Articles about Homelessness and Angel Hanz for the Homeless

Angel Hanz for the Homeless Featured in Homeful LA

"Only 9 years ago, Karen Hanza, Founder of Angel Hanz for the Homeless, was homeless herself. “I’ve been struggling my entire life. I came from a horrible place of abuse and violence that started when I was a very small child. To escape the neglect and abuse, I ran to the streets thinking it would be safer." Karen found that living in the streets is dangerous, yet she found the support that she never had as a child in her dog. They were homeless together for years." Continue reading on Homeful LA.

---

360 FASHION MAGAZINE

On Sunday, October 25th, a woman who spent 2 years on the street homeless with her dog, will be providing homeless pets with vet care, pet food, new collars, leashes and a healthy meal, clothing, blankets and barber services for their owners. An incredible story of a woman’s redemption - and now service to those who are homeless with animals - North Hollywood-based Karen Hamza’s Angel Hanz for Homeless does this once a month in LA county. She’s even written a book called “Resource Guide for the Homeless in California & The U.S.” 

To read the entire article please click on this link: http://360magazine.tumblr.com/post/131298905178/angel-hanz-oct-25-tip-sheet

Newspaper Article Regarding Shelter in Belgium. In Honor of My Sister, Friend Vivi Lekens.

Click on this link to view this article

Storming the Food Banks: Charities Struggle with Growing Demand

By Guido Kleinhubbert

Food banks and soup kitchens in many German cities are having trouble keeping up with growing demand. Some are now abandoning their free food models in their efforts to continue helping the needy.  In mid-October in a Wetzlar church hall, about 200 visitors sat in rows of tightly packed chairs, leaning against the walls with their arms crossed and sullen expressions on their faces, or standing in front of the open doorway, hoping to hear at least some of what was being said at an event that will have a significant impact on their lives. Some stood under open umbrellas, a symbolic gesture meant to convey the message that they don't want to be left standing out in the rain. (Click here for full article.)

Homeless Seeking Shelter from Cold in Subways to Be Kicked Out, Police Say

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska on February 20, 2014

QUEENS — The NYPD and the MTA plan to clear homeless men and women out of the subway system after a skyrocketing number of people have sought shelter there from the brutally cold winter, police officials said. (Click here for full article.) 

Where The Homeless Are (And Are Not)

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 01/27/2014

With food-stamp recipients dominated by 'working age Americans' for the first time in history; and 1.4 million having recently dropped off the benefits rolls, we suspect, extremely sadly, that the following breakdown of homelessness in America is about to get worse. Los Angeles has by far the greatest number of unsheltered homeless in America and New York City the largest population - at around 65,000 - of homeless people in the US. One wonders at the State of the Union tomorrow..  (Click here for full article.)

It Is Illegal To Feed The Homeless In Cities All Over The United States

Michael Snyder, on August 26th, 2013

What would you do if a police officer threatened to arrest you for trying to share a sandwich with a desperately hungry homeless woman that really needed it?  Such a notion sounds absolutely bizarre, but this is actually happening in major cities all over the United States.  More than 50 large U.S. cities have adopted "anti-camping" or "anti-food sharing" laws in recent years, and in many of these cities the police are strictly enforcing these laws.  Sometimes the goal appears to be to get the homeless people to go away.  Apparently the heartless politicians that are passing these laws believe that if the homeless can't get any more free food and if they keep getting thrown into prison for "illegal camping" they will eventually decide to go somewhere else where they won't be hassled so much.  This is yet another example of how heartless our society is becoming.  The middle class is being absolutely shredded and poverty is absolutely exploding, but meanwhile the hearts of many Americans are growing very cold.  If this continues, what is the future of America going to look like?

(Click here for full article.) 

Storming the Food Banks: Charities Struggle with Growing Demand

January 03, 2014 By Guido Kleinhubbert

Food banks and soup kitchens in many German cities are having trouble keeping up with growing demand. Some are now abandoning their free food models in their effirts to continue helping the needy.  In mid-October in a Wetzlar church hall, about 200 visitors sat in rows of tightly packed chairs, leaning against the walls with their arms crossed and sullen expressions on their faces, or standing in front of the open doorway, hoping to hear at least some of what was being said at an event that will have a significant impact on their lives. Some stood under open umbrellas, a symbolic gesture meant to convey the message that they don't want to be left standing out in the rain.
(Click here for full article.) 

Homelessness, demand for food increase in US city survey

December 11, 2013 9:20 PM

A survey of 25 American cities, including many of the nation's largest, showed yearly increases in food aid and homelessness. 

The cities, located throughout 18 states, saw requests for emergency food aid rise by an average of seven percent compared with the previous period a year earlier, according to the US Conference of Mayors study, published Wednesday.

