Homeless in NYC

what's his name? What's his background? What's his story, and why is he homeless? How do you know, or did you just snap a picture of this anonymous person on the subway so that you could exploit his image for your squishy political messages?

How does this man enter the subway, and where did he get his clothes? How does he eat every day? Where does he sleep? Ever see a homeless person in India, Cuba or any other country? Is there a difference? Whose fault is it that he is homeless? Does he WANT to be homeless? Do you know, or do you not care?

Nessie points to a book about people that live in the subway tunnels. Is this relevant? Does this man live in the subway tunnels? Does it look like it?

Have YOU ever done anything YOURSELF (besides snapping a picture) to help a homeless person? EVER?

How do you know that all of the people at the Waldorf are capitalists? Do you know that there are anti-capitalists presenting at the Waldorf? How do you know that some or maybe even all of the "capitalists" in the Waldorf havent each done MORE THAN YOU to help homeless people?

Would you concede that even 1 of the "capitalists" in that meeting has done more for the homeless than you and all of your friends combined? Could you imagine that?

Could you imagine that you are the hypocrite by taking this picture and commenting on stuff that you have no idea about?

Can you imagine that someone who reads this site who works with the homeless in NY actually KNOWS this person, their name and their story? Can you imagine that?

Please, enlighten us as to your knowledge, or lack thereof....

This is great look at the controversy stirred up by one simple photograph. Normally, I don't respond to hypothetical questions. Here is how most homeless people get on the subway. Tokens from the Homeless Coalition gets people on the subways and out of the cold. The clothes are from a local shelter. And I didn't ask him his name because he was asleep. Unlike you this is his few moments of rest in an otherwise busy day of moving from place to place such is the life of the displaced in our society. Let's ponder a moment on how the WEF capitalists have helped the homeless. Let's look at the loss of over 400,000 jobs since the begining of NAFTA. Capitalists have also helped the homeless by lobbying for the closing of shelters. Maybe you can check out some of the facts from interviews I conducted with homeless advocates and homeless people at http://media.iww.org/radio.php

Yes, there are anti-capitalists in the Waldorf. For example there is the leadership of the AFL-CIO invited to observe the meetings. Then again the AFL-CIO is leading street protests against the WEF because their workers were not invited into the meeting. Let's ponder a moment the millions that starve each day over the issue of the privitization of food. Let's ponder the 8000 that die each month in Africa because capitalist have sued national governments to prevent them from producing medications that would compete with their commercial AIDS medication. Yes, let's ponder these things. Capitalism has it's benefits, it has it's benefits to those shrinking numbers of people that earn more while those that earn less grow in number exponentially. Is that benefitting the homeless?

Thanks for thinking.

as far as what i have done.

well when i am not meeting with homeless people and reporting on the origins of suffering in our society. I am a volunteer with Food Not Bombs. I have personally had many homeless people tell me that our food keeps them alive. I think the most poignant moment was when a Vietnam Veteran thanked me, not just for serving food but by providing hope for the people. This Vet was pushed onto the streets by an ungratefull country that cares less about his service to the common good then it's pocket books. What kind of system treats it's war heros like this. Is this the country you are proud of the way of life you are proud of. And Yes, I am also a veteran.

I am a 41 year old female, whom have worked all my life. My job came to and end last year. Who`s to say that I might not become homeless any day now. There are no jobs around this town to support people who have rent payments or house payments. And there is most definitely no help around for people who might need help paying the house notes. Things really have to change in order for people to survive.

Yes, things must change.

Here are some ideas!

Take everything away from everyone and redistribute it equally among the masses. No one will then have to work because everyone will get the same amount and their will be no incentive for it, hence no need. (has this been tried previously?)

Or we could start a welfare system by taxing those who do work and giving that money to these poor and homeless. We could base it on the size of their families as an incentive to stay unemployed and have more children. (how about this?)

Hmm, I'm fresh out of ideas. Oh, wait here's one...

Let's have public educational systems, so everyone has the opportunity for a free education, and tax break incentives to make it easier to get into college. (This one any god?)

Ok, I'm no good at this. I give up! What exactly needs to change again?

What a short list. How about: affordable housing and a living wage?

Or, how about local community control of economic institutions? An emphasis on local and regional self-reliance and self-sufficiency?

<How about: affordable housing and a living wage? >

Affordable housing?? If you live in the USA you couldn't ask for a better time to buy a house. Interests rates are low and availabilities are tremendous. A person earning a meager $40K a year can own a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage. If you can't afford that where you live then you need to move.

<Or, how about local community control of economic institutions? >

Yeah, let's keep the buracreacy local. If you know anything about local governments, you know they are among the MOST corrupt. Talk about trading influenza for anthrax! Christ!!

