"They dont end up on the street, like a lot of people would think, because they're too lazy. They've had some hard thing that's put them there... No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."

There are many of these kind, compassionate folks wandering our cities, lending a quiet helping hand to those who need it most. Nashville has plenty of good Samaritans who reach out daily to our most disadvantaged populations, but there is little doubt that both a hardening of hearts and a frustration with government restriction and stifling of their efforts to assist has occurred in recent years.

Part of this can be blamed directly upon the population being served. There is no doubt that some of those experiencing homelessness are folks you'd not want anywhere near your person, property or possessions. 

Unfortunately, while the overall number of fecal smears masquerading as homeless is small, their deplorable behavior gets splashed across news headlines with regularity, unfairly biasing perceptions across a broad swath of our society while blacking the eyes of every good and decent homeless individual currently walking our streets.

Another part can be blamed upon members of our community who continue to perpetuate the stereotypes. Some do this unintentionally or by way of providing additional information; I've been guilty of this myself simply by posting stories about egregious behavior of members of the homeless community.  It's pretty difficult however, to cover homelessness without occasionally addressing the sinister aspects of human behavior.

The problem here is that we have nothing to balance the bad behavior with. Nothing to compare it to. No way to put the incorrigible behavior of a few into perspective against a broader picture of overall law-abiding, civilized behavior by those experiencing homelessness.

Those who work with the homeless on a daily basis have a little more accurate picture of the ratio here. But those of us working with them are rarely in a position to provide our own take on the ratios, nor are we typically requested to do so.

Part of the reason I started this blog was to fill this gap. 

 The issues surrounding homelessness are vast, complex and often very misunderstood. If there is no one to balance the bad with some of the good, or at least some of the challenges facing the homeless that are not known to those who stand in ignorant judgment of them, the stereotypes and biases will continue unabated and most probably continue to escalate. 

Only through knowledge of the barriers and obstacles - both self-induced and put in place by society - will the general public begin to understand that resolving homelessness will take much more effort than lip service to "get a job."

Homeless Vendors gather to pick
up Contributor newspapers for sale.

Helping homeless, with no questions asked

Helping homeless, with no questions asked

One-man ministry offers food, shelter and a little faith
SHERYL KORNMAN
Tucson Citizen

"A glimmer of hope is sometimes all it takes," the Rev. Clarence Collins says on a flier that lets folks know about his one-man, faith-based, nonprofit initiative to help the homeless.

Collins, who will be 78 in August, has been giving hope to the homeless here since 1958.

His Harvest Time Ministry is a registered 501(c)(3) that takes in about $700 a year in small donations, he said.

"People say, 'My golly, they can get out there and work. I won't help them,' " he said.

But he doesn't think about homeless people that way.

He rides around in a van looking for people he can help, talking about salvation and telling them where they can get a shelter bed for the night or a free meal.

On Thursday he spent $48 on gas to drive a homeless man to Florence to stay with his mother while he recuperates from back surgery.

Lee Cutright said St. Mary's Hospital tried to find him a place to go before discharging him but couldn't, so he called Collins.

Cutright, 45, a native Tucsonan, military vet and eighth-grade dropout, has been on the streets for years, he said. He met Collins about eight years ago.

He won't go to Department of Veterans Affairs workers for help because the last time he did, "They made me mad and I've never been back."

The VA has its own homeless rehabilitation and job program.

Collins said he's been helping the homeless quietly for years.

He hands out gospel tracts, patiently calls shelters around town to find a spot for people he meets on the streets and sometimes puts them up for a night for $21 at a cheap motel. Some he helps are women with children, he said.

He may give them a $10 bill for food or drive them to a doctor appointment.

He used to get help from local government.

"I used to know all the city fathers downtown," he said. "Now I don't know any of them."

Homelessness can happen to anyone, he says. He cites the case of an executive he knew who, several years ago, lost everything:

"I worked with a man who had been a chief executive officer. Of course, downsizing, that led to financial problems and that led to family problems."

"You would not have known him if you saw him on South Fourth (Avenue). He smelled like whatever. His clothing had deteriorated and he was mumbling to himself."

Collins said it's harder to find help for people these days in the declining economy as the cost of food and gas rises. Still, he keeps handing out bologna and cheese sandwiches.

"I don't care about the big facade," he said. "I just want to help. I don't ask them why they're on the street. I don't really care.

"God didn't put me out here as a judge or as an attorney, but he did put me here as a witness.

"I really have a burden for them," he said.

He added that "They don't end up on the street, like a lot of people would think, because they're too lazy. They've had some hard thing that's put them there. When I first started working with the homeless, I was kind of frightened of them. But when you get right down to it, they're searching for help.

"I try to weed out the people who play the game," he said.

He concentrates on those with no resources and hopes others will help.

As his flier says: "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."

"American Indian Opportunities Industrialization Center (AIOIC) recently participated as a service provider at the Hennepin County Project Homeless Connect."

I'll be beating this into everyone's heads until December 1st:

Nashville's first Project Homeless Connect will take place on December 2nd and

vendors of all types are currently being solicited.

I've been given the go-ahead by my brother from another mother, Clifton Harris, to begin spreading the word about the need for vendors and service providers (along with the rest of the committee members, who are currently working their way through Nashville's business community), so....

From hair stylists to dentists to the DMV to manicurists to musicians for the evening concert to podiatrists to housing specialists to mental health providers to addiction services to social service pros to court officers to clothing manufacturers to food vendors to employers to writers to the American Indian OIC to anyone at all who has a service, product or job that might benefit or assist those experiencing homelessness....

Nashville's Project Homeless Connect



NEEDS YOU!

Metro Social Services Program Manager II Giovanni Achoe is in charge of the "resources" committee and you can contact either her (615-862-6412) or me (615-257-0382) if you're interested in participating.

Anyone else who's simply interested in what they might be able to do to help can contact MDHA's Homelessness Services Coordinator Clifton Harris at 615-252-8451.

More numbers and info will become available as various committees get their contact peeps in order....

American Indian OIC at Project Homeless

Connect

American Indian OIC at Project Homeless Connect | Twin Cities Daily Planet | Minneapolis - St. Paul

By Aimee Loiselle , The Circle

June 29, 2008

American Indian Opportunities Industrialization Center (AIOIC) recently participated as a service provider at the Hennepin County Project Homeless Connect. On April 28, over 1,300 volunteers assisted nearly 3,000 guests in accessing the services they need. American Indian OIC ran a table in the employment area.

Project Homeless Connect (PHC) is a national best practice model that originated in San Francisco in October 2004. PHC is now implemented in 106 cities across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Australia.

Each PHC event is designed to provide a one-stop service center for our neighbors struggling with homelessness. Services include medical, mental health, substance abuse, housing, education and employment, dental, legal aid, benefits, veterans support, state ID, food, clothing, and more.

The mission of American Indian OIC fits well with Hennepin County Project Homeless Connect. AIOIC works to empower American Indians to pursue career opportunities by providing individualized education, training, and employment services in a culturally rich environment.

Andrea Jourdain (Red Lake) supervised the AIOIC table. She presented information and answered questions about training and career building. One guest, who stopped to ask about opportunities in business, said he wanted a job and he’d heard good things about the training at AIOIC. Jourdain gave him information about courses in small business ownership, customer service, and human services. There are also courses in administrative medical service, administrative assistant, nursing assistant, medication aide, and emergency medical technician.

Jourdain said American Indian OIC had recently opened its Career Development Center to the public. She encouraged guests to stop at the center for current job postings, internet access, and computers for creating resumes and cover letters.