All but four cities reported an increase in demand for assistance between the period of September 2012 through August 2013. 

(Click here for full article.) 

* * * * *

The Jungle: Thousands of Homeless People Live in Shantytowns at the Epicenter of High-Tech, Super-Rich Silicon Valley

December 15, 2013 By Evelyn Nieves

Residents of Silicon Valley’s largest homeless encampment illustrate the widening divide between the nation’s haves and have-nots.

(Click here for full article.) 

* * * * *

The War on Women: The Newly Invisible and Undeserving Poor in America

Friday, 20 December 2013 11:14 By Ruth Rosen, openDemocracy | News Analysis 

While the rest of the world debates America’s role in the Middle East or its use of drones in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the U.S. Congress is debating just how drastically it should cut food assistance to the 47 million Americans - one out of seven people -  who suffer from “food insecurity,” the popular euphemism for those who go hungry.
(Click here for full article.)

* * * * *

Which America Do You Live In? – 21 Hard To Believe Facts About “Wealthy America” And “Poor America”

By Michael Snyder, on November 6th, 2013 

Did you know that 40 percent of all American workers make less than $20,000 a year before taxes?  And 65 percent of all American workers make less than $40,000 a year before taxes.  If you work on Wall Street, or have a cushy job with the federal government, or work for a big tech firm out on the west coast, life is probably pretty good for you right now.  But the truth is that most Americans are not living the high life.  In fact, most Americans are just trying to figure out how to survive from month to month.  For many Americans, making a choice between buying food for your family and paying the light bill is a common occurrence.  But if you don't live in that America, hearing that people actually live like that may sound very strange to you.  After all, if everyone around you has expensive cars, the latest electronic gadgets and million dollar homes, the notion that America is in the midst of a very serious "economic decline" may seem very bizarre to you.
(Click here for full article.)
 
FEMA Camps: City to Exile the Homeless; It’s not a Conspiracy Theory Anymore

Under the radar from the prying eyes of the public, South Carolina made it legal to get rid of their homeless problem. The people were given a choice, FEMA Camps or jail. The irony of it all was this happened right at the 50th Anniversary of Civil Liberties in August. The bad part is different cities from Boston to New York are shipping off their homeless, and no one cares. Is this coming to a town  near you?
(Click here for full article.)

Families With Kids Go Homeless as U.S. Rents Exceed Pay: Economy
When Montoria Freeland separated from her husband of 15 years in 2008, she left a four-bedroom house and economic security. Before long, her pay and hours as a pharmacy technician were cut and she found herself and her son facing homelessness.
Freeland lived with family for a time, she said, and four months ago moved into transitional housing funded by the city government in Washington, D.C., while searching for work that pays more than her $8.25-an-hour retail job. Having lost her oldest son in a 2000 homicide, Freeland said she insists on looking for housing in a safe neighborhood for her surviving one, now 17. She found that’s available only at an increasingly steep price.
(Click here for full article.)

Homelessness Seen Through 15 Different Sets of Eyes
It seems like the theme of the year is "this homeless problem." The coordinated efforts to sweep the homeless away are of major concern for a couple reasons. First, the real problem was created by the same ilk that are proposing the solution - in both cases it involves dehumanization, banishment, punishment and apathy. Next, when people allow the vulnerable to be taken away, do they really think it would stop there?
(Click here for full article.)

Gimme Shelter: Homeless in America
Over 7% of persons living in the U.S. have been homeless at some point in their lives
The homeless population increased in 2013 by 6% from 2012.
26% of homeless adults suffer from some form of mental illness.
There are 633,782 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in the US
Of that number, 239,403 are people in families, and 394,379 are individuals.
1 in 194: Over a year, the odds of experiencing homelessness
Collectively, urban areas have the highest rate of homelessness – about 29 people per 10,000 – and those areas classified as “mostly urban” rank second with a rate of 19 homeless people per 10,000. Rural areas have the next highest rates: 14 people per 10,000.
(Click here for full article and infographic.)

The Homeless are the most at-risk population. And we’re waging a war on them.
(Click for another excellent infographic.)

Homeless people being forced to live in caves

Homeless people are being forced to live in caves as the UK's housing crisis continues to spiral out of control. An investigation has found people living in one of the worst hit areas of the UK for homelessness are using a network of sandstone caves to live in.

In Stockport, which has seen an increase of 42 per cent in the number of people unable to put a roof over their heads in the last year, up to four people at a time have been sleeping rough in the secret warren - perched on a 20ft precipice overhanging the Mersey - just yards from public view.
(Click to read full article.)

Cavemen of Manchester: Migrants from Eastern Europe live in squalor underground
(Click here to read full article.)

