Our Values begin as a Negative number?

We take children from their parents. Because the
parents became homeless and this taking can
traumatize the kids , but we still maintain that it's for
their own good (shades of Alice Miller) . Or was it
that we wanted to traumatize the parents too?

Now like Housing First, indicators reveal that it
is less expensive , 5 times less,to keep the family
together than it is to terrorize it apart .

On it's face it seems that children are being held
above the fair housing act by being excluded
from having to Go homeless. Their parents be damned.
But "WE" know whats good for others as long as it seems
a cheap alternative. .Churn this around some. Explore
your belief system. Be brutally honest with yourself.
You dont have to admit anything to anybody else.
Get real. Does the "future" not depend on what
we do in the present? Is it more so that there is
only a succession of nows? When the Future does
get here it's only now? We teach by example and
they learn by watching what we do.

We discriminate against the adults. We will herd
adults around from camp ground to camp ground.


We are finding out that we have been wrong
by wasting money and that is what we truly
valued. ...the money. Excuse me but your Life
does not seem to be of any value, please move
along.

But , God may this be true, what I really see
is that parents have been included into the grace
we show children, or thought we were showing
them , to be more precise. The inHumanity we
put up with displays the lack of respect we consider
acceptable for ourselves.

See this article .............sign up for their Newsletter.
It is the most relevant newsletter out there.

This Human Rights stuff is primal .

If I confront your Love of children understand this.
What we do by pretending love only leaves our mess
for our Grandchildren and their Grandchildren to clean up.
Isn't that what we are really teaching them to pass on?

Here is what I have been going on about.
***********************************************************
Featured: June 25, 2009Every Child Deserves the Right to Housing.
Waters introduces resolution on children's right to housing .

Today the Chair of the House Subcommittee on Housing and
Community Opportunity, Maxine Waters, introduced a House
Resolution 582 supporting the right to housing for
all children together with their families.

The resolution recognizes that as Americans, we believe
our children shouldn't be denied the right to be housed together
with their families based on what neighborhood you live in,
or how much money you make.

Click here to read more. http://www.nlchp.org/news.cfm?id=1

May 21, 2009Suit Filed Against City of St. PetersburgSouthern
Legal Counsel (SLC), Florida Institutional Legal Services (FILS),
and the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (NLCHP)
filed a lawsuit in federal court yesterday on behalf of a class of
homeless plaintiffs challenging the constitutionality of a number
of ordinances and practices that target homeless individuals living
in St. Petersburg.

Click here to read more.
June 19, 2009Stop Discrimination Against HomelessEarlier this week,
a UN Expert on Racism, Mr. Githu Muigai, introduced his report to the
United Nations Human Rights Council regarding the his visit to the
United States in May and June of 2008, condemning the disparate
law enforcement efforts against African American homeless persons
in Los Angeles' Skid Row.

Click here to read more. Insult to Injury: Violations of the Violence Against Women Act
An Ounce of PreventionPrograms to Prevent Homelessness in 25 States
Without Just CauseA 50-State Review of the (Lack of) Rights of Tenants in Foreclosure
2007 Annual Report
Determining HomelessnessA Defintion
Our programs: Housing Domestic Violence Income Children and Youth Human Rights Civil Rights Hurricane Katrina LEAP
Home News About NLCHP Press Releases Publications Action Alerts Calendar of Events Contact Us Donate Join Us Wiki Privacy PolicyCopyright © NLCHP 2008

Population,Energy,Transportation,and Affordable Housing Trends

Joining up Transportation,Housing,

and Enviromental Policy

by John Puentes

http://www.planetizen.com/node/39306

Get your coffee and sit down for this one .

We have an article over at Planetizen dot com which tells about 3 Branches

of Government getting together to discuss Affordable Housing.

A Brookings Institute writer is impressed, I actuallythink things

might get to happening. D.O.T. , H.U.D. , and The EPA all in the same room .

And another thing is mentioned that Blows my mind...... ,

We have a projection of 213 billion Sq. Ft. of Housing,Retail and Commercial

need to be built Nationally by 2030. The 64,000 workforce housing units

the TERWILIGER ULI report stresses for FAIRFAX makes me feel that a

24/7 effort ought to be underway already. Thats only 20 yrs. out.