AIOIC also has a program for American Indian women called In-an-da’-we, an Ojibwe word meaning “to climb to higher ground.” It provides support for the specific needs of urban American Indian women who are journeying from instability to self-sufficiency.

Project Homeless Connect depends on such service providers, who take the time to participate and reach out to homeless clients. The day is busy, but the centralized services and on-site referrals allow homeless and low-income guests to find the assistance they need. Hundreds of volunteer guides are trained and available to help guests locate the appropriate resources.
American Indian OIC shared the employment area with organizations like Goodwill Easter Seals and People Serving People, which also provide training and job assistance. AIOIC believes education and employment are the gateway to freedom from poverty and a better quality of life. AIOIC asks that all applicants successfully complete a placement test, which is offered Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. (1845 East Franklin Ave., Minneapolis).

Hennepin County held the first of their PHC events in December 2005 at the Basilica of St. Mary. It was a tremendous success, leading to second and third events in March and December 2006 at the Convention Center.

Ramsey County also organizes a Project Homeless Connect, which began in 2006 at the St. Paul Armory. The third event will happen in June at the RiverCenter in downtown St. Paul. The City of St. Paul, Ramsey County, and the St. Paul Police coordinate the event.

American Indian Opportunities Industrialization Center (AIOIC) recently participated as a service provider at the Hennepin County Project Homeless Connect. On April 28, over 1,300 volunteers assisted nearly 3,000 guests in accessing the services they need. American Indian OIC ran a table in the employment area.

Project Homeless Connect (PHC) is a national best practice model that originated in San Francisco in October 2004. PHC is now implemented in 106 cities across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Australia.

Each PHC event is designed to provide a one-stop service center for our neighbors struggling with homelessness. Services include medical, mental health, substance abuse, housing, education and employment, dental, legal aid, benefits, veterans support, state ID, food, clothing, and more.

The mission of American Indian OIC fits well with Hennepin County Project Homeless Connect. AIOIC works to empower American Indians to pursue career opportunities by providing individualized education, training, and employment services in a culturally rich environment.

Andrea Jourdain (Red Lake) supervised the AIOIC table. She presented information and answered questions about training and career building. One guest, who stopped to ask about opportunities in business, said he wanted a job and he’d heard good things about the training at AIOIC. Jourdain gave him information about courses in small business ownership, customer service, and human services. There are also courses in administrative medical service, administrative assistant, nursing assistant, medication aide, and emergency medical technician.

Jourdain said American Indian OIC had recently opened its Career Development Center to the public. She encouraged guests to stop at the center for current job postings, internet access, and computers for creating resumes and cover letters.

AIOIC also has a program for American Indian women called In-an-da’-we, an Ojibwe word meaning “to climb to higher ground.” It provides support for the specific needs of urban American Indian women who are journeying from instability to self-sufficiency.

Project Homeless Connect depends on such service providers, who take the time to participate and reach out to homeless clients. The day is busy, but the centralized services and on-site referrals allow homeless and low-income guests to find the assistance they need. Hundreds of volunteer guides are trained and available to help guests locate the appropriate resources.
American Indian OIC shared the employment area with organizations like Goodwill Easter Seals and People Serving People, which also provide training and job assistance. AIOIC believes education and employment are the gateway to freedom from poverty and a better quality of life. AIOIC asks that all applicants successfully complete a placement test, which is offered Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. (1845 East Franklin Ave., Minneapolis).

Hennepin County held the first of their PHC events in December 2005 at the Basilica of St. Mary. It was a tremendous success, leading to second and third events in March and December 2006 at the Convention Center.

Ramsey County also organizes a Project Homeless Connect, which began in 2006 at the St. Paul Armory. The third event will happen in June at the RiverCenter in downtown St. Paul. The City of St. Paul, Ramsey County, and the St. Paul Police coordinate the event.

Although long-term benefits of energy and water conservation are undeniable, legislators must heed the ambiguity of return on a costly investment during economic uncertainty.

Let me get this straight; because we've taken ourselves to the brink of bankruptcy by our ever-increasing use and dependence upon fossil fuels, now that its come time to seek alternatives we should take new approaches and alternative energy sources off the table - even though the authors themselves agree that "long-term benefits of energy and water conservation are undeniable" - and look at ways to stretch the already thin resources we are currently warring, dying, lying, stealing and misleading over?

So....what then happens when these already artificially scarce resources get even more expensive?

And eventually, no matter what, oil is a finite resource and last time I checked, we weren't cranking out any dinosaurs to die in peat bogs.

So what happens when we run completely out, bankrupting everyone and everything set up around it in the process?

And frankly, the rationales buttressing their arguments here are weak, if not downright pathetic:

Initiate a campus escort program - my university had one and it dropped crime rates substantially.

Provide tax breaks for businesses that install the environmentally friendly fixtures - that ought to be something even the most hardcore rightwinger can get behind.

The issue about schools is simply fearmongering at its worst. Existing schools will gradually accommodate what they can as their budgets allow. However, new school construction could easily incorporate these requirements into their plans.


How long are we going to keep buying this "logic" from big oil, the drillseekers and those who will reap riches beyond belief so long as we continue along with the status quo?

I mean no disrespect here, but c'mon, now is the time to find new sources of energy, while we are still at least somewhat solvent and able to do such things.

The longer we wait, the further our collective bank account will be drained and the more costly it will be to discover, create, conserve and implement new sources.

We as a nation need to realize that alternative energy discovery and conservation implementation needs to happen sooner, rather than later.

We wait long enough and it will be too late to do anything, leaving us at the mercy of those who control the remnants of the flow.

Once that is gone, all hell will break loose and you'll wish we would have done something much much sooner....

Washington Times - EDITORIAL: Too costly to go green

EDITORIAL: Too costly to go green

• 
  
  
  
  A coal-fired power plant in Colstrip, Mont., is the state's largest producer of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Environmental groups ...
  

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Saturday, June 28, 2008

A "green" bill proposed on June 9 by Rep. Anthony Weiner, now under consideration by the Committee on Energy and Commerce on Science and Technology, needs reconsideration. It would provide up to $100 million in loan guarantees to retrofit buildings to high-performance green efficiency standards and comes as cities, towns and businesses across the nation work to balance budgetary woes.

Certification standards for these green buildings may also end up putting a strain on the budgets of governments and businesses, including:

# The installation of low-flow faucets, shower heads and toilets could be particularly burdensome for small businesses, (especially home-based), restaurants, laundromats and small retailers.

# The call for 75 percent to 90 percent of school classrooms to have a significant amount of windows to produce natural light. (School districts have spent and are spending exorbitant sums to upgrade their schoolhouses. With states and localities struggling to keep their budgets balanced without raising taxes, such mandates could wreak political and fiscal havoc.)

# The reduction of outdoor lighting, and the level of wattage used in outdoor lights, may be difficult for college campuses focusing on safety and security as a major priority.

The green building trend entails a complete redesign of the building's structure and orientation to monopolize natural sunlight, advance lighting controls and low-flow water mechanisms to decrease water waste. Under the Weiner legislation, guarantees can be made for up to 80 percent of the project cost.

Although long-term benefits of energy and water conservation are undeniable, legislators must heed the ambiguity of return on a costly investment during economic uncertainty. "There is a consistent concern, both within and outside the green building community, over the lack of accurate and thorough financial and economic information," reports the Clean Energy States Alliance. Uncertainty regarding cost cannot be ignored as many companies are cutting short-term costs to remain afloat. Yes, long-term overhead costs would decrease due to efficiency. However, some businesses have no choice but to consider the short term, which explains the appeal of the loan-guarantee program: security of loans backed by the government.

