sorry this is so long, so i don't expect many to read this...it's really for me to vent. sorry to impose, but sometimes one just needs that release it somewhere.
as i was finally catching up on by dvr recorded shows i came across a dateline that apparently aired in late june of 2011 ,i didn't know if it was a repeat or not, but none the less shocking as the story is still current as far as i viewed it, and one we don't discuss much. or even want to, for that matter.
although i have "posted" a ton ...and began a few or more threads, this will most likely be my only really "personal" one. there are only a few subject matters that hit me below the belt and this one certainly qualifies to be on that list.
i know many of us on this forum have gone through so many stresses and fears and tears, and, such an emotional roller coaster full of enigmas caused by this economic disaster. we are the fortunate ones that can utilize this forum, which, i also many times forget to thank, for just being here for all of us, and where we are able to ask, tell, share, cry, laugh and handhold when needed many times. sometimes, i know, we are so busy just trying to keep ourselves bobbing, in what seemingly feels like an abyss of endless freezing waters, that many times, not intentionally, but, inadvertently, we forget about the rest of what is going on right in our own backyards.
i really had a difficult time watching this news story, reporting and claiming this "depression" will be responsible for the most homeless children (living in hotels and cars), than in any other time in the history of this country since this country began keeping records of such facts. it was predicted the number of homeless children in THESE United States will most likely hit as high as 25%. i had such a lump in my throat, it's still with me as i'm writing this post.
we lost our home and i remember when my son came for a visit since we relocated to a more affordable state, he asked us..."what did you do mom and dad, put a map up of florida and just throw a dart and where ever it hit that's where you're going?" by the way, our son still doesn't know about our bk or the loss of our house. he thinks we just retired. we were one of the luckier ones that escaped with a small pension and ss and able to stay with a friend until we found a place to live little does he know that we were homeless (although we had a roof), for a few months and, in fact, just purchased this house this past feburary and had been renting first, in another part of the state. we were lucky, we found this house with an option to buy. we really were not familiar with the area, but it was where life was bringing us and we just were forced to "go with the flow" and ask no questions later, have no regrets and do not look back.
at the beginning of our journey, i purchased a simple pair of dice, it was, for me, just symbolic. we were never gamblers, but, we just needed to throw them and see where they landed. i kept one and gave one to my spouse and said...keep it, and hopefully at the end of this journey, we can put our pair of dice in the china closet with a lucky 7 facing upward. (they now sit proudly in a beautiful glass case in the china cabinet).
we have recently been getting to know our area, we are in the old farmlands of middle florida, an area which was once the heart of the citrus industry until heavy freezes back in the 80's forced grower to move southward to save their future crops. we are in apparently, the final last ditch effort of the housing boom. if you go in one direction, one actually, can see this area as the "last" stop before one begins to hits numerous "ghost" towns, one after another which are actually listed in the books as such.
as we have continued to explore our new home and it's surroundings which all lead to the heartland of fantasy, full of one resort after resort lined with lovely palm trees and inviting colorful landscapes, that draws you closer and closer to wishing you were sitting by the pool without a trouble in the world.
if you drive westward you begin to see shining examples of every chain restaurant known to mankind, and then add 10 more than what your thinking, as you go down your own list and you still won't have the correct number of them all in a roll. nothing really "real". no small quaint mom and pop places, just lights, rides, fun parks, water parks and every type of "fun" anyone could or would ever want to find. it all can be located within an hour or two of just that one spot where i'm standing.
we have shied away from those areas since we moved here, although we have been taking one road, which is close to all the hustle and bustle, in to get to a hospital for a certain treatment and we take the same road in every time we go to that hospital. i never really have given any thought about the run down area we drive through on our route. never considered who were in those "ghost" hotels, motels, resorts, some even with windows boarded up. they look as though they have bled to death, and i always have found myself looking away, so what was even more shocking to me; was, as i was watching this dateline .....what??? where????
it was that route, that road, that area..those bleeding and wounded motels, hotels and old worn down resorts that i was watching on this special on HOMELESS and the HUNGRY children in this country. i have been driving right through the hungry pangs of these poor children and families.
here's a few informative takes on the situation:
March 6, 2011
(CBS News)
Unemployment improved a bit last month but it is still nearly nine percent and the trouble is job creation is so slow, it will be years before we get back the seven and a half million jobs lost in the Great Recession. American families have been falling out of the middle class in record numbers. The combination of lost jobs and millions of foreclosures means a lot of folks are homeless and hungry for the first time in their lives.
One of the consequences of the recession that you don't hear a lot about is the record number of children descending into poverty.
