| The United States of America is not only the wealthiest country on earth, but Americans enjoy a standard of living that has never been known before in the history of mankind. Yet, even among this wealth, over three quarter of a million people live in homeless poverty. Before experiencing being homeless I didn't know what it really meant. I'd like to help in increasing public awareness of what being homeless is like. News articles and blogs tend to dwell on homeless people panhandling, drinking in public, or pushing shopping carts. While some are like that it's not typical. The truth isn't entertaining enough to sell tabloid journalism. Over 740,000 Americans are homeless at any given time, and they're not all just hanging around city parks or street corners. Most are trying to accomplish something. Many do intermittent low-paying jobs, such as day-labor, but usually without any real progress. With constructive assistance (not just handouts) many could achieve a productive life, and contribute to society, rather than remain living in poverty. |
| For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Jesus, John 3:16-17 NIV |
| I live and work in Pinellas County, in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, which includes the cities of St. Petersburg, Pinellas Park, Largo, Dunedin, Oldsmar, Tarpon Springs, and Clearwater. The city of Tampa is across the bay in Hillsborough County. Over 5000 of the approximately one million residents in Pinellas County are homeless. Shelter space is very limited and without special problems to qualify it's nearly impossible to get a shelter bed for even a week. |
| Are you seeking clothing, food, or housing? Do you need medical or dental care, or glasses, but can't afford it? Would it help to have free voicemail so employers and others can contact you? Perhaps you would like to volunteer your time? Could you donate food, money or clothing to help others? There are websites for shelters, missions, soup kitchens, outreach programs, advocacy groups, job listings and legal help. While there may be help available it can be difficult to find the right people to ask. See the WEB LINKS page for more information. |
| Finding and maintaining meaningful employment is hard enough for most people. It's far more difficult while being homeless. Many homeless are not capable of working enough to even think of affording any housing. Some get disability or social security income, but it's not enough to afford both housing and living expenses. Could you live on a total of $600 per month? In the county I live in a modest one bedroom apartment is at least $600, plus utilities. Just a room in a house is $400 a month or more. How can a person possibly afford food and other basic necessities too? Many with serious disabilities apply with the Social Security Administration, but become, or continue to be, homeless due to delays in the process. Some are on the street for years before finally recieving payments. |
| Affordable housing? In much of the country lower cost housing is being replaced with homes priced far out of reach for the lower income. Mobile home parks are bulldozed to make room for business or expensive housing, while many residents can't afford to relocate. Renting a lot for a mobile home on can cost over $450. per month. .Where I live the term "affordable home" means less than $200,000. |
| If you have suggestions on what this site should cover, questions or comments, or have some information or links you would like to see posted, please e-mail me and let me know. Thanks, Clyde email: clyde@homelessamerican.com |
| Meet the NIMBYs Shelters and assistance programs are usually created in areas where there are few real job opportunities, but serve to keep the homeless out-of-sight so they don't disburb those who are wallowing in self indulgence. Communities that have jobs available don't want the reality of homelessness spoiling their fantasy world. NIMBYism, Not In My Back Yard. After all, having anyone homeless or of a lower income living anywhere near their valuable homes would destroy housing values. NIMBYs don't mind hiring illegal aliens or day-labor workers at minimum wage, or less, just as long as they disappear at the end of the day. As a result of pressure on local government officials by people like the NIMBYs, many programs that assist the homeless, and low income people such as seniors just getting by on social security, are forced to close as a way of "eliminating the homeless problem". |
| City governments in Pinellas County FL signed to a 10 year goal on homelessness with USICH over a year ago, and there were finally proposals to do something, like a night shelter to house just 150 people (which was abandoned). Meanwhile, Portland & Multnomah County, Oregon, began a 10 year program in 2004, and have housed over 717 formerly homeless families and 1039 chronic homeless persons so far. Not just night shelters, but real housing. Many programs have proven that it can be done. When people care enough to do something, great things can be accomplished. |
| What's in a name? There are a lot of terms that are used in reference to homeless people. Some may describe a particular person well, but more often they are just used in a hateful manner by ignorant bigots. Bum refers to those who avoid working while sponging off others for food and a place to stay. Some people are bums all their life, but still live fairly well at the expense of others. If a person behaves like a bum it is by their choice, not something forced upon them by circumstances. No one has to act like a bum to survive. Many bums steal and decieve just to get drugs and party. Terms like hobo, tramp, vagrant, or drifter usually refer to those wandering without any home or regular job. Some may work part time labor jobs, or recieve social security or disability checks, and get just enough to pay minimal living expenses. They are just one part of the overall homeless population. Homeless refers to anyone who has no permanent residence of their own. They may be working, or have social security or disability income to pay minimal living expenses, but don't have enough to afford their own housing. Many may not be capable of working but yet cannot get assistance for housing. If a person spends nights at a shelter, gets a motel room occasionally, sleeps in a tent, or sleeps on a friends sofa, they are still homeless. |
| Attempting to Work While Homeless What do homeless people face when trying to earn enough to get off the street? Do they simply get a job? Can they just go to a shelter and get all the help they need? What can be done to help homeless people get back to meaningful work? MORE |
| Violence Against the Homeless Homeless people are constantly the victims of assaults. Gangs of teenagers will beat and sometimes kill homeless people saying they were just "looking for something to do". Some call it the "sport" of bum hunting. Attacks have risen 65% from "05 to '07. MORE |
| The US Department of Veterans estimates that as many as 200,000 homeless people are veterans, and are being joined by more who have served our country recently. Read about it at: National Alliance to End Homelessness www.naeh.org |