A key point that is missed, however, is that these loans must still be paid off by the borrower. Furthermore, despite the comfort of having federal funds as a security blanket, if the business defaults, it loses significant operational power to the government. The government, in turn, could hold the property, and the Energy Department would have to shell out the principal and interest on the loan. The bill is essentially a pre-planned bailout in which the private sector and government will inevitably clash.

The guarantee also stipulates that the Energy Department must approve interest rates and terms of repayment. "Mandating any green building standard limits the flexibility of builders to make choices appropriate to each particular structure," argues a July 2005 article in the National Center for Policy Analysis Digest. If companies cut corners to follow guarantee requirements, energy efficiency will not be fully maximized.

The Bush administration has already threatened to veto similar retrofit bills such as the $6.4 billion 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act. "The Federal Government's responsibility for elementary and secondary education is properly focused on raising the academic achievement of all students and improving accountability for results. The federal role should not be expanded to fund school modernization and repair projects at thousands of school districts across the nation," said a White House policy statement. The administration itself asserts the need for increased focus on education, over building efficiency. So, why should the government hypocritically guarantee and potentially have to bail out borrowers retrofitting other buildings?

Businesses would save money and average costs would be less. According to Randal O'Toole of the Cato Institute, "for Congress to prescribe this so companies would eventually save or make money is wrong. There are other ways government spending could help the environment."

Now is not the time to guarantee debt taken on by the private sector for new buildings, when millions of Americans are losing their homes and businesses. The focus should be on research and development, and cleaner-burning and alternative fuel sources.

"Homelessness has a different face to it now,people who hae never been homeless before are suddenly in desperate need of help,"

For huge numbers of New Orleans residents, this is far too little delivered way too late. Much of the damage has long since been done to the folks in New Orleans shortly after Katrina made landfall on August 29th, 2005. The pittances delivered piecemeal to them in response to this disaster have stretched out over three years, compounding, exacerbating and intensifying an already horrific event. The penny-wise but pound-foolish Keystone Cops / Three Stooges approach to this whole damned debacle further highlights the shockingly unbelievable ineptness and incompetence of our government in the wake of Katrina (and frankly, everything else that has been attempted by our government during the last eight+ years). New Orleans Homeless to Receive $73M Congress Passes New Orleans Homeless Relief Homeless Have Doubled in New Orleans Since Hurricane Katrina By JENNIFER PARKER June 27, 2008 — Congress passed a bill Thursday that includes a provision to help a growing number of people who have become homeless since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, many of whom are elderly and disabled. The provision passed by the Senate late Thursday night gives $73 million for 3,000 subsidized housing vouchers to shelter physically and mentally disabled Katrina victims. "We have a crisis of homelessness," said Vicki Judice of Unity of Greater New Orleans, a network of agencies that helps the homeless. "People are coming back who were poor, who are still poor, and the rents have doubled," she said. "So they can afford to move in, but they can't keep up with the rent and they're getting evicted." Judice said higher insurance costs are squeezing fewer landlords, who are passing the cost on to renters. An estimated 12,000 people are homeless, up from 6,000 before the storm, according to Unity. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., has been pushing the Senate for more than two years to provide additional relief to the Gulf Coast. She said the money will help a few thousand in New Orleans, but is angry much needed money for hospitals, police, and flood prevention was cut from the final bill. "This bill provides a foundation for some of the remaining recovery needs on the Gulf Coast, but the task is not complete," Landrieu said. "The House of Representatives unfortunately caved to White House demands and cut critical funding the Senate had passed." President Bush is expected to pass the legislation, which is attached to an almost $200 billion war supplemental bill that will fund the war through the first month of the next president's term. Homeless Shelter Struggles to Stay Open Late last year, Unity helped find apartments for roughly 300 people living in an encampment in New Orleans in Duncan Plaza, in view of City Hall. Many of those people are now in subsidized apartments, but others have flocked to fill several blocks under a highway overpass near the French Quarter. Others are living in shelters that are struggling to stay afloat financially after Katrina. Shelters financed by private donations won't benefit from the money appropriated by Congress this week. The New Orleans Women's Shelter houses 20 women and six children, including Bowden's 3-week-old son. But with a weekly budget of $350 and one paid staff member, it has been forced to turn away many women who need help, including women fleeing abusive situations. "It's amazing how many women come into our shelter who have been living in cars, in sheds, in gutted-out homes, with children who have gone days without eating," said Jackie Silverman, executive director of the New Orleans Women's Shelter. Silverman, who opened the shelter in October 2007 after another women's shelter closed, said she may have to shut down the facility in February if the shelter doesn't get an infusion of donations from the public. The money she has received, mostly from a Jewish congregation in New Orleans, is dwindling. "Because of Katrina, spouses and partners have gone to drinking, and lost jobs and rent has gone up, and so housing is out of control  so there's a desperation that people feel," she said. Tijuana Bowden, 28, a single mother of two, has been living in the New Orleans Women's Shelter in the Upper Ninth Ward for seven months. Before the storm, Bowden lived in a small apartment and worked at a hotel. But the hotel didn't reopen after the storm. Out of a job, she lived with family out of state until her aunt told her about the women's shelter. "Most of the shelters, they're so filled up and you have to actually be working because you have to pay to actually live there, so I don't know what I would have done," Bowden told ABC News in a telephone interview from an office in the women's shelter. "They've provided me with diapers and clothes for my son, and helped me with childcare for both of my kids," she said. "Right now I'm looking for work, sending out resumes so I can get my feet in and actually get my own place." Silverman, who recently made a trip to New York to see if she could find additional funding for the shelter, said she'd like to hire a professional counselor who could help the women find jobs and childcare. But right now, she's just trying to keep her shelter running. "Homelessness has a different face to it now,people who hae never been homeless before are suddenly in desperate need of help," she said, "This had existed before the storm, but it's exploded post-Katrina."

Williamson County "has seen a 150-percent increase in home foreclosures from this time last year."

While news like this provides me with job security for some time to come, I'd gladly give up my job in a second if it meant the end to homelessness in our country.



NewsChannel 5.com - Nashville, Tennessee - Organization Offers Help To Avoid Foreclosure

Organization Offers Help To Avoid Foreclosure

Posted: June 28, 2008 05:54 PM

Organization Offers Help To Avoid Foreclosure


BRENTWOOD, Tenn.- Tough times are continually having and impact on the housing market. Local, homeowners are feeling the pinch. But there are new resources available that can help.

One of the hardest hit areas in the mid-state has been Williamson County. The county has seen a 150-percent increase in home foreclosures from this time last year.

Saturday afternoon GAP Community Development held a Housing Expo as an effort to give homeowners a bit of education on how to prevent a foreclosure. The organization works with Williamson County families struggling to keep their homes. Administrators with the program said a tough economy, plus a rocky job market, has equaled a soaring foreclosure rate.

"If they get it on the front end 9 times out of 10 they will not go into foreclosure. and if they do go into foreclosure they will know exactly what to do as far was home buyers education or how to maintain and keep they're home," said Teresa Burns with the GAP Community Development.

Housing experts said a major cause for the rising foreclosure rate is job loss. In fact, many of the individuals being assisted by the GAP Community Development center are trying to overcome just that.

Administrators with the program said unfortunately by the time many people come for help it's too late and they have no chance of keeping their home. They said that's why it is important to address the problem immediately.

Blogging W ScribeFire

Some time ago I installed the ScribeFire add-on to my Firefox browser and used it temporarily but was disappointed with it because it lacked some functionality that the regular Blogger post field had. Updates have occurred that have made ScribeFire a much better add-on and I've been using it again intermittently, with mixed results. Hence the reason for some of the odd formatting in a couple of the posts here. Overall however, ScribeFire is a wonderful extension and as I begin to recognize sites that can be problematic for the autoformatting of ScribeFire, I'll be able to overcome them. For now, I hope you'll excuse some of the stranger formatting that periodically occurs on the blog. Peace!

