Hunger, Homelessness & Poverty Task Force – SRRT/ALA
Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association
”[Mr.] Mercado’s circuitous path to Philadelphia and business ownership isn’t a tale of entrepreneurship’s power to overcome homelessness, as tempting as that might be. Rather, it’s a testament to Mercado’s fortitude and Philadelphia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, which he took advantage of at every opportunity to lift himself up the ladder of redemption.”
The Free Library of Philadelphia’s Business Science and Industry Department is part of this crucial entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“Upward mobility through the mechanism of a good education, which is a widely held value in this country that cuts across the political spectrum, is in serious jeopardy.”
“Most (people) think that homeless people are all criminals, on drugs, alcoholics. They think we don’t try to get out of homelessness and that we aren’t successful at anything. Some (homeless people) have college degrees and because of the economy got laid off.”—AnnMarie Walsh
“When Walsh found herself homeless, she used the computers in Chicago’s public libraries to not only look for ways of getting out of her situation but also to share thoughts and worries about her day-to-day struggle, such as finding [a] hostel bed for the night. As her following grew, she began to receive tips on shelters or even gifts of warm clothes and blankets.”
Walsh will speak at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library on Jan. 29,2012.
“Case workers at The Road Home say many homeless people do have cell phones, but rules require they have to go to public libraries and other places to connect online for social networking.”
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“Homeless people will die in your community this year.
Plan to memorialize them on December 21, the first day of winter,
the longest night of the year.”
Read about the National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day here.
Jahmeilah Roberson and Bonnie Nardi, researchers at the University of California’s (Irvine)Department of Informatics, wrote, Survival Needs and Social Inclusion: Technology Use Among the
Homeless. This is an ethnographic study of issues surrounding digital technologies owned and used by homeless people in Los Angeles County.
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.
Star Tribune writer Nick Coleman responds to the belief that homelessness is due to people’s poor choices.
Schools are more than just a place for learning- for many students school is the one place they can rely on to receive food.