Mobile Loaves & Fishes Blog: October 2009

A man spoke to me of his drug use at the weekly HOW Community Breakfast this morning. It didn’t matter what was offered to him in the way of support groups, friendship, needles, etc. Nothing could motivate him to kick the habit. He said the change had to first come from within himself for the help to be effective.

He quit “using” three years after he began to want it, nearly four decades after he began to need it. Some folk were willing to help him but their willingness was ignored for years before it was required. And when he did require it, it was a dire necessity. His drug use was all-consuming until death was staring at him. By that point, his “choice” was hardly a choice at all. But it was always a choice for those extending it. They could have rescinded it at any time.

The turmoil within a person living with an addiction is a mystery to those looking on. The heart of someone extending help is also a mystery. Why don’t they give up?

Another man at the breakfast, also a former drug user, said he’s found just as much addiction in the collective distractions of his life since he’s been clean. Searching the internet, working, shopping (another guy added “laziness”) have just as much potential to derail life as drugs. It made sense to me. There have been great stretches of my life where afterward I’ve looked back and seen nothing but a consumptive “searching” for some type of elusive addictive filler.

How do those of us suffering from normal addictions find freedom? Must we wait for our credit cards to be maxed out, our time to be used up, or our kids to be left without a father or mother because of our addictive distractions? Will it take some form of death’s cold stare for us to wake up and address the life we’re snuffing out?

How do we find the freedom to be part of the solution? How can we fight our addiction to move from the hospital of the injured to staff the teams that are trying to help?

The solutions to homelessness and drug use, the solutions to addiction and addictive behaviors are not so different for many of us who like to think we are on the outside looking in. Recovery begins within ourselves. Addictions will not go away of their own accord. Recovery also requires people who are willing to help. People willing to extend their help regardless of any obvious reward of supposed “success”; the kind Jesus touted who “do not only love those who can love them back”. To do this requires a heart that remains open amidst much rejection, hurt, and abuse.

What can compel a person to love in such a way? Jesus said: “He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26). For all concerned, both the addicted and those wanting to serve the recovering, all must face their imminent death or they will be unprepared for the death that they do face. Amen?

To join in the Karpophoreō Project community (www.mlf.org/KP), a community of the addicted, the recovering, and those willing to face death, contact Steven ([email protected]). We meet weekly to garden and fellowship.

Posted at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

October 20, 2009

"Brrr! It's cold...and wet, too."

I remember that day in October 2007. I had awoke around 6:00 a.m. under the bridge I slept under for the past few months and noticing a cold front blew in overnight I commented, “Brrr! It’s cold this morning.” I was speaking to another fellow camping under the same bridge and his response was, “Yeah, and it’s wet, too. It’s raining out there.”

As I rolled up my bedroll, I gathered my things and started to leave. He sat idle, drinking his breakfast, and said, “You should stay up here awhile.” I wish I could have waited for the rain to stop, but I had to go “to work”. Work for me consisted of standing on a corner for 10-16 hrs. per day attempting to panhandle enough money, to purchase my “medicine”, on a daily basis. My name is Gary and I am a recovered Heroin addict.

My first winter ‘on the streets’ was in 1999. I remember approaching a truck that was handing out sandwiches and warm drinks with a friend. My friend, female, did not have a coat and the temperature was in the 30’s. The truck belonged to a non-profit organization of Christians called Mobile Loaves and Fishes, and they frequented areas where the homeless and working poor gathered to ‘assist’ them. A female volunteer asked my friend where her coat was. When she responded she did not have one, the volunteer took her own coat off and gave it to her without pause. To me this was ‘loving your neighbor as yourself’, similar to the commandment Jesus spoke of to the Pharisees in the Bible’s Book of Matthew (22:39).

In January of 2007, back on the streets, I experienced a period of two days when the temperatures did not rise above 30 degrees for 2-3 days and two days of sleet and rain. I felt fortunate to have already received a coat, blankets, and sleeping bag to gather in at night time when the temperature dropped to the low twenties. God, once again working in my life, allowed me to find an open door in back of an empty church, which is where I slept for two nights, leaving before daybreak to avoid being discovered for trespassing. I found out later, several homeless had died during those nights from staying out in the elements unprotected.

