Homeless Voice; Art Goncalves

I The dean of newspaper hawkers for a homeless-advocacy group has found his calling -and a place to live

A

rthur Goncalves, a small man with a crispy tan from too many days in the sun, gets through each day with a pack of Marlboros, an energy drink and an upbeat attitude.

Drivers usually ignore him as he limps along the medians of busy intersections in his bright orange shirt and matching cap. Other times, they wave or nod but make no donation. Occasionally, though, they roll down their windows, strike up a conversation and toss some cash into his bucket for the Homeless Voice newspaper.

More often, they just lock their doors.

“At first it was hard knowing they were scared of me because I was homeless,” said Goncalves, 53. “We're not violent. We're not bad people.”

A cocaine addict and alcoholic who seven years ago slept in a homeless shelter, the veteran newspaper hawker has now cleaned up his act,

(Art) He remarried, moved to Arkansas, and took a job with a roofing contractor -- until he fell off a roof and crushed his foot. mentors other vendors, and earns enough from newspaper sales to rent an apartment.

Sean Cononie, the homeless-rights advocate whose unorthodox operation takes in some of the most difficult homeless cases in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, says Goncalves is a success story.

(Continued on page 9)

Two die in Ranchi heavy rains; thousands rendered homeless

ncessant overnight rains have claimed two more lives in Ranchi and flooded large parts of the Jharkhand capital rendering thousands homeless, officials said Sunday.

The heavy rain has caused flash floods in the Harmu river flowing

by Ranchi. A 20-year-old youth, Afroz Aalam, was swept away by the river currents. Another youth also drowned in the river Saturday. With this, the death toll due to rain has gone up to six so far.

Water has entered peoples' homes at several places. The most affected localities are Harmu, Ratu, Bariatu and Kokar.

People living in the low-lying slums near the river had to be shifted to safer places. Hundreds of residents of Nirmala Kusth colony in Niwarnpur had to be shifted to safer places after the entire area was flooded.

The Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC), which had claimed it was prepared for the monsoons, was faced with choked sewers and water logging in residential areas and roads.

“The RMC has made no arrangement to pump out the water from areas where water has entered into homes. The sewerage system is not working,” said Amit Banerjee, a resident of Niwaranpur, where water entered inside the premises of a school for the deaf and dumb.

-HomelessNewsWire

T

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he Homeless Voice has always not only serviced the homeless but we have also tried to prevent new cases of homelessness throughout the years. How do we do this?

We give you tips to save money, and saving money means there is less of a chance to become homeless. Now we all have complained about our FPL bill, but what do we do to get our bill lower?

In most cases we may start our own home electric reduction plan but most of the time we only do it for a few months. Let me say this, make a plan and stick to it. Not only do you save money but you are helping the environment that God has created for us to enjoy. This is correct, the more power we use the more harm is done to our environment. So enjoy these tips and take your extra savings and save them to prevent homelessness for you and your family.

In most Florida homes air conditioning accounts for 40 -50% or more of the annual electric bill. So, this is the best place to start to begin saving money.

1.Keep your thermostat at 78 with the fan switch on “auto.”

2.Cool your home only when you're there. When you leave for the day, move the thermostat up to 82 and turn it back down to 78 when you come back. It costs a lot less to bring the temperature down to 78 than it does to keep it at 78 all day. You can even buy an inexpensive programmable thermostat that will do this for you automatically, so your home will be nice and cool whenever you're there...and you won't be wasting money when you're not.

3.Remind everyone in the house how thermostats work: Your house won’t cool down faster if you set the thermostat at 70. It just wastes money. If you want the (Continued on page 7)

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The Voice of the Homeless

Page 2

FRIENDS OF THE HOMELESS For just $15.00 a month you can keep a homeless family off the streets for a day. Please make check payable to: COSAC Foundation Friends of the Homeless. Please include on memo what name should appear in paper.

Mail check to: Friends of the Homeless P.O. Box 292-577 Davie, FL 33329

Your Name Will Be Printed in Our Paper Every Month • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The Cononie Family The Targett Family Patrick Helings John Bendor The Preston Family In Loving Memory of Uncle Joe & Nana Shannon Brooks Lisa Cebrat Pakita Price Nana Sullivan The Watsons Sean Cononie Sally Lister Judith Kelly Arnold Goldstein Martha Roman The Baptista Family Jacob Robinson Julie Stokes De De Hupp John Criasia Daniel Harrison The Martinez Family Amanda Reynolds Dolores R. Cerra Bob Hall Tressie W. Osborne Clark Rogers The Savir Family Peter Richman Richard McHenry Stevie Nix Corinne James The Browns Chris Sanchez Hugo DeCarpintini Mario Yuio Richard Friedman Diane Friedman Uylna Quadrino Ginny Scott Arnold Reemer In Loving Memory of Peter Sullivan Maryann Springer Elaine Snaith Marshal Bugin Keith Yude Bruce Wethersoon Isabelle J. Henry Raul Cardenas M.D. Wendy Bryan Jacqueline McCarty Albert J Taragowski Darla King Paula King Richard Gomez Anthony Ralph Jennifer Hicky Timothy Lukehard Thomas Rua The Jackson Family Justin Rowan Mary Green

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Morris Grazi Marvin Shatze Ronald Shafer Vance Gunn Adam Staler Allen Yancy Jimmy Daniels Mel Blount Carol Lockette Joe Golden Anna Marye Levier Magan Narduzzi Andre Johnson Antione Collins Eric Harrison Jessica Padilla Sheldon Jones

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Carlo Harrison Jason Emrik Dan Gilcert Amber Rowan Jackie Johnson Ricky Cambell