The government considers a family of four to be impoverished if they take in less than $22,000 a year. Based on that standard, and government projections of unemployment, it is estimated the poverty rate for kids in this country will soon hit 25 percent. Those children would be the largest American generation to be raised in hard times since the Great Depression.
In Seminole County, near Orlando, Fla., so many kids have lost their homes that school busses now stop at dozens of cheap motels where families crowd into rooms, living week to week.
Orlando Sentinel
Florida among worst in U.S. for homeless kids
The Davis-Smith family stays for now at the Coalition for the Homeless in Orlando.
Clockwise from upper left are mother, Angela; son Deven, 2; father, Antonio; and
daughters Jordan, 1, Ariana, 4, and Jillian, 1. Angela hopes her the new full-time job herhusband has as a prep cook will help them move into a coalition-subsidized apartment by early May.
Florida has one of the highest rates of homeless children in the nation, with as many as
50,000 kids living in shelters, motels, cars or doubled up with another family.
A detailed report released Tuesday by the National Center on Family Homelessness
found Florida ranked 46th out of 50. 50 being the worst for its sheer number of homeless children.
"America's Youngest Outcasts" marks the first comprehensive state-by-state look at the
current problem. In the U.S., at least one in every 50 kids is homeless a situation the
national center said is unsafe and "unacceptable."
Locally, those who work with the homeless were not surprised by the findings but still
found them daunting. "This is a problem that, even if we solve it tomorrow, is still going
to have an impact years down the road," said Brent Trotter, CEO of the Coalition for the
Homeless in downtown Orlando, where there has been a 19 percent spike in homeless
children in the past year. "Many of these families are experiencing this crisis of
homelessness for the very first time, and it is a tragedy."
Researchers noted the gap between the state's largely minimum-wage economy and the
income needed to cover a basic two-bedroom apartment. In addition, Florida has long
wait lists for subsidized or public housing, and low welfare benefits.
"Florida also has the problem of very high home-foreclosure rates," said Ellen Bassuk,
the national center's president.
Ironically, Tuesday's report came just as officials announced they had to suspend
operations at Anthony House, a homeless shelter in Zellwood , and relocate its 28
residents to other facilities. The closure which supporters hope will be temporary
exacerbates a 450-bed shortage of transitional housing in Orange County. The 25-year old charity has struggled in recent years, with high turnover of top administrators and a
lack of funding.
"The suspension of services at Anthony House comes at a critical juncture, when other
shelters are full and the population of homeless families with children is growing," said
Cathy Jackson, executive director of the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida.
Her organization has dedicated funding available for the facility, but Jackson noted it will take public and private money to reopen the doors. 'Innocent victims' Meanwhile, state
officials vowed to address Florida's deepening homeless problem, particularly as it
affects its youngest residents.
"Children are completely innocent victims of the economic and foreclosure crisis," said
George Sheldon, secretary of the state's Department of Children and Families. He said he
would work with
Gov. Charlie Crist to address some of the underlying causes of family instability,
including mental illness, substance abuse and domestic violence. With an estimated $21.5
million in federal stimulus money coming to Florida for homeless prevention, Sheldon
said there was a need to "move immediately" on the problem to keep it from spreading to
families now on the edge of losing their homes.
The state reports the number of homeless children at 8,600 far below the national report's
figures because it counts only those in shelters. The national center uses figures compiled
by school districts, which include families that move into a relative's house or make other
arrangements to avoid living in a shelter.
Either way, Bassuk said, homelessness leaves "profound and lasting scars" on children,
who are more likely to go hungry, get sick, repeat a grade in school and have behavioral
issues than their housed counterparts. Researchers have found that three-quarters of
homeless children will drop out of school and are more likely to become homeless adults.
'It has been rough' At the Coalition for the Homeless, Angela Davis-Smith said she and
her husband are trying to protect their four children from such a fate by getting back on
their feet quickly.
Her husband lost his job in construction eight months ago when the housing market
tumbled. A few months later, her hours as a safety instructor for the American Red Cross were cut. The family which includes 1-year-old twins lost its apartment and then used upits savings for a motel. A homeless shelter was the last option, and even then the familyhad to wait two months for a spot.
"It has been rough," said Davis-Smith, 23, who hopes that her husband's new full-time
job as a prep cook will help them move into a coalition-subsidized apartment by early
May.