"People who don't make enough to file a return are eligible for at least $300."

Those who need it the most aren't even aware that they're eligible to receive it.....



NewsChannel 5.com - Nashville, Tennessee - Many seniors not filing for tax rebate checks

Many seniors not filing for tax rebate checks

Associated Press - June 26, 2008 11:25 AM ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Internal Revenue Service says it's taking steps to make it easier for retirees and disabled veterans to file for a tax rebate check.

About 123,000 of those individuals in Tennessee have not filed a tax return to receive 1 of the special payments. They are the result of a $150 billion economic stimulus package passed by Congress in February.

People who don't make enough to file a return are eligible for at least $300. Individuals who pay taxes get up to $600, working couples $1,200 and those with children an additional $300 per child.

Darrell Hillis, a certified public accountant in Nashville, says he believes many people haven't filed tax returns to get the checks because the process is confusing.

But IRS spokesman Dan Boone says the agency is working to make it easier to file for a check.

"Davidson County's unemployment rate jumped nearly a full percentage point from April to May..."

Not just increases, mind you, but freakin "soars" to 5 percent. Yikes.

Jobless rate soars in region

Spike from April to May puzzles MTSU economist

By G. CHAMBERS WILLIAMS III • Staff Writer • June 27, 2008

Davidson County's unemployment rate jumped nearly a full percentage point from April to May, to 5 percent from 4.1 percent, and similar increases were recorded in much of Middle Tennessee, according to figures released Thursday by the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

The numbers are the latest sign that a tougher economy is taking a toll on the area's work force. About 2,800 more people were estimated to be out of jobs in May in Davidson County than a month earlier.

"The increase is so large that we have to wait and see if this is an aberration," economist David Penn of Middle Tennessee State University said. "It is inconsistent with the payroll numbers. We're seeing slow growth here, but no huge drop-off as suggested by these spiking unemployment rates."

The broader Nashville-Murfreesboro jobless rate for May was 1.6 percentage points higher than in May 2007, officials said, reaching 5.1 percent. That was up 0.8 percentage points from April to May, the labor department said.

Penn said the rate increases were "puzzling." When a manufacturing plant closes, the jobless rate in the area of the plant would spike but there would not be a widespread increase like the ones seen in the past month, he said.

"The only segment that has shown significant losses is manufacturing, but that has been going on for quite a while," Penn said.

The state labor department said 94 of 95 counties showed an increase in unemployment in May compared with a month earlier. The only exception was Trousdale County, where the rate dropped slightly to 7.6 percent.

Tennessee's statewide jobless rate for May, released last week, was 6.4 percent, up 1.7 percentage points from a year earlier. The U.S. unemployment rate was 5.5 percent in May.

Williamson County had the lowest unemployment rate in the state last month at 4.2 percent, up 0.6 percentage points over the past year.

Williamson was helped by the restart of the General Motors auto plant in Spring Hill, which is gearing up to make a new Chevrolet crossover utility vehicle. About 2,500 laid-off workers have been recalled there recently.

Maury County got a big boost from the GM assembly plant as well. The GM facility is actually in Maury County, but it's close to the Williamson County line.

Although Maury County's jobless rate climbed 0.4 percentage points in May from April, to 7.3 percent, the numbers were nearly a full point better than in May 2007 just after the GM workers had been laid off. Maury's unemployment rate at that time was 8.2 percent.

Other job losses continue to occur in financial services, as well as the restaurant and travel industries, Penn said. He blamed rising gasoline prices for much of the restaurants' woes. "People are eating out less, and that means we're going to have fewer restaurants," he said.

"Undercover officers said the fact that the listings can be traced helps them pinpoint the girls and sometimes leads them to pimps."

The world's oldest profession - and the most highly prized "trophy" of some of that profession's clientèle - goes high-tech, but not without risk...

I suspect this activity will increase, too, given the current state of the economy and the difficulty in finding employment for the younger among us.

When peoples' backs are against the wall, all bets are off....

Child prostitutes sell themselves on Craigslist

By Veronica De La Cruz and David Fitzpatrick
CNN

SACRAMENTO, California (CNN) -- For more than two years, undercover cops on the Sacramento Police Department's vice squad have been working one of the most draining beats: trying to crack down on online child prostitution.

Sacramento police have nabbed nearly 70 underage girls for child prostitution since 2005.

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Police have nabbed nearly 70 girls under the age of 18 since 2005. Most of the girls were released to foster or group homes. Those are just the official figures; investigators think there are many more child prostitutes out there.

It is no easy task.

"We're asking these girls to do a big thing ... which is to stop what they're doing," said Sgt. Pam Seyffert of the Sacramento Police Department. "Stop what's working for them. Surviving is basically what they're doing."

Sacramento police are working with the FBI as part of a nationwide campaign to combat underage prostitution called Innocence Lost. The goal of the program, which is now in almost 30 U.S. cities, is to decriminalize the girls and concentrate on catching the pimps who control them.

"It really makes me angry," Seyffert said. "I think everybody on the team has different reactions to it, but I just flat out get really angry that some guy thinks he can take this girl and basically deprive her of her freedom."

It is not uncommon for the officers on the unit to put in 30-hour shifts. Oftentimes, their work is heart-wrenching. Watch how investigators work to catch pimps »

Child prostitution is even tougher on the parents of these girls. Roslyn and Sergio's daughter had been missing for more than two weeks. They waited for hours at police headquarters in hopes that their daughter would be found.

Vice squad officers found her in a downtown apartment with Bruce William Carter, a 21-year-old man who police said had posed on the Internet holding fistfuls of cash. He pleaded not guilty to charges of statutory rape and was held in lieu of $35,000 bail.

The couple's daughter, who had just turned 17, was detained but not arrested.

"It hurt," said Roslyn, who appeared weary and a bit shell-shocked. "Because you don't want to see your children involved in things like this. You don't realize how dangerous the Internet is. Now, we got to keep her away from the Internet."

Police say most of the ads appear on Craigslist, the popular and free Internet classifieds site, under a category named "Erotic Services." Even though Craigslist has posted a bold disclaimer warning against human trafficking and the exploitation of children, law enforcement officials said it doesn't seem to deter girls from posting the ads or men who are searching for sex.

But why would a girl sell her body online?

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To help answer that question, Sacramento police made arrangements for CNN to interview a 14-year-old girl who said she'd started selling herself as a prostitute at the age of 11.

"I wanted to feel loved. ... I wanted to feel important," said the teen, who did not want to be identified.
She said she used Craigslist because it was free and she could post dozens of ads a day. Even though she understood the seriousness of what she was doing, she said she didn't care.

"You could put stuff in your ad like 'wet and wild,' 'fun and sassy,' things like that to catch their attention, to make them want you," she said.

Craigslist executives said they abhor the fact that their site is being used for child prostitution but believe that the problem could be harder to track if they removed the category.

"It would be a bigger problem if we removed that category and had those ads spread throughout the site," said Jim Buckmaster, chief executive officer of Craigslist.

Both legal experts and police say Craigslist bears no legal responsibility. Undercover officers said the fact that the listings can be traced helps them pinpoint the girls and sometimes leads them to pimps.

For her part, Roslyn has a strong message for the man arrested in connection with her daughter's detention.

"I want him to stay away from my daughter," she said. "I'm going to put a restraining order on him. Every time he goes near my daughter, I'm going to call the police and have him put in jail."

