In a message dated 3/27/2009 7:15:13 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: I think what's happening with the "tent city" that Marnie is chronicling may be something slightly different. There are likely quite a few in that community who were living "on the edge" and were pushed over that edge by losing their jobs in this fragile economy. However there are also likely a number in that "village" that have the substance abuse and mental illness problems that traditionally have plagued the homeless. I'm sure it's a very brutal place to live.
cheers, frank ============== Yes. My church is part of a group of churches that is doing something called "Winter Nights" doing the winter. (Not the summer.) They take in homeless families with kids and provide them a place to stay, food, and activities for the kids. There is a depressing increase of homeless kids in California. All agencies, both government and non-profit, are reporting this. It's one reason school lunches have become a crucial factor in the California budget, it may be the only real meal some kids get -- homeless or not. Some people are only one pay check away from disaster. These days with all kinds of companies/stores going belly up and/or doing massive layoffs, disaster hits. I've also been reading stories in the paper about how our unemployment department is overwhelmed -- most claims are now done online or by phone, mainly by phone. Sometimes it takes people weeks to get through on the phone lines, they are so clogged. A week wait might be a disaster for someone. And, of course, a lot of people don't qualify for unemployment. Actually I suspect more people are living in their cars than in tents. I've certainly seen some parked cars that look that way. I am going to try find some to take photos of. Thanks for looking, Marnie. --------------------------------------------- Warning: I am now filtering my email, so you may be censored. **************Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make meals for Under $10. (http://food.aol.com/frugal-feasts?ncid=emlcntusfood00000002) -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
