Playing the Name Game with Family Homelessness

Al Williams of Fresno (left) and Paul Boden
of WRAP at the Sacramento rally to protest
the destruction of Tent City in April.
PHOTO /SANDY PERRY

By Paul Boden

As we have all seen, on our streets and in the media, family homelessness over the past three years has skyrocketed. The recent mortgage crisis has escalated the numbers even more.

In the face of growing numbers of families losing their homes, having to split up for survivals sake, and even some children ending up in the hellhole of the Foster Care System, what is our federal government doing? Unbelievably, they seem intent on putting system-wide, draconian obstacles in front of families trying desperately to find a roof over their heads.

On April 2, 2009 the House (HR 1877) and the Senate (S 808) both reintroduced legislation entitled Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009. If this bill becomes law, as many people fear, thousands of destitute and poor families will fail to “qualify” for services funded with federal homeless assistance dollars because they will be deemed not homeless enough.
Families who have had to double and triple up with other people or who are living in hotels/motels will be forced to show “credible” evidence to authorities to prove that they are indeed completely, unequivocally, technically, totally homeless.
If asked to leave a doubled or tripled household, their “host” will need to verify that they cannot return. New York City sends inspectors. If they are staying in a motel or SRO hotel room, they are not considered homeless enough until their total household savings are less than 14 days worth of hotel or motel fees. It is only at this point that a family can qualify to get onto the often month-long waiting lists for emergency homeless assistance.
Particularly significant for families and children is that both these bills prohibit HUD homeless counts from requiring communities to include these families. Every 2 years HUD mandates local communities to count their number of homeless people. If a family has not managed to secure a shelter bed and, therefore, is living in tenuous doubled-up and motel situations, it quite literally does not count!
The consequences for homeless children and youth in these situations are particularly ominous. In 2006, the Department of Education reported 688,174 homeless children in our schools and this year that number is expected to rise 15 to 20 percent.
So where is the change we all voted for? New President. New Congress. Same old bill.
                                           Family homelessness, as with the mortgage crisis today, is deeply rooted in federal government decisions. From 1978 to 2006, the Budget Authority of HUD fell from $83 billion to $29 billion in 2004 constant dollars. Meanwhile in that same time period, federal expenditures on mortgage interest deductions grew from $40 billion to $122 billion. Direct entitlement programs aimed at housing poor people were replaced with a mortgage interest tax deduction program aimed at promoting home ownership. But now that mortgages are collapsing and homes are being foreclosed, families that were homeowners are becoming poor people.
The federal government along with unregulated banks created the crisis, and banks are being bailed out. Meanwhile, families end up living in crisis and get cut out of emergency assistance.
When a family falls into the street, does anyone hear it?
Note: This was originally published on the WRAP blog at www.wraphome.org. The HEARTH Act was adopted in May with some significant (but still not adequate) expansion in the HUD homelessness definition, due to advocacy by WRAP, the National Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness, and others.

Winter Soldier Southwest Eyewitness Accounts of the Occupations: Iraq and Afghanistan

Dreamin of home.
ARTWORK /ERICESTENZO.COM

Poetic and artistic voices from Winter Soldier Southwest May 9, 2009 at Pasadena City College.  Panels included eyewitness accounts of the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, Iraq Veterans Against the War; History’s Relevance, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, A Daily Sacrifice, Military Families Speak Out, The Ultimate Sacrifice, Gold Star Families, and Military Combat Strategy-Why the U.S. can’t win an occupation In this issue, the People’s Tribune has chosen to highlight voices and images of veteran poets from Vietnam to today’s conflicts.



Live Meat/Dead Meat/Atrocity Picture

What changes you from living meat
to a maggot’s entree is some steel and
high explosive or lead and black powder.

The difference between a guy with a trophy fish
and one posing smilingly as he holds up a torso
by the only leg left on the thing
is where the blast hit it.



After storm view from Pacific Coast Highway

On the way to the funeral,
the sky colored sea hair.

The lips of the sea colored sky
bordering the horizon’s pale teeth.

How much I enjoy
the Picasso wing
of life’s gallery.

    Horace Coleman
    Vietnam Veterans
    Against the War
    and Military Families Speak Out



The Peace Warrior

The spirit whispers
    you are a warrior
       stand up for peace

I stand to question
  How? Then, to ponder,
        Peace

        Dedicated to my fellow
            and lady members from Veterans forPeace
        Keith Gawith



The Path

I am led to stand
  on a street
     pleading for peace
 as white phosphorous
    burns the skin off children
 screaming in their fathers arms

I cry inside as Americans
 approach me
        in love with war
 I cry inside

Dedicated to Pat Alviso
Military Families Speak Out
Keith Gawith Vietnam Veterans
Against the War



The Colonial

A Child,
Stepping Across the Waters,
He kicked at the Colored Stones gleaming, in the wet sun,
And marveled, at a Thousand Tiny Creatures, squirming beneath.

First Trusting, Now Wary, Once Tranquil,
Uneasy, Were Giving, Demanding,
Regrouping, They’re Biting!
       
OW!  Man! Get Away!

Blow Em back to the Stone Age!

Or just maybe, it’s time for US to grow up.

    Thomas Sandor Copyright 1972