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alstry (35.71)

Families on the Streets

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October 06, 2008 – Comments (4)

Associated Press

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - There's been a surge in the number of homeless families in Massachusetts — a spike that has overwhelmed the state's shelter capacity and forced it to again place homeless families in motels.

It's an increase driven by the sour economy, rising energy costs, escalating unemployment and shortage of affordable housing. For the first time, the state is tracking how many families are winding up homeless due to foreclosures.

"You're seeing a perfect storm," said Robyn Frost, executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081006/ap_on_re_us/massachusetts_homeless

This has been another problem that I have been warning you about.  If we go the inflation route....the problem will get much worse.  MUCH WORSE!!!!!  as wages will never keep up with costs.

Further, this problem is spreading all over America.  Mass.  is a state with a relatively strong economy.

Here is a snipit from an article from NV:

The struggling economy continues to hit Main Street hard. More and more families are losing their homes, forcing some to live on the streets. News 3's Dan Ball explains why the number of homeless families are dramatically increasing here in Las Vegas.

Catholic Charities says they've noticed that within the last several months, the face of the homeless has changed. It isn't just the single male sleeping on the streets anymore. Now, it's the family who was once living on easy street.

Many other states and cities face similar issues.  Dealing with this problem drains resources from already strapped budgets.  I have been warning you about this for the past six months.  You can either be proactive or reactive.....the choice is yours.

Time to resturcture NOW!!!!!!!!!  or the hole will get deeper and deeper.

4 Comments – Post Your Own

#1) On October 06, 2008 at 8:58 AM, dinodelaurentis (56.46) wrote:

how very Grapes of Wrath.

in the mid 80s i worked with my father in our grocery store. driving to work everyday we would see men and women, singely and in pairs walking the roads obviously homeless.

one day i mentioned it to dad who had a disturbing response. he said that he had not seen so many people walking the roads since the Depression.

later that month a man came into our store, dirty and thin. he politely asked my father for something to eat and my father told him no. the man left.

15 minutes later my dad told me to watch the store and he left in his car. he came back with the man and sat him down at the counter, fixed him a hot dinner out of the freezer, gave him a pint of milk and an apple and talked quietly to him for a while after he ate. when he was done he drove him to a bus station and bought him a bus ticket and gave him $50.

dad came back to the store and i asked him why he did that. he said that he was ashamed for turning away a hungry man.

i have volunteered at homeless shelters ever since my father died in 2002. i count the homeless people i see and mention it to my family when the number gets high. when i speak to them i look them in the eye and call them by name. if i cannot help, i am respectful. there, but for the Grace of God, go you or i.

it was just something i'll never forget and this post brought it back this morning.

thanks alstry.

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#2) On October 06, 2008 at 11:12 AM, motleyanimal (97.86) wrote:

When Obama revives the WPA, maybe I can get a job as a muralist. I like to draw pictures. You should see some of my coloring books

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#3) On October 06, 2008 at 11:41 AM, jesusfreakinco (29.62) wrote:

Dino,

Great post.   Having been an avid reader of blogs and great forecasters like Rogers, Schiff, and Sinclair over the past few years, I have felt helpless to adequately warn family and friends.  Most seem to have done little to protect themselves by reducing debt and adding to savings.  Now, they are saying nice call JF, but I still feel horrible that I could not have convinced them to do more.

These are SCARY, SCARY times, no doubt.

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#4) On October 06, 2008 at 7:23 PM, bostoncelitcs (71.84) wrote:

Are we in a "recession" yet?

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