Hungry, Homeless Figures Increase in U.S

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Requests for emergency food and shelter increased in many large U.S. cities this year, but not by as much as in recent years, according to a survey released Tuesday.

Requests for food rose by 14 percent, while appeals for shelter increased by 6 percent, said the annual report by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, based on surveys of 27 large cities.

The numbers have risen every year since the conference began the survey 20 years ago. However, the rate of increase for food requests was the lowest since 1998. The rate of increase for shelter requests was less than half what it was in 2003, and the lowest since 1997.

``The good news here is that the increase in demand overall has slowed somewhat,'' said Nashville, Tenn., Mayor Bill Purcell, who chairs the conference's task force on hunger and homelessness. ``The bad news is that the increased demand is all over the country.''

more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4673636,00.html

[montana_hazeleyes]

1. Looks like

they're trying to spin the crap out of this one.

[maddezmom]

3. right, what about all the small, rural areas that have no shelters/ food

banks...guess they don't count. :eyes:

[montana_hazeleyes]

5. Radio talkshow host Ray Talliaferro

said vets from this current war ,some amputees, are turning up at homeless shelters!

[wicket]

9. I've heard some have turned up at the shelter in Boston

I'll try to get a confirmation. This should be criminal :mad:

[wicket]

10. Homeless Iraq vets showing up at shelters

Sorry it's the Moonie Times, but it's got a lot of info on this:

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20041207-121848-6449r.htm

Washington, DC, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. veterans from the war in Iraq are beginning to show up at homeless shelters around the country, and advocates fear they are the leading edge of a new generation of homeless vets not seen since the Vietnam era.

"When we already have people from Iraq on the streets, my God," said Linda Boone, executive director of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. "I have talked to enough (shelters) to know we are getting them. It is happening and this nation is not prepared for that."

[montana_hazeleyes]

15. Thanks

for the link wicket. There's alot of information there. Yes, this is criminal and disgusting. How can the bush** butt-kissers close there eyes to this? And the ones higher up know of it.

The every-day kool aid drinkers don't want to know and wouldn't care, I believe.

[Bono71]

18. Unbelieveable. What a disgrace...where is Rumsfield on this one?

[KingChicken]

2. Not sure what it means....

Overall demand down, however demand is all over the country... Oh well, time will tell...

[alcuno]

4. No, the increase in demand is down, not the demand.

It still means that more people are asking for assistance than had before.

[area51]

"...rate of increase for food requests was the lowest since `98."

I'd be surprised, since I know the economy hasn't gotten any better since Shrub started squatting @ 1600 PA ave.

Herbert Hoover: "Prosperity is just around the corner."
GW Bush: "The economy has turned a corner."

Herbert Hoover = GW Bush

[lovuian]

6. We have just begun to see the real hungry appear

its going to get worse with Tent cities and soup kitchens!!!

[gorbal]

8. There already here

It already IS worse. You just don't see it becasue the media likes to pretend everything is hunky dorry.

[VegasWolf]

7. self delete.

[Just Me]

11. The "Hidden America" no one wants to see, face or admit.

Approximately 1/5 of our population is "homeless" (if you include those who are forced to move in with family or friends to survive),...nearly 1/3 are living on the edge of or below poverty.

On the other hand, watch "westernifantasy" TV,...and EVERYBODY is doing just fabulous.

[durablend]

16. "It's their own fault"

"Everyone knows that...either they're too lazy, too stupid, too wasteful with their finances, blah blah blah. Everything's just fine in the real world!"

"Here's some more Kool Aid...drink up!"

[Just Me]

35. Yep. They were born into conditions or invited outside circumstances.

It's all their fault and has NOTHING whatsoever to do with anyone or anything outside their control.

Each man for himself,...we all have total power over our fate.

yeah

[acmavm]

12. Oh bullshit. There was an article over the weekend about there being

700,000 hungry people living in L.A. County alone.

Who do these jackasses think they're fooling. Job's being lost, bankruptcies and foreclosure rates climbing, lower wagers for everyone. Again I say bullshit.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

13. Yea! The Bush economic plan is working!

:eyesroll:

[ninkasi]

14. The only way my family has survived

is by being a very close, very large, extended family. We help each other when times are bad, give a home to family members who need help until they can survive without help, and in the process, grow closer and love each other more. We have pitched in to give the ones of us who are in financial trouble help, and even pooled our money to provide deposits for houses and apartments.

We are, by the way, all extremely liberal, and are all praying for the day when the Psycho Simian will be carted off in chains to serve his sentence for crimes against humanity.

I truly believe that one of the reasons that this illegal invasion of Iraq has horrified us so, is that when we read reports from Iraqi citizens, we recognize in them a reflection of the close family ties we enjoy. We can understand their pain, as can most of us on this board.

We mourn for Americans who are down on their luck because billionaires need yet another tax break, and corporations need even more welfare. To my way of thinking, any country which does not truly support families...not in the odious way the fundies do...but truly support families of any makeup...this is a country which will crumble and fall. I pray America wakes up before we join other powerful countries of the past.

[Just Me]

36. Billionaires bilk families of their values, huh.

But,...boy o' boy,...do they tout "family values" as their cause.

It's so sad that our people are glued to the fearful victimization imposed by this administration.