At the time I mentioned in the opening, I had a drug habit that cost an average of $60-$100 per day, and I felt fortunate if I had a “taste” to get started. Regardless of the weather, I did whatever it took to earn enough to supply my drug habit. The cold front that came in seemed a bit early and I had not acquired a coat or sweater yet, and a rain coat was something my habit did not allow me to afford. I had looked around and found a terry cloth bath robe. It was the only clothing object with long sleeves. I decided it was better than nothing. The only problem was it was ‘pink’! I faced the humiliation of wearing it in public because that is what my disease of addiction told me I had to do. Gratefully, I did not have to stand in traffic very long before a gentleman, waiting on the light, stepped out of his truck and handed me the coat he was wearing, saying “get that pink thing off”.

I am thankful there are some Christians and compassionate people in Austin, TX who willingly and unconditionally give to others, without regard to why other people are living like they are living. While addiction and alcoholism affect a lot of people living on the streets, it is not the only reason many are out there. The economy, psychological, and physical disabilities often times place individuals in such situations. It is not always by choice, but the fact remains, many have nothing but the clothes on their back.

As the cold, wet weather has begun to approach, I felt compelled to share these experiences with you and others. Knowing we all have our own responsibilities and with the holidays approaching, our minds focus on taking care of our own personal business while the less fortunate often stand, too humiliated to ask for help. Please take the time to consider them and offer spare coats, blankets, and sleeping bags. While they may not be living next door, in God’s eyes they are your neighbors. Sharing His love and blessings for you with others, they too will be drawn to Him. My God is a loving and forgiving God and I have shared how others showed His love to me; by His love and grace I have remained drug and alcohol free since November 1, 2008. Thank you for listening and considering others. The love you share may help others achieve a meaningful and fulfilling life.

– Gary M.

Posted at 09:00 AM in Austin, Homeless, Homelessness, Housing, Hunger | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

October 15, 2009

Press Statement from Alan Graham In Response to Statesman Editorial On Panhandling

No matter what side of this issue you're on we encourage you to talk about it with your City Council. Click here to send and email telling the entire City Council what you think about this.

PRESS STATEMENT

The following is a statement from Alan Graham, President/CEO of Mobile Loaves and Fishes, in response to yesterday’s Austin American-Statesman Editorial “Whose sensibilities would be spared by expanded ban in Austin?”

“Yesterday’s Austin American-Statesman’s editorial asking the City Council to think long and hard before expanding the ban on panhandling downtown was right on target. While the editorial couched the issue, very laudably, as one of free speech, I would like to remind the Council and the public that there is also a very pragmatic angle to take when opposing the criminalization of panhandling.

It doesn’t work.

Expanding the ban on panhandling downtown will simply consume more of the City’s law enforcement resources, push panhandling into other neighborhoods and give the perception that the problem is solved, or at least getting better.

That is a dangerous perception for our community.

Panhandling is a symptom of homelessness. Criminalizing panhandling does nothing to address the state of homelessness. Study after study supports that. The answer to homelessness is long-term, affordable, sustainable housing. Mobile Loaves and Fishes’ Habitat on Wheels project has a five year track record of lifting people off the streets and into affordable, permanent housing, in refurbished recreational vehicles (RVs) that we acquire.

Currently, Mobile Loaves and Fishes’ Habitat on Wheels is seeking a permanent location for our RVs. It is as shovel ready as a project can be and the Austin City Council’s time would be better spent approving that project than debating, yet again, an expanded ban on panhandling downtown.”

Posted at 09:00 AM in Alan Graham, Austin, Panhandling | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

October 14, 2009

An Open Letter to the Citizens of Austin, Texas from Richard Troxell

This letter was written by RIchard Troxell, President of House the Homeless one of the strongest advocates surrounding the issue of homelessness in Austin. I believe it is important that all sides be heard in this debate. Mobile Loaves & Fishes believes that the answer to all of these systemic issues that exacerbate homelessness is affordable, permanent, sustainable housing and living wage jobs. Mobile Loaves & Fishes believes that through the implementation of its Habitat on Wheels housing model (www.mlfnow.org/HOW) that we can mitigate over a relatively short period of time this sore on our society we call panhandling. We are emphatically against any additional criminalization or any expansion of the panhandling ordinance in Austin.

