From Middle Class to Food Stamps to Homeless.

Working hard and getting a bachelors degree is no guarantee that you will not end up on food stamps. The current economic crisis in the United States, and particularly in Michigan, has left many qualified workers
ending up in total poverty. This crisis has affected people far and wide from every economic sector of this once great country. According to the New York Times, one in eight Americans and one in four children are already on the rolls for the welfare system nationwide.

Laid-off middle class workers are running out of unemployment and their 401(k)s. What happens to us when all runs out and we are living on nothing but food stamps? We do not want bigger government taking care of us, we want to work and take care of ourselves. We want to be able to pay our bills. Until there are once again jobs for people to go to, there will be no turn around for our current economic crisis.

We the middle class have never been on public assistance and do not want a hand out. We want a hand up. What is going to happen to us?

My husband is a 59-year-old laid-off plastic engineer who cannot find work. Our story is not much different from many of the other millions of people facing this crisis. With an unexpected job loss, car payments to make, credit card bills and not enough money to sustain us for the rest of our lives, we have lost the car, fallen way behind on credit cards and all of our savings are gone. We make enough on unemployment to cover our mortgage and COBRA insurance.

Once the unemployment runs out, we will have no money to pay for anything. Then what?

Ending up on food stamps was not our plan. Forty plus years of hard work, raising a family and trying to live right and do the right things has come to a dead end. What happened to the American dream? Our lives and the lives of so many others were not supposed to end up this way. Please donate to help " Make A Difference In A Life" Hislovestreetministries.com

Middle Class No More, Families Struggle to Fight off Homelessness.

A unique feature of this recession is how damaging it has been to the nation's middle class, driving its members further and further away from the American Dream and, in some cases, directly into poverty.

President Obama, in his remarks to Senate Democrats on Wednesday, pointed out that the middle class was hurting even before the recession. "Part of the reason people are feeling anxious right now, it's not just because of this current crisis -- they've been going through this for 10 years. They've been working and not seeing a raise. Their costs have been going up, their spouses going to the workforce -- they work as hard as they can. They're barely keeping their heads above water. They're trying to figure out how to retire. They're seeing more and more of their costs on health care dumped in their lap. College tuition skyrockets.

"They are more and more vulnerable, and they have been for the last decade, treading water."

As part of our Bearing Witness 2.0 project, the Huffington Post is rounding up local stories of formerly middle-class families who are now struggling to stay afloat. If you or someone you know has a story to tell, please e-mail me at LBassett@huffingtonpost.com.

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Last August, construction-worker Troy Renault, his wife Tammy, and their five children were living in a comfortable, three-bedroom home in Lebanon, Tennessee. Mike Osborne reports for Voice of America News that the family now resides in a donated trailer on a local campground, having downgraded from about 1900 square feet to about 215.

The Renault family's slide into homelessness started nearly two years ago when Troy lost his construction job. Troy Renault told Osborne that when the money got tight, the family started having to make some difficult choices. "You wind up starting to think to yourself, 'Okay. Do we go ahead and make the house payment and keep a roof over our head but have no lights and no water, or do you go ahead and keep those utilities on and forego the house payment, and hope that you can get it caught up?' And it just kept going where it got further and further behind until we wound up losing the home."

Osborne writes:

Tammy Renault says her family is getting a crash course in what it means, socially, to be labeled homeless. "It's being called names. It's being ridiculed. It's running into people that have seen you in your highest and are not even speaking to you anymore because they're too afraid for where you are and don't know what to say."

Hislovestreetministries.com to donate.

Middle Class America Becomes Homeless

Bridget and Ed Robertson were a normal a middle-class couple from greater Phoenix, Arizona. Then, within just weeks of each other they were both laid off from jobs they'd had for years. Neither could get anything new despite hundreds of applications. They couldn't make their car payments or pay their rent. Soon, they found themselves homeless.

The Robertsons and their daughter, Sarah, moved into a small shelter apartment supplied by a local community service organization, Save the Family Arizona, which kept them from going on the street. The apartment was too small for most of their belongings, which now sit in a 12- by 25-foot storage unit. To make matters worse, Ed had a stroke in July, flooding the family with debt, and Bridget's father passed away recently, compounding the Robertsons' stress and anxiety.

Something often overlooked about homelessness is how embarrassing it can be, how it hurts people's dignity. The Robertsons tell Karina Bland of the Arizona Republic about the shame and guilt that comes from waiting in line at the food bank, Sarah's fear that other kids at her school will find out where she lives, how she now has to stay close to home when playing because of the lack of safety of their new neighborhood. These are emotional battles that are as real as the physical problems.

"I miss feeling like a man," Ed says, choking back a sob. When he used to come home on Friday nights with a paycheck in his pocket, he felt like he was providing for his family. He'd have the guys over, and they'd sit around in the garage, talking and drinking cold beer.

"When you're getting unemployment, and things are being given to you, you're not earning it," he says. "I'm grateful, but I'm not earning it."

Could This Be You? Help Us Make A Difference In A Life.