• • • • •

Dorr’e Terry Samual Manery Marilyn Vokish Jenny Curic Amy Curic Lisa Jackson

•

Jim Johnson Bobby Neal Erica Fulton Darren Nolf Erica Sanclair Steve Dillan Dallan Michele King Bobby Ore Casandra Thomas Tara Hunter Mark Faber Nichole Faber Kevin Britt The Cable Family The Maione Family Barbara Strong Grace Marth Regla J Ferrer The Baldwin Family Horace Gracie Russell J. Ferguson Marjorie G. Rhines Jamie F. Flores In Loving Memory Of Thomas Gasbarro Cathy and Kids The Davis Family Graham R. Mitchell Essential Oil Healthline Amparo L. Korey John’s Plumbing Service Thank You Winn Dixie Adrienne and Mike Ms. Marilyn Smith Albert J. Taragowski Ruth C Grey

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Mike Cross Tamara Southard Raul Cardenas MD PA Al and Annie

• • •

Hurricane Prevention Inc Danny and George The Thompson Family OTD Messenger, Inc M. Smith Yorick and Bonita Parrica Lee Russ & Delores B Mordon Robert Jesus Llanes Comet Couriev Proietto Family In Memory of Billy Corwin Josh Searles Patricia Lee Russ Delores B Mordon Mrs. Jenkins Everglades Moon, Covenant of Goddess, Elibet Hanson Judy B. Pascarella John Gaeta Michael R. Prokop, Jr. Jackie M. McCarty In Memory of Charles Horton In Memory of William F. Judge Todd Palgon The Morabito Family

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Todd Palgon Holly J. Andrus Lois Cross In Loving Memory of Florence & Nat Popkin Tailored Advertising, Inc Claudia K. Tapolow Margie Jones In memory of Wesley H. Woodall Maria M. Riveiro Gottlieb & Blair Family Pioneer Middle School Youth Crime Watch Rhenals-Mei Family The Strikowski family Margie Jones & Friends Ronald Prescia In Memory of Brian Groleau Laura Flash Jacqueline M. McCarty The Herrmann Family The Monserrate Family Madeline Butera Jennifer S. Nickel Marilyn R. Smith David Thawley On Behalf of Matthew Lambert Mustafa Mehmet Gokoglu

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Robert and Ruth Baal In Memory of Melba DeSanto In Memory of My Mother Pearl McCann, Love Teresa Barbara Desanto Leah and Ray Michael & Michale Rhett Marie Sutera Floyd and Luana Coats Doug Boucher Family Kevin Jones Dorothy Griffith Family In Loving Memory of Kris Soltan Kevin “KJ” Jones Douglas Boucher The Swartout's Ivonne Fernandez The Verny & Stewart Families In Loving Memory of Frances Klein The Herrmann Family John C. Burt Albert Taragowski Renato & Malika Vasconez In Memory of C.T.R. Adriana Fernandez Andrea Brown The Kunicki Family Thank you so much, Sean & Lois, for all your help.

–Joan Futscher & Kids McAvoy Family The Geise Family Richard & Margaret Martin Kenny Angela Adriana N. Quila Elizabeth P. Sublett Barbara Robinson Mark E. Johnson Julio A. Izquierdo Ann M. Hamilton Nicole Lee Nelson Anthony Rhodes Christine M Wilson K.J. Williams Renato and Malika Vasconez Christine McAuliffe In Memory of Chief George J. Hodges Real Breakthrough Solutions Hartford Property Connection, Inc. In Loving Memory of Donald Fraser In Loving Memory of Rex Lichtenberger In Loving Memory of Jose A. Estruch, Jr. Ronald & Cathy Walker Real Breakthrough Solutions YOUR NAME HERE

In Memory of Scott Paul Cooper

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• You can setup payroll deduction through your employer to support the COSAC Foundation’s Homeless Voice • Your company might even match your donation • See your human resource or department manager

Page 3

Volume VIII, Issue 9

HOMELESS VOICE I want to thank everyone for praying for Cathy, she is in a better place now... With God Above. In the next few months we will do several tributes to her for the work she did here on planet earth. I will miss her, every Monday while she was really sick we would talk about different things that were on our minds. I am grateful that Cathy was able to meet my wife and kids. She was there at my worst, when a new life seemed almost impossible.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND TO:

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BY CALLING TOLL-FREE IN THE STATE 1-800-435-7352 REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEM ENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE THANK YOU FOR HELPING THE HOMELESS

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The Voice of the Homeless

Page 4

HOMELESSVOICE One man recounts triumph over drugs

F

or most of his life, Steven Sims loved drugs, loved trouble and hated himself.

From his teens through his 40s, Sims drank, shot heroin and smoked crack. He stole. He went to jail. He lied to his family and his employers.

Then, at 43, when it seemed certain that his anger would destroy him, Sims changed.

"After a while, when you finally look back over your life and you see you've lived half your life and you haven't accomplished nothing, you have nothing, you're going nowhere, it changes you," Sims said Saturday.

At 50, he hopes his story can help others to change, as well. He has written a book, "A Desire to Belong: Breaking Free," that recounts his struggle with drugs, his discovery of religion and his recovery.

On Saturday, Sims signed copies of his book at his church, Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church on Autumn Street, which was holding its annual picnic. He also displayed several of the landscape paintings he has completed over the last

go to rehab and four years. all over.

As he accepted congratu- start lations from other members of When he was the congregation who stopped by about 41 and fed the table where he signed his up with himself, he book, Sims acknowledged that he borrowed a friend's truck and is living a life that he never imag- drove to a Hasbrouck Heights supermarket, where he shoplifted ined for himself.

"I was to the point where a pack of straight razors.

"I remember just getting I felt my life wasn't going to change, that this was my destiny, back to the truck and crying and that I was going to suffer," he praying and asking God to forgive me for what I was said. The Passaic native about to do and for how I said he developed that idea at an early age by “I started lived my life," he said. He absorbing the verbal shooting cut his wrists a few times and passed out. abuse of his adoptive heroin when He woke up hours later. mother.

