Thought you’d never be homeless?think again!

Homelessness is everywhere, and can happen to anyone. One catastrophic accident or illness, one corporate or government decision or failure, a divorce or death of a spouse or partner...any of these things could happen to any of us. It happens in your family, it happens to your neighbors, it happens to your friends. It’s becoming more and more likely that it could happen to you.

Even if you don’t care about the myriad homeless men, women and children on the street today, it is in everybody’s interest to address homelessness and other poverty and to work together to create solutions. It could very well be YOU next.

[photo: (Scott Sommerdorf  l  The Salt Lake Tribune)  Crystal Childers and her 4-year-old daughter, Theorie Martinez,  play on the bed that has been assigned to them Monday at the homeless shelter in Midvale. The overflow space, which is only open during winter, opened slightly early this year due to the large number of families in need of a place to sleep. On Monday, about two dozen families moved in. ]  See story below.                 

---

Number of homeless Utah kids skyrockets Oct 14, 2010

The lingering recession has taken a toll on Utah’s youngest residents, leading to a 48 percent increase in the number of homeless school-age children since 2008, according to state data released Wednesday. 

Utah remains among highest in foreclosures  Oct. 27, 2010 SALT LAKE CITY — Utah and its largest metropolitan areas are again among the nation's highest foreclosure rates, according to a new report.

ksl.com -  The Road Home opens overflow shelter in Midvale

www.ksl.com

The KSL.COM Website

 

 

 

 

Utah winter homeless shelter opens early Oct 19, 2010

MIDVALE • When Stacey Hackle and her family arrived at the winter homeless shelter Monday morning, there was little moving-in to worry about. The parents and three children wore the only pants and shoes they own. Autumn, 8, had black sneakers so worn they were nearly split in half... .

Utah has lost 19,200 jobs to China since 2001 

Utah lost 19,200 jobs to China trade since that country joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, according to a report released Tuesday by the …

3rd month of weak hiring signals long slog ahead 

WASHINGTON — The nation isn't creating nearly enough jobs to reduce persistently high unemployment. 

Economy loses 95K jobs due to government layoffs 

WASHINGTON — A wave of government layoffs in September outpaced weak hiring in the private sector, pushing down the nation's payrolls...

Find out who your government representatives are. Write to them. Find out where they stand and what they have done about these issues. Vote for or against them based on information from your self-education. It’s too late to register for this mid-term election, but don’t fail to vote just because you are a homeless person. A street corner address is all that’s necessary to register. But, especially if you are living in poverty, are in danger of losing your house, or are on the streets,VOTE. It’s your voice. Empower yourself. Get involved. Make a difference in your standing. 

And if you don’t vote, don’t bitch.

---your editor

 

Not better late than never

[Want to share this from Deseret News  and Associated Press. We’re unfortunately catching up with the rest of the nation. Reported today on Fox 13 that Utah unemployment rate is now 7.5%. We top the country in home foreclosures. All of this, of course exacerbates the homelessness problem. –your editor]

www.flickr.com/photos/khalilshah/272829684/

Tough economic times head West after recession

Published: Friday, Oct. 22, 2010 6:40 p.m. MDT

By Christopher S. Rugaber, Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A delayed decline in home prices and drops in manufacturing and tourism have caused unemployment in western mountain states to rise faster in the past year than in any other region.

The jobless rate in the eight-state Mountain West region has jumped to 9.3 percent from 8.7 percent a year ago. That's still lower than the 9.6 percent national average. But the gap is narrowing with the rest of the nation. The jobs crisis in regions with higher unemployment has mainly stabilized.

Developer Scott Kimball sits in one of the penthouses of his condo project "The Aspen" in Boise Friday. In Boise, the housing slump has cost the state 4,000 construction jobs in the past year.

The lagging pace represents a sharp turnaround for a region that had been growing at a healthy pace before the recession. And it illustrates how broadly the Great Recession and its aftershocks are affecting the country.

A rush of young people and California transplants helped make the region — covering ground from New Mexico to Montana — one of the fastest-growing parts of the country in the past decade. Housing boomed in Boise, Salt Lake City and in Denver.