"We want our children to have the same opportunities other kids have as far as a
structured home, stability, being able to go to school," she said. "What happened to us
can happen to anybody."
this REALLY can't be happening HERE??? the United States of America, the country that HELPS and HANDS so many OTHER countries whether then need it or not?
i will forever be changed, and now i need to take a moment from counting MY blessings and get into my pantry and bring over some food (after i find out where i can go donate).
as i was finally catching up on by dvr recorded shows i came across a dateline that apparently aired in late june of 2011 ,i didn't know if it was a repeat or not, but none the less shocking as the story is still current as far as i viewed it, and one we don't discuss much. or even want to, for that matter.
although i have "posted" a ton ...and began a few or more threads, this will most likely be my only really "personal" one. there are only a few subject matters that hit me below the belt and this one certainly qualifies to be on that list.
i know many of us on this forum have gone through so many stresses and fears and tears, and, such an emotional roller coaster full of enigmas caused by this economic disaster. we are the fortunate ones that can utilize this forum, which, i also many times forget to thank, for just being here for all of us, and where we are able to ask, tell, share, cry, laugh and handhold when needed many times. sometimes, i know, we are so busy just trying to keep ourselves bobbing, in what seemingly feels like an abyss of endless freezing waters, that many times, not intentionally, but, inadvertently, we forget about the rest of what is going on right in our own backyards.
i really had a difficult time watching this news story, reporting and claiming this "depression" will be responsible for the most homeless children (living in hotels and cars), than in any other time in the history of this country since this country began keeping records of such facts. it was predicted the number of homeless children in THESE United States will most likely hit as high as 25%. i had such a lump in my throat, it's still with me as i'm writing this post.
we lost our home and i remember when my son came for a visit since we relocated to a more affordable state, he asked us..."what did you do mom and dad, put a map up of florida and just throw a dart and where ever it hit that's where you're going?" by the way, our son still doesn't know about our bk or the loss of our house. he thinks we just retired. we were one of the luckier ones that escaped with a small pension and ss and able to stay with a friend until we found a place to live little does he know that we were homeless (although we had a roof), for a few months and, in fact, just purchased this house this past feburary and had been renting first, in another part of the state. we were lucky, we found this house with an option to buy. we really were not familiar with the area, but it was where life was bringing us and we just were forced to "go with the flow" and ask no questions later, have no regrets and do not look back.
at the beginning of our journey, i purchased a simple pair of dice, it was, for me, just symbolic. we were never gamblers, but, we just needed to throw them and see where they landed. i kept one and gave one to my spouse and said...keep it, and hopefully at the end of this journey, we can put our pair of dice in the china closet with a lucky 7 facing upward. (they now sit proudly in a beautiful glass case in the china cabinet).
we have recently been getting to know our area, we are in the old farmlands of middle florida, an area which was once the heart of the citrus industry until heavy freezes back in the 80's forced grower to move southward to save their future crops. we are in apparently, the final last ditch effort of the housing boom. if you go in one direction, one actually, can see this area as the "last" stop before one begins to hits numerous "ghost" towns, one after another which are actually listed in the books as such.
as we have continued to explore our new home and it's surroundings which all lead to the heartland of fantasy, full of one resort after resort lined with lovely palm trees and inviting colorful landscapes, that draws you closer and closer to wishing you were sitting by the pool without a trouble in the world.
if you drive westward you begin to see shining examples of every chain restaurant known to mankind, and then add 10 more than what your thinking, as you go down your own list and you still won't have the correct number of them all in a roll. nothing really "real". no small quaint mom and pop places, just lights, rides, fun parks, water parks and every type of "fun" anyone could or would ever want to find. it all can be located within an hour or two of just that one spot where i'm standing.
we have shied away from those areas since we moved here, although we have been taking one road, which is close to all the hustle and bustle, in to get to a hospital for a certain treatment and we take the same road in every time we go to that hospital. i never really have given any thought about the run down area we drive through on our route. never considered who were in those "ghost" hotels, motels, resorts, some even with windows boarded up. they look as though they have bled to death, and i always have found myself looking away, so what was even more shocking to me; was, as i was watching this dateline .....what??? where????
it was that route, that road, that area..those bleeding and wounded motels, hotels and old worn down resorts that i was watching on this special on HOMELESS and the HUNGRY children in this country. i have been driving right through the hungry pangs of these poor children and families.
here's a few informative takes on the situation:
March 6, 2011
(CBS News)
Unemployment improved a bit last month but it is still nearly nine percent and the trouble is job creation is so slow, it will be years before we get back the seven and a half million jobs lost in the Great Recession. American families have been falling out of the middle class in record numbers. The combination of lost jobs and millions of foreclosures means a lot of folks are homeless and hungry for the first time in their lives.
One of the consequences of the recession that you don't hear a lot about is the record number of children descending into poverty.
The government considers a family of four to be impoverished if they take in less than $22,000 a year. Based on that standard, and government projections of unemployment, it is estimated the poverty rate for kids in this country will soon hit 25 percent. Those children would be the largest American generation to be raised in hard times since the Great Depression.
