You might address another side of this issue. It is easier to wait for a handout from a charity or the government than to work or save. We have created an entire culture of lazy people with a sense of entitlement. Or they turn violent and prey on the stupid or weak.
On Dec 18, 1:04 am, "\"Lone Wolf\"" <[email protected]> wrote: > Hunger and homelessness grow across US cities > By Oliver Richards > 18 December 2008 > > Both the number of homeless and the demand for emergency food > assistance have increased substantially in US cities, according to the > findings of the most recent survey from the US Conference of Mayors > Task Force on Hunger and Homelessness. > > Available resources are severely strained due the economic crisis, > while demand for food assistance has increased by 18 percent over the > past year. > > The Hunger and Homelessness Survey was released on December 12 and is > based on a survey of 25 cities that provided information on food and > homeless assistance for the period from October 1, 2007 to September > 30, 2008. Given the increasing economic slowdown, one can safely > conclude that the figures provided in the survey have only continued > to grow worse. > > The findings of the survey paint a grim picture of increasing social > hardship in the United States. "At this time of significant economic > downturn, the issues of hunger and homelessness in America are more > prevalent than ever," stated the Miami Mayor and Conference President > Manny Diaz in a press release. > > The 25 cities include Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Kansas City, > Seattle, Cleveland, and Los Angeles, among others. More revealing, > however, are the cities not included in this report. New Orleans, for > example, has not been included in the survey since it was devastated > by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Detroit, the biggest poor city in > America, was also left out, even though it was included in the task > force's 2007 report. > > While a majority (68 percent) of the cities increased their funding > for emergency food assistance in 2008, this growth was generally > outpaced by increases in demand. The largest gaps between supply and > demand were found in Philadelphia, where demand increased by 23 > percent, but supply decreased by 26 percent, and Phoenix, which saw > demand increase by 35 percent, but supply decrease by 13 percent. > > One cause of the growing gap between supply and demand for food > assistance can be found in the changing sources of food donations. > Large grocery chains and other food suppliers provide, on average, > half of all food donations. "This dependence has become problematic as > improvements in quality control and supply chain management have > reduced the quantity of excess or slightly imperfect food products > that food banks receive from large grocery chains and national food > companies," the report notes. > > Of the 21 cities that responded to the question, 20 stated that > requests for emergency food assistance had increased in 2008. Much of > this increase has resulted from a rise in first-time requests for > assistance, particularly among working families affected by the > economic downturn and rising food prices. The survey showed that 59 > percent requesting food assistance are in families, 41 percent are > employed, 15 percent are elderly, and 11 percent are homeless. > > The ominous nature of these developments is highlighted by an answer > from Cleveland, which noted, "Some agencies report that they are > seeing families requesting assistance who were formerly donors to the > pantry." > > Because demand for food assistance has largely not been met by supply, > many kitchens and pantries have had to reduce the quantity of food > handed out (80 percent of cities), turn people away (60 percent), > limit the number of times a person can visit, and restrict services to > neighborhood residents. > > The surveyed cities were also asked to list the top three causes of > hunger in their city. Poverty was cited by 83 percent of the cities, > followed by unemployment (74 percent), high housing costs (57 > percent), and increases in food prices (39 percent). > > Looking at rates of homelessness, the report states that 19 of the 25 > cities (83 percet) reported that homelessness had increased over the > past year. "On average, cities reported a 12 percent increase in > homelessness in 2008." This includes family homelessness, which 16 of > the cities reported increased. > > Four cities—Portland, Oregon; Providence, Rhode Island; Gastonia, > North Carolina; and San Francisco, California—report that homelessness > has increased by more than 30 percent over the past year. > > When asked if the number of employed homeless persons had increased, > 11 of the 19 cities that collected this data showed an increase, while > only one city reported a decrease, and seven reported no change. > Homelessness has also been exacerbated by the foreclosure crisis, with > 12 cities reporting that it has contributed to an increase in > homelessness. > > As with emergency food assistance, the demand for shelter on certain > nights is greater than the capacity that most cities can provide. This > has led cities to adapt by providing cots in hallways or opening > shelters earlier than scheduled. However, cities still have to turn > away individuals and families. > > For example, in Los Angeles, 31 percent of individuals seeking shelter > had to be turned away due to a lack of beds, according to a 2007 > survey. Des Moines reports that "shelter providers regularly report > that ‘turn-aways' are a routine occurrence." > > The report finds that the mentally ill are particularly vulnerable, > with 26 percent of the persons experiencing homelessness also > suffering from a severe mental illness. > > The survey notes that there are a number of limitations to the study. > For example, the cities selected for the survey do not constitute a > representative sample of US cities. Furthermore, the averages among > the 25 cities used by the report, which vary in size and location, are > not weighted by differences in the populations of the cities. > > However, despite these and other drawbacks, the survey still provides > valuable information on the dismal social decay that characterizes the > urban centers in the United States. > > The full report is available here [PDF]. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
