livealoudproject-blog

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It has been a while since I have posted anything, but filming has been taking place. If you could hear us was a concept that I wanted to test out with people who are living in conditions 200% below the typical poverty line. This is a clear example of why I believe the Live Aloud Project is important. We all have a voice. We all have a story. If you could hear them, would they matter? 

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If you’re cold after a few minutes outside, imagine the bone-chilling life on the streets

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“You cannot call a society which has 3.5 million homeless and 18.5 million vacant homes civil. That’s violent and morally bankrupt.”

– Overcoming the American Dream

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The Country’s Largest City Housed Virtually All The Veterans Living On Its Streets. Now What?

Last February, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) made a pledge, along with a number of other mayors across the country, to end homelessness for all veterans in his city by the end of 2015.

New York City Ended Chronic Veteran Homelessness, But Can It House All Vets

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Chico California Outlaws the Right 2 Rest

This 14-minute conversation between Without a Roof, Guitar Clem a disabled homeless veteran, and Chico Police responding to a complaint is a bellwether for the criminalization of human beings experiencing extreme poverty. It covers a lot of ground and shines a light on the indifferent and stereotypic way the police justify their enforcement actions. It’s a respectful conversation throughout and one that culls more insight into the plight and criminalization of people experiencing homelessness than perhaps any single piece we have published.

Low-points include the police officer blaming the Jesus Center and the Torres Shelter for Chico’s “transient” problem. Mere moments after I identify as a homeless advocate he leads this worrisome conversation thread with, “Do you know what homeless advocates have done to this city?” When presented with compelling reasons why this isn’t so and that blaming the Jesus Center and Torres Shelter is wrong, he states, “We’re not trying to eliminate these services, we are monitoring them.” A must view and share.

“If you have a roof be grateful.”

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The growing criminalization of homelessness

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Amy Murphy is a advocate for people experiencing homelessness that Greensboro, NC is very lucky to have! What a great idea! Also read to find out how you can help with the sock drive 

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It’s sad.

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Athens. Exarcheia

Photo by Xenis Sofronidis 

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Best video of 2015, I’m so proud on August Burns Red for delivering this.

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Richard Gere is turning a viral moment into real help for the homeless 

When an image of Richard Gere, portraying a homeless man for his upcoming film Time Out of Mind, went viral on an unofficial Gere Facebook fan page, the overwhelming response struck a chord with the actor and now he’s using the momentum to help.

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There is an LA street artist that goes around at night and spray paints imaginary homes for the homeless…

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A program run out of the Siloam Mission that hires homeless people to clean up the downtown streets is so successful it fills up nearly every day.

The program, part of Mission: Off the Streets, or MOST, pays $11 an hour, and for some, is a path out of homelessness.

People who stay at the shelter can sign up each day to be part of a team of eight that goes out to pick up garbage, shovel snow and do other street maintenance duties.

“A lot of people go each day,” said Randy Malbranck, who’s been working nearly every day on the team for the past 6 months. “You don’t always get in but sometimes — usually — you do.”

Malbranck and the daily team pick up garbage from an area extending from Higgins Avenue and Main Street to Isabel Street and William Avenue. Last year, 86 people were employed through the program.

“People see their capabilities and believe in themselves again,” said organizer Cathy Ste. Marie. “They’ve still got gas in the engine. They’re still capable, and it’s a catalyst to get back into the workforce.”

She added people who are able to keep employment through the program for a few months can then get references and valuable job experience.

Continue Reading.

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facts

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The federal government just deemed Connecticut the first U.S. state to end chronic homelessness among its vets.

In other words, every single veteran in Connecticut who’d once been chronically homeless — homeless for at least one year or homeless four times in the past three — now has stable housing or is on the pathway to stable housing.

Although cities like Phoenix and Salt Lake City have done this, too, this is a big deal. Connecticut is the first American state to accomplish the feat.

Connecticut made strides by investing where it counts. The state found success by partnering state agencies with community groups focused on providing homeless vets with necessary services. They also effectively invested in affordable housing programs.

And now nearly 300 formerly homeless vets in Connecticut have been placed in stable housing during the past two years.

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Boise, like many cities — the number of which has swelled since the recession — has an ordinance banning sleeping or camping in public places. But such laws, the DOJ says, effectively criminalize homelessness itself in situations where people simply have nowhere else to sleep. From the DOJ’s filing:

When adequate shelter space exists, individuals have a choice about whether or not to sleep in public. However, when adequate shelter space does not exist, there is no meaningful distinction between the status of being homeless and the conduct of sleeping in public. Sleeping is a life-sustaining activity — i.e., it must occur at some time in some place. If a person literally has nowhere else to go, then enforcement of the anti-camping ordinance against that person criminalizes her for being homeless.

Such laws, the DOJ argues, violate the Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment, making them unconstitutional. By weighing in on this case, the DOJ’s first foray in two decades into this still-unsettled area of law, the federal government is warning cities far beyond Boise and backing up federal goals to treat homelessness more humanely.