Every Friday, the Back on My Feet blog will feature a roundup of timely, prominent homelessness news, issues, concepts and trends from across the country and world. Subscribe to content regarding homelessness by way of either an RSS feed or e-mail blast.

• This week, Nov. 14-20, is National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week — We have been sharing Personal Reflections on Homelessness, which you can see here.

DEFINITE READS

• For homeless, too, a daily commute in rush-hour traffic [Washington Post] — A city-operated free bus service shuttles people experiencing homelessness around D.C. to various services.
• More cities offer homeless free storage to ease mobility [USA Today] — Some cities, including Chicago, home to one of our five chapters, are developing services to give people experiencing homelessness locations for short-term storage of personal possessions. A homeless man from D.C. leads the story.
• Homeless man creates awareness with trip [Bismarck Tribune] — “Greg Staffa, 35, of Farmington, Minn., said he represents the new breed of homelessness — those who use social networking, but whose newer cars have replaced their foreclosed homes.”
• (Edmonton) Homelessness drops for first time in years [Canada.com] — No word on what caused the smaller count, which is interesting because the opposing trend, of course, is happening throughout the United States, from Tempe to North Dakota to Oahu to Brooklyn.
• Survey Finds Whole Families in Homeless Shelters [Hartford Advocate] — Counts in Hartford, Conn. show a growing number of full families in facilities.

OF INTEREST

• Convicted ex-Commissioner Koons honored for years of helping homeless [Palm Beach Post] — A County Commissioner recently conviced of extortion charges is celebrated for his work with the area’s homeless population.
• Reno to Order Homeless Squatters Off Streets [Kolo] — Lying on a sidewalk in downtown Reno has long been a misdemeanor crime, its enforcement and boundaries are being expanded.
• Plan to Jail Homeless Helpers Scrapped in Oakland Park [NBC Miami] — “City ordinance would have cracked down on giving to panhandlers”
• Homeless to get free services in East Palo Alto [San Mateo County Times] — This California community, like others across the country, brings together various agencies and nonprofits to offer mental and physical health screenings for people experiencing homelessness. It’s also happening around Cincinnati.

GIVE A GLANCE

• Thousands of children in state are homeless [WLBT] — 12,000 children are homeless in Mississippi. Find a profile of homeless teens in Anchorage. There’s another homeless census happening in a Colorado community.
• With Many Listening, Homeless Teens Lay Out Their Struggle [Kitsap Sun] — This Washington State community too is seeing a rise in teen homelessness. There are an estimated 25,000 from K-12 in the state.
• Homeless asked to leave strip of White Slough [Times-Herald] — A California tent city is cleared by authorities
• Lives of the homeless: Their stories told with photos [MinnPost] — Photos of some of Minnesota’s 13,100 homeless.
• The Fight To End Chronic Homelessness In SD Continues [KPBS] They have launched a 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness.
• We’re winning homeless fight [Chelmsford Weekly News] — The U.K. community has reduced homelessness applications by working to stop people from losing housing and housing those who have. There is concern around growth of young homeless.
• If you can’t eliminate homelessness… [Hartford Courant blog] — A criticism of efforts there to push homelessness, not solve the issue.

A Thanksgiving ministry meal for the homeless in Knoxville, which you can watch below.

Find past roundups of homelessness news here.

Every Friday, the Back on My Feet blog will feature a roundup of timely, prominent homelessness news, issues, concepts and trends from across the country and world. Subscribe to content regarding homelessness by way of either an RSS feed or e-mail blast.

• Next week, Nov. 14-20, is National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week
• Homeless Veterans: Stand Down [60 Minutes] — The CBS news magazine featured the annual summer confab of U.S. veterans experiencing homelessness in San Diego. Watch it here.
• Alabama’s sex offender notification law can’t apply to homeless, state appeals court rules [Associated Press via AL.com] — In Montgomery, Alabama, “a state appeals court ruled today that an Alabama law requiring sex offenders to give an address where they will be living before getting out of prison can’t be applied to a homeless inmate with no money.”
• Victoria mayor defends his record on helping homeless after house, car vandalized [The Globe and Mail] — Victoria, Canada Mayor Dean Fortin had his house and car vandalized alleging his policies were anti-poverty.

Below, events for National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week and more.

Read more…

Runners at the Baltimore Running Festival, which featured several Back on My Feet members.

Every Friday, the Back on My Feet blog will feature a roundup of timely, prominent homelessness news, issues, concepts and trends from across the country and world. Subscribe to content regarding homelessness by way of either an RSS feed or e-mail blast.

• Generation Homeless: The New Faces of an Old Problem [Aol News] — “Young adults are the new face of homelessness” The trend is pointed to a crush in the nation’s foster care system and an economy that has been particularly hard on younger, less experienced and less skilled workers. Listen to similar experiences below.
• An expensive mission [Metro Philadelphia] — $80,000 in severe unexpected masonry repairs need for Philadelphia’s oldest homeless facility, the Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission, at which Back on My Feet was founded.