-Alan

House the Homeless Takes a Stand
As we are well aware, the Downtown Austin Business Alliance (DABA), the East Sixth Street Community Association (ESCA) and Sixth Street Austin (aka) Pecan Street Owners Association), among other businesses, which includes, but certainly not limited to, the Alamo Draft House, B.D Rileys, Iron Cactus Cafe, the Margarita Bar, El Sol Y La Luna, Parkside, Blind Pig, and the Old Pecan Street Cafe are all promoting the expansion of the anti-panhandling ordinance from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM to around-the-clock, 24 hours a day, in the downtown area. House the Homeless (HTH), the oldest, grassroots, all volunteer, action homeless organization in the State of Texas, made up of people experiencing homelessness, formerly homeless people and others wishing to end homelessness, is strongly against the expansion of this ordinance. Although HTH has stated repeatedly that it does not condone panhandling, and it outright condemns aggressive panhandling, its members will fight to their last breath for a person's right to ask his or her fellow human beings for help.

A Fair Wage For A Fair Day's Work
The President of ESCA has said with conviction that "All of our businesses pay a Living Wage or more than a Living Wage." This is a blatant untruth. Upon investigation, House the Homeless has learned that none of the businesses listed here pay a Living Wage. In fact, they all take advantage of a loop hole in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 for which businesses had previously lobbied Congress. Presently, the Federal Minimum Wage is $7.25 an hour, which is less than $15,000 per year. Where people are earning a living based on "tips", employers can pay these employees as little as $2.13 an hour so long as you and I, as patrons, bring the wage up to the Federal Minimum Wage. We tip to express our gratitude to individuals who provide us good or exceptional service as a way of saying "thank you". Who among you realize that you are being relied upon to provide the base pay of each and everyone of these employees? (Note. B.D. Rileys pays its' employees only $2.81 per hour).

Again, this gouging of patrons merely brings the pay amount up to the Federal Minimum Wage, which has been widely known to be wholly inadequate to attain housing. In fact, according to the last several US Conference of Mayors' Reports, insufficient income is a leading cause of homelessness. They point out that no where in America, can a person earning at the Federal Minimum Wage get into and keep basic rental housing. What ever happened to "A Fair Wage For a Fair Day's Work"? Do these businesses act responsibly or morally if they don't even pay their
employees enough to make ends meet so they can afford basic housing?

Employers who benefit from the labor of their workers need to ensure that the people working for them are able meet their core needs. This is known as a Living Wage. This means, at a minimum, paying a person who works 40 hours in a week enough to afford basic food, clothing and shelter (including utilities).

Lack of Cooperation and Resistance:
Unfortunately, neither DABA, ESCA, nor 6ixth Street Austin have participated in or contributed one thin dime to alleviating the root causes of homelessness. When the City of Austin reached out to the Federal government and borrowed eight (8) million dollars to create the current ARCH, the only DABA contribution was to insist that there be metal detectors at the front doors. In addition to serving as president of House the Homeless, I operate Legal Aid for the Homeless, the 5th Resource Center for the homeless since I started in 1989. None of these business organizations have supported any of these centers. It was in 1995 (circa) that House the Homeless first engaged the DABA (then known as DAA) when it pressed for the passage of the “No Camping” Ordinance. The issue set the city on fire. House the Homeless took out a full-page ad in the Sunday Austin American Statesman showing how it was cheaper to house and job train all homeless people, as opposed to jailing them. However, facts such as those did not deter the DAA. Everyone had a position and everyone chimed in. Steve Fromholtz, singer/songwriter, camped out with us, as did Molly Ivans, who said "Outlaw camping? That's just silly. I'm a Texas gal and I like to camp." Bruce Springstein was in town and in support, he gave House the Homeless proceeds from his t-shirt sales. All the while, the DAA insisted that this was an “urgent matter”, and that once they got immediate relief, we could "slow things down and start looking at deeper, more substantive issues and causes of homelessness."

Additionally, rather than pay wages that would enable minimum wage workers to avoid experiencing homelessness, the DAA has dipped into the city coffers and funded in part, their own private police force - The Downtown Rangers. They are separate and apart from our police force - the Austin Police Department. But they didn't stop there. The DAA said that it was "the homeless who were filling our jails with drunken episodes, and thus creating the need for a "Community" Court. House the Homeless contended that this was not true. Later, when the statistics came out showing that the biggest offenders were University of Texas students, the DAA remained undeterred by the facts, and went on to press for the creation of the Community Court, separate from the Municipal Court only one block away. And again, this comes at a significant cost to taxpayers.