If you look into the population projections and Median Age shifting upward

from 26 yrs to 37 yrs by 2050 you start to see that 50 yr. planning is essential.

Take a look at these graphs , the time warp is the baby boomer generation.

Notice the upward growth trajectory declined a touch in 1860 and 1930

We seem to be going straight up now, no more gradual inclines. The ability

to mash up the goals of these Departments should give us Transportation

and Energy Efficient Affordable Housing. Expense and cost are finally

combining.

Bt 2050 17 Developed countries will have a median age over 50.

6 million people anticipated to be 100 yrs of age by 2050. And as I

have said before only 75 million people in the US alive today will be

alive in 2050 of the more than 400 million population projected.

Have a good read.

Behind Door #1 please

This isn't a Game Show, as much as I wish
that it was. What is behind Door#1 is the
first housing option I hope to be offered
some time in the future. I suspect that
I will gladly accept any offer received and
That is Behind Door #1.

My Social Security stipend would be around
$700 per month, meaning that I would pay
rent in the amount of $210 per month using
the 30% guideline before any medicine costs
and I am not sure what that would be at this
time.

I would lose my membership at South County
Health Clinic. Last I heard any Homeless person
was eligible for at least 6 months treatment .
Thats worth checking out. They do make you
prove a lot of info before accepting new members.

The Emergency rooms around town are INOVA.
You might get immediate help but you will go
begging for the prescription costs. So if you can
stress this to the DR. and try for generic. Then
you ought to get them at Wal Mart with a call
to COORDINATED SERVICES. You reach them
only by phone, but they can direct you to help.

With Social Security I would then qualify for
Medicaid. So I am not looking forward to the
Changeover. And Then Food stamps change
too. So I am really humbled that this is what
I am hoping for right now. The Average SSI
or SSDI check nationwide is about $700.

A "normal" household considers Utilities to
be about 3 to 5 % of income. The average
Electric bill nationwide is $90. Thats not
5% to me. Thats 12-15% , or a $270 amt.
to your $90. And phones dont count?

We will find out someday.

LIVING ON..............regardless.

You tend to watch expenses when you are living
off of gifts from friends, call it handouts if you
wanted to, but I will continue to call them gifts.

General Relief in Fairfax comes once a "review"
is completed by a Dr. . So a professional opinion.
But they direct you to apply for Social Security
as a condition. An intake person sorts us thru
at the very start. Then A Doctor examines you
and if the Dr. agrees you receive an amt. based
on your having proven a disability. They give Food
Stamps too. Combined amt. at the time was
$380 or so.

If you are inside a dwelling and are contributing
to the household or just your space they sort thru
that to determine assistance you are getting already
if any and then decide whatever they decide.
I understood that I was headed for Homelessness
while still not yet evicted . I simply surrendered to
my situation, my Depression. And asked for help.

And in the process began receiving $220 per month.
Nobody offered or suggested rental help . The landlord
wanted to keep me if there had been a way. But I didn't have
a clue and was not about to make a hopeful promise to pay
at some point in the future which I couldn't keep.

So I suspect that eviction help is only for families?
Or these servants are editing and judging who must
really need the help. The Nurse Practitioner I saw first
basically told that to me. But then they would have
responded that the case manager's job covers the mention
of Housing, not the Prescriber of the medicines.

Not my job, not my job either, my job? , not my Job.

I was only directed to a shelter. And where is the door
you knock on looking for help with housing????
Please tell me where that is please.

So you only learn what they tell you. $220 per month,
but not why or how. Yet the rules tell you to that you keep
them immediately up to date. So I got into a Shelter and
the G.R. was cut to $74. Since I was receiving housing
shelter from a county provider. At the per bed cost of $1150
per month including 2 meals a day, case manager, and classes
that I was coerced to take. In the 'HOUSING READY"
theme. So now I am paying rent? $150 per month?
And someday they will think I am ready.


Not really, When I was out of the shelter ( another story)
I found out then that I still only would recieive $74 as a
Homeless person. The $220 is for those with a Housing
expense. Misconceptions are perpetuated in a passive
aggressive way?