The 20 Most Stunning Poverty Statistics Of The Obama Epoch

This article was written by Doug Ross and originally published at DirectorBlue.blogspot
It's even worse than than we thought.
1 - According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately one out of every six Americans is now living in poverty. The number of Americans living in poverty is now at a level not seen since the 1960s.
2 - When you add in the number of low income Americans it is even more sobering. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 146 million Americans are either “poor” or “low income”.
(Click here to read full article.)


Higher Numbers of Americans Take Their Lives than During the Depths of the Great Depression

Suicide rates are tied to the economy.
The Boston Globe reported in 2011:

A new report issued today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that the overall suicide rate rises and falls with the state of the economy — dating all the way back to the Great Depression.
The report, published in the American Journal of Public Health, found that suicide rates increased in times of economic crisis: the Great Depression (1929-1933), the end of the New Deal (1937-1938), the Oil Crisis (1973-1975), and the Double-Dip Recession (1980-1982). Those rates tended to fall during strong economic times — with fast growth and low unemployment — like right after World War II and during the 1990s.

(Click here to read full article.)


Child Hunger Is Exploding In Greece – And 14 Signs That It Is Starting To Happen In America Too
By Michael, on April 24th, 2013
The world is heading into a horrific economic nightmare, and an inordinate amount of the suffering is going to fall on innocent children.  If you want to get an idea of what America is going to look like in the not too distant future, just check out what is happening in Greece.  At this point, Greece is experiencing a full-blown economic depression.  As I have written about previously, the unemployment rate in Greece has now risen to 27 percent, which is much higher than the peak unemployment rate that the U.S. economy experienced during the Great Depression of the 1930s.  And as you will read about below, child hunger is absolutely exploding in Greece right now.  Some families are literally trying to survive on pasta and ketchup.  But don't think for a moment that it can't happen here.  Sadly, the truth is that child hunger is already rising very rapidly in our poverty-stricken cities. 
(Click here to read full article.)

The Tunnel People That Live Under The Streets Of America

By Michael, on April 9th, 2013 Did you know that there are thousands upon thousands of homeless people that are living underground beneath the streets of major U.S. cities?  It is happening in Las Vegas, it is happening in New York City and it is even happening in Kansas City.  As the economy crumbles, poverty in the United States is absolutely exploding and so is homelessness.  In addition to the thousands of "tunnel people" living under the streets of America, there are also thousands that are living in tent cities, there are tens of thousands that are living in their vehicles and there are more than a million public school children that do not have a home to go back to at night.  The federal government tells us that the recession "is over" and that "things are getting better", and yet poverty and homelessness in this country continue to rise with no end in sight.  So what in the world are things going to look like when the next economic crisis hits? 
(Click here for full article.)

America The Fallen: 24 Signs That Our Once Proud Cities Are Turning Into Poverty-Stricken Hellholes
By Michael, on April 23rd, 2013
What is happening to you America?  Once upon a time, the United States was a place where free enterprise thrived and the greatest cities that the world had ever seen sprouted up from coast to coast.  Good jobs were plentiful and a manufacturing boom helped fuel the rise of the largest and most vibrant middle class in the history of the planet.  Cities such as Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Baltimore were all teeming with economic activity and the rest of the globe looked on our economic miracle with a mixture of wonder and envy.  But now look at us.  Our once proud cities are being transformed into poverty-stricken hellholes.

(Click here for full article.)

More poor people now live in U.S. suburbs than cities - study
WASHINGTON
| Mon May 20, 2013 12:55pm EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of people living in poverty in U.S. suburbs surpassed the number of poor in cities over the past decade, driven by strong growth in overall suburban populations, according to an analysis released on Monday.
(Click here for full article.)
 

* * *

April 23, 2013
Updated homeless 'bill of rights' passes CA legislative committee

An amended version of a bill that would extend new protections to California's homeless population cleared the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Tuesday morning.

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, framed Assembly Bill 5 as an attempt to create a statewide baseline of homeless civil rights, citing a proliferation of municipal ordinances cracking down on behavior like lying or sleeping on the sidewalk as examples of the "criminalization of poor people."

"Today numerous laws infringe on poor peoples' ability to exist in public space, to acquire housing, employment and basic services and to equal protection under the laws," Ammiano said at a Tuesday morning hearing.

Ammiano's legislation faced a backlash from critics who said the bill would sanction behavior like urinating in public while exposing businesses to new litigation, undercutting the will of voters who had passed local ordinances and handcuffing city-level efforts to deal with homelessness. The California Chamber of Commerce included AB 5 on its annual list of "job killers" because it imposes "costly and unreasonable mandates on employers."

 (Click for full article.)

