The city's continual assault on the homeless : lvimc

The city has continued to deny our homeless the basic needs of human beings. Our homeless have been unfairly attacked by police for "infractions" as minor as sleeping too close to fecal matter.They have tried to stop us from feeding fellow human beings and they have closed places where they can access food. Let's lobby to get the city to at the very least open up another shelter if they are going to close their parks. In the mean time we are meeting as often as possible in Frank Wright park near the downtown transportation center and city hall. People could really use things like socks, blankets, food, sleeping bags,and bus passes. Again, meet us at Frank Wright park any day of the week any type of food or supplies would help greatly.

what time ? every day u say ?

Right now, I am sharing food every day at noon (except for Wed. and Sat.) at Frank Wright Plaza which is next to City Hall and the DTC.

However, there are other folks who are also sharing food there different days of the week at the same location.

We have had many people skip out because of all the aggression from the City. So, we need more folks to step up to the plate.

Frank Wright Plaza is not the only place the homeless and the poor frequent.

There is Jaycee Park and Baker Park that you could always drop of water, blankets, coats, etc.

You can do this on your own, or you can e-mail me at mom_in_las_vegas@yahoo.com

thank you mom, i am grateful you still care

any time you have food any day they can use it . but the park closes at 7 i do believe .

In the above post I stated that I share everyday except for Wednesdays and Saturdays. Well, I guess I shouldn't have stated that. The truth is that is what I was doing when we were sharing at Circle Park.

On Wednesdays, Christ Episcopal Church at 2000 South Maryland Parkway shares food at about 5 pm.

And on Saturdays both of the following share food.

Lord of the Harvest on State Street at 11 am

Calvary Church at 401 S. Maryland Pkwy. at noon

So, the homeless and poor in the Circle Park area have a place to eat on those two days. Those two days gave me time to work on other needs.

Now, I am basically at Frank Wright Park 7 days a week unless or until I can find alternate food sharing in that vicinity.

I know that there are others sharing. I just have to find time to find them and organize them (for myself) so I can eventually take two days off again for the other needs.

We still have a great need at Jaycee Park at Eastern and Sahara. From what I've been told there are a couple of folks bringing down food. But no set days or time.

There used to be some veterans sharing down there until the marshals ran them off.

And at Baker Park there used to be a preacher every Sunday morning but the marshals ran him off also. Baker Park is next to a school so during the week adults cannot go into that park until 4 pm.

So if anyone wants to organize for those two areas (Jaycee Park and Baker Park) that would be a great help to the folks who live in those areas.

Circle Park poor obviously have dispersed throughout the city. And many (in all areas) are in jail. Word on the street is "they" are getting orders to arrest the homeless for everything and anything.

Thanks to all for your support!

Sorry about that. In the previous post I was suppose to talk about the city council meetings. My bad!

We have been trying to get to each city council meeting to express our disatisfaction with the city regarding our homeless and poverty issues.

Also, folks are discussing the abuses received in the city jail and/or on the streets by law enforcement.

Any and all support at these meetings is greatly appreciated. If you want to be heard, it's best to get there about 3 pm.

You can find the schedule and agendas for the City Council Meetings here:

http://lasvegasnevada.gov/information/5536.htm

"Nevada had the highest share of its population homeless, about 0.68 percent."

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0111-05.htm

Published on Thursday, January 11, 2007 by the Associated Press
Of 744,000 Homeless Estimated in US, 41 Percent are in Families
by Stephen Ohlemacher

WASHINGTON - There were 744,000 homeless people in the United States in 2005, according to the first national estimate in a decade. A little more than half were living in shelters, and nearly a quarter were chronically homeless, according to the report Wednesday by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, an advocacy group.

A majority of the homeless were single adults, but about 41 percent were in families, the report said.

The group compiled data collected by the Department of Housing and Urban Development from service providers throughout the country. It is the first national study on the number of homeless people since 1996. That study came up with a wide range for America's homeless population: between 444,000 and 842,000.

Counting people without permanent addresses, especially those living on the street, is an inexact process. But the new study is expected to provide a baseline to help measure progress on the issue.

"Having this data brings all of us another step closer to understanding the scope and nature of homelessness in America, and establishing this baseline is an extremely challenging task," HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson said. "Understanding homelessness is a necessary step to addressing it successfully."

HUD is preparing to release its own report on homelessness in the coming weeks, Jackson said. In the future, the department plans to issue annual reports on the number of homeless people in the U.S.

Some cities and states have done their own counts of the homeless, providing a mix of trends, said Nan Roman, president of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. For example, New York City and San Francisco have seen decreases, while the number of homeless in Washington, D.C., has increased, Roman said.

"In the last 12 to 18 months, the homeless population has essentially exploded in Philadelphia," said Marsha Cohen, executive director of the Homeless Advocacy Project, which provides free legal services to the homeless in Philadelphia. "We are seeing big increases in singles and families, both on the street and attempting to enter the homeless system."

"It's a whole influx of new people, and that's the really scary part," Cohen said.

In Columbus, Ohio, workers are scrambling to help an increasing number of people living under bridges and in wooded encampments near rivers and streams, said Barbara Poppe, executive director of the Community Shelter Board.

"We're very concerned about the health and well being of those people being out in the elements," Poppe said. "We had an encampment set on fire, and we had a woman struck by a train."

California was the state with most homeless people in 2005, about 170,000, followed by New York, Florida, Texas and Georgia, according to the report.

Nevada had the highest share of its population homeless, about 0.68 percent. It was followed by Rhode Island, Colorado, California and Hawaii.

"The driver in homelessness is the affordable housing crisis," Roman said. "If we don't do something to address the crisis in affordable housing we are not going to solve homelessness."

She said many of the chronically homeless have mental health and substance abuse problems. Others, she said, simply cannot afford housing.

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On The Net:

National Alliance to End Homelessness: http://www.endhomelessness.org/

© Copyright 2007 Associated Press