Please give an ear to a plea that is a passion deep in my heart, for the last two years I have heard from many “great work” and “thanks for helping the homeless” as well as “they have a choice and can get a job.” If only you could spend the day with me when I am on the streets and could see the hurt, sicknesses, and the many that truly want help and cry out but, the same door keeps closing for them. Where do you find a job without clean clothing, a call back number, or an address?
You see when I started going out on the streets back in 1989 the numbers where high but, now it has tripled. I get emails and followers on face book from many of whom had great homes and jobs, but just tonight a man, with a family of seven, who made 90k has lost his home and is in his last night in a one room motel. The true life stories I experience daily are not from those who gave up but, everyday people who had great jobs and beautiful homes.

Life has no guarantees and we never know whose door we might end up at, no matter where we are today or believe in all that we have. Yes, I know there are many diseases and sickness and so many causes to give too but, this epidemic is hitting every area and as of 2010 there are over 3.8 million people that are homeless in the United States. I cannot reach the world but, I shall reach out to as many as I can from Denver to Seattle. Please search your heart as I pray that we can open a food and clothing pantry on December 1st 2010. Currently we are short $9,500.00 so, whatever you can do please help us as it could be you or someone close to you one day that needs help and hopefully there is someone there to help. God bless, Reverend Trey

Homeless and jobless.

Have you ever tried getting a job when you have no phone number for potential employees to call, no address, no nice 'interview' clothing, no resume or recent references, and are so focused on just being able to eat or find a safe place to sleep that you can hardly think straight? There is also such as strong stigma, that many employers will not hire someone they know is homeless. Plus, many homeless people have mental disabilities, or have just left abuse home situations, and really just need somewhere to help get better so that they can become productive members of society. Some homeless shelters now provide job training, psychological services, and help people get jobs and then apartments. Hislovestreetministries.com

Help Us Make A Difference In A Life!

Its getting cold, so get out your winter coats...
america the beautiful
is becoming america the cold at night
and the aprox. 3.7 million homeless
and tens of thousands of homeless folks
freeze to death every year
while we enjoy our jackets, fireplaces, and comfy beds

There are many things we can do
such as give away our extra coats and blankets to those in need
we see our three, four, or five jackets as a rotation of our fashion sense
but to those trying to get by on the streets
it might be the one thing keeping them alive

YOU CAN HELP!
Donate or buy tee shirts: All the proceeds taken in will go directly
to those who are cold, ill clad, and shivering
in the form of blankets, propane heaters, long johns, mittens, and coats
I encourage you to do all you can to help us
and if you cant purchase a shirt, raid your closet and make some new friends ;)
either way, know that Jesus is out there on the streets
and He needs us, "as His hands and feet", to simply act
thank you all.

Hislovestreetministries.com

We Need A Building In Denver, Colorado Now!

We are a homeless ministry and a 501 C-3 working hard to open a pantry to feed and clothed the homeless this winter. The word says ask and you shall receive, so here I go. Does anyone have a building they we can use to run a pantry out of? Our web site is hislovestreetministries.com God-willing we shall hear from someone. I need a building soon for I have much food to give out. If you have a building to donate or we are Nine Thousand short of leasing a building of our own. Please search your heart and help us make a difference in a life. God bless!
Reverend Trey

Homeless need community support.

At Housing Transitions, Inc. we work with families, single parents, and single men and woman to help stabilize their lives by providing emergency, temporary and permanent housing.

In larger cities, emergency shelters are designated for either men or women and children. Homeless families can find themselves separated, with the father staying at one shelter and the mother and children in another. We are fortunate to be able to keep families together while they struggle through difficult times.

Between July and December 2009, Housing Transitions worked with 794 families (1,368 individuals) through our continuum of housing services. Of those, 38 families stayed at Centre House, our emergency shelter program. Just a year earlier, between July and December 2008, Centre House provided housing to 17 families.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently released the annual homeless assessment report. The report — based on data collected in 2009 — showed a rise in the number of families seeking shelter across the country.

When we reflect on the needs of families— even our own — we realize that keeping them healthy requires a great deal of hard work, sacrifice and support. This is a simplified statement; it’s much more complex than that. Taking time to stay connected with your partner; balancing work and personal lives; keeping the children a priority; and budgeting, planning and saving — all of these things are important and require effort and commitment.

My husband and I are starting a family, so we have been thinking a lot about this. It is an exciting and challenging time. There is a great deal of anticipation and fear of the unknown. We have a wonderful family and support network of friends who have not only shared stories with us about their own child-rearing experiences and passed down baby equipment and clothes but who will be there if we need anything once the baby is born. Sometimes we forget how lucky we are to have that support.

Imagine adding one or more seriously stressful events to this already complex balance of family life. Imagine that your spouse was laid off and became very depressed, making it seem less and less likely that he or she will ever find another job. Imagine that you lost your apartment because the rent went up again and you could no longer afford to live there. What if a serious medical condition suddenly limited your ability to work and you no longer had medical coverage?

Many of the families that find themselves at Centre House experience similar situations. Homeless families need the same things that every other family needs, and then some. At Housing Transitions, we help identify those needs and work together with the entire family to provide the needed supportive services.