 PHOTO CREDIT: Advocates for the homeless rally outside the State Capitol building on Tuesday The Sacramento Bee/Jeremy B. White

* * * * *
Shelters Seeing More Elderly Homeless

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/02/11/182651/shelters-seeing-more-elderly-homeless.html

* * * * *

Made Poor by the Crisis: Millions of Europeans Require Red Cross Food Aid

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/food-distribution-at-european-red-cross-at-greatest-level-since-war-a-888182.html

* * * * *

20 Signs That The U.S. Poverty Explosion Is Hitting Children And Young People The Hardest

By Michael, on December 19th, 2012

The mainstream media continues to insist that the economy is "getting better", but the poverty numbers for children and young people just continue to explode. For example, did you know that the poverty rate for families with a head of household under the age of 30 is a whopping 37 percent? Children and young people sure didn't cause our recent economic downturn, but they sure are getting hit the hardest by it. According to the U.S. Department of Education, for the first time ever more than a million U.S. public school students are homeless. That seems like an impossible number, but it is actually true. How in the world could the "wealthiest nation on earth" get to the point where more than a million children can't count on a warm bed to sleep in at night? Sadly, a huge number of American children can't count on a warm dinner either. About a fourth of them are enrolled in the food stamp program. What do you do if you are a parent in that kind of situation? How do you explain to your kids that you can't afford a nice home like everybody else has or that you can't afford to go to the grocery store and buy them some dinner?

Young people are experiencing very rough times right now as well. If you are under the age of 30, it is really, really difficult to get a job in America today. The competition for the few decent jobs that seem to be available is absolutely crazy. Unemployment among young people is at a level that we have not seen since World War II, and this is causing major problems.

The following are 20 signs that the U.S. poverty explosion is hitting children and young people the hardest...

1. If you can believe it, a higher percentage of children is living in poverty in America today than was the case back in 1975.

2. More than one out of every five children in the United States is currently living in poverty.

3. According to U.S. Census data, 57 percent of all American children live in a home that is either considered to be "poor" or "low income".

4. Median household income for families with children dropped by a whopping $6,300 between 2001 and 2011.

5. For the first time ever, more than a million public school students in the United States are homeless. That number has risen by 57 percent since the 2006-2007 school year.

(Click here for full article.)

* * *

Van Nuys man accused of setting homeless woman on fire charged with attempted murder

City News Servicedailynews.com

Posted: 12/31/2012 10:21:36 AM PST

December 31, 2012 6:27 PM GMTUpdated: 12/31/2012 10:26:47 AM PST

Signs and flowers are left on a Van Nuys bench where a woman was set ablaze as she slept. She is in serious condition. A man in his mid-20s has been arrested as a suspect in the attack. (Staff Photo)

VAN NUYS - A 24-year-old Van Nuys man accused of setting a homeless woman on fire as she slept on a bus bench was charged today with attempted murder and aggravated mayhem. Dennis Petillo was scheduled to be arraigned sometime today at the Van Nuys Courthouse. He allegedly set fire to the 67-year-old woman around 1 a.m. Thursday at Van Nuys Boulevard and Sherman Way. According to police and prosecutors, Petillo poured a flammable liquid on the woman, identified by some witnesses only as Violet, and set her on fire while she was sleeping. Witnesses said Petillo went into a Walgreens store at the intersection and purchased what may have been rubbing alcohol, then walked out of the store and doused the woman with it. "He just poured it all over the old lady, then he threw a match on her, and then started running," said eyewitness Erickson Pina, who said the suspect also threatened him with a knife. Pina told a camera crew that he called 911, then followed the man until police arrived and arrested the suspect. An area resident told ABC7 the woman had essentially been living on the bus bench for years. The woman remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition, according to the District Attorney's Office. Petillo faces up to life in prison if convicted, prosecutors said.

3/30/2013 - Update regarding Violet's recovery: Violet is recovering from her burns, but has a long way to go.

* * *

Hunger and Homelessness Rising across America

By Nick Barrickman

Global Research, December 27, 2012

World Socialist Web Site

This month, the United States Conference of Mayors’ Task Force on Hunger and Homelessness released its yearly survey, which documented a sharp rise in the two social ills throughout the country.

The report was based on data collected between September 1, 2011 and August 31, 2012, with cooperation from emergency food services in 25 major cities across the US, including Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Nashville, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Francisco and Washington, DC.

Emergency food assistance requests increased by an average of 22 percent, and the number of such requests rose in all but four of the cities. Some 51 percent of the demand for assistance came from members of families.

Perhaps most tellingly, the report also documented that over a third (37 percent) of those in need of emergency food assistance were employed. Overall, one in seven Americans are classified as being food insecure. As of 2011, nearly 47 million people received food stamps, an increase of 1.3 million over 2010.

(Click here for full article.)

* * *