It is Saturday and I will post just a closing thought…..It is a couple of days before the Big Day which is just around the corner…….
As Christmas approaches keep in mind that there are some that have neither home nor food on this season of joy…..and it is getting worse…….
The nation’s homeless population increased this year for the first time since 2010, driven by a surge in the number of people living on the streets in Los Angeles and other West Coast cities. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development released its annual Point-in-Time count Wednesday, a report that showed nearly 554,000 homeless people across the country during local tallies conducted in January, per the AP. That figure is up nearly 1% from 2016. Of that total, 193,000 people had no access to nightly shelter and instead were staying in vehicles, tents, the streets, and other places considered uninhabitable. The unsheltered figure is up by more than 9% compared with two years ago.
Increases are higher in several West Coast cities, where the explosion in homelessness has prompted at least 10 city and county governments to declare states of emergency since 2015. City officials, homeless advocates, and those living on the streets point to a main culprit: the region’s booming economy. Rents have soared beyond affordability for many lower-wage workers who until just a few years ago could typically find a place to stay. While the overall homeless population in California, Oregon, and Washington grew by 14% over the past two years, the part of that population considered unsheltered climbed 23%, to 108,000. That’s in part due a shortage of affordable housing. The AP has more.
This thieving bastard that some Americans helped elect has given homeless vets a Christmas present early…..
Donald Trump, from the outset, cast himself as a champion of veterans, and promised that he would improve veterans care as president.
But the toxic right-wing ideology of Trump and his administration has nonetheless seeped into the way they take care of and prioritize veterans.
According to Politico, a popular program to house homeless veterans is on the chopping block — and at the worst possible moment:
Four days after Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin held a big Washington event to tout the Trump administration’s promise to house all homeless vets, the agency did an about-face, telling advocates it was pulling resources from a major housing program.
The VA said it was essentially ending a special $460 million program that has dramatically reduced homelessness among chronically sick and vulnerable veterans. Instead, the money would go to local VA hospitals that can use it as they like, as long as they show evidence of dealing with homelessness.
Anger exploded on a Dec. 1 call that was arranged by Shulkin’s Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans to explain the move. Advocates for veterans, state officials and even officials from HUD, which co-sponsors the program, attacked the decision, according to five people who were on the call.
Donate your time or to a food bank or homeless shelter…..anything that can help make this season a little better for those that have nothing.
Remember what the spirit of the holiday is all about…..and try to help when you can.
Peace and joy