Even though they have more work than they can handle, vice officers hold out hope that they can save more girls from a life of prostitution

"Ford Motor Co. announced cuts in production for the second time in two months and gave up on ending its losses by next year, as the scramble by all three Detroit auto makers to switch to smaller cars began to raise questions about how they'll get enough cash to ride out the storm."

There's an old saying in business and economic circles that As GM goes, so goes the nation. While much has changed in the world since GM was the major powerhouse in auto manufacturing, the Big Three American automakers still have enormous impact on employment and the economy.

And all three are shitting razor covered bricks at the moment, you can bet your arse on that.

The ride into 2009 may be far rougher than any Ford or Chevy truck will ever be able to smooth out for ya....

(WSJ)

Ford Reels as Truck Sales Plunge

Soaring Gas Prices Force
New Production Cuts;
Big Three Facing a Cash Drain

By MATTHEW DOLAN, JOHN D. STOLL and KATE LINEBAUGH
June 21, 2008; Page A1

Ford Motor Co. announced cuts in production for the second time in two months and gave up on ending its losses by next year, as the scramble by all three Detroit auto makers to switch to smaller cars began to raise questions about how they'll get enough cash to ride out the storm.

Ford said the plunge of U.S. truck and SUV sales due to record-high gasoline prices was forcing the new cuts, and even pushing back the launch of its redesigned F-150 pickup truck that once was expected to drive the company's recovery. The moves suggest the company is bracing for a greater loss in 2008 than its $2.7 billion loss last year, and Ford said it no longer expects to break even by 2009.

In the past few days, it has emerged that both Ford and General Motors Corp. are seeking ways to raise new capital, while Chrysler LLC is slashing costs to conserve cash. GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner has said the company has enough cash for 2008 but declined to elaborate beyond that.

In a telephone interview Friday, Ford Chief Financial Officer Don Leclair said the company has enough liquidity to carry it through. But earlier this week Chief Executive Alan Mulally met with billionaire investor and major Ford shareholder Kirk Kerkorian and the two discussed Ford's likely need for more capital, a person familiar with the matter said.

Beyond the next 12 months, it's uncertain what cash the three car makers will have, said Bruce Clark, an analyst at Moody's Investors Service. "We're looking at 24 months that could stress the liquidity positions," he said. "There could be an unabated burn for every quarter for the next eight, nine, or 10 quarters."

Credit-ratings firms Friday warned of impending downgrades of the Detroit Three, raising further concerns about their future cash positions. Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said it was likely to cut ratings on Ford, GM and Chrysler, while Moody's Investors Service put Ford and Chrysler on the path for a downgrade.

GM and Ford led the market down Friday to its lowest close since mid-March. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid more than 220 points, or 1.8%, in a broad market rout. (See related article.)

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Ford fell 51 cents, or 8.1%, to $5.81, and is down more than 36% in the last year. GM dropped $1.00, or 6.8%, to $13.79 -- its lowest close since 1982.

Ford as of March 31 has cash reserves of $33.8 billion and GM $23.9 billion, but both companies are burning cash and spending billions to develop new models. Greater-than-expected losses this year and next would tighten their cash positions.

Making matters worse, Ford and GM's credit arms, which buoyed the auto makers in the past, are now suffering losses on truck loans and leases as a result of declining values for used vehicles.

Shelly Lombard, a high-yield analyst at Gimme Credit, estimates Ford has a cash cushion of between $7 billion and $9 billion, after accounting for obligations and expected losses. If Ford's losses increase, its cushion will decline, which could put the company in a tough position. "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face and a $4 gas price is a punch in the face," Ms. Lombard said.

Ford executives say the company has cash for at least a couple of years, and that despite the current problems, the company will rebound. They believe at least some buyers will come back to trucks after this year, including the F-150. Ford plans to increase passenger car production by 15% in the third quarter. Ford also is working to bring small cars from its European unit to the U.S., and is looking at converting at least one U.S. truck plant to car production.

Like Ford, GM is slashing production overall to try to stave off a revenue implosion from fast-falling U.S. sales of pickups and sport-utility vehicles, which generate a huge chunk of Ford and GM's revenue and profits. So far this year Ford's truck sales are down 14% and GM's 22%, and both are seeing much steeper drops in the last two months.

Chrysler, which as a private company no longer reports earnings, faces similar issues and is looking closely at additional cuts to its truck production. A spokesman said the company is sticking to its plan to launch a new Dodge Ram pick up this fall. But a person familiar with the matter said Chrysler has planned for a deep drop in vehicle sales in 2008.

Each of the Big Three is likely to report big declines in sales in June. GM, the leader in the U.S. market for decades, could fall behind Toyota Motor Corp. for the month for the first time, according to a report by J.D. Power & Associates on sales in the first half of the month.

On Friday Ford said it is delaying the much-anticipated F-150 launch for two months, until November. It also said it no longer expects to break even in 2009. In April Mr. Mulally said the company expected to make money next year, and in May, after the drop in truck sales worsened, scaled that back to break even.

The retreat represents a black eye for Mr. Mulally. He had appeared to have the company heading in the right direction when Ford surprised investors with $100 million in net income in the first quarter. Now the former Boeing Co. executive is working on a crash effort to cut its cash outflow and ramp up production of more fuel-efficient vehicles like cars and crossovers.

"Clearly, we are working our way through changes in the marketplace," Mr. Mulally said in an interview. "We're trying to give the best guidance we can."

The rise of gas prices set off a dramatic shift among U.S. car buyers. Trucks that used to be strong sellers suddenly piled up in dealer inventories and consumers started flocking to small cars. Those had traditionally appealed to a smaller segment of the market dominated by Toyota and Honda Motor Co., which had already battered the U.S. makers with their lower cost structures, higher margins and rising sales.

A few years ago both Ford and GM faced questions about whether filing for bankruptcy protection was a real possibility, but such speculation is now revving up again. It comes just months after the auto makers signed new union contracts that are expected to bring Detroit's labor costs in line with those of their Japanese rivals. But the sharp rise in gas prices this year has hit the Big Three hardest because of their heavy reliance on trucks for most of their sales and profits.

"Their wiggle room right now is almost nonexistent," said Tad Howard, president of financial consulting firm Nassau Financial LLC in Potomac, Md. "I think it's a hopeless situation short of two things -- a government bailout or additional cooperation from the [United Auto Workers union]. So in some ways, bankruptcy may be an attractive alternative."

In addition to funding ongoing operations, each of the Big Three has agreed to put billions of dollars into a trust fund over the next few years to cover the costs of health care for their retired UAW workers.

Company spokesman Mark Truby said Ford doesn't believe the company is at any risk for bankruptcy.

GM has been burning through about $3 billion in cash on a quarterly basis. Negative cash flow is usually worst in the third quarter when auto makers shut down plants for a two-week summer vacation. A person close to GM's financial situation estimates the auto maker could run through at least $5 billion in the second half of the year.

Getty Images

Country music singer Toby Keith, left, talked to Ford Americas President Mark Fields during the introduction of the 2009 Ford F-150 at the North American International Auto in January.

"Liquidity is the company's biggest concern right now," one large investor said Friday. "They need to come up with a funding plan, and need to prove to Wall Street they have a strategy to back that plan up.

In recent weeks, GM has said it will shutter four truck and SUV assembly plants by 2010, and cancelled development of new pickups and SUVs slated to hit the market in about 2012.

GM has about $7 billion in credit lines it can tap for working capital, but analysts fear that accessing those loans would send a signal to Wall Street that it is out of options. The auto maker is looking at ways of raising more financing, possibly by issuing new equity or a convertible debt offering, or pledging assets for loans, people familiar with the matter said.