Below, a music industry celebrity talks about homelessness and hear from two homeless youth.

Read more…

Percentage of National Homeless Population by State (2009) Source: 5th Annual Homeless Assessment Report

Every Friday, the Back on My Feet blog will feature a roundup of timely, prominent homelessness news, issues, concepts and trends from across the country and world. Subscribe to content regarding homelessness by way of either an RSS feed or e-mail blast.

DEFINITE READS

• Cost of Homelessness:  [National Alliance to End Homelessness]–A piece about the cost of homelessness on society overall and what socially responsible means of combating homelessness exist.
• The 2009 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to congress: [U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development]–An in depth governmental review of the homeless situation in the United States.
• A Preliminary Look at Boston’s Homeless Population: [McCormack Institute of Public Affairs]–A look at the state of the homeless population published by affiliates of University of Massachusetts Boston.

OF INTEREST

Every Friday, the Back on My Feet blog will feature a roundup of timely, prominent homelessness news, issues, concepts and trends from across the country and world. Subscribe to content regarding homelessness by way of either an RSS feed or e-mail blast.

DEFINITE READS

Giving homeless identity: [ID Super Store]–Alberta using plastic ID cards to fight homelessness by eliminating an obstacle in getting jobs, bank accounts, and other ID sensitive economic goals.

Veterans Affairs gives grant of $41.9 million to aid homeless: [Capital Flyer]–VA gives grants of $41.9 million to aid homeless veterans by giving them a place to sleep.

Project HOME to build shelter for veterans in Philadelphia: [The Philadelphia Inquirer]–Homeless veterans and those with mental-health problems will find a new home in Tioga next year when the city completes a $10.5 million renovation of a 54-unit apartment building

Voucher program for chronically homeless loses funding [Baltimore Sun]

OF INTEREST

Where do the candidates stand on homelessness?: [Minnesota Public Radio]– Residents of Minnesota, especially their homeless population, are wondering what position a new governor will take on homelessness.

City helps about 700 homeless downtown: [The Independent Alligator]–Florida homeless treated to free food, personal services and other donated goods in downtown area.

VA gives Crisis Ministries $1.2 M

Find past roundups of homelessness news here.

Every Friday, the Back on My Feet blog will feature a roundup of timely, prominent homelessness news, issues, concepts and trends from across the country and world. Subscribe to content regarding homelessness by way of either an RSS feed or e-mail blast.

DEFINITE READS

• Oregon: Saving Ryan [Wilamette Week] — The plight of one heroin user in Portland, Ore. is shared to show his relationship with two judges, as part of that state’s new budget-strained social services network.
• Canada:Local players loving Homeless World Cup [The Province] — The Canadian team is enjoying itself at the Homeless World Cup currently being held in Brazil, as we noted last week.
• 1.68 Billion Dollars in Homeless Assistance Grants to Support Thousands of Local Projects Nationwide [Rise Media] — For programs that house and serve homeless persons and families across the country
• Tax credits touted as key to homelessness [Calgary Herald] — Tax cuts — and not more funding for government-led programs — could be the key to helping end homelessness in Canada if Ottawa offers tax credits to lure private enterprise into building more low-income housing, according to a policy paper released by the University of Calgary.
• Sacramento County looks at shifting homeless services to nonprofit group [Sacramento Bee] — Facing historic budget deficit, the logic is that a nonprofit group could solicit donations and support more readily.
• Baltimore County plots course to end homelessness [Baltimore Sun] — Back on My Feet has a chapter in Baltimore city.

Below, a new focus on youth homelessness in Oregon, a homeless census in San Diego and more.

Read more…

Every Friday, the Back on My Feet blog will feature a roundup of timely, prominent homelessness news, issues, concepts and trends from across the country and world. Subscribe to content regarding homelessness by way of either an RSS feed or e-mail blast.

DEFINITE READS

• Cities Install Donation Meters for the Homeless [The Epoch Times] — Cities, including San Francisco, Atlanta and soon Orlando, Fl., re-purpose parking meters to be collection points for donations that are then given to homeless services agencies. They are often used in conjunction with restricted panhandling zones in cities.
• Homeless World Cup team fly out to Rio [The Phnom Penh Post] — Later this month, 64 teams of young people experiencing homelessness, including this one from Cambodia, will face off in a cause-driven street soccer tournament in Brazil. The Zimbabwe team will not be welcomed this year, after several players on last year’s team sought asylum in Australia.
• S.F. has cut homeless by 12,000, Newsom says [San Francisco Chronicle] — San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom says his administration has moved 12,000 homeless people off city streets since 2004, using government assistance checks to house roughly 7,000 people and another program that paid for bus tickets for 5,000 others to go elsewhere to a ‘receptive relative.’

Find more below, including the latest Census data on poverty and the 500 homeless kids in an affluent Arizona suburb.

Read more…