Posts Tagged National Coalition for the Homeless
The Criminalization of Charity
Posted by Administrator in Land of Liberty on July 29, 2010
Today the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty had a webinar entitled “A Place at the Table” to report on the national trend to criminalize food sharing.
After extensive research using newspapers, internet sites such as municode.com, and interviews with providers, they found an alarming trend. Examples of those trends are:
Myrtle Beach, SC. Groups must apply for a permit to feed the homeless.
The permit is free but only four are granted per year.Cincinnati, OH. City prohibited food sharing in Washington Park.
Gainesville, FL. No more than 130 persons may be fed in a soup kitchen.
Huntington, NY. Police charged volunteers with peddling.
The list can go on. “A Place at the Table” report summed up the situation clearly. Here is an exact quote from the report:
“In 2007, the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) and the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (the Law Center) worked collaboratively to publish Feeding Intolerance: Prohibitions on Sharing Food with People Experiencing Homelessness. The report drew attention to the disturbing national trend of penalizing the act of sharing food with men, women, and children experiencing homelessness. Three years later, cities are still implementing these measures through ordinances, policies, and tactics that discourage or prohibit individuals and groups from sharing food with homeless persons. Uncomfortable with visible homelessness in their communities and influenced by myths about homeless peoples’ food access, cities use food sharing restrictions to move homeless people out of sight, an action that often exacerbates the challenges people experiencing homelessness face each day.”
I have witnessed many people and groups attempt to start a food bank or cold weather shelter. These were people with good intentions trying to help those less fortunate. After learning of the plight of the homeless, they are moved to action only to run into a wall from city officials and business owners.
Most food programs that I have witnessed have not cost the taxpayers one penny. They are self-sufficient and do not require taxpayer money to operate. Yet somehow we feel the need to still halt the homeless by stopping those that would help them.
Sarah Owen is someone we could learn from. She is the CEO of Community Cooperative Ministries, Inc. She fought against the Fort Myers, Florida, proposed legislation that would have criminalized food sharing. One of the problems was that developers were building up the area. There were high rise, high cost condos being built in view of where the homeless slept and ate. The developers informed the city that the homeless could be a “deal breaker.” The city started proposing a new law and began making arrest in the homeless community.
Ms. Owen stepped up. She invited other non-profit groups and even local politicians to the table. It took a lot of time. The city backed down. Since then the high rise condos sit empty. The developers went out of business due to the downturn in the economy. Some of the people that were against the homeless and those that helped them are now clients to the very programs they opposed.
If we continue to believe that we can end homelessness by pushing the homeless into another town or state we are badly mistaken. A serious, national, wrap around program is needed to solve this problem.
According to the aforementioned report 25% of requests for emergency food assistance went unmet in 2009. If the government can’t provide what is needed, then we should welcome any church, group, organization, or individual that wants to take the time, effort, and money to feed those in need.
As the report points out:
“Such restrictions also raise human rights concerns. The right to food is a recognized human right, explicitly addressed in over 120 instruments of international law since 1920 and included in the
domestic constitutions of 22 nations. The International Convention on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights (ICESCR) explains that states have an obligation to respect, protect and fulfill
Certain rights. For the right to food this means a state, or nation, must not take action resulting in
preventing access to food, must ensure that enterprises or individuals do not deprive someone of
their access to food, and must take proactive action to increase access to food.”
I have said many times that the homeless are the last segregated class. There is not enough affordable housing, there are not enough family shelters, and now we want to restrict even feeding them. Where does it stop?
We must finish this film. We must educate our country about what is happening. I believe we have come so far and accomplished so much that we must continue. We have uncovered a major story. We still need a few investors. If you can help, please call or email us.
7.29.10
DJ McCoy
National Coalition for the Homeless Webinar July 29th
Posted by Administrator in Land of Liberty on July 28, 2010
We have reported in the past on issues facing the homeless. I want to invite you to The National Coalition for the Homeless and National Law Center webinar. It seems those most in need are being denied the very basic of needs in some places. Here is a copy of the email they sent out today. I hope you can join in.
Don’t miss out on our free webinar on A Place at the Table! Join us Tomorrow, Thursday, July 29, 2010 from 3:30-4:30 EDT. RSVP Now!
NCH and the National Law Center will host a webinar to discuss topics explored in the recently released report,A Place at the Table: Prohibitions on Sharing Food with People Experiencing Homelessness. The report focuses on cities that have created ordinances, policies, and tactics to limit groups from sharing food with homeless people, and highlights alternatives to those restrictions.
Webinar presenters will include:
• Sarah Owens, Chief Executive Officer of Community Cooperative Ministries, Inc., a group which advocated against city legislation that would have criminalized food sharing in Ft. Myers, FL.
• Jonathan Lee, Founder of Swipes for the Homeless, a program that donates unused university student meals to homeless people.
• Donna Leuchten, NCH, and Sarah Shubitowski, the Law Center, Co-authors of A Place at the Table.The goal of the webinar is to provide local advocates with practical tips, advice, and support to work collaboratively with the city government to address food sharing concerns. Additionally, it will give participants a closer look at an innovative and replicable program that engages students in addressing hunger in their communities.
7.28.10
DJ McCoy
Tent Cities, America’s Alternative Affordable Housing
Posted by Administrator in Land of Liberty on March 8, 2010
Tent cities have long been an answer for our nation’s lack of affordable housing. The ongoing recession has brought to life new tent cities that can be found in both urban and rural settings. Men, women, and children are being forced into this alternative housing because waiting lists are too long, rent is too high, and in some cases affordable housing simply isn’t available. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, “about 200,000 rental housing units are destroyed annually.”