"From as far I was 16 "I started crying like a baby, not because I tried back as I can remember, my strongest memory is years old,” to take my life, but because I was still there," always being told I'm no good, I'll never be any good, 'I'm Sims said.

He went to a nearby hossorry I ever laid eyes on you,' " pital, was bandaged and resumed he said.

He became angry, he using drugs, he said. The turning said, and started hanging around point came when the adult son of a crowd of other teenagers who the woman with whom he was would break into stores and steal living threw him out of the things. He dropped out of school house. Sims went to a homeless at 16 and became even more shelter in Hackensack and missed curfew one night, because he was reckless.

"I started shooting heroin out getting high.

The shelter ordered him when I was 16 years old," he said. That started a pattern of not to return, and Sims went to regular drug the one place he could -- Good use that lasted Shepherd Mission in Paterson, for more than where he enrolled in a nine25 years, he month drug-treatment program.

For reasons he does not said.

Sims would entirely understand, the Bible float from job classes he took as part of his reto job, get ar- hab transformed him, he said.

"I remember thinking, I rested for possessing drugs, can't remember the last time a

curse word came out of my mouth," he said. When he completed the program, he moved home to Passaic and reconnected with his childhood sweetheart, Jeannine. Within months, they married and remain together after seven years.

Jeannine "Penny" Sims said she was shocked when her husband told her how he had spent the roughly 15 years since they last saw each other.

"I said, 'wow!" she recalled. "And then I said, only God knows why. Only he knows why, and everybody deserves a chance."

Sims said his wife encouraged him to paint and helped him by reading the manuscript of his book.

Jeannine Sims smiled as she watched her husband sign copies of the book. Beneath each signature, he wrote "Proverbs 3:5 -6." That biblical passage reads, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

"A Desire to Belong: Breaking Free" is available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

By BRIAN SPADORA HERALD NEWS

As our minds wander with weep, Is there a place for us to sleep?

Hiding in the shadows of the night, Can we rest or always live in fright?

We roam cities with aching blistered feet, Will we manage or face life’s defeat?

Family and friends no longer care, This life of darkness I can’t bare.

Addiction becomes our only friend, Will this insanity ever end?

Society or ourselves to blame, Remember God made us all the same.

Just think of you homeless and me looking away, Living on the street is more than I can say.

-Mike Marino

HELP Wanted for Work Call Jef Sprinklers & Irrigation 954-448-4552 Advantage Communications, Inc. is a proud supporter of The Cosac Foundation "Excellence in Radio"

Page 5

Volume VIII, Issue 9

HOMELESSVOICE Homeless youth, advocates use hip-hop to 'let it all hang out'

I

t's one thing to talk about being homeless, and another to write a hip-hop song about it. That's what 16-year -old D'Angelo Randle discovered when he lived last year at Samaritan House, a shelter in Virginia Beach for the battered and the homeless.

That's where he met Jeff Rimmer, who encouraged D'Angelo to use his own experiences to write songs.

"It's much easier to say it in a song," D'Angelo said. "It's hard to talk about in a conversation, but in a song you can let it all hang out."

Rimmer had been hired at the shelter in 2004 as an advocate to make sure children were enrolled in school and had all the other things they needed. He figured the kids could use a little music, too, so he put together a makeshift studio at the shelter with a computer, some production software, and a keyboard.

During the next two years, Rimmer, 23, and a music colleague, 28-yearold Tony Hairston, recorded the songs--mostly hip-hop and rap--of some 20 kids, and even arranged to have one turned into a profession-

War. ally produced music video.

The songs were like Rimmer left Sabalm for the spirit. "We got maritan House in May and into it. ... If I had a bad day opened a studio in Virginia at school, it was like a reBeach with Hairston called lease," said Broken Barrier Entertainment. The songs were D'Angelo, who recorded several During the day, they work like balm for the songs along with his 14-year-old in counseling and computer spirit. "We got brother, Daniel. fields, but at into it. ... If I Alice Twining, the former pronight they hope to pro- had a bad day at gram director at who duce the same school, it was Samaritan hired Rimmer, type of music the Samaritan like a release," said using art to draw out the House kids said D'Angelo experiences and created, except perspectives of on a larger children in shelters is not a scale, and in a variety of new idea, but using rap and genres. hip-hop was a different On July 6, they're twist. having a talent search in She said teens, in hopes of finding new talent particular, seemed to conto take on the same type of nect better to music than to real-life issues the Samaritan drawing and painting. "With House youngsters wrote artwork, a lot of kids get about, and with the same stuck, because they don't hopeful spin to it. like the finished product."

"Our goal is to creWith rap, though, ate a type of music that's the kids didn't need any spepositive," Rimmer said. cial training because they "Anything that someone can were just coming up with relate to and benefit from." phrases and themes, then The youngsters at putting them to a beat. the shelter--12 to 19 years "Very shy children old--tackled some weighty would come out of their issues in their songs: Street shells," Twining said. violence. Teen pregnancy.

D'Angelo went to Homelessness.

Hunger.

the studio as often as he could. One song he helped write, "Problems," dealt with homelessness.

"That was a big thing in my life, sleeping on couches, no car, no money, no food. But at the end of the song, there's hope for the future."

He said friends were surprised when they listened to his tunes. "They said, 'Man, I didn't know you went through all that.'

They were there for me; they didn't make fun of me."

He's since moved with his mother, two brothers and two sisters into a Virginia Beach townhouse.

But he still works on songs with Rimmer and Hairston at their new studio on Virginia Beach Boulevard.

Two other shelter residents, 20-year-olds Kamal and Jalal Waite, wrote a song called "Twin Love" about the bond between

brothers and another one called "Life in the Brook," about growing up in Brooklyn.

