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PATH PartnersOnce upon a time, there was a large, bustling city called HomeTown that was hit by a devastating earthquake.
Tag Archives: housing
Point That Finger Somewhere Else
Mar 12, 2013 – 5:33 pm
Is our struggling economy the culprit? There just isn’t enough money to spend on helping people who live on our streets. We can barely fund our police officers and firefighters. Teachers are being laid off and city workers are being furloughed. Maybe it’s easier to blame others than to figure out how to fund more housing….
Tomorrow: The Days After Thanksgiving
Nov 26, 2012 – 9:23 pm
Out of 365 days a year spent sleeping on the streets, Thanksgiving must be one of the best—a full stomach, real conversation with other people, and celebrities and politicians providing the royal treatment. But after the trays of turkey and bowls of mashed potatoes are empty, after all the volunteers return to their families to celebrate a “real” Thanksgiving meal, the magic of Thanksgiving comes to an end. Tomorrow has come.
When Business and Homelessness Collide
Nov 5, 2012 – 7:47 pm
I was sitting in a downtown business association office, at a polished wooden corporate table, surrounded by plush leather chairs and a daunting row of black and white mug shots of past CEOs presiding over our proceedings. At the table sat local business leaders, neighborhood stakeholders, law enforcement reps, and the Deputy City Attorney. Despite [...]
We Don’t Need Good Samaritans, We Need Great Ones
Sep 24, 2012 – 8:01 pm
One quick encounter became the inspiration to perform courageous acts of compassion for generations. That guy from Samaria, famously known as the Good Samaritan, picked up a hurting man along the side of the road to help him. That hurting man was the “enemy,” from another tribe, another religion. It would be like Romeo’s mother [...]
The Conspiracy of Homelessness
Jul 31, 2012 – 5:42 pm
Is Osama Bin Laden really dead? How about Elvis Presley? The conspiracy theories go on and on, as if movie director Oliver Stone is looking for more story plots.
How about this one? There is a conspiracy in this country to intentionally keep 643,000 Americans homeless (the total number of people experiencing homelessness).
Who Should Win The Housing Lottery?
Jul 10, 2012 – 11:25 pm
Securing one of the limited permanent supportive housing units in the U.S. is a bit like desperately trying to win that golden ticket in the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Millions of people are in need of affordable housing, and only a handful of apartments are subsidized by the government.
If you are homeless, the odds of accessing an affordable apartment with support services are probably worse than winning a money lottery. Of course, some cities, like Los Angeles, set aside rental vouchers for people who are homeless, but with 50,000 Angelenos homeless, the vouchers are never enough.
So how should society determine who gets a coveted subsidized housing unit?
The Heat is On for People Struggling with Extreme Poverty
Jul 2, 2012 – 6:42 pm
Blame this summer’s weather on whatever you want: Global warming, the impending apocalypse, a Democratic President, a Republican Congress, a surprisingly moderate Supreme Court, or the fact that the Miami Heat won the NBA championship. Whatever the case, the inclement weather has become a dangerous summer fling.
Ending Homelessness or Saving Lives?
Apr 17, 2012 – 9:00 am
I can only imagine losing my job, then my house, then ending up sleeping behind a trash bin behind the local grocery store. What I cannot imagine is waking up in the dead of night by a swirl of red lights and a jab in the ribs from a cop’s billy club. And then to be legally ticketed for being homeless just seems wrong.
Is it against the law to lose your employment, your house, and to desperately find some safe and warm place to sleep outside? I don’t think so.
Will California Create More Affordable Housing?
Apr 9, 2012 – 9:00 am
California’s state leaders are debating whether they should tax homebuyers in order to fund more affordable housing for those who struggle with renting a house, let a lone buying one.
It used to be the “American Dream” was to purchase a detached single family home down the street from Ozzie and Harriet Nelson. Today, that dream has been reduced to simply hoping your family can afford rent on a two-bedroom apartment sandwiched in a multi-storied stucco box.