These tent cities often serve as a safer alternative than attempting survival in isolation, although their location is an important factor in determining the level of safety. Most rural camps will be established out of the line of sight. A remote location is essential to stay hidden from local authorities. A better alternative to this rogue lifestyle can be found in cities like Seattle, Portland, and Sacramento, among others; where an encampment is recognized by the local city and the inhabitants aren’t constantly harassed and run off. A recent study conducted by the National Coalition for the Homeless highlighted some of these Pacific Coast tent cities. I would encourage all of our readers to take a look at their report.
Some of the tent cities covered in the Coalition’s report have existed for quite some time and are located in areas you would expect; however, rural camps across the US, which logistically couldn’t receive the same coverage, are multiplying. The notion of tent cities in Martinsburg, WV, was a shock to many local residents. Contrary to what some might think, diminishing the visibility of the homeless camps does not help to resolve this issue. It is essential to acknowledge that homelessness is a problem in said town before the problem can be addressed. If no one knows of the homeless existence, then undoubtedly, nothing will be done. For this reason, we must bring attention to this issue. There are homeless individuals and families living all around us. If you open your eyes to this situation, your heart will most certainly follow.
In closing, I will leave you with a quote from Neil Donovan, Executive Director for the National Coalition for the Homeless:
“Tent Cities are American’s de facto waiting room for affordable and
accessible housing. The idea of someone living in a tent (or other
encampment) in this country says little about the decisions made by
those who dwell within and so much more about our nation’s inability
to adequately respond to those in need.”
3.8.10
R. Hardy
The Changing Face of Homelessness
Posted by Administrator in Land of Liberty on February 25, 2010
Kanani Kekahaua’s five kids are like most kids…they’re trying to ride into a bright future. But they’re also unlike most other kids, because they were homeless. Kanani explains how it happened. “I lost my job and it snowballed from there. You never think it will happen to you. I don’t drink, I don’t use drugs, and it’s just unfortunate it happened to me and my five children.”
Across the US the face of homelessness is changing daily. Children and families are joining the ranks of the substance abusers and mentally disordered. A place in society that was reserved for those who “deserved” their unfortunate position is becoming less black and white. While we have certainly made clear that all homeless individuals, regardless of circumstance, deserve a helping hand; this is a point of contention for some. It seems to muster more support for the homeless, one must share the stories of the individuals without “flaws” who find themselves in a tough spot. Perhaps then, something positive can come out of the recent change in the homeless population.
In the article previously linked, Pam Ducket, the program director of the Faith Program run by the Salvation Army, stated:
“80% of all homeless in Sarasota County are children and families. They are the hidden face of homeless.”
While Sarasota County, Florida, certainly holds a higher percentage of homeless children and families than the national average, families with children are among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population. According to a 2007 survey conducted by the National Coalition for the Homeless, homeless families with children make up approximately 23% of the homeless population. In 3 years time those numbers are undoubtedly on the rise.
Whether you can identify personally with the man, woman, or child on the street is not important. Whether you can acknowledge that a fellow human being is in need is important. Regardless of what pulls at the collective heart-strings of the American people, it is long past time that we stand up and help our fellow man.
2/25/2010
R. Hardy
UPDATE ARREST MADE IN McGRAHAM MURDER CASE
Posted by Administrator in Land of Liberty on February 4, 2010
Remember John Robert McGraham? He was the homeless man that was burned to death in Los Angeles. We posted information about this on our blog last year, you can read it by clicking here. LAPD arrested thirty-year-old Benjamin Mathew Martin. “Yeah, we got the right man,” stated Detective Michael Whelan. A $75,000 cash reward was offered for information leading to the apprehension of the murderer of John Robert McGraham, but no one claimed it. Some tips were offered, but after extensive foot work, an arrest was made. Martin is currently being held without bond.
In 2007 Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) introduced the Hate Crimes Against the Homeless Statistics Act (H.R. 2216) and the Hate Crimes Against the Homeless Enforcement Act (H.R. 2217). The following is taken directly from the National Coalition for the Homeless at www.nationalhomeless.org –
Hate crime and violence against people experiencing homelessness has become widespread. In 2006 alone, the number of attacks against homeless people rose by 65 percent over the prior year.
Between 1999 and 2007, over 770 violent acts against homeless individuals were documented by advocacy organizations (despite the absence of uniform law enforcement reporting). These attacks range from beatings with golf clubs to the setting a man on fire while sleeping. Victims have included men and women, veterans, children as young as four, youth, and elders.Between 1999 and 2007, more fatal attacks have been documented against homeless individuals than in all legally recognized hate crime categories combined. There were 85 homicides classified as legally-defined hate crimes. Over that same period there were 217 deaths as a result of violent acts directed at homeless individuals. Current hate crimes laws were passed before the phenomenon of homeless-victim hate crimes was well-documented. Now it is time to improve the tracking and enforcement systems already in place. Homeless status should be added to hate crimes reporting and enforcement statutes so that law enforcement agencies would uniformly and consistently report hate crimes against homeless people and so that preventive and corrective actions could be taken accordingly.
So many crimes against the homeless are committed that they do not always receive national press coverage. “There are enough of them that they don’t always draw national attention,” stated Michael Stoops, Executive Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, referring to crime against the homeless. He has worked hard with congressional leaders to pass a national hate crime bill. Even though this bill has been “pushed back,” he has seen Washington, DC, and Maryland add homeless protection to their hate crime laws.
Visit the National Coalition for the Homeless website at www.nationalhomeless.org to sign a petition to President Obama to end homelessness for all, not just veterans.
2.2.10
DJ McCoy