"When I finished a song, I'd think, 'OK, I can do better,' " said Kamal, who also helped younger children at the shelter write their own songs.

Rimmer said music was always a release for him, and he wanted to show the shelter youth that producing their own songs was even better than listening to the radio and CDs. "It's like you're screaming for attention, screaming for someone to listen to you," Rimmer said.

"It's an outlet."

The Virginian-Pilot is published in Norfolk.

By ELIZABETH SIMPSON The Virginian-Pilot

High Tylenol Doses Linked to Liver Woes

H

ealthy adults taking maximum doses of Tylenol for two weeks had abnormal liver test results in a small study, researchers found, raising concerns that even recommended amounts of the popular painkiller might lead to liver damage.

In the study, 106 participants took four grams of Tylenol -- equivalent to eight extra-strength Tylenol tablets -- each day for two weeks. Some took Tylenol alone and some took it with an opioid painkiller.

Dummy pills were given to 39 others.

There were no alarming liver test results among the people who took the placebos. But nearly 40 percent of people in all the other groups had abnormal test results that would signal liver damage, according to the study that appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

"I would urge the public not to exceed four grams a day. This is a drug that has a rather narrow safety window," said a study co-author, Dr. Neil Kaplowitz of the University of Southern California.

Are you a health care provider and want to help the community?

(Continued on page 11)

Or make your donation online at www.HomelessVoice.org

COSAC has started the MRSA Task Force of South Florida Come join our task force and help your community Meetings are done once a month and most of the needs of this task force are done by email This way you can make progress and help your community and not have to spend every waking minute working on this project.

Contact Mark Targett at 954-410-6275 or email us at MRSA@Homelessvoice.org

Most Americans are “Two Paychecks� away from being homeless. Help the shelter stay alive. We are trying to pay the mortgage off! To help, please send a check or money order to: COSAC Foundation Burn That Mortgage Campaign P.O. Box 292-577 Davie, Fl 33329

The Voice of the Homeless

Page 6

HOMELESSVOICE

L

ast month we covered a little bit about Methicllin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA, which is a dangerous skin infection that can happen to just about anyone. We wanted to cover a little bit more to help you prevent it and help you help your doctor to make the correct heath care decisions for you.

We all have had little abscesses on our skin or something that looked like a pimple that looked like it was infected and there was no real need to worry, however in times like we have today, when we have a skin infection that is resistant to normal antibiotics we need to work fast to make sure we get the proper treatment. We need to look deeper in to the issue and we need to make sure our doctor makes the correct choice when it comes to MRSA. Looking in to the issue a little deeper means looking in to the tissue a little deeper and that can only be done by taking a wound culture of the infected area. In case you forgot what MRSA is I will give a short version, it is a skin infection that our older normal antibiotics that we once took do not work on this form of staph infection. It is resistant to normal antibiotics.

The major problems with our emergency room doctors and our regular primary health care providers is that sometimes when they see an infection in the skin most of the time they write a prescription for Keflex, when in fact it may do nothing at all for the current infection therefore giving the infection more time to get worse or get in the blood stream. If MRSA is treated correctly at first it can be handled quite effective. However when our trusted doctors do their job in a way that costs less, it sometimes means that death can occur. Let me remind you that 86,000 people have died with MRSA complications on a yearly basis. In most cases where the doctor writes the wrong antibiotic it does cause a few things to happen, a surgery, or an inpatient to the hospital where the patient must remain inside the hospital for at least 14 days receiving highly powerful antibiotics by IV. And yes, even dearth can occur. So if you are one of these people who just try to keep your wound clean and put some type of over the counter cream on the wound, stop and get medical treatment if your wound seems to be getting worse. Getting worse means the redness is getting bigger all around the wound. Usually if it is getting redder it means you must seek medical help. Your life may depend on it. You will know staph infection, it creates a big red area around the wound and it is filled with all kinds of junk.

The major issue of getting MRSA is not getting it in the first place and this means keeping all wounds covered, inspect them daily, and of course wash your hands daily all the time. MRSA is given to us by contact, contact means touching something else then touching yourself and if you have dirty hands that has the staph germ on them and then touch a sore on your body then MRSA can get in to you causing a very nasty staph infection. The next major issue is when presenting yourself to the doctor with a skin infection and then your doctor just writes you a prescription for an antibiotic without doing a wound culture, he just did you wrong. This is how everyone is not getting treated properly when it comes to MRSA. The only way to tell if a person has MRSA is by doing a wound culture. In most cases it takes three days for the culture to come back from the lab but when it does the doctor will know exactly what antibiotic to put you on. And in most cases you can get a short term lab result in just 24 hours. Your doctors’ job is to monitor the lab results and in some cases change the antibiotics and to inspect the final result of the culture to make sure whatever he has you on is the proper medicine. Do not be fooled if your doctor just writes you any script and then it goes away and you think that it is all over with. The bad news is that, it may come to visit you again and this time harder to fight. Step one order your doctor to do a wound culture. If he says your insurance won’t pay it under the office visit, you can tell him that is why he is on contract with the HMO and that means he has to eat the test.

If you do not have insurance and you go to the emergency room and they just give you any antibiotic, stop them and tell them that it is below the standard of care at present time not to do a wound culture. Protocol everywhere is now telling doctors to do wound cultures. If you have no insurance and you go to a county hospital and you can't afford the medicine they give you, stop before leaving and ask the social worker to get you a free prescription, only do this if you can’t afford the medicine. If they argue with you about the wound culture or the free medicine you can remind them that we all pay taxes so they can treat you the same as if you had insurance. Our taxes pay the health care provider at the county hospitals to take care of the sick that are poor, they are not paid to treat people with just insurance and you could remind them that the reason they get a full pay check is because of people paying taxes. If it sounds like I am attacking doctors, the answer is no, it is the responsible doctors that are seeing a trend from emergency room doctors across the nation all doing a job that needs improvement. Too many times these ER doctors have caused future problems for patients when they do not do a full check up.