Thriving cattle farms, wheat crops and copper mines insulated much of the region from the level of layoffs the rest of the country experienced in 2008. And while Nevada and Arizona were among those hit hardest when the housing bubble burst, the six other states in the region had milder housing booms and fewer subprime borrowers.

Still, as the economy and home prices soured elsewhere, fewer people were willing or able to move for work. Home sales slumped. Prices fell. Idaho, Colorado and Montana lost thousands of construction jobs. Timber companies lost business.

The states' snow-capped mountains and prized national forests received fewer visitors. And the ones who did arrive after the recession traveled on tighter budgets.

A big blow to Idaho came in early 2009, when technology companies such as chipmaker Micron Technology and Hewlett-Packard Co. laid off thousands of workers. The industry has rebounded, but the jobs haven't come back.

In Idaho, the number of people receiving food stamps has surged.

"We got pulled in a little bit later than the rest of the country," said Larry Swanson, an economist at the University of Montana and director of the Center for the Rocky Mountain West. Now "we are catching up," he said.

After previous recessions, the region has usually benefited from rebounds in homebuilding, tourism, and other service industries, said Addison Franz, an assistant economist at Moody's Analytics. But those trends haven't helped this time. Consumers around the country are still cautious and housing is still weak.

"You would expect (the region) to catch the wave of recovery, but they haven't been able to this time," she said.

Montana, for example, has seen its unemployment rate rise by the most in the country since September 2009, to 7.4 percent from 6.5 percent. The state has lost jobs in its timber and tourism industries. People aren't spending as much even when they do visit popular sites like Glacier National Park or Yellowstone, according to Patrick Barkey, an economics professor at the University of Montana.

Montana's Flathead Valley, which includes Glacier National Park, a popular ski resort and blue-ribbon fly fishing, has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state. It reached nearly 14 percent at its peak in March.

After visitor numbers flagged last year, many seasonal employees weren't hired back this summer. The timber industry's continued slide also added to job losses in the region.

The situation appears to be turning around, in part spurred by Glacier National Park's centennial celebration this summer. That's caused the number of visitors to rebound. But employment and hiring hasn't followed.

Darwon Stoneman, a co-owner of Glacier Raft Co., which guides tourists on rafting and fishing trips, said business was better this year and he expects it to be good next year, too. But while he is building new guest cabins, he is still being cautious about hiring.

He doesn't expect to add back the guide jobs that he didn't fill last year or this year.

Idaho has seen the second-steepest rise in unemployment in the nation since the recession began, to 9 percent from 3.5 percent in December 2007.

In Boise, home prices are still falling faster than the national average, Franz said. The housing slump has cost the state 4,000 construction jobs in the past year.

A 75-unit condominium high-rise downtown offers a stark symbol of the downturn.

Scott Kimball, a Boise developer, built it in 2008, just as the state's unemployment rate was starting to bulge and housing values started to slump.

Two years later, sales have been slow and only half the building is occupied. Last month, he held an auction to generate sales and interest, setting a minimum bid for studio and 1-bedroom units of $99,000 — half the previous asking price.

"My plan was to build through the recession and come out on the other side when people were looking to buy and move in," Kimball said. "I thought this would be a typical recession .... But this one has been different."

Only Nevada — an epicenter of the foreclosure crisis — has seen its unemployment rate rise faster than Idaho. Other states with high rates, such as Michigan and California, were struggling before the recession began.

One painful impact of that change is that Idaho's food stamp rolls have jumped by 40 percent in the past year, the largest increase of any state. Nevada has seen the second-largest and Utah the fifth-largest.

"Idaho actually has had one of the worst times during this recession of any state," Franz said. It's gone from "a relatively fast-growing, vibrant state to a state experiencing job losses and home prices declining. It's a pretty stark change."

Associated Press Writers Todd Dvorak in Boise, Idaho, and Matt Volz in Helena, Mont., contributed to this report

E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + -  

from NPR on Facebook and The New York Times

Just a guess, but maybe this is why so many more people are becoming homeless:
We've Lost 8 Million Jobs. Here's A Closer Look. losses have been spread unevenly around the economy. Health care has grown, as millions of manufacturing and construction jobs have disappeared.

http://www.npr.org/ 

 

 

Employment Picture Dims as Government Cuts Back The United States economy shed 95,000 nonfarm jobs in September, as 159,000 government jobs were lost at all levels and business hiring slowed significantly. 

see you next time

your editor

 

 

 

Who? Really? Cares? You?

