LA:$75,000 reward in homeless man's death

$75,000 reward in homeless man's death
Police are still looking for the man who set John Robert McGraham on fire, killing him.
By Ruben Vives
3:15 PM PDT, October 24, 2008
The Los Angeles City Council today approved a $75,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who killed a homeless man by setting him on fire.

Police are still looking for the killer. They have only a vague description of him that they pieced together from witnesses.

"We urge anyone who knows what went on that night to come forward and help us find closure for this man's family and friends," Councilman Tom LaBonge said on his website.

John Robert McGraham was killed Oct. 9 when someone doused him with gasoline and set him on fire. He had been sitting on the sidewalk in front of a boarded-up dental office at Third and Berendo streets.

People from nearby stores and homes rushed over to extinguish the flames, but it was too late.
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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-reward25-2008oct25,0,4135598.story

Canada: "Street person" dies in emergency waiting room after being ignored for 34 hours

Brian Sinclair waited at Winnipeg hospital for help, but died there still waiting. He was 45 years old, a double amputee and a "street person" among the homeless in Canada who feel invisable.

Ignored for 34 hours 1:52
A man was left without care for 34 hours in an emergency room in Canada. CTV's Murray Oliver has the tragic outcome.


http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/09/24/oliver.canada.er.death.ctv

April Showers, Interfaith Homeless network

San Mateo County Times - San Mateo,CA,USA
Interfaith group welcomes San Leandro's homeless
By Gideon Rubin
The Daily Review
Article Last Updated: 09/07/2008 09:22:46 PM PDT


SAN LEANDRO — On most days, they are shooed away from street corners and coffee shops, told to go somewhere else.

On Sunday, about 50 homeless people who showed up for a faith-based outreach program at the San Leandro Boys and Girls Club were greeted with a welcome mat.

Every first, third and fifth Sunday, volunteers gather at the San Leandro Boys and Girls Club offering the area's homeless and indigent people showers, food and clothing.

The "April Showers" program is run by the Interfaith Homelessness Network, a coalition of 11 San Leandro churches.

"Normally when they sit down somewhere somebody comes around and says 'are you panhandling? Outta here!'" volunteer coordinator Margaret Strem said.

The IHN formed in the aftermath of the November 2001 death of a homeless man whose body was found at a San Leandro construction site, organizers say.

Volunteers on Sunday stirred up homemade soups and served pastries donated by local coffee shops. The needy also got clothing and a laundry voucher — no questions asked.

Those attending Sunday's event included children and the elderly. Some were handicapped.

"They provide a great service," a homeless man identifying himself as George said. "It fulfills a need, and they make you feel welcome."

Just as important as the sustenance, the homeless also get respect.

"It's important that every person have their humanness, their dignity," Strem said.
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http://www.insidebayarea.com/localnews/ci_10406468

Feeding homeless in public under fire

If you look on the sidebar of this blog, you'll see this from Matthew. It looks as if some people understand it and many others do not.

Matthew 25

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

It doesn't seem to matter much what city or state this happens in because the reaction to homeless people is the same. Some have compassion for the "least among us" and others, well, as you'll read, they find the homeless offensive. We need to wonder why that is.

Is is because they feel guilty they themselves have plenty to eat, a place to call home while there are so many others who have neither? What is offensive about homeless people getting something to eat because someone has compassion for them? Are we not supposed to be our brother's keeper?

There are some in this country who never think of what it would be like if they were the one in need. If they were hungry, homeless, abandoned, ill and in need would they feel the same way? It's just so much easier on the conscience of this nation to not have to see the homeless lining up for a meal once a day. So much easier to not be reminded that this nation is not the land of plenty for everyone.

I've heard things said by "Christian" people that shocked me when they come out with statements that "homeless people are lazy" and "homeless people want to be that way" among so many other comments. Compassion is sorely lacking in many claiming to be Christians when Christ Himself even said, "For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always." (John 12:8) We should not be ashamed of homeless people or find them offensive. We should however find it offensive and be ashamed we have homeless and hungry people we do not want to take care of.

Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos

Feeding homeless in public under fire

Wednesday, September 3, 2008


ST. PETERSBURG — It's still bright outside when the hungry start to line up along Mirror Lake to wait for the Chicken Man to bring them their dinner.

Don McClendon and his wife, Barbara, have delivered free meals to the homeless here four nights a week for nearly nine years. The heavy plates come stocked with vegetables, bread and McClendon's namesake entree: chicken. Always chicken.

"If they are hungry, we have an obligation to feed them," McClendon said.

But McClendon's days as the Chicken Man could be numbered.

City officials say the public feeding of homeless and other low-income people has gotten out of hand, and they are looking to limit the practice, especially in downtown St. Petersburg, where business owners, residents and tourists complain that do-gooders are only attracting more homeless people to the area by feeding them.

"We have ongoing calls from people downtown who say this is interfering with their businesses and their lives," said Rhonda Abbott, the city's social services manager.

During an August meeting, the City Council directed the city's legal department to look into banning public feeding.

City Attorney Mark Winn warned that it would be difficult for the city to take any action that would not affect other residents who choose to eat outside.

"If you write an ordinance that says no feeding in the park, you can't take your family on a picnic because that is feeding. You can't feed your boyfriend grapes in the park," he said. "These people are basically doing conduct that everyone does. It just happens to be that some people find these folks offensive."
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http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/article793604.ece

Care Not Cash faces lawsuit

Care Not Cash Program faces lawsuit

abc7news.com - San Francisco,CA,USA
By Vic Lee
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (KGO) -- A homeless advocacy group has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of San Francisco saying its' "Care Not Cash" homeless program discriminates against people with disabilities.

It may be the first lawsuit of its kind.
"The city of San Francisco's homeless population is at least 50 percent disabled and it has been largely ignored," said lawyer Sid Wolinsky.

Wolinsky is referring to Mayor Gavin Newsom's brainchild, the "Care Not Cash" homeless program.
It's a program that gives teh homeless priority reservations for about 350 shelter beds.
Through Care Not Cash, participants on welfare can make a 45-day reservation for a bed and receive case management services as well.
Wolinski says there is a catch. "If you receive disability benefits such as veteran's disability benefits or social security benefits, you are automatically excluded from Care Not Cash," said Wolinski.
Jennifer Friedenbach of the Coalition for Homelessness supports the lawsuit. She says Care Not Cash is an inefficent use of 300 beds.
"Oftentimes these beds go empty even as they turn away people who try to seek shelters," said Friedenbach.

Earl Douglas Hardisty, homeless man found dead

Sonoma coroner seeks help finding kin of homeless man found dead
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer

Saturday, August 16, 2008

08-16) 07:06 PDT PETALUMA -- The Sonoma County coroner's office is asking for the public's help in finding the family of a homeless man found dead at an encampment this week.

Earl Douglas Hardisty, 58, was found unresponsive at a homeless encampment on Shasta Avenue in Petaluma on Wednesday, the coroner's office said.

Paramedics determined that Hardisty was dead. Although the manner and cause of his death have not been determined, there does not appear to be any suspicious circumstances involved, officials said.

Hardisty, whose nickname is "Nine Dog," has been known to be homeless in the Petaluma are since June 2003, and perhaps longer.

The coroner's office has been unable to locate Hardisty's next of kin, despite checks of records at local hospitals, health clinics and homeless shelters.

Anyone with information on Hardisty's relatives, who need to be notified about his death, is asked to call coroner's Detective Mark Provost at (707) 565-5070.

E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com

Number of homeless families grows amid foreclosure

Number of homeless families grows amid foreclosure crisis
Kate Santich Sentinel Staff Writer
August 14, 2008
Annette Eagan registered her 12-year-old son for middle school Wednesday -- then dropped him and his younger brother at a Boys Town shelter while she drove back to an old Sanford rooming house.

She came to Florida hoping to find work. Instead, she has used up her savings while looking.And because there are no family homeless shelters available in Seminole County, Eagan had to break up her family to save it."I can't be picky," she said of the arrangement. "At least I know my sons have a roof over their heads. They have food. They're safe."

Amid a foreclosure crisis and sour economy, the number of homeless families is growing. In Seminole County alone, more than 600 school-age children are expected to spend at least part of the year in motels, shelters or even tents in the woods, according to a new report. An additional 450 homeless children in the county are younger than 5, officials estimate.

"The immensity of the homeless student population shocked all of us," said Beth Davalos, a social worker who helped deliver the results of a yearlong study of Seminole County's family homelessness Wednesday. "After all, just a few years ago we had one of the highest income levels in the state."

Davalos spoke at a meeting of social-service agencies hoping to address the "housing crisis in our own backyard." Led by the all-volunteer group The Children's Cabinet, speakers called upon law enforcement, government, nonprofit organizations, churches and private businesses to work together to address the issue.

Hundreds of homeless children also live in Orange and Osceola counties, but Seminole is the first to take a united approach to solving the problem.

"I think we've come to a time in this region, in this county, where we are saying that what's happening is not acceptable," said Ray Larsen, executive director of the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness.
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Intense fire leaves 8 homeless, kills three cats near UCF

Orange County Fire Rescue firefighter Darcy Lominy walks past the gutted apartment on Hunt Club Lane in east Orlando today after it was destroyed in an overnight blaze. (JOE BURBANK, ORLANDO SENTINEL / August 13, 2008)

Intense fire leaves 8 homeless, kills three cats
Walter Pacheco | Sentinel Staff Writer
6:58 AM EDT, August 13, 2008
Eight people are homeless, but safe this morning after an intense fire gutted out their apartments near UCF.

Although none of the victims was injured in the blaze, three cats died in the fire, Orange County Fire Rescue crews said.

The State Fire Marshal is investigating the blaze.

Fire rescue spokeswoman Marianne Nuckles said the fire started shortly before 11 p.m. at 2635 Hunt Club Lane, near the University of Central Florida. Witnesses told firefighters they saw heavy flames shooting from the roof and heard loud explosions, the report shows.
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NY Mayor's plans to reduce homeless off pace

Mayor’s Effort to Reduce Homelessness Is Off Pace, Study Says
By FERNANDA SANTOS
Published: August 7, 2008
In 2004, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg began an offensive against homelessness that surprised many advocates because of the ambition of its timetable and goals. The city would slash the number of homeless people by two-thirds in five years by building more homes for the poor, pouring more money into prevention services and trying to ensure that the shelter system would be used only by people who really needed it.

With four years past, the mayor still has a long way to go to meet his goals.

According to a report by the city’s Independent Budget Office, a nonpartisan fiscal monitor, almost as many families were living in city shelters in March — about 8,500 — as when the mayor unveiled his proposal, though investment in prevention services had increased by at least 20 percent.
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FBI: Hospital used homeless as 'human pawns'

FBI: Hospital used homeless as 'human pawns'
CEO arrested for billing unneeded procedures for phony patients

LOS ANGELES - A hospital CEO was arrested Wednesday in what authorities said was a scheme to recruit homeless people as phony patients and bill government programs for millions of dollars in unnecessary health services.

Federal agents raided three medical centers and the city of Los Angeles sued the hospitals, saying they used homeless people as "human pawns."

More charges are expected, a federal prosecutor said.

Hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange counties submitted phony Medicare and Medi-Cal bills for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of homeless patients — including drug addicts and the mentally ill — recruited from downtown's Skid Row, state and federal authorities allege.

While treating minor problems that did not require hospitalization, such as dehydration, exhaustion or yeast infections, the hospitals allegedly kept homeless patients in beds for as long as three days and charged the government for the stays.
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26061635/

10 homeless women get makeover from Daryl Christopher Wellness Salon and Day Spa

'A little bit of heaven'
Salon worker manages makeovers for 10 from shelter

By Jonnelle Marte
Globe Correspondent / August 5, 2008
Cheryl Katinas sat with a black smock draped over her clothes as a stylist in high heels and a skirt meticulously snipped away at her long brown locks. Around her in the Newbury Street salon, people chattered over the hum of blow dryers and crisscrossed the sleek floor, exchanging makeup, hairbrushes, and compliments.

Katinas, 41, was nervous about getting her hair cut yesterday, but it was time for a change.

For months, Katinas had been on the streets after fleeing her home in Worcester when a boyfriend beat her nearly to death. She moved to Boston to start over, but hunting for a job and living in and out of homeless shelters take a toll. Yesterday was a respite.

Katinas and nine other homeless women were treated to makeovers, courtesy of the Daryl Christopher Wellness Salon and Day Spa.

For a few hours, the women worried only about how they wanted their makeup done, whether their hair would wind up too short, and finding an outfit they liked.
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“A quart of beer is cheaper than the medication they need, so they self-medicate.”

A quart of beer is cheaper than the medication they need, so they self-medicate,” he said.

That is part of the problem right there. If people, not just veterans, get the medications they need, they won't have to resort to finding their own way to "medicate" their condition with. When we see a "drunk" on the street, we just assume they are an alcoholic. While that is true in some cases, it is not true in all cases. Veterans with no history of alcoholism find they cannot make it through the day without reaching for beer or other alcohol to kill off feelings they don't want to feel. While they are fully aware there is something not right going on inside of them, they are unaware of what the "it" is. We've come a long way in reach out work attempting to make them all aware that sometimes the war comes home with them but we still have a long, long way to go until they all know what PTSD is.

Some of these veterans may have mild PTSD symptoms for now. They decide to just "deal" with it on their own. They are unaware that as they attempt to "deal with it" their own way, PTSD is eating away at them. When their life becomes out of control, often it's too late to stop the cycle. They lose jobs. Financial strains added onto strains on their relationships are further challenged because of drugs and alcohol. With no compensation from the VA for their condition and treatment to heal, their lost incomes and estranged families, they become homeless. While they may manage to find friends still willing to take them in, their welcome is worn out sooner or later and no one wants them around. They end up drinking more, trying to establish a thing to "blame" for how they ended up where they are. Instead of acknowledging the wound they carry and find the strength to fight to heal, they fight on the streets to stay alive becoming bitter, angry added onto being drunk.

The cycle does not end there. Sometimes they take their families with them. Even in their absence from the family unit the damage is being done on a daily basis. The spouse will drive down the street and see the person they thought they would spend the rest of their life with begging for spare change. A child will shrink away from talking about their parent no longer in the house and all too often trying to find ways to ease the anger they feel toward them. They will turn that anger inward wondering what is wrong with them that their own parent no longer "loved them enough to stop drinking" and they have to cope with the loss of income from the missing parent. It happens all the time.

When people with mental illness go untreated, it is not just them suffering. The entire community does. The problem is, too many communities are unwilling to deal with the problem and address it instead of just trying to keep the homeless people away from their neighborhood.

Coos Bay deserves a lot of credit for taking a good hard look at the problem as well as what they can do about it. KC

“Trying to pinpoint cause, solution to homelessness
By Alexander Rich, Staff Writer
Friday, August 01, 2008

COOS BAY — Determining the cause of homelessness can be somewhat like asking — which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Some argue it’s a lack of affordable housing and family-wage jobs. Others blame addiction, which makes landlords and employers leery of providing shelter or jobs to such people.

Some say the health-care system drives people into debt and then onto the streets. And others contend not enough has been done to provide veterans a way to return home and re-adjust to civilian life.

The simple answer is there is no one reason for homelessness here. And at a meeting Thursday night at Southwestern Oregon Community College, a gathering of concerned citizens brainstormed on ways to find people homes.

It was the first of three meetings scheduled to discuss homelessness in Coos County and ways it can be ended. The topic was homeless families, though it veered off into discussions of veteran issues and mental health concerns.

Facilitated by Crystal Shoji, the meeting gave participants a chance to share their understanding of problems homeless families face and programs could be put into place to resolve them.

The recurring theme was there is a lack of affordable housing and the increasing number of landlords who resist renting to tenants with poor rental, credit and criminal histories.
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Essay wins $100,000 makeover for Central Florida homeless group

Essay wins $100,000 makeover for Central Florida homeless group
Kate Santich Sentinel Staff Writer
August 2, 2008
ORLANDO - The Central Florida Coalition for the Homeless showed off its new Early Childhood Development Center on Friday after the center's director wrote a winning essay for a $100,000 makeover.

"Not only does our organization provide housing for the homeless, but it also provides free day care so that the parents may have an opportunity to finish their own schooling, attend rehabilitation if necessary, work or look for employment while their children are in a warm, nurturing environment," Director Vinnie Vivian wrote for the contest, sponsored by The Child Care Consultants, an advocate for safe and educational child care.

Operation Daycare Renovation, as it was dubbed, had more than 250 applicants from Central Florida.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-b3report02_108aug02,0,2185720.story

Washington DC Homeless Residents Get a Reprieve

Homeless Residents Get a Reprieve
After Suit Is Filed, Shelter Slated for Closing Will Continue Accepting Men

By Sindya N. Bhanoo
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 2, 2008; Page B04

District officials reversed a decision to start turning men away from the Franklin School shelter yesterday after several residents filed a suit protesting their removal.

The downtown shelter, which is set to close Oct. 1, will continue to operate as a first-come, first-served facility, said Laura Zeilinger, deputy director for program operations with the Department of Human Services. She offered no explanation for the reversal.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) announced plans this year to close the shelter at 13th and K streets NW as part of his effort to move the city away from temporary shelters and to create more permanent housing for the homeless.

The shelter had announced that only 320 men on an approved list would be allowed to stay at the facility through the fall. That list included those who had the most stays at Franklin during the past 90 days, those who had 500 nonconsecutive stays since Franklin opened and those who were being referred for permanent housing by the city.

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St. Pete to homeless: Move your stuff

St. Pete to homeless: Move your stuff
The city has ordered about 100 homeless people living under Interstate 375 to remove belongings that have accumulated there. The order is based on a city ordinance passed within the past year that requires public property and rights of way to be clear of private belongings.

After outcry, event to help Sanford's homeless moved to Longwood

After outcry, event to help Sanford's homeless moved to Longwood
Kate Santich Sentinel Staff Writer
July 31, 2008
First, Sanford officials decided they didn't want 200 homeless people flocking downtown for a daylong event that would offer them medical care, showers, meals, employment counseling and identification.

Then the city's mayor showed up Wednesday at the rescheduled event -- moved to Longwood's Northland church -- to show her support.

A mixed message?

"We're not really evil, mean and wicked," said Sanford Mayor Linda Kuhn, who, at the urging of the City Council, had asked if the event could be relocated. "I believe in what they're doing."
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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/orl-homeless31x08jul31,0,5971031.story

Man attacks homeless group outside St. Petersburg City Hall

July 30, 2008
Man attacks homeless group outside City Hall
ST. PETERSBURG -- A group of homeless people subdued a deranged man who violently interrupted them as they waited to be fed by a church group outside City Hall late Tuesday, police said.

A man identified only as John Doe approached the line around 10 p.m. and punched 24-year-old Richard P. Gibson, Jr. with a closed fist "for no reason at all," said police spokesman George Kajtsa.
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http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2008/07/man-attacks-hom.html

Longwood FL church helps homeless

From haircuts to counseling -- event at church will help the homeless
Adrian G. Uribarri Sentinel Staff Writer
July 30, 2008
LONGWOOD-More than 150 volunteers will gather at Northland Church in Longwood today to help the homeless. Services will include showers, medical care, haircuts, employment opportunities, substance-abuse and mental-health counseling. Homeless Services Network of Central Florida is organizing the event, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 530 Dog Track Road. For more information, call 407-893-0133 or visit www.hsncfl.org

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/orl-b3report30_308jul30,0,4657931.story

No longer calling Winter Park shed home, Daniel Lazzatti looks to future

No longer calling Winter Park shed home, Daniel Lazzatti looks to future
Erika Hobbs Sentinel Staff Writer
July 22, 2008

WINTER PARK - -Daniel Lazzatti used to dream that winged dragons swooped from the sky to save him from poverty, homelessness and a learning disability.

His dreams of rescue are gone.

For the first time in his 19 years, the young man who used to live alone in a shed is happy. Life is good.

"I think before I was just surviving," he said. "I was all confused and lost.

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These homeless are not transients -- they were your neighbors

These homeless are not transients -- they were your neighbors
Darryl E. Owens COMMENTARY
July 19, 2008
Friday morning, chronically homeless men and women hopped off the school bus that shuttled them from nearby homeless camps to Spirit of Joy Church. The east Orange County church served as the latest venue for Project Homeless Connect, a roving one-day event that links the homeless to shelter, food, and legal, medical and other services.Then, Vanessa Lockhart walked in, trailed by her son and two daughters. They looked anything but homeless.
But as Lockhart moved through the crowd, etched on her face was the apprehension that soon she might well be.

Homeless advocates already know 400 more people now are living on our streets at a given moment than last year. But they can only guess at the untold number of Central Floridians such as Lockhart who lie at the brink of disaster."One of the misconceptions is that we bus them [homeless] in from Detroit or somewhere," says Catherine Jackson, executive director of the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida. "The people who are homeless were living in homes here and became homeless. These are not transients -- these are neighbors."
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