-Sean Cononie

Homeless Man Reaps Rewards for Honest Effort DETROIT homeless man who returned $21,000 worth of saving bonds he found in a trash bin is finding out how much honesty can pay off.

Charles Moore, 59, had been searching for returnable bottles last week when he came across the 31 U.S. savings bonds.

He turned them in to a homeless shelter, where a staff member tracked down the family of the man who had owned them.

For his good deed, the bond owner's son gave Moore $100, but residents around Michigan and in other states decided his action merited a more generous reward.

So far, Moore has received over $4,000.

One man sent him eight trash bags full of returnable bottles and a bowl of coins. Three

A

others gave a combined $2,500, and two businessmen from Troy donated $1,200, a shopping spree and a lead on a job.

"I was thankful for it," said Moore, who had lost his roofing job in Ohio and moved back to Michigan but couldn't find work.

Moore said he plans to use the money to find an apartment.

David C. Smith, of Albuquerque, N.M., gave Moore $1,000. Smith said he and his fiancee wouldn't have thought twice about what to do if the bonds had belonged to them.

"We would have given him the whole amount, period," Smith said. "No questions asked."

07/25/06 09:53 EDT Robin Buckson, The Detroit News / AP

Charles Moore, 59, found and turned in $21,000 worth of U.S. savings bonds and got a $100 reward. Upon hearing the story, many people have sent Moore, who is homeless, $4,000 in cash and gifts.

Buy Music at www.homelessvoice.org

Page 7

Volume VIII, Issue 9

HOMELESSVOICE

Last month we started to really enhance our Burn that Mortgage Campaign. We did not do as good as we expected but in reality we did do good because anytime someone sends you a donation you are grateful even though you don’t make your goals. We are thankful for the people who helped us and for the people who could not help us out because I know their prayers are with us. We are getting there and we will indeed pay off this mortgage. So I ask you one more time to reach in and try to get others to help us meet our goal. In fact let’s all make a new goal.

Look how much the friend’s column has grown over the years. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had to devote two whole pages to the friend’s column? Today I give you the challenge to bring five of your friends to our friend’s column so we can still keep on helping the ones who need help the most. Please remember it is going to be raining a lot during the next few months and we also need help with our rain budget. This money is saved for rainy days so when the vendors are not out there raising money for the homeless we can pull from the rain conserved funds.

Please go to page 2 and follow the directions and let’s add some of your friends to this column.

(Continued from page 1)

temperature at 78, set the thermostat at 78.

4.Ceiling fans don't actually cool a room. They just make you feel cooler.

That means they don't do you any good when nobody's in the room so you can turn them off. Try setting your thermostat a few degrees higher and use your ceiling fan to keep you cool while you are in the room.

5.Change your A/C filter once a month. A clogged filter makes your A/ C work harder than it has to.

6.Maintain proper airflow through your system. Keep the interior door and vents open to help your A/C circulate air more efficiently.

7.Keep sunlight out during summer months. If you have a lot of windows, you'll save on air conditioning if you keep the drapes or blinds closed when you're not home.

8.Check your duct system for leaks.

If you have central air, check all the ducts and seals. If they leak, you're wasting money. Visit FPL's web site and hit the icon that says Duct System Test and Repair page for more information.

9.Consider buying a new A/C unit.

How old is your air conditioner? The older it is, the less efficient it is. And if it's 10 years old or more, it's probably really inefficient. If you are in the market for a new unit, FPL offers rebates to help you become more efficient. Visit FPL's web site and click the rebate selection.

Your pool pump uses a lot more electricity than you might think. Try some of these ideas to cut costs: 1.Run your pump 6 hours a day instead of 8. In the winter, 4 hours should be plenty. For many pools, even shorter run times are sufficient. Try reducing the hours a little each month toward a goal of operating only 4 hours a day in the summer and monitor your water clarity. If clarity starts to suffer, then slowly add more time.

2.Clean or change the pump's filter often.

3.Get a solar blanket to cover your pool when you're not using it. It will warm your pool when the sun's out and

keep the heat in at night.

4.Turn off the pool heater, if it's really cold out and nobody will be swimming for a few days.

5.Consider installing a rooftop solar heating system. Once it's installed it won't cost you much more to pump the water up and the heating is basically free.

Showers, baths, laundry and doing the dishes—we use lots of hot water and it takes energy to get it hot and keep it hot.

Water Heating 1.Run your dishwasher only when it's full.

2.Don't pre-wash your dishes before you put them in the dishwasher; that just uses more water than you need. Avoiding prerinsing can save you a lot throughout the year.

3.Baths use more water than showers. Take this test next time you shower: plug the tub and see how much water you've used when you're finished. Probably not as much as when you take a bath.

Washer and dryer 1.Try to wait until you have a full load before you use your washing machine. If you're going to do a small load, set the water level lower.

2.You can get laundry quite clean in cold water, especially if you use a cold water detergent. And if you set the rinse cycle on cold, you'll save money.

3.Most people let the dryer run way too long. Use auto sensors on dryer to avoid over-drying your clothes.

Refrigerator and freezer 1.Avoid using multiple refrigerators. If you have an extra refrigerator that is not kept full, turn it off or get rid of it.

2.Keep your freezer full. This will help keep warm air out when the door is open.

3.Most appliances over 10 years old waste energy and that costs you money.

Investing in newer, more energyefficient models, especially large appliances like your refrigerator will save you money.

About half of all homes have leaky ducts that go undetected. You'd be aston-

ished at how much money can be wasted because of a crack in a heating or air conditioning duct, especially if the crack is in an attic or, worse, outside.