My apologies for not publishing last week. I've been fighting a pretty nasty viral infection. Very happy to be back and running right where I left off. Thanks to Andy Freeze and NASNA for this weeks lead story.

-JW 

"DOWN AND OUT;
IT CAN'T BE HELPED,
BUT THERE'S A LOT OF IT ABOUT.
WITH, WITHOUT;
AND WHO'LL DENY
IT'S WHAT THE FIGHTING'S ALL ABOUT.
OUT OF THE WAY. IT'S A BUSY DAY.
I'VE GOT THINGS ON MY MIND.
FOR THE WANT OF THE PRICE
OF TEA AND A SLICE
THE OLD MAN DIED." 

PINK FLOYD, "US and THEM"
(from DARK SIDE OF THE MOON) 

That's one of my favorite songs, but hearing it the other day as I began surfing for articles, I really heard the words for the first time. It's a song about the inequities and injustices that are tolerated. It's about how we run from, avoid, or ignore issues and problems we find unpleasant. Or do as little as possible.  

About a year ago, I asked a photographer from a major local newspaper once why the media and the public at large only seemed interested in homeless people during the holidays. He didn't really have an answer for me, but we discussed the street paper idea, and I got his business card. Since then, I've  tried to contact him, along with an editor whose name he gave me, to discuss the idea further. No response. 

Through another contact, I was referred to an individual in our city whom I was told was also interested in starting a street sheet. When I first contacted her a year ago, she acted as if she had no idea what I was talking about. Recently, we've re-established correspondence, and she mentioned that the charitable organization for which she works was simply waiting for funding approval. I've been unable to pin her down to a meeting. 

I've e-mailed and phoned many people of position at various organizations around town who purport to be advocates for homeless people. Not one of them has gotten back to me to even say "piss off."

So I guess it all comes down to me...and you. Let's call it us. The time for procrastination and passivity is past. If you want to change your life, and help others, get on board. They'll say we can't do it, but I believe we can.

I know you're out there. I hope you're reading me, and hopefully following the blog regularly. The Rio Grande Report as it exists is but a small part of what I envision. My own limited resources inhibit my ability to take it further at the pace I had imagined. You, faithful followers, are the key.

If you follow this blog and would like to help build a street newspaper here in Salt Lake City, please contact me at riograndereport@live.com.  Your time, ideas, photos, and experiences can make it happen, and are an important part of educating everyone regarding the issues of homelessness and working toward doing something creative and original to help. I look forward to hearing from you. Maybe some of these other folks will reach me around Christmas.(LOL)

After the new year, look for fliers at The Road Home, Weigand Center, St Vincent De Paul Center,  Fourth Street Clinic, and elsewhere announcing a meeting about how we can take our message to the streets of Salt Lake City, and eventually around the State of Utah.

(Forgot to push my little "publish" button on Friday...so here we go finally.)

Lead story:

New paper to hit the streets of Toledo October 2009

In This Issue 'Great Idea' Updated Web Site Megaphone Vendor Spotlighted 'Great Idea' Leads Graphic Designer to NASNA October 15 is quickly approaching for Amanda Moore and a group of volunteers in Toledo, Ohio.  It is the day they will launch Toledo Streets.  Toledo Streets will be the 26 street newspaper in North America. Almost one year ago to the date, Amanda was researching homelessness online when she came across street newspapers.  Intrigued by the idea, she thought someone should start one in Toledo. Find out more about Amanda's efforts to launch Toledo Streets. Donate Now Quick Links NASNA.org Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter :: 202-462-0011 Welcome to the first edition of our monthly e-newsletter.  This fall is an exciting time at NASNA as we prepare for the launch of three street newspapers.  You can read about Toledo Streets to the left, set to launch on October 15.  Speak Up Magazine in Charlotte, NC just launched their web site. Street Scene in Riverside, CA is set to launch their first issue on November 1.  NASNA receives requests on how to start street newspapers on a weekly basis and we recently created this map to show where people have expressed interest in starting a paper.  As always, check back for updates or our newest members and stay up to date on our 25 member papers. Updated Web Site Have you noticed the updated web site?  NASNA has worked to make some updates to its web site and add more information from frequently asked questions.  If you are looking for frequent updates on our members or the latest tips on how to start a street newspaper check out the NASNA blog. Megaphone Vendor Spotlighted in Street News Service "I was born in Vancouver, but I was educated in the States and I've traveled the states and Canada a lot. I came back home to spend the rest of my years in Vancouver." "I used to own an ATM company, but a bad series of events-a bad marriage basically-happened and I lost my company and ended up homeless in the east end." "About six years ago I got myself on disability, but that wasn't quite enough. I heard about Megaphone from another person who was selling it and they were making money. I thought selling the paper was quite easy and fun so I started too. It's a means to subsidize my income-have a little extra spending cash." Read more about William Dawson here. Recent Publicity About Our Members USA Today - Homeless Help Spread the News The Province - Street Paper Changes Lives San Francisco Bay Guardian - Word on the Street The Tennessean - Street Paper is Good for Nashville's Homeless