Yes, it is a good time to buy a home. Of course, the reason there are homeless people in this country does not stem from a person not seeing the opportunity to buy a home. While it may be possible for you or I to buy a home right now, that does not mean that those without a job are able to do the same. What about all of those people working full time jobs, in which they are not paid enough to get by? They do not have the means to buy a home. Affordable housing is something completely different to them. A living wage is neccessary in order to allow a person to get by.

National Resource Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness

How many?

In 1996, an estimated 637,000 adults were homeless in a given week. In the same year, an estimated 2.1 million adults were homeless over the course of a year. These numbers increase dramatically when children are included, to 842,000 and 3.5 million, respectively.1

Over a five-year period, about 2-3 percent of the U.S. population (5-8 million people) will experience at least one night of homelessness. For the great majority of these people, the experience is short and often caused by a natural disaster, a house fire, or a community evacuation. 2

A much smaller group, perhaps as many as 500,000 people, have greater difficulty ending their homelessness. As one researcher who examined a sample of this group over a two-year period found:3

* Most - about 80% - exit from homelessness within about 2-3 weeks. They often have more personal, social, and economic resources to draw on than people who are homeless for longer periods of time.
* About 10% are homeless for up to two months, with housing availability and affordability adding to the time they are homeless.
* Another group of about 10% is homeless on a chronic, protracted basis - as long as 7-8 months in a two-year period. Disabilities associated with mental illnesses and substance use are common. On any given night, this group can account for up to 50% of those seeking emergency shelter.

Why?

The reasons why people become homeless are as varied and complex as the people themselves. Several structural factors contribute greatly to homelessness.

* Poverty. People who are homeless are the poorest of the poor. In 1996 the median monthly income for people who were homeless was $300, only 44% of the federal poverty level for a single adult.4 Decreases in the numbers of manufacturing and industrial jobs combined with a decline in the real value of minimum wage by 18% between 1979 and 1997 have left significant numbers of people without a livable income.5
* Housing. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that there are five million households in the U.S. with incomes below 50% of the local median who pay more than half of their income for rent or live in severely substandard housing. This is worsened by a decline in the number of housing units affordable to extremely low income households by 5% since 1991, a loss of over 370,000 units. Federal rental assistance has not been able to bridge the gap; the average wait for Section 8 rental assistance is now 28 months.6
* Disability. People with disabilities who are unable to work and must rely on entitlements such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) can find it virtually impossible to find affordable housing. In 2000, the federal SSI benefit was $512 per month, which would not cover the cost of an efficiency or one-bedroom apartment in any major housing market in the country.7

There are also several individual risk factors that may increase people's vulnerability to becoming homeless and experiencing homelessness on a longer basis.8

* Untreated mental illness can cause individuals to become paranoid, anxious, or depressed, making it difficult or impossible to maintain employment, pay bills, or keep supportive social relationships.
* Substance abuse can drain financial resources, erode supportive social relationships, and can also make exiting from homelessness extremely difficult.
* Co-occurring disorders. Individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders are among the most difficult to stably house and treat due to the limited availability of integrated mental health and substance abuse treatment in most localities.
* Other circumstances. People might also find themselves homeless for a variety of other reasons including domestic violence, chronic or unexpected health care expenses, release from incarceration, "aging out" of youth systems such as foster care, or divorce or separation.

1. Burt, M.R., Aron, L.Y., Lee, E., and Valente, J.J., (2001) Helping America's Homeless. Washington, DC: Urban Institute Press.
2. Link, B., Phelan, J., Bresnahan, M., Stueve, A., Moore, R., Susser, E. (1995) Lifetime and five-year prevalence of homelessness in the United States. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 65(3): 347-354.
3. Culhane, D. & Kuhn, R. A typology of homelessness by pattern of public shelter utilization. Personal communication, March 1996. Culhane, D., Chang-Moo, L., Wachter, S. (1996) Where the homeless come from: A study of the prior address distribution of families admitted to public shelters in New York City and Philadelphia. Housing Policy Debate, 7-2: 327-365.
4. Burt, M.R., Aron, L.Y., Douglas, T., Valente, J., Lee, E., Iwen, B. (1999) Homelessness: Programs and the People They Serve. Washington, DC: Interagency Council on the Homeless.
5. Mishel, L., Bernstein, J., Schmitt, J. (1999) The State of Working America 1998-1999. Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute.
6. United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (2001) A Report on Worst Case Housing Needs in 1999. Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute.
7. O'Hara, A., Miller, E. (2000) Priced Out in 2000: The Crisis Continues. Boston, MA: Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc.
8. Federal Task Force on Homelessness and Severe Mental Illness. (1992) Outcasts on Main Street. Washington, DC: Interagency Council on the Homeless. Lezak, A.D., Edgar, E. (1998) Preventing Homelessness Among People with Serious Mental Illnesses. Rockville, MD: Center for Mental Health Services.
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For more information about the Homeless Programs Branch, please contact:

Frances Randolph, Dr. P.H., Acting Branch Chief
Homeless Programs Branch
Center for Mental Health Services
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(301) 443-3706