http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/homeless/ en-us Sat, 2 Jan 2010 03:25:30 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419320/posts For Some in Japan, Home Is a Tiny Plastic Bunk By HIROKO TABUCHI January 1, 2010 TOKYO — For Atsushi Nakanishi, jobless since Christmas, home is a cubicle barely bigger than a coffin — one of dozens of berths stacked two units high in one of central Tokyo’s decrepit “capsule” hotels. Atsushi Nakanishi is among the jobless living in a capsule hotel, renting a bunk with no door. [More Photos] “It’s just a place to crawl into and sleep,” he said, rolling his neck and stroking his black suit — one of just two he owns after discarding the rest... NYTimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419320/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 03:25:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419596/posts Carlos Ruano was down to his last $50 when his landlord kicked him out in September because he could no longer pay rent. He sent the money to his wife and children in Guatemala and spent the night riding the E train, which has a nickname among his fellow day laborers in Woodside, Queens: “hotel ambulante,” Spanish for roving hotel. [SNIP]We’ve all learned the meaning of the law of supply and demand the hard way,” said Roberto Meneses, 48, a day laborer from Mexico who has been trying to organize his peers under a fledgling group called United Day Laborers... The NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419596/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 18:28:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419607/posts The US Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency today announced that federal funds totaling $200 million has been awarded to assist organizations dedicated to feeding, sheltering, and providing critical resources to our nation's hungry and homeless. Funding was made available by Congress for the National Board of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) to support social service agencies in more than 2,500 cities and counties across the country... EFSP grant funds are used to supplement food, shelter, rent, mortgage and utility assistance programs for people with non-disaster related emergencies. These funds are in addition to $100 million... The New Media Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419607/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 18:39:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419602/posts The US Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency today announced that federal funds totaling $200 million has been awarded to assist organizations dedicated to feeding, sheltering, and providing critical resources to our nation's hungry and homeless. Funding was made available by Congress for the National Board of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) to support social service agencies in more than 2,500 cities and counties across the country... EFSP grant funds are used to supplement food, shelter, rent, mortgage and utility assistance programs for people with non-disaster related emergencies. The New Media Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2419602/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 18:30:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417735/posts The other night, I found myself homeless. It wasn't the sort of homelessness that meant I was fleeing an abusive home, or had found myself unable to cope with normal life due to drugs or drink. But I was still cold, stranded, ostracised. It was the Monday before Christmas and I'd caught the train to London for work. Knowing I had to be in town the following day, I turned up at the fairly cheap hotel in Shepherd's Bush I always stay in for work. They know me here: they valet-park and clean my BMW and understand I require soya... MailOnline http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417735/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:11:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2417571/posts Update: I've lost fifty pounds. I eat less. I still don't like the hassle of beggars, but I can always say No. I eat very little popcorn: only that popped at home. http://www.dougwall.com/Harming%20the%20Homeless.html http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2417571/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:35:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2412987/posts Theological disagreements over homosexuality are causing a divide within a downtown ministry that serves the poor, homeless and lonely. Martha’s Table, through which eight churches have provided Sunday afternoon worship and meals for the needy at First Congregational Church, is losing three of the churches because of the issue of homosexuality, even though the ecumenical ministry takes no position on it, said the Rev. Matt Laney, pastor of First Congregational. Agape Christian Church and Word for Life Church of God plan to withdraw from Martha’s Table at the end of the year, and Centerpoint Church (formerly Third Reformed Church) has... Kalamazoo Gazette http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2412987/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:48:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413152/posts LONDON – A cold alley in central London is a far cry from a palace — but it was the spot Prince William chose to sleep to highlight the plight of homeless British teenagers. ... "I hope that by deepening my understanding of the issue, I can help do my bit to help the most vulnerable on our streets." AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413152/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:39:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2412159/posts It’s simple really: feed the hungry, the homeless, and the forgotten. Matthew 25:35 says, “For I was hungry, and you fed me.” It has always broken my heart to see the people on the street corner holding their “Will work for food” cardboard signs. More times than not, I have given them money. Then I began to think, I could do something more for them. I could do something more practical. I could help feed them. I could be part of the “Give us this day our daily bread” thing. I know many people who say these people may be... TheCypressTimes.