2.8 million homeless

[serryjw]

During * 's trip to Pakistan did he and Musharoof discuss help for his people. The article in Sunday Parade is devastating/ 9400 schools are gone,areas in Kashmir that have NOTHING, not even a nail to start re-building! I'd sure would much prefer our money to help people not blow up countries

Sorry, you can't read until Wednesday online
http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2006/edition_03-05-2006/Mortenson_lede

[NYC]

1. 2.8 million are homeless in Pakistan?

From the headline alone, I thought it was the U.S. I wonder how many people are homeless here.

[acmavm]

3. A lot. In downtown Omaha, NE on any given summer night they say

that there are up to 2,000 homeless KIDS in the Old Market area. Those are kids. One city, just kids. Think about it.

[Warpy]

5. Not even one of the BIG cities

where the shelters have been overflowing since Reagan institutionalized heartlessness as he deinstitutionalized the mentally handicapped.

This is sickening and an indictment of both parties. Both parties allowed it to happen by allowing offshoring of industry and now technology and office work, by their silly free trade ideology, by their resistance to raising the minimum wage to support an earner, by their neglect of the true reason for the health care crisis (insurance companies), by their corporatism and antiunionism, by their utter callousness toward the American people.

To hell with conservatives in both parties. May they experience fully the hell they have created for most of us.

[serryjw]

6. I understand your concern over Americans homeless

but they can get food, a bed at night and there is SOME help.Try a Himalayan winter with NOTHING to cover yourself.* just raped the US Treasury to invade 2 countries and kill thousands. Think we have enough money to help these people? I will always support humanitarian aid in times like this.

[serryjw]

7. Almost exactly the same number

quote.........
3 million men, women, and children were homeless over the past year – about 30% of them chronically and the others temporarily. In many cases people are in and out of the homeless system, which includes shelters, hospitals, the streets, and prisons. It is these chronic users of the system that utilize up to 90% of the nations resources devoted to the problem.
end quote...........
http://homeless.org/do/Home

[NYC]

8. Thanks. I was just curious.

For the most part, they are removed from view here.

I don't disagree with feeding &/or housing any homeless people. I believe it could be done if our budget priorities were different.

I suppose we'll help homeless people in Pakistan because we may get something in return. "Improving society" is not on Bush's agenda.

[Turbineguy]

9. When I used to go to

Karachi in the late 80's the estimates were 2 million homeless in Karachi alone.

[mcscajun]

10. Estimates vary, as do methodologies. Some info...

...from the website of the National Coalition for the Homeless (emphasis added):

There are several national estimates of homelessness. Many are dated, or based on dated information. For all of the reasons discussed above, none of these estimates is the definitive representation of "how many people are homeless.” The best approximation is from a study done by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty which states that approximately 3.5 million people, 1.35 million of them children, are likely to experience homelessness in a given year(National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2004).

These numbers, based on findings from the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, Urban Institute and specifically the National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers, draw their estimates from a study of service providers across the country at two different times of the year in 1996. They found that, on a given night in October, 444,000 people (in 346,000 households) experienced homelessness – which translates to 6.3% of the population of people living in poverty. On a given night in February, 842,000 (in 637,000 households) experienced homelessness – which translates to almost 10% of the population of people living in poverty.

http://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/facts/How_Many.pdf

[NYC]

11. Thanks.

I guess 10% is the average estimate.

[TAPat]

2. Amen to $ for Help not Bombs & Bullets. nt

[catmother]

4. it just seems like every year we have more and more people

in this country homeless. i don't know the statistics but i'm sure it's high.

[mcscajun]

12. Quite high. See Post #10

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=580472&mesg_id=580986