In Seminole County, near Orlando, Fla., so many kids have lost their homes that school busses now stop at dozens of cheap motels where families crowd into rooms, living week to week.
Orlando Sentinel
Florida among worst in U.S. for homeless kids
The Davis-Smith family stays for now at the Coalition for the Homeless in Orlando.
Clockwise from upper left are mother, Angela; son Deven, 2; father, Antonio; and
daughters Jordan, 1, Ariana, 4, and Jillian, 1. Angela hopes her the new full-time job herhusband has as a prep cook will help them move into a coalition-subsidized apartment by early May.
Florida has one of the highest rates of homeless children in the nation, with as many as
50,000 kids living in shelters, motels, cars or doubled up with another family.
A detailed report released Tuesday by the National Center on Family Homelessness
found Florida ranked 46th out of 50. 50 being the worst for its sheer number of homeless children.
"America's Youngest Outcasts" marks the first comprehensive state-by-state look at the
current problem. In the U.S., at least one in every 50 kids is homeless a situation the
national center said is unsafe and "unacceptable."
Locally, those who work with the homeless were not surprised by the findings but still
found them daunting. "This is a problem that, even if we solve it tomorrow, is still going
to have an impact years down the road," said Brent Trotter, CEO of the Coalition for the
Homeless in downtown Orlando, where there has been a 19 percent spike in homeless
children in the past year. "Many of these families are experiencing this crisis of
homelessness for the very first time, and it is a tragedy."
Researchers noted the gap between the state's largely minimum-wage economy and the
income needed to cover a basic two-bedroom apartment. In addition, Florida has long
wait lists for subsidized or public housing, and low welfare benefits.
"Florida also has the problem of very high home-foreclosure rates," said Ellen Bassuk,
the national center's president.
Ironically, Tuesday's report came just as officials announced they had to suspend
operations at Anthony House, a homeless shelter in Zellwood , and relocate its 28
residents to other facilities. The closure which supporters hope will be temporary
exacerbates a 450-bed shortage of transitional housing in Orange County. The 25-year old charity has struggled in recent years, with high turnover of top administrators and a
lack of funding.
"The suspension of services at Anthony House comes at a critical juncture, when other
shelters are full and the population of homeless families with children is growing," said
Cathy Jackson, executive director of the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida.
Her organization has dedicated funding available for the facility, but Jackson noted it will take public and private money to reopen the doors. 'Innocent victims' Meanwhile, state
officials vowed to address Florida's deepening homeless problem, particularly as it
affects its youngest residents.
"Children are completely innocent victims of the economic and foreclosure crisis," said
George Sheldon, secretary of the state's Department of Children and Families. He said he
would work with
Gov. Charlie Crist to address some of the underlying causes of family instability,
including mental illness, substance abuse and domestic violence. With an estimated $21.5
million in federal stimulus money coming to Florida for homeless prevention, Sheldon
said there was a need to "move immediately" on the problem to keep it from spreading to
families now on the edge of losing their homes.
The state reports the number of homeless children at 8,600 far below the national report's
figures because it counts only those in shelters. The national center uses figures compiled
by school districts, which include families that move into a relative's house or make other
arrangements to avoid living in a shelter.
Either way, Bassuk said, homelessness leaves "profound and lasting scars" on children,
who are more likely to go hungry, get sick, repeat a grade in school and have behavioral
issues than their housed counterparts. Researchers have found that three-quarters of
homeless children will drop out of school and are more likely to become homeless adults.
'It has been rough' At the Coalition for the Homeless, Angela Davis-Smith said she and
her husband are trying to protect their four children from such a fate by getting back on
their feet quickly.
Her husband lost his job in construction eight months ago when the housing market
tumbled. A few months later, her hours as a safety instructor for the American Red Cross were cut. The family which includes 1-year-old twins lost its apartment and then used upits savings for a motel. A homeless shelter was the last option, and even then the familyhad to wait two months for a spot.
"It has been rough," said Davis-Smith, 23, who hopes that her husband's new full-time
job as a prep cook will help them move into a coalition-subsidized apartment by early
May.
"We want our children to have the same opportunities other kids have as far as a
structured home, stability, being able to go to school," she said. "What happened to us
can happen to anybody."
this REALLY can't be happening HERE??? the United States of America, the country that HELPS and HANDS so many OTHER countries whether then need it or not?
i will forever be changed, and now i need to take a moment from counting MY blessings and get into my pantry and bring over some food (after i find out where i can go donate).
MAKE SURE AND VISIT Tobee's Blogs! 
Comment