Gay and Homeless, in plain sight.....

[TrevorTime]

My friend Timmy brought this article to my attention. It is somewhat of a buzz-kill, but it's an important article:

 

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gay-homeless-20101212,0,4425366.story?page=1

[Nephylim]

That made me shiver. Wierdly I'm writing a story that starts on the streets like this. It's an image that I think we, as a socitey are getting immune to. It's so sad. And it's surprisingly easy to get there.

 

There but the grace of god go all of us.

[Curti]

Its a sad article. I really want to be able to help teens out through financial assistance and adoption when I grow up. I want to adopt no matter what, but adopting the teens that will never be taken in no matter what seems to draw me more then adopting a baby.

 

Nephy when you finish that story. I'd love it read it! Stories like that are amazing.

[Menorain]

This is majorly awful that they're on the streets because of who they love. I'd definitely try the whole foster thing with teens if I'm financially able. Hopefully

[hh5]

Broken Dream Boi put out a story that has homeless gay teen as a main character.

 

The homeless situation is the worst thing there is that our society has done very little about it.

The reasons are endless of why they are and our current system of help is overloaded.

 

Given how it is before the recession and then add those since the recession ...

I bet funds to help are heading towards depletion as Unemployment is already there.

 

People rather be homeless than to be in a shelter or jail.

I seen the jail documentary for Oakland, CA is very scary ... everyone is part of an internal gang

There are very few guards to stop a riot. The jails brews criminals that breeds citizens that returns to society

 

Here is a sample of tent cities around in america ... with winter coming in I wonder how they survive last winter and this winter.

 

No one reporting on how many deaths being homeless.

 

I read an article that was at the beginning of the recession.

 

Its estimated to add 1.5 million children will be homeless ... that's 0.5% of the total population 2008

Then look at least 15 million long term unemployed thats that's 5% of the total population 2008

 

I bet the census does not bother to count people who are homeless

I wonder if the population of the country is greater that 331 million

 

But I could try to list the varies stats that describe the 331 million plus people ie:37.2M at the poverty level, 15M LT Unemployed, etc

 

but it would fail to count the actual number of homeless - it fails to show how much we as society fail to take care of its people

 

Can any one take a guess on the stats?

[Tipdin]

It reminded me of the late 1970s and early 1980s when any man that was even SUSPECTED of being HIV+ was fired, tossed out into the street and refused entry to any hospital. I was one of a group of people called AIDS Buddies, we worked extra and/or odd jobs to buy groceries, and cared for our sick gay brothers that were forced to live in abandoned buildings without heat, water, furniture, or anything else, including medication and respect.

 

It was a very shameful period in history. Hmm, we seem to have a lot of those periods....

[Benji]

This is majorly awful that they're on the streets because of who they love. I'd definitely try the whole foster thing with teens if I'm financially able. Hopefully

 

I've been there and done that with teens that are homeless, took 3 of them in. For the last 13 years I donated financially to a homeless teen center, last year I was unable to, but this year I donated a lot of winter clothing, tents, and a bike. My hometown has many homeless gay kids here in Vegas, I've never met any of them. But I do contribute as much as I can to them. My project is called Street Teens in Vegas, I'm sure everyone has one in their hometown. I do know from the director that 40% of them are homeless because they came out being gay here. It is really sad what they most want around the holidays, underwear, hoodies, socks and staple food that they can readily eat without cooking. Most of the kids form a group together for safety issues, safety in numbers as you have heard before, when things get tight they will resort to prostitution if panhandling is bad that day. They use whatever resources they can to survive, many do panhandle or steal, many do prostitute themselves, very few get out of the cycle. Instead they wind up in the court system, which throws them another curb, societies rejected now are the bane of society further in the prison system. All because of being rejected at the home front! In Vegas some as young as 11 years old.

[hh5]

It was a very shameful period in history. Hmm, we seem to have a lot of those periods....

 

From a quote from James Dyson "Solve the obvious problems that others seem to ignore"

 

We haven't solved homeless in 70 to 100 years ... when are we going to stop ignoring the problem?

[Benji]

From a quote from James Dyson "Solve the obvious problems that others seem to ignore"

 

We haven't solved homeless in 70 to 100 years ... when are we going to stop ignoring the problem?

 

............Let me give you the perfect storm here, although 40% of all teens leaving their homes are because they are gay and got kicked out, others are kicked out for other reasons such as abuse, drugs, or left for their safety. I live in Vegas, a nightlight to the young and displaced, but a nightmare to those that are displaced. They survive by any means they can, prostitution, stealing and panhandling. We have a lot of kids here in town from Utah, 'nough said there on that. The storm as I see it is the kids, I cannot do anything about the vets out there anymore, they lived what I know they did, and cannot come to grips with it. If we can halt the children from being the 'homeless' then we can stop the process. I have been informed that some Vegas homeless teens are not even teens, some as young as 11 years old.

[DragonMando]

This article scares me. Not just because of the people already there but because I was just a hairline away from there too. If I hadn't had friends that turned out to be better friends than I thought they were to turn to I'd still be out there pillaging garbage cans for food. Reading this article just makes me even more desperate to get a job and make use of the fact that I was able to get out before it was too late--so I can keep the same thing as this article from happening to someone else. No one should be left on the streets and I know I can't help them all but even just one, giving them a proper roof and a bed, yeah it's dangerous to do that for people you don't know, but if there's a chance of changing the world for one otherwise homeless kid that could have been me...I'll do it. I just have to get to the point where I can without risking myself going to the streets again as well. Sorry...topics like this get me really emotional.

[hh5]

city_of_gainesville_florida_tells_the_poor_no_soup_for_you

 

City of Gainesville, Florida Tells the Poor: "No Soup for You!"

 

The City of Gainesville, Florida has recently imposed a 130-meals-a-day limit to some area soup kitchens. For a variety of reasons, none of which seem logical or humane, Gainesville is telling soup kitchens to turn away those who are hungry, if they happen to come after the 130 person limit.

 

"It makes me sad that we have hungry people we aren't allowed to feed." She also held a hand-written sign that said, "If I was No. 131 you wouldn't feed me?"

[Freddyness]

This is well sad. I will say your homeless get treated better than ours