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2412159/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:33:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406496/posts A sign reading "Welcome to Obamaville Colorado's Fastest Growing Community" appeared at a homeless tent city in Colorado Springs this week. You probably didn't hear about it because outside of two Colorado television stations nobody found this newsworthy. By contrast, when word got out in March of a tent city in Sacramento, California, news media couldn't get enough of the story. Is it because that happened so soon after Inauguration Day that it could easily be blamed on George W. Bush, and that given the name given to this area that's no longer possible? NewsBusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406496/posts#comment Sun, 13 Dec 2009 09:18:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2406342/posts Residents of Colorado Springs, Colo., have a mystery on their hands: Who came up with the idea to erect a sign reading "Welcome to Obamaville" on the site of a homeless tent camp in the city? The sign, which was visible from the Cimarron Street ramp to Interstate 25, clearly conveyed a political jab at rising unemployment under President Barack Obama, for it read in full, "Welcome to Obamaville – Colorado's fastest growing community." WorldNetDaily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2406342/posts#comment Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:17:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406104/posts Someone has put a lot of thought into a welcome sign that may surprise you, it's in front of a homeless camp off I-25 in Colorado Springs. Its message, "Welcome to Obamaville, Colorado's fastest growing community." Despite repeated calls no one could answer the question, who put up the sign? To some homeless the sign's message says enough. Mark Limonez, a homeless man living in "tent city", says the sign doesn't make him feel good about trying to get back on his feet. "Guys are trying to work but there's not enough work out there, so they go pan handling... kjct.8.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406104/posts#comment Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:00:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2405211/posts A NYC man sets up a hidden camera to see where his missing food was going. He thinks his g/f is lying about midnight snacks. The terrifying conclusion: a homeless woman has been living above his kitchen. Live Leak http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2405211/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:14:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2397753/posts When we sit down at the Thanksgiving table this week I am quite certain there at least a few feelings that swoop up and tug at our conscience. However we intend to celebrate this ceremonial coming together of family and friends, there is the distinct possibility that something may be missing from the table. It could be the representation of the gift of thanks from our last Thanksgiving. Just what is that gift of thanks that may be a distinctly distant memory? It could be the true meaning to what we are giving the credit for our thanks. Is it... Hearken The Watchmen http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2397753/posts#comment Tue, 1 Dec 2009 18:26:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2389226/posts <!-- body { font: 12px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; } --> Local Man Claims Responsibility For Own Problems Select messages from # through # FAQ [/[]\] The People's Cube -> The Daily Truth #1: Local Man Claims Responsibility For Own Problems Author: Opiate of the People, Location: People's Republic of NJ, USA, EarthPosted: 11/7/2009, 10:42 pm    — In an odd exposé that has left the worlds of politics and academia abuzz, a local homeless person revealed yesterday that he only blamed himself for his failures. The incident occurred near the dumpster behind the Shop Rite store in Brooklyn, when Willard Kookish, formerly of 435 Subprime... The People's Cube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2389226/posts#comment Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:17:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386785/posts Homeless in kebab cannibal inquiry Published Date: 15 November 2009 By Guy Faulconbridge RUSSIAN police have arrested three homeless people who are suspected of eating a 25-year-old man they had butchered and then selling bits of the corpse to a local kebab house. Suspicions were raised when dismembered parts of a human body were found near a bus stop in the outskirts of the Russian city of Perm, 720 miles east of Moscow. Three homeless men with prior criminal convictions have been arrested on suspicion of setting upon him with knives and a hammer. The victim died in the onslaught... The Scotsman http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386785/posts#comment Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:38:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386260/posts Vice President Biden made a surprise visit to a homeless shelter in Washington DC on Friday to help serve lunch to dozens of homeless men. Biden dropped by the Father McKenna Center, a homeless shelter a few blocks away from the U.S. Capitol building that serves around 100 men during the day. It also offers counseling for substance abuse and an HIV/AIDS initiative. Dressed casually in a black baseball cap, sweater and khakis, Biden put on rubber gloves and an apron to help distribute