*Note: Today, in the Austin Metropolitan Area there are only two (2) substance abuse treatment beds for single, adult males outside of the criminal justice system. They have it set up so that these beds are reserved for people who are in violation of the "Quality of Life Ordinances," i.e. no sitting, no lying down, no camping, etc. These are all ordinances promoted by these businesses directed at people experiencing homelessness and all under the banner of urgency. This refrain has been repeated over and over again with the passing of each "Quality of Life Ordinance" - no camping, no sitting, no lying down, no aggressive panhandling etc., all of which the DAA has rushed
toward passage declaring an urgent need each time. With no subsequent significant efforts to address the root causes of homelessness being offered, House the Homeless can no longer consider espousers of such mantra as "honest brokers".

In a city that so dramatically lacks resources for people experiencing homelessness; (If you have ever played musical chairs as a child, you know that 4,400 people cannot easily fit into 650 emergency beds) can we constitutionally pass muster under the necessity argument? And in a City where 55,000+ University students are channeled into the Entertainment District would we be able to defend exclusionary practices regarding freedom of speech arguments?

The Criminalization of the Homelessness

In fact, actions by the DAA have collectively created what House the Homeless refers to as the Criminalization of Homelessness Cycle.

The Cycle works like this:

(1) businesses pay so little that is causes minimum wage workers to fall into homelessness;

(2) there is a wholly inadequate response with less than 650 emergency shelter beds (for every man, woman and child), for an actual head count of about 4,400 people;

(3) The City Council (at the urging of the DAA passes "Quality of Life" laws against camping, sitting, lying down, loitering, solicitation, etc.;

(4) citizens can't pay $200-$500 fines and must work for free "Community Service." Some have called this "slave labor;"

(5)workers are later jailed when Class C criminal tickets go to warrant and people are forced to panhandle to survive, but are labeled "criminals;" and

(6) people can't rent or find jobs due to their criminal records
and remain homeless.

The DAA continues to say that they are attacking the act, not the actor.... and panhandling, not the people who are panhandlers. But there is danger in this broad brush approach. The Chronicle just published an expose entitled Panhandlers for God. They focused on an organization calling itself Austin Restoration Ministries or ARM. Theywere described as an organized group of panhandlers who aggressively demanded attention and money to support what was described as a dubious substance abuse treatment ministry. The first thing that we need to note is that ARM's behavior as described is clearly illegal under the Anti-Aggressive Solicitation Ordinance. Also, as depicted, it should be repudiated. What was described was a highly organized scam, relying on intimidation to commit highway robbery. House the Homeless would be among the first to condemn the suggested activity.

However, one does have to ask why the citizen who was interviewed failed to act and report the illegal activity, and then press for a legal response of the existing law, to have it stopped. There is something very disquieting in this and the recent findings of the ACLU and their Open Records Request. This revealed that the point person for the DAA anti-panhandling initiative, Bill Brice, likewise had not attempted to use the existing law before he and his business buddies
launched into yet another "emergency" response to pass laws against persons experiencing homelessness. Nonetheless, the alleged activity cited in the Chronicle is that of an organization, not individuals.

But the question of reporting is greater than just this limited view. I’ve read in two reports and had one conversation that Front Steps is supporting the expansion of this ordinance because of two frightening encounters with aggressive panhandlers by their Board members. This unacceptable behavior and should not be tolerated. The suggestion that they should have reported the incident to the Police was waved off with “neither they nor the aggressive panhandlers would have waited for the police to arrive.” Well maybe the victim would not wait, but I’ll guarantee you that the person standing on the corner is not about to abandon his or her corner. And how are they going to know that you placed a call to the police on your cell phone? They wouldn’t. Life is not always convenient.

There is a law in place against aggressive pan handling and just because we would be too inconvenienced to have it enforced is no justification to enact yet another law...especially one that curtails freedom of speech. Again, I guarantee you that if you pull one of the aggressive panhandlers away from their source of income for half a day to explain their aggressive behavior, you will see a sea change. But as it sits now we see no complaints and no efforts to enforce the current law.

Targeting the Homeless:

As stated, the DAA and all these businesses continue to contend that they are "not targeting the homeless; rather, they are targeting behavior”. Really? Consider this: when House the Homeless pointed out that firemen were stepping into traffic (with bag pipes) to solicit motorists for money, an exception was made and a state law was changed. What will happen when the Salvation Army asks for an exception for its bell ringers? When the Austin Advocate asks for an exception for its
vendors, will it be granted?

The other day while leaving ARCH and racing to a meeting, a person experiencing homelessness ran up to me and presented me with a ticket that he had received for "Aggressive Panhandling." He is a struggling Austin Musician who plays an acoustic guitar, is homeless, and plays with his guitar box open for contributions. He insisted that he had no sign and the only words that came out of his mouth were song. Racing away, I told him how important it was that I get a copy of the ticket. Clearly he was not aggressively panhandling. But the question sits on the table like an 800 pound baby elephant.

If this ordinance were to be expanded, in the "Live Music Capitol of the World", would you again write an exception to the ordinance to allow for such activity in the downtown Entertainment District? Firemen, bell ringers, newspaper solicitors... how many exceptions before the charade is
exposed and it becomes clear to everyone that people experiencing homelessness are being targeted.

What about the Neighborhoods?

The DAA and all the associated businesses cry for relief from the "siege" they suffer under by people experiencing homelessness, and those who panhandle for survival. But what do they say about their concern for the neighborhoods around them who would clearly then become victims of the relief that they seek. The business mentality is, "I got mine...good luck to you." Is that good community partnership? No. It is elitism. Good community citizenry is evidenced by the City of Austin, who pays a living wage to the least among its employees and to Travis County, who worked to get to that position, and to CVAN R Automotive, Wheatsville Co-Op, Run Tex and others who pay living wages or have pledged to work toward them because it is the ethical thing to do. This is a new day and a new way. We must all be our brother's keepers. Everyone should be paid a fair wage for a fair day's work, and everyone should have a roof over their head (other than a bridge). Until that day, House the Homeless will continue to stand up with our brothers and sisters who ask, "Buddy, can you spare a dime."

What Do The Surveys Say?

On Tuesday, August 19, 2008, the City of Austin received the results of its Commissioned Solicitation Survey from the University of Texas School of Social Work. They had interviewed 103 individuals, specifically excluding any kind of organized solicitation, and found that:

(1) These individuals were soliciting (panhandling) for daily survival and

(2) Making persistent efforts to work, with a long work history. They found that 51 percent of those surveyed wanted job training and 52 percent were looking for work.

In the Community Action Network (CAN) Unsheltered Homeless Count Survey, conducted in Austin in May, 2007, over 200 respondents were interviewed. When asked as to the cause of their homelessness, 100 said it was because of "being unable to pay either their rent or mortgage." Another 188 said it was "due to unemployment."

In a third survey, this time conducted by the City of Houston Health and Human Services Department, 345 persons were interviewed. When asked their reason for their street solicitation,
250, or 72.5 percent, stated "income for survival." When asked if they enjoyed street solicitation, 280, or 81.2 percent, said "No." When asked what would be required for them to stop street solicitation, 196, or 56.8 percent, responded with "employment."

A fourth survey was conducted by House the Homeless, Inc., in Austin in November, 2007. In this instance, 526 people experiencing homelessness were successfully interviewed. Thirty-six point eight (36.8) percent said they were working at the time of the interview. *Remember, the U.S. government found 42 percent of those experiencing homelessness nationwide were working at the time of their interview. When asked if they would work a 40 hour week job if they were sure it would pay them enough to afford basic food, clothing and shelter (including utilities) (in other words, a living wage), 468, or 90.7 percent, said they would work 40 hours for a Living Wage.

In a subsequent fifth survey, conducted January 1, 2009 by House the Homeless, 429 people experiencing homelessness were interviewed. When asked for the cause of their homelessness, "job loss" and "insufficient income" ranked as the 1st and 2nd answers respectively.

The findings from the surveys are self evident. People want to work, and they want to be paid living wages. But, regardless, the DAA has once again refused to not take responsibility for their role in both creating and maintaining homelessness in our town by failing to pay fair living wages. They continue to act as non-community partners who are some how entitled to their own private police force, their own set of laws and a separate court system all at the tax payers' expense, while at the same time, failing to exercise basic moral and ethical standards by paying a fair wage for a fair day's work. Instead, they are relying on the compassion of their patrons to step up and fill their moral void while they press for more and more laws and ordinances to isolate and insulate themselves and their businesses.

Needs and Solutions:

Bottom line...people experiencing homelessness fall into two distinct categories: those who can work and those who cannot work.