On Friday Ford said it now expects to produce about 265,000 trucks in the third quarter, down from a forecast of 330,000 in May. In the third quarter of 2007, it made 455,000 trucks. The deep cuts mean one plant in Dearborn, Mich., that makes the F-150, for instance, will be shut down for 11 of the 13 weeks in the third quarter. A substantial cut in truck production also is scheduled for the fourth quarter.

Ford is pushing back the F-150 launch in part to gain more time to clear out its inventory of current model-year trucks. Ford is struggling to sell the 2008 versions with consumers fleeing to cars and crossovers. Even a move this month to offer "employee pricing," the discounts the company gives it employees, has not helped move F-150s out of the dealerships. "It's been a blip on the radar screen," Carlos Garcia, a sales manager at North Country Ford Lincoln Mercury in Coon Rapids, Minn., said this week of the incentive program.

Consumers' shift from trucks to cars comes as total vehicle sales already are slumping to lows not seen in decades. In the first half of June, normally a strong month, U.S. light vehicle sales were running at an annualized rate of just 12.5 million, down from 16.4 million a year ago, according to J.D. Power.

Gagnon "drove about four miles in the wrong direction and just missed several other cars before his truck hit the minivan filled with six children and a husband and wife who had spent Christmas with family in Michigan."

It's too damned bad that this young man's life has taken such a terrible turn, but I must admit that it is very refreshing to see the Ohio judge order him to spend essentially the rest of his life in prison for driving drunk and killing damned near an entire family as a result.

Sorry, but I have absolutely no tolerance at all for drunk or stoned drivers, and I really hate it when those who are caught driving while under the influence try to excuse their behavior by blaming their egregious actions on their alleged "addiction."

Now I'll be the first to tell you that I have no room to talk and I'm certainly not above reproach here. I've driven plenty of times under the influence (although I've only driven drunk once in my entire life-back when I was 17) and I thank the Gods I didn't kill or maim anyone myself while driving that two ton weapon. But I tell you now, had I been caught, I should have gone to prison for it and I wouldn't think twice about sending someone to the pen for it today.

Being stoned or addicted is not a mitigating factor when you've caused an accident. I'm generally against sending peeps to the pen for drug-related crimes, unless their action(s) while under the influence has caused harm to anyone else.

When this is the case, I'm a firm believer that sending a person to prison for long stretches of time accomplishes a couple of things. First, it removes a potentially dangerous person from society; if you can't act responsibly, you don't deserve to participate without supervision. Second, it sends a message to those who might be considering taking the risk of acting irresponsibly while under the influence.

A person considering tossing down 10 beers while at the local bar will almost certainly reconsider if they believe they may spend a good portion of the rest of their lives in prison should they be caught, rather than merely having to pay a few fines and higher insurance premiums. The "deterrent effect" doesn't always work on all aspects of crime, but in this case, it may exert some good, strong influence. Finally, highly publicizing cases like this one - especially considering the man in question was just 24 when he was sentenced to 40+ years - will send a very powerful message to those who think they can blame poor judgment on their abuse and/or addiction.

Chances are pretty good that it will provide considerable incentive to think long and hard about driving drunk long before they get too drunk to think about it in any meaningful way.

Jun 27, 4:33 PM EDT

Drunken driver gets 43 years for killing mom, kids

By JOHN SEEWER

Associated Press Writer

AP Photo/J.D. Pooley

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP)-- A Michigan man was sentenced to 43 years in prison Friday for driving the wrong way on an interstate and slamming his pickup truck into a minivan, killing a Maryland mother and four children who were returning home from a Christmas trip.

Michael Gagnon of Adrian, Mich., had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit and marijuana in his system, authorities said.

Lucas County Judge Linda Jennings called Gagnon a dangerous person. "You have a drinking problem and you don't even know it," she said.

Gagnon,24, had pleaded no contest to five counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and two counts of aggravated vehicular assault.

"In my mind and spirit, I will be serving a life sentence for the pain I've caused," Gagnon said Friday, reading from a handwritten statement in court. He won't be eligible for release until he reaches his mid-60s.

Gagnon was drinking with family at a bar on Dec. 30 to celebrate the New Year when he went out for fast food and took a wrong turn onto Interstate 280 in Toledo, investigators said. He drove about four miles in the wrong direction and just missed several other cars before his truck hit the minivan filled with six children and a husband and wife who had spent Christmas with family in Michigan,authorities said.

The minivan was rounding a curve when the truck came directly at the family. Both drivers tried to avoid each other, but the crash ripped open one side of the van,hurtling some of the victims into the road and scattering toys, stuffed animals and bits of gift wrap.

Bethany Griffin, 36, of Parkville, Md., and three of her daughters - Vadi Griffin, 2 months; Lacie Burkman, 7; and Haley Burkman, 10 - died in the crash along with Jordan Griffin, 10, the daughter of Bethany Griffin's husband, Danny Griffin Jr., 36.

Danny Griffin, who was driving the van, was injured. Griffin told the court that his life will never be the same and that he no longer comes home to a house filled with children and a smiling wife. He said he misses helping the kids with their homework and tucking them into bed at night.

"I know my life isn't over, but a large part is missing," he said.

"...analysts warned the impact of the stimulus plan may be short lived."

Well, it's a tiny bit of good news in an otherwise overwhelmingly bad news month, but frankly, I didn't notice much difference with any of the folks I work, live or play with...

US consumer spending rises in May

US economic stimulus package has made households a little richer

US consumer spending rose 0.8% in May as Americans cashed in on the government's $145bn (£74bn) economic stimulus package.

The Commerce Department said the rise in spending was higher than the 0.7% economists had forecast and the largest rise since November.

The boost was down to the emergency fiscal boost announced in January to try avoid a recession in the US.

But analysts warned the impact of the stimulus plan may be short lived.

Cautious consumers

Disposable income also jumped 5.7% last month, while Americans put away more of their money, the Commerce Department said.

But what's going to happen in July and August, when we don't have the help from the stimulus checks Hugh Johnson, Johnson Illington Advisors

The rate of personal savings jumped to 5% last month, the highest reading in more than a decade.

Some economists estimate that increased spending could double the rate of economic growth in the second quarter.

But as consumers have become more cautious about their finances, the worry is that they will keep the money in the bank, analysts warned.

"They're saying that's great, but what's going to happen in July and August, when we don't have the help from the stimulus checks," said Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer of Johnson Illington Advisors.

The government announced its fiscal plan worth around $145bn (£74bn) in January as the economy weakened and energy prices soared.

The bulk of the money arrived in May, but that will start to dry up by the middle of July.

Meanwhile, consumer confidence fell to 50.4 this month, the lowest level since February 1992, according to the Conference Board.

Analysts blame the property slump and rising prices for food and fuel.

Technorati Tags: society, recession, economy, finance

"...revolving credit usage - which includes credit cards - accelerated sharply to a year-over-year growth rate of about 8 percent in recent months. That's the fastest rate in seven years and well ahead of the 2 to 3 percent rate of growth from 2004 through 2006"

the belt gets tighter around the Middle and Lower Classes.....

Jun 28, 6:56 AM EDT

Credit scores hit by card limits

By RACHEL BECK
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Just as Americans grow more reliant on credit cards to help pay monthly bills, they're being hit with a one-two punch: Card companies are reducing borrowing limits for tens of thousands of consumers, which then can lead to lower credit scores.

Those facing this predicament might not even know it until they apply for a loan or another credit card, and then get denied because their credit score has dropped.

This is an unintended consequence of the financial world's widespread ratcheting down of risk. Banks and other card lenders are trying to better protect themselves from more massive losses like those they've seen from subprime mortgages.

