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homelessness
Homeless Numbers Climbing
From the AP: "A lack of affordable housing and economic woes that have worsened since Sept. 11 have sent the homeless
population in some of the nation's largest cities climbing, experts say. There are now nearly 30,000 homeless adults and
children in New York City shelters -- an all-time high, the Coalition for the Homeless said Monday. New York lost nearly
80,000 jobs following the World Trade Center attack, and many people have turned to soup kitchens and food pantries...Last
week, the Labor Department said the number of laid-off workers drawing jobless benefits had reached an 18-year high. The
nation's unemployment rate soared to 5.4 percent in October and companies eliminated 415,000 jobs, the biggest one-month
drop in 21 years."
In 1990, the Census Bureau released the number of homeless in states and cities so those communities could better assess and address the problem. Now the Bureau has reversed that policy and says it will not release that info. Why? Because since 1990, the number of people counted as homeless (and this is only a fraction, as homeless are difficult to count) has risen from 228,621 to a whopping 280,527. By hiding the figures, the Bureau, now a Bush-tool, can hide the fact that the GOP-driven welfare reform has NOT worked. Sure, fewer people are on welfare. That's because some are now TOTALLY without support and thus homeless. So if you want to know where the GOP model of faith-based charity is going, pick up a copy of Jane Eyre or Oliver Twist, which detail the joys of a faith-based social system.
In a move that mirrors tactics used in Washington, D.C. to keep the homeless out of sight from out-of-town visitors, Austin is coming down hard on the down-and-out. After years of tolerance, the City Council has proposed a measure that would make sitting or lying on sidewalks downtown illegal, carrying a $500 fine. Hide those poor folks! I bet next thing you know they'll be bussing in white middle class families for photo ops everytime Bush comes back to town.
26-Nov-01
homelessness
03-Jul-01
homelessness
01-Jun-01
homelessness