We must help complete the work of the "Let's Get to Work" Task Force. We must ensure that their idea of involving Community Sponsorship to move people out of transitional housing, secure basic additional education and then secure Living Wage jobs on a temporarily supported basis is paramount for the basic health of our community. It is simply not reasonable to expect that after we have put them through the Continuum of Care Process and brushed them off, dried them out and prepared them for work, that we can simply then put them back into an under-funded economic system and expect them to thrive. The rate of recidivism will be close to 100 percent. As long as there is no clear pathway that will move people from homelessness into emergency shelter, then into transitional housing and then into a living wage job that affords them regular housing and a reasonable opportunity to remain housed, while receiving adequate health care, then for that homeless individual, Front Steps, Caritas, House the Homeless and all the rest of us are falling short.
We must promote such innovative programs as Habitat on Wheels being promoted by Mobile Loaves and Fishes that offers truly affordable housing based in a true community of active participation and love.
We must put our preconceived prejudices aside and seriously consider and actively promote the type of "Wet Housing" that is being promoted by Front Steps. The current approach to substance abuse is limited, exclusionary, prohibitively costly and simply not working.
For those who cannot work, we need the federal government to fix the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) levels so that people can be housed.
For those who can work, we must provide a Universal Living Wage. Imagine working five or six days a week and with no time off and no vacation. If you were to let the stress overwhelm you and not show up just one day, you are quickly on a direct path to homelessness. And to expect that these same workers who work a full-time job at McDonalds, who still do not have enough to pay the rent after exposure to constant performance and time pressures while sweating over a hot grill, can long avoid homelessness is short sighted and unrealistic. The Federal government isn't moving so fast to include the minimum wage worker. So we as affected Austinites must act. We must provide our own leadership to create change.

Since House the Homeless first devised the Universal Living Wage Formula in 1997, the Federal government has created "Locality Pay," and the U.S. Military has moved from the VAH pay system to BAH - Base Housing Allowance, which recognizes that we are a nation of thousands of economies. And now the Federal government, itself, recognizes geographic considerations as well through its Locality Pay enhancement stipend program. That just leaves "We the People" out. Just as the Federal government abdicated its role of housing our nation's poor under the Regan Administration, causing homelessness to percolate up in our urban centers (Austin included), it would seem that they are leaving the wage issue to us as well.

The Federal government isn't moving so fast to include the minimum wage worker in their new found realization tht the wage must be indexed to the local cost of housing because again, we are anation of thousands of economies...Every time that Congress raises the Federal minimum wage, it is tamped down by short sighted business interests that fail to realize the potential retraining cost savings. And the limited increases are always an amount which is less than that needed to enable workers to reach the Federal Poverty Guideline. The result is economic slavery of millions of people, now evidenced by the 3.8 million people experiencing homelessness nationwide and over 4,000 in Austin again this year. So we as affected Austinites must act. We must provide our own leadership to create change.

Conclusion:

If we were to ask a person experiencing homelessness for a letter grade on how we are doing, and if they were honest, the answer would be "F". The problems of homelessness are being left up to the communities of America to resolve. And resolve them we must, but it will require that each of us participate as cohesive community partners...with no exceptions. This is a new day with new opportunities for our businesses to assume the leadership roles that they deserve. But until our businesses recognize this and join hands with us in a force strong enough to defeat homelessness, this societal disease will only continue to grow and divide our community.

I went to the corner and held up a sign today
Someone rudely told me "I have bills to pay"

I thought how lucky a roof and a bed
Luxury like that would go to my head

How can you sit there and look down your nose
Because my hair is messy, or maybe my clothes

All you see is someone you think is drunk or full of drugs
Someone diseased and full of bugs

It's amazing how totally wrong you can be
I'm completely sober, no bugs, AIDS, or VD

I'm a good girl, God's laws I don't break
But tonight you'll sell yourself for a few drinks and a steak

Although it may take 4 hours because of people like you
to get "two burgers please" from the dollar menu

It wouldn't take much just a five or a one
Not your car or house or fist born son

What harm would it be for you to give
a little money to help me live

And although my life is harder than you could have guessed
I smile through each day knowing I am truly loved and blessed

-Deborah Smith 2009

Posted at 02:03 PM in Affordable Housing, Austin, Homeless, Homelessness, Housing, Hunger, Panhandling | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

October 05, 2009

UN World Habitat Day: How Can We Make Housing Noteworthy?

While sitting at a business conference recently somebody asked the question “what can I do to get my business noticed?” The answer was simple: do something noteworthy. Do something noteworthy…that makes sense! Now, noteworthy…what exactly is noteworthy today?

The tabloids can’t seem to get enough of health care reform, Letterman, and the economy, but that’s not what I want to talk about right now. I want to talk about home. For the people who have homes, housing isn’t really a noteworthy topic. Like Leigh mentioned earlier, home is often a quiet backdrop for the news of a life—the births the deaths, the joys and the sorrows.

But, for a full third of our nation, home is a noteworthy topic. For these 95 million people home isn’t a given. It is a search, a hope, a goal. Whether they have housing problems because of poverty, mental illness, or loss of family, they have them. Many of these people are chronically homeless, and some are working 3 jobs and still unable to afford decent housing for their families.

Here’s some food for thought via The World Habitat News page:

-One out of every three city dwellers n the world – nearly a billion people – lives in a slum. (Slum indicators include: lack of water, lack of sanitation, overcrowding, non-durable structures and insecure tenure.)
-The number of low-income families in the US that lack safe and affordable housing is related to the number of children that suffer from asthma, viral infections, anemia, stunted growth and other health problems. About 21,000 children have stunted growth attributable to the lack of stable housing; 10,000 children between the ages of 4 and 9 are hospitalized for asthma attacks each year because of cockroach infestation at home; and more than 180 children die each year in house fires attributable to faulty electrical heating and electrical equipment.

So I am asking you: do something to make housing a noteworthy and newsworthy topic today as part of The UN’s World Habitat Day. Talk with co-workers, blog, tweet…heck, even THINK about it for a day. Who knows what will come out of it!

-Rachel

Posted at 03:30 PM in Homelessness, Housing, Rachel | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

UN World Habitat Day: Do You Take Your Home For Granted?

In the mix of the hustle and bustle of daily life, I’d be willing to bet that most of us take for granted that we have a home. Think about it. Most of the time I come home, set down my things, take off my shoes, check the mail, get something from the fridge…and never even think about how lucky I am to actually have a home. I wonder why? I mean…if you own a home it is probably the single largest purchase you’ve ever made. Seems like an odd thing to take for granted.

I spent this past weekend nesting in my house. I bought pumpkins for the front porch, rearranged furniture, cleaned from floor to ceiling, installed a couple of items, hung a few things, etc. It all looks great…if I do say so myself. But, after I finished and I sat down to write a blog entry recognizing “World Habitat Day” I got to thinking about how lucky I actually am to get to do laundry in my own home. To collect the items I collect for my home. Obviously, some of these things are frivolous…like pumpkins, but my home also provides me the most basic of necessities….a place to bathe and clean myself, to cook and nurture myself, to rest and rejuvenate myself. How is it that I can take cooking, cleaning, and sleeping for granted?!?!

My work as the Development Director for Mobile Loaves & Fishes has certainly opened my eyes to the issues of homelessness, poverty, and hungry. So it should be no surprise to me that a home is important…but somehow I fail to recognize this on a daily basis.

Today is World Habitat Day. A day to “reaffirm that adequate shelter is a basic human right, and we focus on the housing conditions of cities and towns around the world. We also use this day to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat.”

So in honor of this day, I’ve set a small goal for myself…when I come home each evening and cross the threshold of my home that I remember how lucky I am to have a place to call my own. It’s a modest home, but it’s mine. I find solace and serenity there. Each day as I come home I’ll say a prayer for the thousands of those out there who don’t have what most of us call a luxury, but is in fact a necessity.

I won’t pretend that my meager goal will solve the issue of homelessness. I do think, however, that just recognizing our own blessings can change the way we view others as we pass them on the street corners or step over them in doorways. It’s a shift in the way we think of others. If we change the way we think, we change the way we act…and in doing so, hopefully we’ll treat every human being with the dignity and respect they deserve.

-Leigh

Posted at 01:30 PM in Austin, Homelessness, Housing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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October 2009

October 29, 2009

There By The Grace Of God Go I: Ending #Homelessness Through The Character Of A True Christian Friend

October 28, 2009

The Solution Is Sustainable Living: Are You Helping?

October 27, 2009

Take A 5 Minute Quiz About The #Homeless In Austin

How Do People Get To Be #Homeless? What Is It Like? What Can I Do?

October 22, 2009

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