Ducts: Check them every now and then when your heating or cooling system is running. When you feel the air flow from a break or a crack, have it repaired. (For a small fee, FPL will check your ducts for you. Learn more about FPL's Duct Testing Program by going to their web site and click the icon that talks about the duct testing program.

If your home was built before 1982, it probably needs more roof insulation.

Insulation will keep your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

But, adding insulation will pay for itself over time. Ask FPL for help in calculating the savings. FPL can even help you pay for the upgrade if your home qualifies.

Changing your light bulbs can save you money. For those of us who leave a light on for 24 hours a day the difference between a 100 watt light bulb and a fluorescent light bulb is a savings of $4.47 per month. We installed over 160 fluorescent light bulbs at the shelter for the lights that stay on 24 hours a day which meant we saved $715.00 per month on our bill. These lights also produce less heat than regular 100 watt light bulbs which means your AC works less to keep your home cooler.

Use of Solar Lights can not only save you money on your bill but also saves you the cost of paying an electrician to install a new light. For instance we bought a shed at the shelter and it would have cost us $2100.00 to bring electric to the shed. Then of course we needed a security motion sensor light as well. These two lights would have cost us more money each month when we used them so we installed Solar Lights which meant no electrician cost and no new added expense each month to run these two lights. Besides saving money we also helped the environment. In most cases installing a solar light means a lot less work and you can install them in better locations. A lot of us have motion

How to save money on energy with energy saving products.

When using link below, proceeds will benefit the Homeless Voice

sensors security lights at our home. Sometimes we install them where the current lights are and maybe that is not the best location. It is much easier to install a solar light and then it can be manipulated to wherever you want it to go. Our two lights only cost us $150.00 and we never have to pay for them to run. At night in our office we usually left a strip of lights on so we could see when we got up in the middle of the night. That was costing us almost $35 a month so we paid a one time fee of $45.00 to put a solar light up which does the trick.

We all have troubled times at the time of a disaster. In some cases our flashlights don't even work when we need them in a hurry. And of course we as an agency had to buy about $1,000 worth of batteries a year that actually hurt the environment when you dispose of them.

So we went to wind up emergency equipment, we wind our flashlight up to get power and we do the same to our weather radio as well as our news radio.

We never have to buy batteries and they work every time we need them. We use about 10 generators to light up the building and to be able to function at the time of a hurricane and of course you have to store gas and have a supply of gas. This year we are able to run about half the amount of generators and to be able to even see better in the dark with our solar power backup lights because we can put them where they are needed most and if we need to move them at times to a different location they are portable so it makes them more efficient for us. These really help if there is a gas shortage and once again it helps the environment by not having all that pollution in the atmosphere that comes from gas powered generators.

Last but not least. Leaving things on that we don't use 24 hours a day. We all leave our computer screens on most of the day. It does not hurt to shut off the switch when you are not using your computer. At night instead of leaving your computer on, shut it down and reboot it when you need it again. This not only saves you money but it also helps maintain your computer a little better and it also means less attacks on spy ware and people getting into your computer. They can’t get in if your computer is off- again a win/win situation. If you’re a business and each of your desks have a desk calculator learn to turn them off when not in use. Once I saw how much it cost us and how much better it helped God's precious environment He so kindly gave us, we needed to make the choice to not only save money but to help keep His world, that He lets us use for free, cleaner.

-Sean Cononie

The Voice of the Homeless

Page 8

HOMELESSVOICE

ADVANTAGE COMMUNICATIONS, INC. • • •

ACI supports the Homeless Voice and the Cosac Foundation in raising awareness and providing solutions to homelessness in our neighborhoods.

ACI knows that lending aid to human beings in need is good for our souls, our communities and is simply the right thing to do.

ACI would like to thank all people who are actively engaged in helping humanity here on the blue planet.

God bless the Cosac Foundation Commercial, Industrial, & Government 2-way Radio www.advantage-com.com

Mark Lavallee, President 954-961-2642

Excellence in Radio

“Soon my luck ran out and I was faced with the street.”

I

have been a reader of the Homeless Voice Newspaper for quite some time. I thought maybe your readers would like to hear my story, my journey as a young man that found himself homeless at 18.

I guess it started before then.

When I was younger, music and sports were the center of my life. I was in the school band, track team and basketball team. Things weren’t perfect at home but I always felt blessed with a normal home life. All of my problems started on my 13th birthday. The day before I had found a ½ pack of cigarettes on the street with a neatly rolled joint. I smoked it on my patio and I was off. Off to a life you think only happens in the movies. I was drugging hard when my parents sent me to a local drug rehabilitation center at 17. When I

came out I was 9 months clean. I was given the choice: either school or work. School didn’t seem like it was a good option then so I chose work. I soon felt guilty because I wasn’t doing anything to get a job. After 9 months of being locked in a treatment center I was ready to enjoy being free.

The new center in my life was the N.A. program. I went every night. It was a place where people like myself were trying our best to all keep each other clean. It was a refuge from the life I was living before. I finally had a place where I felt I belonged.

My parents were trying their best to keep an eye on me at the time, and I was having a lot of problems because I was getting home late almost every night from my meetings, and one night I ended up leaving my parents home to live elsewhere. At first I

stayed at friend’s homes. But as soon as their parents found out what was happening, I was swept from home to home. I was too proud to ask my parents to move back in. I was determined to prove to them I could do it on my own.

I tried to get a job but found it hard to keep even the most elementary of jobs drifting from place to place.

Soon my luck ran out and I was faced with the street. I remember walking through Boca Raton at night, strange people looking at me through their car windows. I carried a large suitcase with my clothes in it. That was the first thing to go. I just couldn’t find a place to keep it. The clothes I had on me when my suitcase disappeared were all I had then, and they soon got dirty and started to stink.

Finding a job was not an option after that happened. I begged for money one day next to the interstate like I saw a few other homeless men do I had met the night before. What a horrible existence. I was seeing some of my school buddies in cars laughing at me, it was brutally hot and nobody was giving me any money. I was so hungry my stomach hurt.

My skin turned red and burnt.

I was in hell I thought. I managed to get 3 dollars together after several hours. I settled for gas station hot dogs and a bottle of water. I was told by the homeless gentlemen earlier of the location of a tent, and a place to set it up. It was under the Butts Rd. Bridge at Glades Rd. A stretch of sand next to a canal was my new home. Each day I was making barely 10 dollars and I would use it for a few hot dogs and a 12 pack of beer so I could pass out in my tent and not lie

awake listening to every noise scared in the dark. The Boca Police soon learned about this and I was told to leave one night or go to jail. Jail sounded kind of good; food and a bed with a/c, but I decided to keep moving on. I found a few abandoned cars and slept in them until they inevitably would be towed away. I found that you could sleep on the beach, but most of the time you wake up hungry and a few miles from the interstate.

One night as I was staring at the stars I got an idea. I went to the interstate that day and received a 20dollar bill from one man. I can still see the smile on his face as mine lit up. I thought he was an angel. I was praying to God to send me enough to get my idea off the ground.

I took the 35 dollars I had made that day and bought my tools; a small cooler, a wash mitt, soap, tire shine, and a new blue t-shirt. I went door to door from then on, washing cars for $10 a piece. I found a local hotel that only cost $50 a night. All I had to do was 6 cars and I had food and a bed that night. I did this for a while until I met a guy named Tim that owned a valet company in a gas station one day.

He took me right to the mall and instantly gave me a job.

Luckily before I landed on the street one of my friends’ mother helped me get my drivers license. I was then making the money I needed in one spot, instead of walking and walking to find work.

I did the valet job for a while until a few others followed, eventually leading up to what I do now, a roving patrol Officer at a prestigious community in Boca. I’m married now; to the most incredible woman I’ve ever met, have a nice apartment, and drive a new car. It seems weird to think of it now but what if that man hadn’t given me that $20 bill? What if he decided he needed it more that day?

Where would I be now? I’m sure I would have made it anyways but it was that one person, giving when they didn’t have to that made a big difference in my life. So the next time you see that guy on the overpass think of me. Life is the most precious gift we have all received. Please make a difference in someone’s life and show him or her someone cares. Show them their lives are worth something. God bless you all.

By: Mark Donaldson

Advantage Communications, Inc. is a proud supporter of The Cosac Foundation "Excellence in Radio"

Page 9

Volume VIII, Issue 9

HOMELESSVOICE

(Continued from page 1)

“People think that homeless people are garbage,” said Cononie, who founded the Homeless Voice newspaper in 1996. “He's proof they're not.”

As the vendor supervisor, Goncalves -- known as Artie to friends -- is the shelter's most experienced hawker. He teaches the newbies the best selling techniques, and stresses the importance of street safety. He cheers them up when they're down.

“Artie is God,” said Danell Davis, 38, a homeless woman from Michigan who has been selling the papers for two months. “We go to him for everything.”

Born in Portugal, Goncalves grew up in Connecticut, where he dropped out of school at 16 to work in a garment factory.

He married, had a daughter and went from low-wage factory jobs to low-wage landscaping jobs, but said he was happy to be outdoors.

“I loved the weather and I loved being outside,” Goncalves recalled. “I was tired of being cooped up in four walls.”

The subtropical climate of South Florida drew him here in 1996, when he moved to Fort Pierce.

He remarried, moved to Arkansas, and took a job with a roof-

ing contractor -- until he fell off a roof and crushed his foot.

He didn't have insurance, and neither did the contractor.

“I was stuck,” he said. “I paper's 60 or so vendors come and couldn't work, couldn't get medical go, working for a few weeks or care and had no idea what to do.” months before moving on, GonTURN FOR THE WORSE calves has been a fixture at intersecThings took a turn for the tions in Broward and Miami-Dade worse as Goncalves returned to Fort counties.

Pierce with no job, no money and no “I'm happy,” he said. “I like place to live. He became addicted to what I do. This is my bread and butdrugs and alcohol. ter.”

In 1999, after being arrested a few times on misdemeanor theft LONG, TOUGH DAY But it's not easy charges by Treaswork. ure Coast law We need old cell phones!

The day begins at enforcement agenHomeless Voice 5:30 a.m., when cies, Goncalves the vendors gather moved to the Disaster Relief at the shelter, have Homeless Voice Fund breakfast, and Homeless Shelter, receive their daily on U.S. 1 just P.O. Box 292-577 assignments. north of Johnson Money buckets, Street in Holly- Davie, Fl 33329 newspapers, clean wood.

T-shirts and lunches are handed out.

He stopped drinking and Vans shuttle the teams -using drugs, and started selling the made up of four to five hawkers -- to newspapers. He hoped to earn some of the busiest intersections in enough to get a place of his own. both counties: Pines Boulevard and He's done that now, paying Flamingo Road in Pembroke Pines; rent at a shelter-owned apartment in Kendall Drive and Southwest 137th Dania Beach, near Fort LauderdaleAvenue in West Kendall; and U.S. 1 Hollywood International Airport. and Southwest 136th Street in PalAnd he keeps selling pametto Bay. pers.

The hawkers walk up and Though most of the newsdown the medians, with a newspaper in one hand and a plastic money

bucket in the other. Thermoses full of water and backpacks overflowing with extra newspapers are kept nearby.

The van usually picks them up and takes them back to the shelter at 4 or 5 p.m.