As a result, they are looking for ways to reduce their exposure to cardholders more likely to default. That's why they are lowering credit limits, which means they are reducing the maximum amount of credit extended to an individual, along with boosting card interest rates and allowing fewer balance transfers.

"This is what they have to do at this time," said John Hall, a spokesman for the American Bankers Association, a Washington-based trade group.

Such moves come as consumers are increasingly using their credit cards as a source of liquidity, especially since it's becoming harder to tap their home equity as much to pay for everything from renovations to vacations to trips to the mall. As the housing and mortgage markets have collapsed, lenders have also reduced the limits on what are known as home equity lines of credit, or HELOCs.

Net home equity extraction fell nearly 60 percent from a year earlier to $205 billion in the first quarter, according to Merrill Lynch. The investment bank also notes that some $1.2 trillion in equity and housing wealth was wiped out in the first quarter alone because of plunging home values.

At the same time, revolving credit usage - which includes credit cards - accelerated sharply to a year-over-year growth rate of about 8 percent in recent months. That's the fastest rate in seven years and well ahead of the 2 to 3 percent rate of growth from 2004 through 2006 when home equity lines of credit were a bigger source of cash for consumers, according to Merrill.

But as credit cards are used more frequently, that often results in bigger balances left on the cards. What's worrisome is that consumers who are faced with a number of ugly economic scenarios hitting at once - falling home prices, surging commodities costs and a weak job outlook - won't be able to pay their bills.

American Express warned Wednesday that more of its customers were falling behind on their payments. That led some Wall Street analysts to forecast that the card company may soon lower its predicted earnings growth for 2008.

"Business conditions continue to weaken in the U.S. and so far this month we have seen credit indicators deteriorate beyond our expectations," American Express' CEO Kenneth Chenault said in a statement.

That's why card companies including Washington Mutual, HSBC and Wells Fargo are lowering their credit limits, according to data from the consulting firm Institutional Risk Analytics.

Consumer advocates aren't saying that is bad news - in fact, they believe it helps prevent cardholders from overextending themselves and is preferred to having a sudden surge in card interest rates.

"In the purest sense, it is the better way to manage the risk of a cardholder," said Linda Sherry, director of national priorities for Consumer Action, a national non-profit consumer rights and education group. "But a low credit limit can also unknowingly hurt a credit score."

Here's how that happens: Let's say a cardholder has a credit limit of $10,000 and a balance on the card of $4,000. The card company worries that large balance may increase the prospects for default, so it lowers the credit line to $5,000.

But in doing that, it completely changes what is known as the credit utilization rate, raising it from 40 percent to 80 percent. That is then factored into the calculation of one's so-called FICO credit score, which measures creditworthiness, according to Craig Watts, a spokesman for FICO-creator Fair Isaac Corp.

A lower FICO score could make it more expensive for someone trying to borrow money. For instance, someone taking out a $25,000 36-month auto loan would see an interest rate of about 6.4 percent and a monthly payment of $765 if they were in the highest range of FICO scores of 720 to 850, according to Fair Isaac's Web site myFICO.com.

That then jumps to an interest rate of 7.3 percent and a monthly payment of $776 for those with a score of 690 to 719 and as much as 15 percent or $866 a month for those with the lowest FICO range of 500 to 589.

According to the Comptroller of the Currency, one of the government agencies that regulate U.S. banks, companies must notify cardholders at least 15 days in advance before making changes in the terms of their account, such as lowering the credit limit. But they don't have to explain how that could change an individual's credit score.

That puts the burden on consumers to watch out for this. They better so they don't get blindsided.

"....many people are being forced to wait weeks or even months for help while they get their paperwork in order..."

Check out the very first comment posted on the Washington Times site with this article; it illustrates the stunning ignorance, the callousness, the racism and the utter stupidity of some of our fellow citizens:

By: teacher

Get an f****** job. I work full time in a private school and my husband works 60 plus hours running a small business. We have NO health care for our children, and this loser complains!!! Where is OUR help from the state. Oh. no. sorry...YOU HAVE JOBS...you don't get help. You just get a tax bill you can't pay and your money goes to pay for the welfare girls and their babies. Isn't that special!

June 26, 2008 at 8:27 p.m.

By the way, didja notice the handle of our comment poster above? How'd you like this insensitive, uninformed jackass filling your child with racist, bigoted, polarizing, dehumanizing hate on a daily basis - and adding insult to injury, someone's paying this pathetic excuse for a teacher a substantial wage, seeing as how she supposedly works at a private school. Remind me never to allow my children to attend that hate factory.... Meanwhile, the Patriot Act's trampling of our civil rights continues by forcing born in the USA Americans to jump through just as many hoops as someone coming in from the Middle East in order to obtain state ID and/or their birth certificates. I've posted on this subject more than a few times here but one facet of the problem bears repeating - the Catch-22 that even the DMV admits exists - and it doesn't matter what you're in need of an ID for: In order to get a state ID or driver's license, one must have a birth certificate. In order to obtain a birth certificate, one must show a state ID. Now, when one has the ID, obtaining the birth certificate is no problem at all. But if you need an ID and don't have a birth certificate.....DOH Case in pint: One of my clients, who happens to work as a carpenter and has worked steadily for the previous 2 years with the same crew, has been without ID since 2005. The man is essentially illiterate, able only to sign his name, and has been struggling to obtain a birth certificate since he discovered he'd need one in order to obtain an ID. He definteley earns enough money to afford an apartment, but without proper ID, no one will rent to him. So, he stays in fleabag motels, to the tune of about $250 a week. Why, you might ask, does he pay such an exorbitant rate at the local flophouse? Well, he can't rent the room, because he doesn't have ID, which means he must get someone with ID to rent it for him, which means he must pay for double occupancy. To make matters worse, he's paid by check for the jobs he does. Do I need to say more? Often he signs checks over to people he knows who have a bank account, but then must wait the 7 to 10 days for the check to clear before he can get his money from the person with the bank account. He's been ripped off more than a few times by unscrupulous assholes who've simply kept him money and avoided him. It's pretty hard to track down someone when you're homeless. Those who do bring him his money often ask for payment for assisting him. Damned near w0hatever this poor sod does, it costs him extra. I've been working with him to obtain his birth certificate, by the way. We sent off a $28 money order to Amarillo three months ago. We received a letter from the County Records Clerk two weeks later that stated he'd need to provide picture ID. Like I usually do in these circumstances, I wrote a letter on my agency letterhead, stating I knew the man to be who he said he was. We sent it back. Two weeks later, another letter arrived from Amarillo. He needed to include picture ID. I had the letter notarized and sent it back to Amarillo. On Thursday, almost three months later, we received a letter from Amarillo. Inside was his birth certificate with a sticky note attached. In scrawled handwriting, it said, "Next time no birth certificate will be issued without picture ID next time." Thankfully, they let us slide and my client will have picture ID on Monday (he was working Thursday and Friday of this week and so couldn't take the time off to obtain his ID. Sorta shoots the argument that all homeless folks are lazy and unemployed, now doesn't it?) If you've been fortunate enough to have obtained an ID in Tennessee and you lose your current one, they will simply look you up on their computer and give you another one. Most of the time. If you're ID has expired in the meantime, you will need to present a birth certificate.....uhoh..... We're working on a way in which, through HMIS, we can provide agency and housing access directly through the computer. This way, even if a person loses his/her ID and is in the Homeless Management Information Database, that person will still be able to obtain services. We're even trying to get the DMV to buy in; we'll see how that goes. In the meantime however, when people come to me needing an ID and they were born in another state, I just cringe and resign myself to jumping through the hoops that are in place to obtain one for them. Meanwhile, I get to watch them suffer....