A. $220 is housing assistance once you subtract $74. from it.
But when was I to figure that out? Am I guessing ?
B. Accepting $220 also means I am not Homeless. Not by H.U.D definition
and therefor totally ineligible,if i had.
C. And I had to show via an Examination I was / am disabled.
This isn't kids stuff ,this is adults jumping through hoops.
D. If you aren't disabled then you are eligible for? Only Food Stamps?
Now I know why they pan handle for beer and cigs. They being
those people who have done so. I couldn't afford to be Homeless
if I still smoked. Sharing a cigarette happens alot too.


So I have maintained a storage space in Chantilly with the
$74 General relief. Technically I am paying rent, just not
residential rent.

And this month I learn that Giant and Safeway gave up
trying to compete with Wal Mart. $4.00 regular 30 day
generics at Wal mart was $23. at Giant and $42. at Safeway.
The woman one place stared right thru me , and the man
at the other place at least agreed that these corporations
like treating the public like Fools. $4.00 is a small amt.
to most people. It once was for me. But no longer.

Connect the Dots

It seems to me that a day doesn't pass that I don't learn about
a new organization thats been in existence 20 or more years.
The age isnt so important as is the overwhelming feeling that
I will never be able to grasp whats going on. The automatic
response to a problem is to create a solution. And the next
thing you know a new 501 c-3 is in the cooker.

As new philanthropists seek out ways to serve this
community, we find consolidating efforts like a
VOLUNTEER MATCH and smaller data collecting
efforts such as GUIDESTAR out of Williamsburg,Va.
Just comprehending whats in Fairfax by itself is daunting.
Never had need to use the word Daunting til this moment,
and now it does fit . The information is still not centrally
locatable. If as I suspect ,most people do not have the
compulsive drive That I am using now as I persue my
answers, then at some point they go to the most
convenient.

Non-Profits acting as branch offices of County
services is great. Except no one tells you thats
what happening. No Overview of services is presented.
The Case managers , well , everytime I turn around I
had another one. Each place I go to had one for me.
At this point I could arrange a training seminar for them .
And I know I dont know nearly whats needed and whats
available. Hidden behind the curtain the great and wonderful
Oz knows. But are they telling? Each one is posturing for
the camera , thats for sure.

Online now we are seeing the use of TAGS.
These are like memory joggers which help you group
and retrieve information via the TAGS. We also have
a hierarchy of concerns that an organization is persuing.
Anything to help a person find and understand what they
are looking at. The amount of time and energy a group
spends on its core objectives can be enhanced with a
system that sorts through the Blurr. Connecting the dots
between those that share similar affinities ought to help
accelerate the positive outcomes that no longer are resource
wasteful. But allowing them to stay separated respects
the character of each . Even just networking would
improve the prospects for all.

There, I said it !!

Since we Virginia residents pay a sales tax on
purchases. I believe it's 5.5 cents per dollar ?
Let us tax our property tax. In a comparitive
manner.

Sales tax on every dollar. The perception of?
Why not add 6 cents on every $100 of that
assessed valuation, present it as a seperate tax?
So lets get AFFORDABLE HOUSING on track
and get these people off the streets. By attending
to the need and adding 6 cents per $100 to the
Real Estate tax .A 27 million per Penny yields
162 million per year. If thats off by a few million
per penny then oops. Minimizing the comparison
and maximizing the positive human benefits.

My plea is that we create a baseline of building
which includes revitalization of Urban locations
which are location efficient to the bottom dwellers
of the Affordable Index. Working the Bottom up.
This base of positive activity can crank out
production even in "down times " because we
know that the cycle has nothing to do with
the volume of Affordable Houses needed by
our experienced study of the growth
patterns.

Scarcity only supports those selling.
A show of strength by Affordabilty
Advocates would clearly help make this
obvious . Building a base of units inspire
a more accurate look at this spiritual malady
hidden within the Affordability syndrome.
Why we have been unable to allow this
human rights issue to fester and persist.

In a 10 year time span we would channel
about 1.5 billion to Affordable Housing. The
ULI Terwiliger Workforce Housing initiative
suggests 65000 workforce units by 2025.

Thats the need for housing units just in fairfax
and is not the total projected need, just the
Workforce affordable segment. 15 years equates
to about 4325 units each year. That first year
might surpass SRO and such for the Homeless.