Erica Anderson is the development and community relations coordinator at Housing Transitions

Many Promise but few do. Please Open your Heart!

Please help us make a difference in a life, many still believe that homelessness is a choice, a well-known Psychic named Jill promised us for months to donate to this cause and every week nothing please help us with a serious need. Believe me when I say many are only one pay-check away from experiencing this life on the streets. Hislovestreetministries.com

3.5 Million Homeless Americans

As many as 3.5 million Americans are homeless each year. Of these, more than 1 million are children and on any given night, more than 300,000 children are homeless.

While the general impression is that the homeless are primarily the chronic and episodic, those unfortunate individuals often seen living on the streets in the downtown areas of our cities, the fact is that more than half the homeless are families with children. The vast majority of these have been thrust into homelessness by a life altering event or series of events that were unexpected and unplanned for. Contrary to the belief that homelessness is primarily the result of major traumatic events or physical and mental disabilities, there are many top causes of homelessness in America.

Homelessness is, in fact, caused by tragic life occurrences like the loss of loved ones, job loss, domestic violence, divorce and family disputes. Other impairments such as depression, untreated mental illness, post traumatic stress disorder, and physical disabilities are also responsible for a large portion of the homeless. Many factors push people into living on the street. Acknowledging these can help facilitate the end of homelessness in America.

For those living in poverty or close to the poverty line, an "everyday" life issue that may be manageable for individuals with a higher income can be the final factor in placing them on the street. A broken down vehicle, a lack of vehicle insurance, or even unpaid tickets might be just enough to render someone homeless.

Divorce costs and the associated lowering of a family's total income can cause one or more family members to become homeless. For families that can hardly pay their bills, a serious illness or disabling accident may deplete their funds and push them out onto the street. Today, the rapid, unexpected loss of jobs and resultant foreclosures has caused great dislocation among families and has dramatically added to the number of people without a roof over their heads.

Natural disasters often cause current housing situations to become untenable and costly repairs are often simply not possible. The results of Hurricane Katrina stand in bleak testimony to the power of nature to displace people.

The great challenge for the newly homeless is to figure out how to return to their normal lives. Organizations that build emergency shelters and transitional housing typically work with a larger number of service providers around the country whose mission is to provide the services, such as job training, social skills training, and financial training, that enable these people to regain employment and return to mainstream lives. The progression for these recently homeless is to first be housed in transitional residences where they can learn these skills, to graduate to assisted living in affordable housing while they build up economic reserves and rebuild their employment resume, and then to graduate to full, market rate housing.

Many of these service provider partners are household names, such as Volunteers of America, Rescue Missions, and the Salvation Army. Many others are local organizations formed to address specific homelessness issues in the community. By carefully vetting the qualifications and financial stability of these service providers, organizations that build emergency shelters and transitional housing are able to assure that their facilities are effectively utilized in the fight to end homelessness.Help Us Make A Difference In A Life. Hislovestreetministries.com

A Letter From A Mother, That Has A Homeless Son.

My son is homeless and is need of finding a job. The problem is without an address, he cannot qualify for any assistance. He is struggling to keep himself out of trouble and doing what is right by looking for work, putting applications in as many places he can. When he is asked where he lives and he tells him that he is homeless at this time and needs work to be able to get a place to live, he is then brushed off.

I am trying to help him as much as possible, however my husband, his step father will not allow him to stay in our home. I am desperate in seeking help from a sight that I know nothing about. He needs any help he can muster up.

I hope that he does not get so discouraged because of the coldness of our beloved state and city. All he wants a chance, what If this was you or you son. Please Help.


Desperate Mother

World Homeless Day 10-10-10

The purpose of World Homeless Day is to draw attention to homeless people’s needs locally and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in responding to homelessness, while taking advantage of the stage an ‘international day’ provides.

The Official World Homeless Day website exists to resource local groups to take the concept of World Homeless Day and run with it to benefit homeless people locally in their area. Help us make a difference in a life. Hislovestreetministries.com

Help Us Open The Doors.

Life on the streets is harsh. Personal hygiene articles are almost non-existent. To bathe, some use handi-wipes – when available.

Sister Barbara Joseph, a Carmelite Religious Sister in Oklahoma City, tries to meet some of their needs with love and prayers. “This is the Body of Christ”, she declares.
Barbara hands out plastic rosaries to many who will take them. “Some have never seen a Nun before”, she says. “Most only own the clothes on their backs and perhaps an extra t-shirt kept in their backpacks.” Would you consider making a donation to this effort? Money donated will be used to purchase items needed by the homeless such as clothing, blankets, bar soap, shampoo and toothpaste. All monies donated are tax-deductible.
The need is great and all amounts are a blessing to us on behalf of the homeless.

My need to open a homeless pantry this winter is a must to give food and clothing for what many predict shall be a hard and cold winter in Colorado. We are only 8,900.00 from this goal. By the grace of God, we shall raise all nine thousand dollars this month. Our web site is hislovestreetministries.com for any and all that can donate.