Medical premiums could still be a 'heavy lift' by Ricardo Alonso-Aldivar, Associated Press Writer.

The secret world beneath Sin City by Adam F. Burke, Las Vegas. from BBC News. [photo: Adam Burke]

US unemployed despair as benefits run out by Karen Nye Business reporter, BBC News, New York

U.S. senate panel set to advance health care overhaul from Reuters. Editing by Eric Walsh.

  

Utah homelessness up -- but number of chronics falls again by Matthew D. LaPlante the Salt Lake Tribune 

Begging limits Err on the side of compassion Tribune editorial

New report analyzes homelessness, crime by Rebecca Palmer Deseret News

'Flo' serves food and good will by Cathy Free Deseret news

Report on homeless mixed by James Thalman Deseret News

All I could scratch together this time. Until next...

Stay warm,

but stay "cool."

--- your editor

--JW

  

[The author of this blog is not affiliated with NASNA or any of the other organizations to which the posts are linked]

Do all homeless people deserve compassion?

We are living in the "New Depression."

The highest unemployment rate in decades, millions of people live in the street, many of them minor children, more hard-working people with families losing their homes than ever before,,,"recession" is not a word that really cuts it for me. 

We are (or should be) marching in the streets demanding rights of all kinds, to which we are entitled. The G20 Summit last week was a outright riot.  So were several town hall meetings on health care reform. Seems along with our depression we have ourselves a revolution. I vote we step that up a couple notches. 

There's an atmosphere of frustration because of contradictory announcements by politicos and "financial experts."  From week to week, often within the same week, things are getting better or worse, depending upon who you believe. 

Don't believe any of them. It's talk talk talk and nothing gets done.They're trying to lull us into a false sense of security, telling us what they think we want to hear, because if real change takes place, their military industrial machine grinds to a halt. What does any career politician or wall street insider making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year know about your life? 

But there's also hope. To remind us all, I've decided to link a personal story about those who beat the odds. 

The stories about the sex offenders is a conundrum for me. These guys have done their time, but what a heinous crime. Can human predators be rehabilitated? Doesn't everyone deserve a second chance? Do these guys warrant compassion?  

The unbelievable thing is that living in the woods was the only solution anyone could offer these men, that they were released from prison with no security, no plan, nothing. 

One of the finest people I've ever known did prison time, accused of child molesting. So I'm torn. 

The audacity of Mattel Toys, the tenacity of homeless street newspaper vendors, the capacity for people to rise above every obstacle, to help one another, the audacity of hope...

Just write it off to just another day of being human.  

I'd especially like to call your attention to the national articles about street newspapers. With the proper support, we'll have one here soon. I'll make sure of it.

Top Story

Food stamps not included with first homeless doll by Kim Ode Star Tribune (Minneapolis). Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. More, from TIME magazine. [photo: CBS]

Local/Regional 

Utah poverty level flat, income rises by Lee Davidson and James Thalman Deseret News

Recession: Hard times on the rise for the poorest  of Utahns by Brooke Adams The Salt Lake Tribune

New nonprofit learning the housing rehab ropes by Kathy McKitrick Salt Lake Tribune

Stimulus money aims to prevent homelessness by Matthew D. La Plante Salt Lake Tribune 

Vacant foreclosures annoy, but Utah cities face limitiations Havens for homeless and crime a challenge for those who tend them. by Leslie Mitchell Salt Lake Tribune 

Utahns' need for food help break records State's food stamp caseload up more than 50% from last year. by Brooke Adams Salt Lake Tribune

National

A look at economic developments around the globe from Associated Press 

Recession delivers a double blow to many charities by David Crary AP

US income gap widens as poor take hit in the recession by Hope Yen AP

Homeless Georgia sex offenders directed to woods by Greg Bluestein AP
[photo: AP]

Homeless Ga. sex offenders ordered to move by Greg Bluestein AP

Homeless Ga. sex offenders seek new place to live by Greg Bluestein  AP Writer

Houseless, not homeless stay at Tenn. campground by Travis Loller AP

U.S. jobless rate hits 26-year high of 9.8 percent   by Lucia Mutikani, Reuters 

Recession pulls U.S. senior citizens back to work: survey reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Dan Grebler-Reuters. 

Street sheet celebrates its 20th anniversary of helping the homeless and raising their issues by Wendi Jonassen San Fransisco Bay Guardian.  

Street paper is good for Nashville's homeless by Anne Paine The Tennesean [photoabove: George Wlaker IV, The Tennesean] "Debbie Overstreet, a formerly homeless woman, sells The Contributor, a newspaper written by and about Nashville's homeless..." 

Global 

Homelessness: living on a prayer from BBC News "An award winning hostel in Huntington is testament to the work The Salvation Army does every day with young people." 

Community is all-important – if only Whitehall would listen from The Guardian byMichele Hanson, G2 columnist.

The charity that helps families stay together by LouiseTickle  The Guardian "Save the Family" offers parents at risk of losing their children a chance to turn their lives around."

Tuned out to UK poverty by Amelia Gentleman The Guardian  "The public is either 'harshly judgmental" toward people living in poverty or views poverty and inequality as inevitable" [photo above: Hugh Philpot/EPA] [UK] "Charities have found it easier to galvanize the public over campaigns that involve issues outside the UK."

Redundancy: how to restore balance by Ian Wylie The Guardian "...Ian Wylie looks into the aftermath of losing your job. While it can be a psychological blow, there is much you can do to get back on your feet."

New rules will protect families forced to sell then rent their homes by Phillip Inman guardian.co.uk . "Many were left homeless after the firms that bought their homes evicted them months or years later."

The Soloist: the true story behind Joe Wright's cello drama How a journalist discovered a musical prodigy sleeping rough-and their story became a hit film. by Andrew Gumbel guardian.co.uk .

Personal story of the week

Homeless ITN newsreader is hired from BBC NEWS. Ed Mitchell, the former ITN newsreader who was found sleeping rough in 2007 has been hired to head an online TV service helping people with addictions. 

Links to other street newspapers in North America

See what we're trying to bring to you, SLC.

Community Connection (Los Angeles, CA)

  The Contributor (Nashville,TN)

Denver Voice

Homeward Street Journal (Sacramento, CA)

Making Change (Santa Monica, CA)

Real Change (Chicago)

Real Change News (Seattle, WA)

Spare Change News (Cambridge, MA)

Speak Up (Charlotte, NC)

Street Pulse (Madison, WI)

Street Roots (Portland, OR)

Street Sense (Washington, DC)

Street Sheet (Sacramento,CA)

Street Sheet (San Fransisco)

Street Sights (Providence, RI)

Street Speech (Columbus, OH)

Streetvibes (Cincinnati, OH)

StreetWise (Chicago) Street Zine (Dallas, TX)

Toledo Streets

What's Up (St. Louis, MO)

International-English language

The Big Issue(UK)

L'Intineraire (Montreal, QC)

[actually, this one's in French]

Megaphone (Vancouver, BC) 

Our Voice (Edmonton, AB)

Victoria Street Newz (Victoria, BC)

Well, I've gone longer than I should again. I still need to ask that everyone direct their positive energy toward those camping out in the cold nights, and the victims of the Samoan tsunami.

Love one another...

your editor 

Some good, some bad.