States require citizenship proof of welfare seekers

Keeps illegals from getting aid

Kathy Barks Hoffman, ASSOCIATED PRESS Thursday, June 26, 2008

LANSING, Mich. | Living in a homeless shelter with her teenage son and three young grandchildren, Margo Kindred needed help, and Michigan was supposed to provide it.

But she couldn't get welfare benefits without her Colorado birth certificate, and couldn't get the document without $10 - money she didn't have.

"I couldn't squeeze it out, because there was nothing left to squeeze," the 38-year-old said.

Michigan is one of the few states that give health care coverage automatically to children and adults on welfare. But there's a catch: Proof of citizenship is required.

Michigan and Nebraska appear to be the only states so far that won't give cash assistance unless proof of citizenship is shown, although Missouri is joining their ranks.

Some states, such as Virginia, require applicants to show a birth certificate or Social Security number. But they allow applicants to sign an affidavit of citizenship if they can't provide the documents. Michigan and Nebraska don't have that option.

The proof of citizenship requirements are being promoted as a way to keep people who are in the country illegally from getting government assistance. But they go beyond having to show a driver's license or proving that, as a foreign resident, a person is in the country legally.

Critics say many people are being forced to wait weeks or even months for help while they get their paperwork in order, while some are so discouraged by the requirement that they don't even apply.

A federal study last year showed that the number of people getting Medicaid coverage dropped in many states after the new requirement was put in place on the federal level. Advocates for the poor in Michigan say the same is happening now to welfare applicants in the state.

"People are not getting the help they need and they're eligible for," said Sharon Parks of the Michigan League for Human Services in Lansing. "It's not right."

For many, like Ms. Kindred, the requirement is a surprise. A women's group in Battle Creek eventually put up the money, and state officials approved her payments.

Until they started last month - adding $91 to her monthly $598 check - Ms. Kindred got by on the children's welfare payments and the food stamps she was able to get because that program didn't require a birth certificate.

All the welfare money went to house the family at a small motel they moved to from the homeless shelter.

"It's a struggle to get Pampers or personals, wash clothes," Ms. Kindred said.

The Michigan League contends the state's rules are keeping eligible people from getting welfare payments, and points to the discrepancy between food stamp and welfare caseloads.

Despite the state's weak economy, Michigan's welfare caseload in May was down to its lowest level since December 2002, having dropped by 18 percent in the past year alone.

Yet the food assistance program - which allows people to qualify with far more income - set a record high last month. The number of households getting food stamps has increased about 70 percent since December 2002.

"It's troubling to see the cash assistance numbers falling when we know that the level of need throughout the state is growing," Ms. Parks said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Margo Kindred, 38, with grandchildren NaZair Kindred (left), 11 months, NaZharea Kindred (center), 3, and NaZeon Kindred (right), 2, didn't find out she needed her birth certificate to apply for Michigan public assistance benefits until after she moved her family to a homeless shelter.

But a director in the Michigan Department of Human Services said the tougher proof of citizenship requirements isn't solely responsible for the decrease. Michigan also has made its work requirements more strict.

"Less people may be applying because of eligibility issues," said Barbara Anders, director of the Bureau of Adult and Family Services. "I don't think we can say it's any one item."

In Nebraska, applicants must show a birth certificate or some other proof of citizenship to get food stamps, welfare payments, medical coverage for children and seniors who are disabled or blind, and for help paying energy bills.

That state hasn't seen the large drop in welfare caseloads, such as in Michigan, because the state will pay for applicants' birth certificates, removing that hurdle, said Becky Gould of the Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest.

More states are considering proof of citizenship for a variety of programs. Missouri recently passed into law a bill requiring people to prove they are U.S. citizens or legally in the country when applying for food stamps, housing and other public benefits.

"...the facility has been overwhelmed, sleeping 400 to 500 more per night than the 300 it was designed to serve overnight."

Because assisting those experiencing homelessness has so many variables, providing services can involve literally dozens of different agencies and individuals and often can become a monumental task. It is not then unusual to see that agencies who initially agree to collaborate and/or cooperate with each other eventually part ways as they discover that they are simply unable to meet the needs or demands of each other. Agencies have an organizational culture and disparate cultures often clash when brought together. Power struggles, personality conflicts, operational nuances, etc all combine to create an atmosphere of stagnation, inefficiency and at times perceived incompetence in the eyes of each agency when they assess each other. Often these challenges are very difficult to overcome, so in my mind, the only real surprise here is just how quickly they arrived at the conclusion to part ways....

Dallas homeless shelter The Bridge ends contract with social services provider

12:00 AM CDT on Saturday, June 28, 2008

By KIM HORNER / The Dallas Morning News khorner@dallasnews.com

Just five weeks after Dallas' homeless shelter opened, its operator unexpectedly has ended a contract with the nonprofit hired to offer social services at the facility.

TOM FOX/DMN

A homeless man relaxes outside The Bridge, which is serving hundreds more people than it was designed to.

The Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, which runs The Bridge for the city, said PATH Partners of Los Angeles is leaving as part of a mutual agreement. PATH had a renewable, $1.3 million contract through the end of the year to provide caseworkers to help homeless people get services such as housing.

Mike Faenza, president and chief executive officer of the nonprofit Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, said his organization will take over those duties. He said the MDHA plans to hire staff employed by PATH Partners. He said the decision will not cause any disruptions to services to homeless people.

Joel John Roberts, chief executive officer of PATH Partners, complimented The Bridge's management for doing a good job handling the high demand for services, which he said has placed the staff in "crisis mode."

PATH's contract, which was scheduled to end in December but was renewable, provided $654,427 in quarterly payments.

"Even when we were negotiating the contract initially, we had on the table that we can set it up and hand it over any time," Mr. Roberts said. "It's not about contracts or money."

The contract provides for immediate termination for four reasons: failure to take action as required by management or the city when there's an issue of public health and/or safety; failure to maintain required insurance; failure to maintain necessary licenses or permits; or failure to maintain adequate personnel.

However, both Mr. Roberts and Mr. Faenza stressed that the agency was not fired. Mr. Faenza said the MDHA wanted to take over social services at The Bridge so it can respond more quickly to the huge demand for help at the facility.

The city opened The Bridge, a 24-hour center, on May 20 to serve the chronically homeless – those who are disabled, mentally ill or addicted and have been on the streets long-term. A downtown business group recently said the center has helped move a significant number of homeless people from the streets, addressing a problem that has festered for years.

But the facility has been overwhelmed, sleeping 400 to 500 more per night than the 300 it was designed to serve overnight. Most of those people have severe mental health problems or other medical issues.

Mr. Faenza said the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance wanted to directly address issues with maintenance, security and staffing that stem from the large crowds instead of handling those matters through a contractor.

"We have a tidal wave, and we want to succeed," Mr. Faenza said. "The numbers of people, and their needs, and the risk, were so high. I felt like we could not have that second layer in between MDHA and these people, because we had to move very fast. Managing a contract was too cumbersome given what the situation was."

PATH Partners' departure will save $300,000 in taxpayer funds by eliminating some management positions, Mr. Faenza said. That money will be used to pay increased costs for security, maintenance and other services resulting from the larger-than-anticipated numbers of homeless people using the center, he said. Operating expenses of The Bridge are paid through private donations and funding from the city and Dallas County.

Karen Rayzer, director of Environmental and Health Services for the city, which built the $21 million facility, said the city is confident that services to the homeless will not be interrupted.

"The situation wasn't working to the level they wanted, so it was agreed by both parties that it was best to dissolve that," Ms. Rayzer said. "MDHA is committed to making sure all of the services needed are being delivered, and Mike [Faenza] is working frantically to make sure we have personnel in place to step in."