Homeless not helpless

Related Causes:Homelessness, Poverty
Field reporter: Hanna Karimipour

Just because you don’t see homelessness in a community doesn’t mean it’s not there. Homelessness is a national issue, affecting all fifty states. In the Big Bend Region of North Florida and around the country, both shelters and groups are working hard to assist these people who have nowhere else to go.

In a recent interview with the Big Bend Homeless Coalition, Janis Thibodeau, organizer of the Big Bend Homeless Coalition’s Speaker’s Bureau which takes people who are or have experienced homelessness around the Tallahassee region to speak about their experiences, revealed to DoSomething.org some of the hardships that these homeless people bear through.

“We have people who sleep on mats at the shelter and walk miles just to find a place to work for the day. There is no guarantee that they will find work, and usually the work is hard, physical labor,” stated Thibodeau when addressing some of the common misconceptions.

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, 3.5 million people in the United Stated experience homelessness in any given year. The top five cause of homelessness are

•loss of job
•lack of affordable housing
•lack of affordable health care
•natural disasters
•domestic violence
With the sloping economy, this has not been helped at all, with a 3% increase in homelessness across the nation.

“Just getting a job is really difficult. Sometimes the best we can help them is with resource guide, housing, and food,” Thibodeau said in response to being asked about how homeless people get back on their feet. “One of the most important things that you can do is when you see someone who is homeless is just say hello to them. Know that it could be you.”

What can you do?
1/3 of homeless people are under the age of 18, so donate to help us make a difference. Majority of shelters are a temporary fix for a night of a week, we need to help one another to get employment and permanent,shelter and in this country we can for God has blessed us in a mighty way.

Is it illegal to take food from dumpsters? even if your are hungry?

Is it illegal to take food from dumpsters?

The information written here is not legal advice and the author of this blog is not your lawyer. These posts merely contain ideas to help you plan and organize your legal research and identify potentially helpful sources of law. ****


Sometimes because of local ordinances against providing food to the homeless, such as laws requiring costly permits to conduct group meals, hungry people seek out food that has been thrown away. My name is Laura and lost my home and job and had no food for five days and found myself looking in dumpsters for food. If property has been abandoned, then it no longer belongs to the previous owner and taking it is not stealing.

In some cases, generally when trash is outside and expected to be picked up by the trash collectors, the courts have considered the trash to be abandoned property in which the person who discarded it would have no expectation of privacy. These were not cases about hungry people taking food. These cases were about police officers who, in gathering potential evidence from garbage cans, were accused of conducting illegal searches. See California v. Greenwood at http://supreme.justia.com/us/486/3.

When the trash is stored indoors or in a secluded area, it is often not considered abandoned.

Business-owned dumpsters, located on a business’s own private property and not shared by multiple businesses might not contain abandoned property. Dumpster companies provide lockable lids, so businesses can lock their dumpsters and keep their trash inaccessible can lock their dumpsters. Many businesses lock their dumpsters to prevent thieves from stealing account numbers and other private information.


Maybe the law should require that non-perishable food be bagged separately or that food be packaged against bacteria and labeled with the date. To research this kind of idea, look for court cases about “premises liability”. The most efficient way to find court cases is to go through a printed case index or an electronic database. LexisOne is free online database where you can search for the past ten years’ cases. Look for print sources and other databases at your county law library. See also the list of self-help legal research guides available from the State, Court, and County Law Libraries section of the American Association of Law Libraries.

When trash is not considered “abandoned” and it is still considered the private property of the trash can or dumpster owner then, obviously, taking all or part of that private property is theft. In some municipalities and states, there are specific theft laws punishing dumpster diving. Even if those laws don’t exist in a particular place, generic theft laws can be used against people who take someone else’s property whether it was in the house, in the yard, in his hands, in a trash container or anywhere else.

Local Homeless Shelters Deal With Overcrowding

Crisis Ministry in Lexington is offering places to sleep to those looking to escape the cold, but with a limited number of beds, overcrowding has become an issue.

The Weber family has been staying at Crisis Ministry for almost a month.

"My daughter usually sleeps here, or me and my son will. And then my husband takes turns with the baby or the daughter and then my two oldest boys sleep on top." said Autumn Weber.

Autumn Weber, her husband George, and their four children, the youngest 10-month-old Shawn, have been living at the shelter since George Weber lost his job.

"As a man you are the role of supporting your family and when you can no longer do that, I mean you feel like the whole world comes crashing down." said George Weber.

George Weber says he's been looking for work, but nothing has panned out so far.

"I've got so much management experience. My resume is solid, I've been told that. But when it comes to being hired, it just hasn't happened." George Weber said.

Crisis Ministry has two shelters currently helping 9 families and 51 adults. Executive Director Gayle Whitehead says the long stretch of cold weather is driving more people inside.

"Because of the amount of beds we have in here, and this is basically the floor space that we have, we have had as many as five people on the floor, so we had to go to the dining room." Whitehead said.

Whitehead says the influx of people is starting to strain their resources.

"The showers, the hot water runs out quicker, your supplies run out a lot quicker, your light bill is a lot higher." Whitehead said.

With more freezing temperature expected Thursday, Whitehead says Crisis Ministry says they will do what it takes to make sure everyone has a warm bed who needs one

"We will have people actually go out and look for people tonight, hoping that they will come in." Whitehead said. Help us in Denver and Las Vegas, to make a difference in a life. http://Hislovestreetministries.com/

Homeless Teens Have Dreams But Nowhere to Sleep.

First may I say I serious thank God, for the rejection and trials I encounter when helping the homeless and that is; it makes me stronger and more determined to do what God has called me to do.

It's always a great day when homeless youth somehow nudge gaffe-prone politicians off CNN, however briefly. Today the Cable News Network featured a report on unaccompanied homeless teens in Denver, Colorado, of which there are hundreds. The story opens with Belle, an 18-year-old homeless prostitute whose bruised face betrays a recent beating, which she says from her pimp.

The young people — mainly runaways and foster care dropouts with street names like Magic and Gucci — frequently band together. One group calls themselves Juggalos, like fans of the band Insane Clown Posse. "Juggalos started as a family for outcast people that don't feel like they have family," one member says. "Other people see it as a gang but we just look out for each other."

Their refuge in Denver is Sox Place, a nonprofit drop-in center with the slogan "bringing the father's heart to the fatherless." Monday through Saturday, "street kids" can drop in for hot meals and ping-pong games. Thank goodness for Sox Place, though its existence begs the question: who should step in to prevent youth homelessness before it gets to this level where Sox Place is needed?

One pregnant 20-year-old says she hopes that her son, due in September, doesn't have to "deal with all this." The story doesn't show, though, whether the teen and her boyfriend are anywhere near transitioning to housing before the baby's birth. I'm guessing that's because the answer's no.

A young man named Gucci describes his future to the camera like this: "I'm gonna stand my dream in his face and I'm gonna shake his hand and I'm gonna say, 'tag along wit me.'" His optimism, along with the federal government's new directive to end youth homelessness in 10 years, is almost enough to make you believe he can succeed. Almost.

The Homeless Need Love Too

Lenette Evans ministering to some of Benton Harbor’s homeless at the riverfront.
By Lenette Evans, St. Joseph, Michigan
We all live day to day going about our own lives, going to work, caring for our children and families, paying bills, going on vacations and having dinner with friends and family. Here in Benton Harbor, Michigan, there are many homeless people living under bridges and at the riverfront, in abandoned homes, alleys, and throughout the city with no place to go.

I am a street Evangelist and have been ministering and working with the homeless, prostitutes, alcohol and drug abusers for several years. I am ministering mostly to people who are on the streets, in the Emergency Women's Shelter Soup Kitchen, Peter's House Ministry, Salvation Army, Homeless on the Riverfront, under bridges and wherever the Lord leads me.

To minister to the lost is not just about preaching the word of God and praying with them. It's about building genuine friendships, getting to know them and hearing their story and their heart and taking time to listen and accept them for who they are, just as Jesus Christ has loved us. Homeless people and those living in poverty need unconditional love from a caring community and churches that will seriously rise up and make a difference.

We don't need mayors, commissioners, and city officials and people who say they are going to do something to help the homeless and find them housing but do absolutely nothing. A lot of people say a lot but very few do anything to help, including those in churches in the community. "Help us make a difference in a life". Hislovestreetministries.com

Project Homeless-Those whom are giving to the poor they shall be rewarded.

Project Homeless Connect - Tuesday, January 25, 2011
On Tuesday, January 25, 2011, the Trenton/Mercer Continuum of Care (CoC) will conduct a one-day event called Project Homeless Connect (PHC). Project Homeless Connect activities will run 9am to 2pm at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Trenton, NJ. We will provide a hot breakfast and lunch, access to services and helpful items. Homelessness exists every day in Mercer County. This event sponsored by community leaders and designed to provide housing referrals, support services, and hospitality in a convenient one-stop format for people experiencing homelessness.

Last January, we served over 357 individuals at Project Homeless Connect event. And last July, we served over 350 people.

It will allow the CoC to provide those people with much needed services.

The success of Project Homeless Connect is contingent upon communities joining together with local businesses, private corporations, hospitals, volunteers and a variety of providers to positively affect the lives of the homeless in Trenton and Mercer County.

On any given day we have over 627 individuals and 274 children homeless (point-in-time data 2010). This opportunity can help the homeless to move off the street and be connected with the services that can help move them out of homelessness. It costs everyone more to have these individuals and families on the street.

Please become part of the solution and generously donate to this project. We are in need of volunteers, funding for food, clothing and other necessaries.

His Success Story Gets Two Thumbs Up

Yes, Anthony is homeless. We met at a rotating shelter near Detroit. When Anthony first lost his job and place to live, he tried squatting in an abandoned building filled with people using drugs.

Then he found MCREST Rotating Shelter. I love the rotating shelter model. Basically a group a faith-based organizations come together to share resources to help hurting people. That sounds to me like what church should be all about.

Calvin has a job and by now is living in his own apartment. He is also going back to school. I wish all stories ended like Calvin's. Many just need a chance and a helping hand. PLEASE HELP US MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A LIFE AND RESTORE HOPE. Hislovestreetministries.com

His story at
http://uspoverty.change.org/blog/view/his_success_story_gets_two_thumbs_up