[libpunkmom]

17. Some people refuse

to see reality. My son and I were on the trolley (Portland,Or) two stops before ours there is a church that every Tues and Thurs gives out food. The line goes around the entire block. Last Tues. there was a young woman (aprox early 20's) and her mother sitting across from us. The mother sees the food line and ask "What is that? What are all those people in line for?" I looked right at her and explained that it was a food line. She looked right at me and said, "I've never seen or heard of such a thing." For some reason, some people just refuse to believe that there are poor and hungry people in this country.

[gorbal]

25. Get your video camera out!!

We should video tape these foodlines and send them to Russia for a laugh. Somehow I think they might...deeply relate.

Everyone give to your local food bank this year? No heaven for you if you don't.

[CornField]

19. News link about increases in Iowa

This was aired on last night's KGAN (Cedar Rapids) news cast: http://www.kgan.com/cgi-bin/csNews.cgi?database=CBS%202%20News%2edb&command=viewone&id=907&op=t

(Sorry, it is transcribed all in caps)

SHELTER DIRECTOR FOREST WEBB SAYS, "OUR SHELTER IS VERY BUSY. NORMALLY THIS TIME OF YEAR, THINGS SLOW DOWN BUT THIS YEAR WE'VE GOT FOUR FAMILIES AND LAST NIGHT 13 SINGLE MEN." MOST WILL STAY HERE RIGHT THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS. "PART OF IT IS THAT ITS HARD TO FIND A JOB," SAYS WEBB.

[VegasWolf]

20. What, tax cuts for the uber wealthy are not working? n/t

[demigoddess]

21. I hate to say it but this is

the republican form of abortion.

[Cocoa]

22. is this on the agenda

at Bush's economic summit?

[catmandu57]

23. My wife works for the religious left

I've got to say these people are doing a tremendous job, and really need to commended. They run the local food bank, built and run a homeless shelter for families and single men, no strings attached you don't have to be religious, or, attend church to stay there.
They run daycare, and afterschool programs, do home health for the elerly and disabled and the strain on them is building.
We went to her christmas party last week, and the exevutive director was speaking, he said that in the past they would get 400 families per month at the food pantry seeking assistance.
In the past year, he said they have had a minuimum of 500 people per week seeking assistance, either with food or help paying bills. These are the truly religious people, they help anyone who needs it and do it quietly,. I'm not sure what would happen without them.

[gorbal]

26. good for them!

I wonder home much the religious right really helps out. I can imagine their response to a leper at the gates of Rome "Get a job you drain on society you"

[ckramer]

24. Bush = Poor people die die die

[gorbal]

27. Bush=

Bush =Communism spreads throughout the world becasue of the US's horrible example of capitalism. Good or bad; we will see.

[Bono71]

30. Agree 100%...people tend to throw the baby out with the bath water.

[Just Me]

37. But, but, but, I thought we were spreading DEMOCRACY,..not capitalism.n/t

[Bouncy Ball]

28. Well of course the figures are up for the hungry and homeless

look who's in the White House. Think he gives a shit?

Nope.

[AngryOldDem]

34. Nope, not when he's all for

cutting the hell out of Section 8 housing, which for many poor and homeless is their only hope to get out of their situation.

In my county, the wait for subsidized housing is one year. In the meantime, many are forced into playing the old game of financial roulette every month -- pay exhorbitant rent? Buy food? Get that prescription?

Spin the wheel, take your chances -- either way you lose.

[Mountainman]

29. Well just do what Arnie does in CA. Pass a law. Make it a crime

to be hungry and homeless.

[VegasWolf]

31. Hungry and homeless not important to awol after election day. n/t

[AngryOldDem]

32. I volunteer at a homeless shelter

The weather here has taken a sudden and nasty turn for the worse, which means that those hardy souls who usually don't seek our services until January or February are showing up every evening. We had well over 100 men, women, and children with us last night. Some we had to send to a motel (which we contract with for such contingencies); others we had to squeeze into the dining room on mats.

This week we have been beyond capacity, and have had to turn people away (we also have a "cold shelter" some blocks away from our hotel -- even that has been at or over capacity). Many have been forced to sleep under the bridges, in below-freezing temps with winds gusting to 20-30 mph.

But what tore my heart out last night was a 79-year-old woman who showed up out of nowhere needing some kind of shelter. I don't know her situation, but she is the oldest person I have seen there. (The youngest, BTW, is a 1-month-old.)

I have learned to keep an emotional distance -- but last night, when I left, honest to Christ, I felt like crying. No one in this society should be forced to sleep on a mat on a floor, nor should anyone elderly be forced out onto the street.

Although I don't have the real numbers in front of me, I can state with much confidence that these numbers in the Guardian are absolutely, totally bullshit. All they're doing is easing somebody else's conscience -- but they sure as hell AREN'T easing mine.

[Mountainman]

33. We had a LTTE in our paper from a guy who went to Disneyland.

He said he saw lots of happy families all around spending lots of money so don't tell him that the middle class is shrinking.

Conservative solutions to problems, deny there is a problem and go about your life. La De Da

[hatrack]

38. Yes, but their numbers aren't rising quite as quickly as in prior years

Therefore, things really ARE getting better!!! :eyes:

[Megahurtz]

39. Maybe Fallwell will give up some of his money and food

:eyes: