1.56 million homeless people in America

[Jeffersons Ghost]

About a 1.56 million people in America spent at least one night in a homeless shelter last year, according to The National Alliance to End Homelessness. In these tough economic times, that number is likely going to increase.

While data is not available, many of the children of homeless families go on to become homeless themselves. That is the case in the next example.

Mom, as everyone calls her, is a spry 68 years old. She cleaned houses to raise her five children. Mom now collects Social Security and lives in federal housing. Her daughter, a recovering heroin addict, is homeless and on the Methadone Program. Even on the program, methadone is fairly expensive, so her daughter relies on prostitution to pay for the drugs.

As we sit in the park chatting, my friend - a homeless veteran - speaks to another homeless individual he met at the local mission. He's collecting cans and bottles. In MA we have recycling, so there's a .5 bounty on each container.

Mom is upset because a friend of hers took in another homeless person, which broke the rules of the building. Now her friend will also become homeless again.

These people asked me to thank you for caring. We're hoping the publicity will help alleviate some of the problems. For them, it's just nice to know that people care.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

1. a kick to help them get some publicity

[MadHound]

2. The US has been turning its back on the homeless for decades now

Reagan cut back on funding for homeless programs, as have Bush I, Clinton and Bush II. Meanwhile their economic policies have increased the homeless population. In a country as rich as ours, this is nothing less than a sin.

One thing however, that figure of 1.56 million homeless is a drastic undercount. They are only counting those people who spent a night in a homeless shelter. That doesn't count those who live on their own out in the woods, or who couch surf, sleep in the streets or otherwise don't utilize the shelter system.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

4. thanks for a realistic overview

[arundhatiroyfan]

3. k & r

[Jeffersons Ghost]

9. thanks for the rec

[AndyA]

5. Welcome to America, the greatest country in the world!

We can't take care of our own, we can't insure them, we can't educate our children, provide good jobs for them if they study hard in school, give them a healthy planet to live on, or offer them the promise of a better life than we had.

We can't provide equality for all citizens, make sure the rights granted them by the Constitution are in place, or that their conversations with a neighbor aren't being intercepted.

We can't properly take care of our veterans, elderly, or the poor, because there is no money for those things.

But we can start wars that cost hundreds of billions;

Ignore past crimes of a previous administration that have cost us a fortune;

Make promises that we aren't expected to keep if we win an election;

And generally break the law, lie about it, make outrageous statements on the broadcast media without being held accountable for them (unless you're a Democrat), and do any of a number of other things just because you can (if you're a big corporation).

Yeah, welcome to America. Everyone wants to live here because it's so great! :eyes:

:sarcasm: for the challenged

[Jeffersons Ghost]

11. you should write this as an OP

[inna]

6. these #s seem low, if anything. i thought there was a million homeless school kids. kr

[Jeffersons Ghost]

7. there probably are. as another post said my figures are just a measurable tip of the iceberg

[TheKentuckian]

8. This travesty is just another example of why we are heading to failed nation status

What kind of country would allow it's innocents, it's veterans, or indeed anyone to have no home and give over trillions to wealthy bankers, military contractors, oilmen, and piss most of it into oblivion.

How much basic housing could the trillion dollars worth of tax breaks for the rich have bought free and clear?

Of course we cannot or will not even invest the money it would take to get our crumbling infrastructure up to code again which any type of commerce requires, much less the modernization required to actually compete with other first and second world nations.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

10. after seeing what I saw yesterday those tax breaks make me mad