"Our objective does not change whether there's 8 or 20 voices, we protest for the voices that are excluded. The homeless, the poor, the unemployed are the voices that don't make it in the summits no matter how many countries there are involved."---Noah Williams, spokesman for the Pittsburgh G20 Resistance Project. 

Top Story: 

G20 Pittsburgh summit live Protesters have called for a "people's uprising" in Pittsburgh as the G20 summit begins. Follow live updates here. [photo: Reuters/Michelle Nichols]

I filled out so many applications this week, I thought my fingers would fall off. Most of them were online. If there's one piece of advice I'd give to anyone looking for a job-you have to learn basic computer skills. You need them to search for work at the job service office, and you'll need them to apply for most positions.

As a result of the week's effort, I actually talked to three real people this week. I was not offered any of the jobs.

Perhaps I'm more impressive on paper than in person.

But trust me on the computer skills.

Just some comment on this 1st article: I lived at the Regis, and the Windsor, as well as the Stratford when it was a hotel. I've also lived in The Carlton and its annex. This was 15 years ago or so, and they were crawling with cockroaches then. Unless they've made some drastic changes, I'm hardly surprised there are vermin in them now. I doubt the city is to blame. The real tragedy is that anyone should be forced to live in the conditions prevalent in these SROs.

There's a whole lot of news this week, and as usual, some is good, some bad. ---your Editor

Bug-Infested SROs Low-income tenants say city landlords are letting them be overrun by bedbugs and cockroaches. By Eric S. Peterson Salt Lake City Weekly.

New jobless-benefits claims drop in U.S., Utah [Salt Lake] Tribune Staff and Wire Reports

Utahns get 'C' in financial security By Lee Davidson Deseret News

Making a difference, 'one starfish at a time' By Molly Farmer Deseret News

Provo coalition for homeless getting new facility by Marc Haddock Deseret News

Capitalism not to blame for financial crisis and low-income woes
by Walter E. Williams 

Jobless-benefits extension urged Labor commissioners from 18 states ask Senate for 13 more weeks of aid. By Carolyn Thompson Associated Press

Obama to world: Don't expect America to fix it all By Ben Feller Associated Press

House passes bill stopping Medicare premium hikes Those receiving Social Security benefits will not get a cost of living increase this year.   The Associated Press

Police clear French migrant camp  from BBC News Includes video and relateds stories. [photo: BBC News]

also Audio Slide Show: Life in "the Jungle"

New service to benefit homeless A six-month pilot scheme to help homeless people in Portsmouth is set to start next month. from BBC News

Fears for homelessness over cuts A homeless charity in Coventry has said a cut in its budget could lead to more rough sleeping in the city. from BBC News

Hostel for homeless faces closure St Anne's, a Birmingham hostel for the homeless originally founded by a parish priest more than 30 years ago, is facing closure after having its council funding axed. by Scott Faulkner. from BBC News

Habitiat for Humanity begins blitz build in Magna from ksl.com

US Economy at 'beginnings' of recovery: Geithner from Reuters Reporting by
Tabassum Zakaria and Alister Bull; Editing by Theodore d'Afflisio

Be it G8 or G20, activists say protests to continue By Mark Egan [photo: Reuters/Michelle Nichols]

ELIMINATING DISPOSABLE HUMAN BEINGS? "...there is near-absolute impunity for murdering "malandros," a colloquial term for an underclass of young addicts, small-time drug dealers, homeless people and others at the bottom of the social pile..." By Bernd Debusmann

HOMELESS CHILDREN "Gary Foxcroft of British-based charity Stepping Stones- Nigeria said children living homeless on the streets in many countries had been driven out by families or communities because they were suspected of being witches." by Robert Evans

from THE GLOBE AND MAIL:  British Columbia is drafting the country's first legislation that would give authorities the power to compel homeless people to go to shelters or even jail during extreme cold- or wet-weather periods.

As a final note, a sad personal story:

Case study: The ex-serviceman who went from the army to alcoholism In the forces it goes hand in hand – you work hard and you play hard. When you come out of the army, it is hard to adjust. "John [not his real name] left the army a decade ago...Earlier this year he hit rock bottom – homeless and sleeping rough or couch-hopping." by Helen Carter, guardian.co.uk .

