← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · kminta
Thread ID: 16901 | Posts: 4 | Started: 2005-02-22
2005-02-22 22:41 | User Profile
[B][URL=http://www.citymayors.com/features/uscity_poverty.html]US cities expect poverty to grow further in 2005[/URL][/B] [B]By Josh Fecht, US Editor[/B]
Hunger and homelessness continued to rise in major American cities during 2004, according to the latest US Conference of Mayors-Sodexho USA Hunger and Homelessness. In particular, families with children requesting food assistance and emergency shelter increased substantially during 2004. The mayors of some of America's largest cities also said that they expected further increases in demand for emergency shelter and food provisions in 2005.
Even with an improving economy, overall requests for emergency food assistance increased by an average of 14 per cent over the past year with 96 per cent of the cities registering an increase. Also during the past year, requests for emergency shelter assistance increased by an average of six per cent, with 70 per cent of the 27 cities surveyed showing an increase.
ââ¬ÅThese are not simply statistics,ââ¬Â said Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell, who co-chairs the US Mayors Conference's Task Force on Hunger and Homelessness. ââ¬ÅThese are real people, many are families with children, who are hungry and homeless in US cities. Unfortunately, the results of this yearââ¬â¢s survey tell us that we are still far short in meeting the challenges of our neediest citizens,ââ¬Â the Nashville Mayor explained.
[B]Hunger[/B] During the past year, requests for emergency food assistance by families - children and their parents - increased by an average of 13 per cent. On average, 20 per cent of the requests for emergency food assistance have gone unmet over the last year. For families alone, 17 per cent of requests for food assistance have gone unmet. Forty-eight per cent of the cities surveyed reported that emergency food assistance facilities may have to turn away people in need due to lack of resources. The survey finds that 56 per cent of those requesting emergency food assistance were families, and 34 per cent of the adults requesting food assistance were employed.
In all of the cities surveyed, families and individuals relied on emergency food assistance facilities both in emergencies and as a steady source of food over long periods of time.
Additionally, the survey shows that unemployment and other employment-related problems lead the list of causes of hunger. Other causes contributing to hunger, in order of frequency, include low-paying jobs, high housing costs, poverty or lack of income, medical or health costs, substance abuse, high utility costs, mental health problems, homelessness, reduced public benefits and high childcare costs.
[B]Homelessness[/B] During the past year, some 78 per cent of the cities surveyed reported that requests for emergency shelter by homeless families increased by seven per cent. Fifty-six per cent of participating cities reported that families may have to break up in order to be sheltered.
More than 80 per cent of the cities reported that emergency shelters may have to turn away homeless families and other homeless people due to lack of resources. An average of 23 per cent of the requests for emergency shelter by homeless people overall have gone unmet over the last year. Additionally, for homeless families, 32 per cent of the requests for assistance were not met.
Cedar Rapids Mayor Paul Pate told City Mayors that these survey results indicated, as they have in the past 19 years that we have done this survey, that there was still a great deal to be done to address the serious issue of homelessness in America. ââ¬ÅAgain this year, the survey shows that the demand for homeless shelters in our communities continues to increase. It is important that we all take seriously the challenge of eliminating chronic homelessness over the next ten years,ââ¬Â Mr Pate added.
According to the survey, the lack of affordable housing was the leading cause of homelessness. Participating cities reported that other causes most likely attributing to homelessness, in order of frequency, include mental illness and the lack of needed services, substance abuse and the lack of needed services, low-paying jobs, unemployment, domestic violence, poverty, and prisoner re-entry.
The survey also shows that people remained homeless for an average of eight months in the survey cities. Forty-six per cent of the cities reported that the length of time people are homeless increased during the last year.
Single men comprised 41 per cent of the homeless population, families with children 40 per cent, single women 14 per cent, and unaccompanied youth five per cent.
[B]Outlook:[/B] Almost 90 per cent of the cities surveyed expect that requests for emergency food assistance will increase during 2005. Eighty-four per cent expect that requests for emergency food assistance by families with children will increase next year. Furthermore, 88 per cent of participating cities expect that requests for emergency shelter will increase next year, and 78 per cent expect requests for shelter by homeless families will increase in 2005.
City officials believe that even with an improving economy, economic conditions will continue to have a negative impact on the problem of hunger and homelessness.
2005-02-23 00:07 | User Profile
I recall liberal Republican Jack Kemp in the early '90's touting urban "Enterprise Zones" as the solution to these problems...the Plutocracy has since seen fit to export those factories and millions of family-supporting jobs to the Third World.
The Mayors should have fought NAFTA, GATT and the WTO more vigorously...we're all n*ggers on the NWO's Global Plantation.
'Til we burn the sucker down. :thumbsup:
2005-02-23 00:38 | User Profile
Here in my one mule town there is a church that serves hot meals on mondays and tuesdays, I go there once in a while to eat lunch (I get tired of eating microwave food all the time) and in the past month I have seen an increase of people eating there.
Here in this town we have a 74% of people on welfare and two wood mills closed their doors not to long ago.
PS: I always donate $20.00 when I eat there.
2005-02-23 16:01 | User Profile
All the more reason to leave the big cities to "dark masses" and they will cave in on themselves. Should be fun to watch the mexicans and negros fight over the scraps, while the joos wring their hands and deny everything