fish sticks. Biden said he was there because “you've got to remind yourself that but for... ABC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386260/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:37:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385211/posts UN investigator accuses US of shameful neglect of homelessUN special rapporteur says wealthy US ignoring deepening homeless crisis while pumping billions into bank rescues Chris McGreal in Los Angeles guardian.co.uk, Thursday 12 November 2009 15.12 GMT A United Nations special investigator who was blocked from visiting the US by the Bush administration has accused the American government of pouring billions of dollars into rescuing banks and big business while treating as "invisible" a deepening homeless crisis. Raquel Rolnik, the UN special rapporteur for the right to adequate housing, who has just completed a seven-city tour of America, said it was... Guardian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385211/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:01:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2381549/posts During the Clinton reign, posters and bumper showed up stating 'America...the only place where a veteran sleeps in a box and a draft dodger is in the White House.' This was meant as a statement against the way that returning heroes are treated. We notice them in every large city and encounter them in every town. But, in this fast paced society, we don't see them. We cross the street..... Huntington Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2381549/posts#comment Sun, 8 Nov 2009 16:51:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377157/posts Raquel Rolnik, the Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, is assuming the role of a global community organizer, with the U.N. acting as the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) on steroids. This is part of a gradual encroachment on American sovereignty. The United Nations should not be in the business of organizing radical American interest groups to stir up trouble within our borders. The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377157/posts#comment Tue, 3 Nov 2009 04:47:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2376945/posts Memories of children crying over confiscated Christmas toys still upset the Rev. Tom Hill. Hill, a former Giving Tree volunteer, also remains baffled by the diapers. There were boxes and boxes in storage, he said, and yet Giving Tree Director Libby Wright resisted handing them out to mothers in her program. Wright often said food was in short supply when she sought donations, Hill said, even after he discovered Wright was storing large amounts in one of her organization's homes. Wright declined an interview request for this story. Hill, who now runs his own food program for the homeless, said... Arizona Daily Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2376945/posts#comment Mon, 2 Nov 2009 23:33:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2376279/posts No description needed. I bet a whole bunch of people who voted for Obama are thinking "I sure the hell hope I'm not just left with change after Obama's done with me." The hopium is wearing off and like a really bad hangover, waking up is often a very unpleasant but sobering process. Only crazy idiots continue to get hammered and keep going through this self-induced punishment and somehow expect 'next time it'll be different.' It won't. Wake up. Sober up. Don't be stupid like this again. We're taking back the country in 2010. "NY23!" It starts here! This is... self http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2376279/posts#comment Mon, 2 Nov 2009 04:48:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368509/posts PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Police in Philadelphia say a homeless man sleeping in a trash bin wound up in the back of a garbage truck and was killed by the vehicle's compactor. Investigators say the truck collected the contents of the trash bin at about 4 a.m. Wednesday in North Philadelphia. The truck's driver activated the compactor a little later. Police say the driver told officers he thought he heard someone say, "Yo! Yo! Yo!" but did not know where the voice was coming from. He heard the cry again, fainter, at his next stop and alerted authorities. Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368509/posts#comment Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:43:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2366210/posts LOS ANGELES — A homeless man was arrested and charged with arson for starting a tiny blaze in August near the spot where a gigantic wildfire erupted several days later, killing two firefighters, homicide detectives said Monday. Babatunsin Olukunle, 25, is the strongest lead to date in the arson investigation stemming from a fire that destroyed 89 homes, burned 250 square miles of national forest and killed two firefighters when their truck plunged off a road. It was one of the largest fires in Southern California history. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2366210/posts#comment Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:03:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2365640/posts The first night after she surrendered her house to foreclosure, Sheri West endured the darkness in her Hyundai sedan. She parked in her old driveway, with her flower-print dresses and hats piled in boxes on the back seat, and three cherished houseplants on the floor. She used her backyard as a restroom. The second night, she stayed with a friend, and so it continued for more than a year: Ms. West — mother of three grown children, grandmother to six and great-grandmother to one — passed months on the couches of friends and relatives, and in the front seat of... CNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2365640/posts#comment Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:43:09 GMT