| My viewpoint: Those who are homeless, and are capable and willing to work for a living, should have assistance toward getting meaningful employment and permanent housing. Those who cannot maintain meaningful employment due to physical or mental disabilities, or age, should have access to and recieve adequate assistance to live a reasonable life. Those who choose to live homeless, perhaps living in a tent, should be able to do so without endless fear of being harassed, beaten, robbed, killed, or being threatened with jail time for their choice. Keeping people on the street does not benefit anyone, and actually costs the American public more. |
| Downhere Contemporary Christian music |
| email me at: clyde@homelessamerican.com I've been publishing this website without support from grants or donations for over four years. Please let me know if you find this information helpful. Clyde |
| There are huge organizations that collect billions in donations and government grants, much of which goes to administrative costs and advertising instead of assistance to those in need. Meanwhile, there are hundreds of small organizations and churches that really do help. Some feed hundreds of people every day without using government tax money. |
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| Under the Bush Administration, food stamps became available to the homeless again (after being cut off under the Clinton administration), programs (like USICH) to assist in the creation of local programs for the homeless were developed, and aid for the homeless was increased more than ever before. Will we have a new president that will cut assistance and abandon programs that are making a difference while pretending to "save money" for political gains? What will Obama or McCain do? |
| Alternatives to LIving on the Street What can people with a very limited income, such as Social Security, do if they can't afford conventional housing? There are alternatives. Some move to rural areas and make their own homes. What about cooperative housing? MORE |
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| Having to Compete for a Job in the Real World Gaining meaningful employment means competing for job openings. MORE |
| The Cost of Keeping People Homeless What does it cost the American public to keep people homeless instead of helping them to get off the street, and back to work paying taxes instead. MORE |
| The Hazards of Being Homeless What dangers do people face when having to be homeless? MORE |
| Misconceptions About the Homeless Many popular concepts about the homeless are no more than popular myths. MORE |
| Dealing with a Northern Winter While Being Homeless What is it like to be homeless on the street in the winter? MORE |
| Thoughts About Being Homeless Observations and opinions about what it's like being homeless. MORE |
| Who Are the Homeless? How many of the people you see every day are actually homeless? MORE |
| Why Don't Homeless People Go to Their Families for Help? Sometimes people wonder why homeless don't just go to their families. MORE |
| A Little About Me... and why I bother to maintain this website at my own expense. |
| www.homelessamerican.com |
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| homelessamerican.com |
| homelessamerican.com |
| updated 8-10-2008 |
| A new HUD study, released March 2008, indicated that an estimated 1,150,000 persons in the U.S. used emergency shelter or transitional housing at some time during a six month period from January to June of 2006. Were these one million, one hundred, and fifty thousand people just a bunch of street bums? |
| "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Jesus from Matthew 7:12 NIV Bible |
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| What will you do if you can't afford enough gas for your car to get to work anymore? Does your community have a mass transit system that can actually get you to work? Even though many urban areas have bus systems they are so poorly managed as to be useless to commuters. If you lose your job as a result will you become homeless? Will anyone care enough to help you? |
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| Sunset on the beach, Pinellas County FL |
| www.homelessamerican.com |
| About Donating to Charities How do you know if your donated money is actually being spent properly? MORE |
| Do I think that assistance programs will get all the homeless off the street? No, and I don't think that medical treatment for cancer patients is 100% effective either. Does this mean that we should abandon trying to help cancer patients just because they are not all cured? Should we give up on helping homeless to get off the street just because it doesn't work 100% of the time? |
| I have experienced being homeless, camping outside in the cold and snow of upper-midwest winters, and the heat and storms of Florida summers. I know what it's like to be repeatedly turned away from shelters. I realize how hard it is to get any meaningful work when you can't even take a shower or get clean clothes. |
| Many programs totally refused to help me since I didn't fit the qualifications they needed to get more government grant money. Eventually I realized that their primary objective was just making money off the homeless and less fortunate. |
| Finally a small Christian program accepted me and got me off the street. I was then able to get back to meaningful work. They did not get government grants, but rather private donations. Programs that include any kind of religous teaching cannot recieve government grants. This is why organizations such as the Salvation Army will not even mention Jesus or God if you go to one of their "emergency shelters". As soon as I began working again I paid to be there until I saved enough to get a place on my own. |
| There are organizations all across the country that actually provide much needed assistance to the homeless and low-income. They may be run by churches, non-profit coalitions, or concerned individuals. I've met many people who volunteer their time every day without being paid for it. Groups like these need assistance, in donations of money, food, clothing, and volunteer help. Small organizations do make a difference, and without depending on government grant money. These are the ones that can efficiently put donations to good use. |
| Be careful who you are donating to and, better yet, participate with them and get to know them. While many groups do good work, there are fraudulent operations too. Check them out and see for yourself what their accomplishments really are. |
| www.homelessamerican.com This is a website about homelessness, poverty, lack of housing, unemployment and how to find employment, shelter, homeless programs, food and soup kitchens, volunteering, donating, philanthropy, assisting those in need, finding assistance, and law enforcement regarding the homeless, in the United States of America. This website is produced totally without any donations or federal, state, or local grants. I consider all the information presented to be true and accurate to best of my knowledge. I do not profit from this website. If you find anything to be inaccurate, misleading, or offensive in any way, email me. Constructive suggestions are always welcome. Clyde clyde@homelessamerican.com |
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| Interagency Council on Homelessness Free newsletter available. |
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