homeless camps are “inhumane”?

Merced gives homeless campers 6 months to move into shelters or leave or be arrested.

Can you force me to be housed?

I am asked, regularly, if I am forcing homeless families to find housing, to seek shelter, to rent apartments. And, if they do not do these activities will they lose their cash aid or other entitlements. The answer is NO. I do give everyone a 90 day head start and every resource I know in […]

Homeless man jailed for Child Support

But everyone knew he was not the father. He paid the support, and continued paying until he lost his job and became homeless. No one advocated for him even though it was clear that he was not the child’s father. And, it does not appear that anyone went looking for the biological father. Seriously? Of all […]

Health and Human Services & Homelessness

I read the page, but it doesn’t really say anything. http://www.hhs.gov/homeless/ I guess I was hoping for an initiative, specific resources, a standard plan to approach homelessness and a critique of how different agencies and states collect information and distribute assistance. ie, the page says “In order to develop strategies to effectively provide health and […]

GAIN Homeless Policy

Read the LA County GAIN Homeless Policy. It is posted on the public internet. http://www.ladpss.org/dpss/gain/handbook/pdf/Chapter1900.pdf

Foodstamps & fast food – read the comments

Read the article by Jam Donaldson – it is well written, and THEN read the comments http://www.bvblackspin.com/2010/02/19/fast-food-and-food-stamps/ . It is definitely food for thought.

I love little boys

This little guy was as good as gold.

Can mothers who are Homeless find success

From my perspective, mothers need BOTH a stable place to feel secure in their physical environment and security in their emotional environment to feel successful. The same can be said of everyone, actually. Poor single mothers who had experienced an episode of homelessness and had symptoms of depression, but had a work history of […]

HELP! She has a job, now what

She was homeless, she found a part-time job at K-Mart which will barely pay her rent if she tries really hard not to turn on a light or use too much hot water – but now what? Employment is NOT solving the problem that she is living on the knife’s edge of homelessness. I am […]

How to be the best Homeless Commisioner you can be

the New York Times collected letters of advice to the new Homeless Commissioner from the past office holders. Read their advice here: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/26/advice-for-the-homeless-commissioner/