Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allotted $15 million in funds to build permanent housing structures for homeless veterans. The following existing HUD grantees or ‘Continuums of Care’ located near the following military installations will each receive $2 million: MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida; Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California; Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas; Fort Drum in Watertown, New York; and Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington. In addition, VA medical centers in the following areas will each receive $1 million: Tampa, San Diego, Dallas, Syracuse, New York; and American Lake in Washington.
Author: Lisa Gieskes
Turning Poverty Into A Multibillion-Dollar Industry
NPR’s Terry Gross interviews Gary Rivlin, author of Broke USA.
Libraries dealing with homeless try new approaches; San Francisco hires a social worker
San Francisco Public Library is the first. Read more here.
Nick Coleman: An argument on behalf of the homeless
Star Tribune writer Nick Coleman responds to the belief that homelessness is due to people’s poor choices.
National Call Center for Homeless Veterans
“The Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) has founded a National Call Center for Homeless Veterans hotline to ensure that homeless Veterans or Veterans at-risk for homelessness have free, 24/7 access to trained counselors. The hotline is intended to assist homeless Veterans and their families, VA Medical Centers, federal, state and local partners, community agencies, service providers and others in the community. To be connected with a trained VA staff member call 1-877-4AID VET (877-424-3838)…
What will happen when I call?
* You will be connected to a trained VA staff member. * Hotline staff will conduct a brief screen to assess your needs. * Homeless Veterans will be connected with the Homeless Point of Contact at the nearest VA facility. * Family members and non-VA providers calling on behalf of a homeless Veteran will be provided with information regarding the homeless programs and services available. * Contact information will be requested so staff may follow-up.”
Welfare Recipients Forced to Sell Food Stamps to Buy Basic Necessities
Seth Wessler, senior research associate at the Applied Research Center, discusses his latest article, “Selling Food Stamps for Kid’s Shoes” on Democracy Now!
History is made by everyman
“There’s no such thing as a whole story; every story is incomplete,” Howard Zinn once said. Sadly, Zinn passed away today. His legacy shaped a new kind of history- one shaped by everyday people. He believed that history is never finished and that each of us plays a crucial part in it.
History is always in the making.
Helping Patrons Through Hard Times
Washington State Library sees library patrons suffering and they are offering assistance. Their partnership with the Washington State Employment Security Department/WorkSource (ESD) provides information/training; online resources; face-to-face training for library staff with employment services staff; online training on topics of interest; and programs for volunteers to help neighbors in the library all in an effort to get communities through these hard times. See Hard Times online.
Students suffering from holiday hunger
Schools are more than just a place for learning- for many students school is the one place they can rely on to receive food.
SafeLink Wireless
SafeLink Wireless (www.safelink.com) is a government supported program that provides a free celll phone and airtime each month for income-eligible customers.