Until next week...
Help each other.

Go Team!

Greetings!

Less than a week left of Summer. It was a good one: not too hot or dry or wet. I became more aware of the weather when I was homeless. Whenever it gets cold or rains, I think of those people still on the street, and hope they find shelter. I know what it's like when you cannot.

Football. One thing that never changes, homeless or not, is the fanaticism of sports enthusiasts. I'm a baseball person myself, but most people here in Salt Lake are basketball and football fans. the World Series is fast approaching, and It seems to me that football season started early this year. Team sports are the most popular. Maybe it's an appeal to humans' prehistoric clansmanship, or our military nature. I'd like to think it's more due to our compassion and camaraderie.

Whatever the case, I know there were times on the street that I wouldn't have survived without the "team" of us that hung out together, and helped one another out. Sometimes sticking together, sharing with one another is the only thing that gives us hope. And without hope things can seem pretty bleak.

I hope you've all found your teams. And stay healthy in the upcoming Fall and Winter.

In the interest of self education, here's a link to books about homelessness available through amazon.com. Also check your local libraries for these titles.

Here are you article links for the week:

Top Story

The Big Issue celebrates its 18th birthday Exactly 18 years on from the launch of the Big Issue, this radical street paper is still offering a vital lifeline for homeless people by Ro-Wyn Jones (The Guardian)

RGR Editor's note: This is the kind of publication we need, in Salt Lake City, and why we do this blog.

Local & National

H1N1 vaccines expected in Utah mid-October- Health departments are waiting to learn how many doses they'll get. By Lisa Rosetta Salt Lake Tribune

Utah's homeless youth: 'Because I got jumped in my sleep, I got off the street' Severe beating left homeless man, 20, with 7-inch scar on the side of his head. By Julia Lyon Salt Lake Tribune [photo: Chris Detrick SLTribune: Mike Montoya climbs a fence to see if the boarded up Temple View Motel is still accessible to homeless people. Montoya was severely beaten while sleeping there in May. The attack spurred him give up his homeless lifestyle.

Life on the streets for Utah youth-As the number of homeless youths jumps 68 percent, one young woman says, 'I don't want this life anymore.' By Julia Lyon Salt Lake Tribune

View a street kid photo gallery. Go HERE to help.


Festival to celebrate recovery from sub-stance abuse By Brooke Brown Deseret News "Recovery Day will be Saturday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Gallivan Center, 239 S. Main. Registration for the 5K run begins at 7 a.m. For more information and run registration, visit www.U-SARA.org."

Military says mental wounds of war run deep By Kimberly Hefling Associated Press "Recalling a meeting last year with a group of homeless veterans from the recent wars ..."

The Bread Lady and 'The Porch' help keep the needy fed by Chuck Gates Deseret News [photo: Brian Nicholson Deseret News- Shauna Devenport, left, loads a hand truck with bread and pastries for her grandson, Clayton, right, to put on The Porch for people to share.

Jobless and homeless, blogger scores Elle job  By LEANNE ITALIE   Associated Press

San Francisco Looks to LEED as the Path to Green Jobs and Buildings   from Reuters "San Francisco’s Redevelopment Agency completed the first LEED Silver certified municipal project, the Plaza Apartments, for the formerly homeless with on-site supportive services."

2010 Games branding sparks free speech fears  from Reuters "...International Olympic Committee could be used to curb legitimate political protests on issues such as the Games' impact on Vancouver's homeless people and the poor."

Freakonomics: The hidden side of everything-FREAK Shots: How Effective Is Your Cardboard Sign? By Freakonomics (New York Times) [photo: NYTimes] 

In The Garden-Putting Down Roots and Raising Hopes by Anne Raver (New York Times)

...More from NY Times

 

International

 

 Green light for homeless hostel from BBC News

Homeless Wales team make a mark from BBC News

Funds cut shuts homeless shelter from BBC News

...More from BBC

Case study: Young jobless, older workers by Kathryn Hopkins (guardian.co.uk)

Guardian Charity Awards 2009: the shortlist- Thirty-five charities have been shortlisted for the Guardian's awards, now in their 17th year (guardian.co.uk)

Until next week....

Be careful out there

Work together