HOMELESS SHOP ONLINE AND HELP THE HOMELESS- BUY FROM 4000 MERCHANTS DIRECTLY- GO TO:
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ach year the National Coalition for the Homeless collects data from homeless agencies, advocates, and actual homeless people on many different topics. This information is referred to as the Illegal to Be Homeless, The Criminalization of
A Good Way to Help the Homeless Excuse me Officer , you want to take me to a shelter... Says the homeless person .... And the Officers say " Yes Sir"
Fort Lauderdale, Florida An outreach program in cooperation with the police department and local services is comprised of one formerly homeless individual and one police officer. After publicizing the pick-up point through street contacts and service providers, the pair goes out each afternoon, where they assess individuals one by one. Some individuals are sent to a shelter for the night, some are given bus tickets to reunite with family, and others are enrolled in long-term programs. By helping individuals get off the streets and into shelters, the impact of criminalization has been significantly decreased. Other police officers in the community are also taking individuals to shelters rather than jail. Police are currently conducting their own trainings, and educating officers about homelessness.
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Homelessness in the United States report. The coalition goes out of their way to verify the facts of each case by checking police records, lawsuits, independent witnesses’ accounts and/or community members who have been assured by local law enforcement or city politicians that any arrests will be very easy on homeless people. In many cases most of the action the cities are using is unconstitutional. This means while cities make an attempt to improve their so called image, they aggressively violate the rights of homeless people and make many arrests that are invalid and in some cases even criminal. Now we all know that the Homeless Voice has gotten its feet wet by filing actions against cities, big business and any other person or agency that attempts to violate the rights of homeless people and have won every case by settling with each city. I have even had some law enforcement officers that call me up and tell me that their city is cracking
In south Florida the police are getting very good at providing social services to the homeless by taking the homeless person to a shelter and we commend these officers for assisting the homeless so well.
down on these types of arrests. I feel confident that the information cops are providing me with about major violations against the homeless must be true because cops are calling to report other cops or the cities who sign their pay checks about these injustices. Advocates have also become just as smart as the police; they have begun shooting videos of dishonest police officers committing these infractions. In some cases the tape is given to the police and the advocates ask the police officer to change their behavior. In most cases they are not given to the police department. Rather they are given to the police officer who violates the homeless person’s rights and is asked to please stop their misuse of power. We figure that the police officer should not get into trouble if the city is asking them to be so aggressive.
We at the homeless Voice understand that sometimes our own homeless people do mess up a community and we understand that the police must do their job and we respect them when they do their job correctly. We even respect them more if they actually bring a homeless person to our doors. In south Florida the police are getting very good at providing social services to the homeless by taking the homeless person to a shelter and we commend these officers for assisting the homeless so well. However, as you will see in this special edition of the Homeless Voice many cities violate the law when they pick a certain class of people to go after. By providing the public with more education we hope to change injustices against the homeless in the future. -Sean Cononie
Local, National Groups to Commemorate National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day
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n 2004, thousands of people without housing events, which include candlelight marches and vigdied of natural causes, murder, suicide and/or ils, graveside services, plays and other performhypothermia in cities and towns nationwide. ances, and special religious services. Since 1990, the Cities nationwide have responded by reducing the National Coalition for the Homeless has sponsored availability of shelter beds and continuing the demo- National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day on or lition of affordable housing units, thus driving many near the first day of winter to bring attention to the tragedy of homelessness, and to refamilies and individuals into homelessness. What will this coun- “I think the important member our homeless friends who try do for people experiencing thing to remember is have paid the ultimate price for our nation’s failure to address the issue. homelessness next year? On Dethat these deaths are Each year since its inception, the cember 21, 2004, local and national groups and people experi- entirely preventable,” National Coalition for the Homeless has been joined by local and stateencing homelessness will mourn Whitehead said. wide groups across the nation in those who died and educate the holding special events to honor those general community that the lack of who have died, and to recommit ouraffordable housing and shelter is a problem that must be addressed. “I think the impor- selves to the task of ending homelessness. For more please go to tant thing to remember is that these deaths are en- i n f o r m a t i o n , tirely preventable,” Whitehead said. “If our cities www.nationalhomeless.org/memorial96.html. make affordable housing, living wages, and accessiReprinted With Permission from ble health care their top priorities, we will not have The National Coalition News Paper to hold any more memorial services for people who Happy New Year or should we say , Happy died without housing – because there will be no New Years……. There are many more to more people who die without housing." This year, come…... over 125 cities across the nation are sponsoring