donate their goods. Well our local city officials investigated this and concluded the church or any participates were violating local zoning and didn’t follow proper government requirements. Therefore fining to the tune of over $4000 in penalties. Needless to say the the help these poor people were getting is now gone. The program shut down and most of these poor people are now back on the street thanks to the helping hand of our wonderful caring government.

  4. They are out there Polly in vast numbers you may not see them but they are there.
    We have them here too in the UK, i know as i work for a company that caters for the homeless. the company i work for goes out and finds them and brings them off the streets 24/7, we have outreach workers that look for them day and night either on a special bus that we have or on foot, we have phone lines where the public can let us know if they have seen someone sleeping rough and we go and fetch them so as to help them. They are brought to us and given a bed for the night and the next day my job is to interview them and find out their needs. Within 72 hours i find them somewhere to live in one of our many homes across cheshire, and relocate them to the area where they originally come from it may be for a veteran a youth or anyone of any age were they can get the help they need. We also home them with us in their own furnished flat and we help them to become independent again through activities sessions on how to find work and welfare benefits, we get them rehabilitation and help them onto the local housing list where eventually they get to live a life of their own again and continue after care by us. we also have beds for the night where some who continue to stay on the streets because of their own choice can find a safe place for the night. We find someone new on the streets every day and every night it never ends and it never will. For whatever reason there will always be someone who needs that help and its annoying when people look down on them as useless people, a lot of them are very intelligent and good people who find themselves on the streets through no fault of their own.. But you are right the Government has a lot to answer too but whats new.

    1. Tinks, i also echo what you say……..i also have first hand experience of this vast problem………..homelessness is rife………….and despite a lot of public opinion it’s not a choice that the majority of people who find themselves in this unfortunate position make, many have had no choice but to leave a abusive home as soon as they could……….wont go into details……….but an example…….what would anyone do had they been passed around family members from the age of two to be sexually abused ….stay at home….or a life on the streets……..no brainer really…….

  5. Awesome blog Tinks,
    I totally agree that no one wants to be in this position. You do a great service for humanity. While I hate to see anyone homeless, it’s appalling to see a vet homeless. I conclude that we make education more affordable. Provide more access to schools and community colleges and trade skill programs. Our government stop regulating and taxing businesses to China and keep jobs here.
    Most of these homeless would be proud to be independent. The very government who claims to be helping the poor is actually creating the situation.

  6. PoliePie:- Sad, but true in almost every country
    Tinkerbell:- You’re an angel and I applaud your efforts and those of your co-workers in that company
    Jsmile:- Yes! Governments are to blame through pandering to the demands of the rich, who, incidentally, fund their election campaigns

  7. From the New York Times:

    The Push to End Chronic Homelessness Is Working
    By DAVID BORNSTEIN MAY 28, 2014 11:40 AM 35 Comments

    Sometime in June, the 100,000 Homes Campaign — an initiative launched four years ago to help communities around the country place 100,000 chronically homeless people into permanent supportive housing — expects to announce that it has reached its goal. It’s a significant milestone: It means that many American cities are currently on track to end chronic and veteran homelessness by the end of the decade or earlier.

    The campaign, which is coordinated by Community Solutions and works in partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, has helped to shift the way homeless organizations and agencies around the country set goals, measure progress, prioritize individuals and coordinate their efforts to house people living on the streets.

    Consider Jacksonville, Fla. In 2011, when the city began engaging with the 100,000 Homes Campaign, 3,025 of its residents were homeless and 1,104 were chronically homeless. Earlier this year, the city reported that the number of homeless residents had dropped to 2,049, with 399 of them chronically homeless, according to Shannon Nazworth, the executive director of Ability Housing of Northeast Florida. That’s a drop of one-third and two-thirds, respectively.

    Something similar occurred in Nashville. In June 2013, galvanized by the 100,000 Homes Campaign, the city launched How’s Nashville, a concerted effort to end chronic homelessness by the end of the decade. The city started tracking its monthly placements. Previously, it had been averaging 19 per month; today, it’s housing an average of 47 per month, reports Will Connelly, who directs the city’s Metropolitan Homelessness Commission. Since last June, Connelly said, the city has placed more than 500 chronically homeless people in permanent supportive housing.

    Many other cities have ramped up their placements over the past year or two. The campaign tracks more than 50 cities that have been housing at least 2.5 percent of their chronically homeless population for three consecutive months, a pace that correlates with ending chronic homelessness in four or five years. (Nationally, from 2010 to 2013, chronic homelessness declined by 16 percent, and homelessness among veterans declined by 24 percent.)

  8. This situation is heartbreaking, and I hope some solutions come along soon here in the USA. I belong to a fraternal organization, the Moose club here in South Florida. we have a table for clothing and non-perishable food for homeless veterans living in the woods. Hey, these are our veterans- the government should be housing and helping them. As it is, any number of clubs and private citizens are doing what they can but it’s not enough. I know a lot of different countries are represented here. Please tell me how your governments handle this problem. I’m really interested to know. TIA