FUNDING FOR SERVICES Newspaper sales fund the shelter and other agencies that Cononie operates, such as a disasterresponse group and a strategic planning council that evaluates different problems in cities.

Currently, about 60 homeless men and women, all of whom live in the shelter, are selling the $1 weekly papers, which focus on homeless issues and current events.

The newspaper proceeds also provide wages for hawkers.

At the end of each workday, the hawkers get some of the profits, usually between $42 and $55 a day, Cononie said.

Goncalves usually takes home about $50 a day -- money he happily puts toward his monthly $565 rent.

“I've had a rough life,” he said. “But now I'm blessed.”

BY JENNIFER MOONEY PIEDRA Miami Herald

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The Voice of the Homeless

Page 10

HOMELESSVOICE Cosac Hurricane & Safety Supplies 954-923-0441

We are in

• Skake-a-lite Batteryless Flashlights $16.00 -Shake by hand 20 times and it last for hours of continuous use • Cranking Batteryless Flashlights $13.00 • No Batteries NEEDED

Voice Shelter 954-920-1277

desperate need of cars, and freezers call the Homeless

There is no way to Peace.

Peace is the way.

-Mahatma Gandhi.

The Cooperative Feeding Program is in desperate need of food for the com m unity food pantry.

•

•

• •

T he shelves are empty and we need to feed our co mmunity members that need just a litt le help.

P lease get with your church, optimi st clubs, schools, or social clubs and do a food drive so our little ones, seniors and individuals get some food in their bellies.

P lease call 954-792-2E A T www.F ee dingB roward .org

Learn how to start your ow n food pantry so your ow n group can do w hat w e do to help our poorest members of our community. G o to w w w.Training.cscBrow ard.org.

Project name: The Cupboard Is Bare.

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3553 North Dixie Highway Oakland Park, Fl 33334 Email: info@mycomputerpeople.biz Advantage Communications, Inc. is a proud supporter of The Cosac Foundation "Excellence in Radio"

Page 11

Volume VIII, Issue 9

HOMELESSVOICE High Tylenol Doses Linked to Liver Woes (Continued from page 5)

Heavy drinkers should take no more than two grams daily, Kaplowitz said.

Another co-author, Dr. Paul Watkins of the University of North Carolina, said he's less worried than Kaplowitz, noting that acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, has been used for 50 years and has a good safety record.

The maker of Tylenol, McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, said its own research found much lower rates of abnormal liver results. The company's studies tracked high-dose users over longer periods than did the new study.

"It doesn't lead to liver disease and it usually resolves as patients continue to take acetaminophen," said Dr. Edwin Kuffner, senior director of medical affairs at McNeil.

The researchers had been hired by the drug company Purdue Pharma LP, maker of the prescription painkiller OxyContin, to find out why abnormal liver tests were showing up in people testing a combination drug containing the acetaminophen and the opiate hydrocodone.

Purdue Pharma stopped its hydrocodone study early because of the abnormal liver tests. Researchers Watkins and Kaplowitz thought they would find the culprit in hydrocodone's interaction with acetaminophen.

"Our jaws dropped when we got the data," Watkins said. "It doesn't have anything to do with the opiate. It's good ol', garden-

variety acetaminophen."

Acetaminophen is more popular than aspirin or ibuprofen. Each week, one in five U.S. adults uses it for pain or fever, a 2002 survey found.

Acetaminophen is included in numerous overthe-counter and prescription medications, making overdose possible as people unwittingly combine drugs.

Overdoses of acetaminophen are the leading cause of acute liver failure.

"A week doesn't go by when I don't have to talk to someone about how much they're taking," said Kathleen Besinque of the USC School of Pharmacy.

Watkins said people considering switching painkillers should know that others have their own side effects, such as internal bleeding and stomach irritation.

New research under way at the University of North Carolina may determine if acetaminophen's effect on the liver continues for long-term, high-dose users, or if the body adapts, Watkins said.

By CARLA K. JOHNSON Associated Press Writer

“Help Feed Our Sheep�

The Homeless Voice is looking for churches to volunteer for feeding the homeless.

Please Call Mark at 954-410-6275

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Dear Friends: As you can see we are almost there. Please reach out to your friends this month and every month and try to network and let us all reach a goal of getting our friends to burn this mortgage. Please make sure when you send in you checks that you use the P.O. Box address (below) so it does go into the building fund. I am so tired, very tired and it becomes harder and harder each day. As I try to expand out to other projects there is only one of me. Please remember you can also go to www.homelessvoice.org and make a Pay Pal donation. In fact you can also download our current issue for free or make a $1.00 donation to get the download. You have the option of getting it for free or making a dollar donation, this way if you have a friend who does not want to help the homeless maybe giving him or her an issue for free will change their minds. I am sure you know that many of our friends and families stereotype the homeless as lazy bums. Remind them that the homeless created this paper, the homeless bring this paper to thousands monthly by working hard and hot days. In fact the homeless run the busiest shelter in the community. They are not lazy bums at all..... If you can't help us, pray for us and no matter what I know if you are praying we will burn these mortgage papers.

Please remember if we had 534 churches to each raise a $1000.00 that would be the fastest way to get this place paid off. Go to your church leaders and ask them to help us by doing one special collection at the end of service. After all, this is one of the places where the churches send their homeless to. We need their help more than ever now.

We all are so very much tired, just not me and we need you even more than before.

HELP PAY OFF OUR MORTGAGE We need just 26,718 people to send in a check for $20.00, Or 10,687 people to send in a check for $50.00, Or 5,344 people to send in a check for $100.00, Or 534 people to send in a check for $1,000, Or Just one wonderful person or business to send a check for the entire $534,350 Remember the donation is tax deductible!!

Please send your checks to:

The COSAC Building Fund P.O. Box 292-577 Davie, Florida 33329 We do thank you