This wont solve our projected needs without 9 more years
of effort . With 50 % leverage this would buy 2 billion worth
of property. A 2 bedroom at an average of $200,000 is 500
cash so 1000 extends the 100 million with a 30 to 62 million
reserve. 10 x 1000 only yields 10,000. units in 10 years.
Call that a 10 year plan. The Intuitive 10 yr.plan.

Take care of Affordability and Homelessness diminishes
dramaticaly. If we take til 2018 to build these units to end
homelessness we collide with affordability deficits. Solve
two problems with the same efforts. Tweet ,Tweet for
Tweet.

Homeless in Fairfax

Working from the bottom up.

I was pretty busy today. I was invited to the CFUH board retreat
in Reston/FoxMill area which was guided by a facilitator who
kept things on track. That may be old hat for some people but
it was a new experience for me. Their agenda was simply the
agenda being monitored.

Information bullets that would meld into a news release and
an action plan to get to the Fall board . Human information
management wiki in the processing. Content developed in
context, without the confusion afterwards the board had
their private recap meeting.

This was the second time at one of their meetings
and I quess that i am one of them myself now.
As the only Homeless person in attendance ,
as I introduced myself I mentioned that the closest
I come to a church is 12 step meetings.
This rounded out the "representation" .
That was my simple way of acknowledging my
belief in God. Not AA.

I saw a few people I met a few months ago in
the hypothermia program at this same church.
And met another person referred to back then
by a wife. A comment about my car was then
turned around on her about his "crummy watch,"
all in good fun. The more important thing was
my experience is needed.

I explained to a few people that I am not
a Homelessness advocate per se. Homelessness as
seen by me is a function of a lack of needed Affordable
Housing. Solution based versus problem based. The
meeting was percieved by me to be an unfoldment
of understanding as to just what CFUH was and is
becoming. And wanting to meld into the existing
efforts already underway. The number of charities
and non profits can overwhelm a person not knowing
what to expect. It was agreed to find out from these
other how we can help and how they can help in return.
Not wasting effort or energy if at all possible.

The guy with the "crummy" watch spends time in Richmond
working to advocate for the Homeless and Poor. I learned that
the powers that be in Richmond arent funding some basic things
specified in the multi-trillion dollar stimulus plan. If not now?
When? This just didnt make any sense. I cant ask for myself
as easy as I can for people who have or could have a chance
to avoid the wonderful experience I have been blessed with.
Thats a cynical statement to some ,,but my attempt at seeing
it a different way takes work . It doesnt come easy at times
and the absurdity of withholding funding makes zero sense to
me.

So I will study his web site and absorb what I can and just
maybe make a contact with a member of the State Senate
that I have known for quite some time and bumped into at
the Grocery store. This would and will be a stretch for me.
Like I said, I dont ask for help nearly as well as most. The
big guy who can take care of himself is a cover up for being
scared. Depressed helps support the idea of a negative
outcome so I can be okay with inaction covered in a layer
of anxiety . If it was only recently then I would call it
procrastination and I have paid dearly in my life for that
if that is what it is. 35 or 40 years of almost but not quite.

Depression cuts you off at the first opportunity to do so.
Writing this blog is a therapuetic endeavor. If I somehow
help you then great, but I truly know that I do this for
myself. 23 years ago I wrote for 3 weeks solidly turning
out 700 handwritten pages , downloading my brain
onto paper. That in itself lifted a huge chunk of the fog
surrounding my mind. Thats when I began dealing
with suicidal thoughts in a more mature way. I knew
I was in "pain" just not how to relieve that pain.
What I knew about myself was no longer up for
interpretation by others. So what about what I know,
it ruled out what I could not do which is terminate
myself , could not see getting wasted as anything
else but suicide roulette. So no mental masturbation
about drinking or drugging.

Some like to argue differently and be taken seriously.
I enjoyed the meeting today and being taken seriously.
Even if you dont agree, as long as we are alive we
can see things and discuss them and.....get something
done for affordable housing.

Definiens Definiendum

Definitions in Government vary,depends on which agency
you go to. They all get to re-invent the A,B,C's. And all this
time you thought you were confused? I didn't learn this quickly
at all, so off I charged using my best thinking and searching
out information scattered over what feels like the known
universe. Information by itself doesnt mean a thing in little
pieces until you can cement it together, just like bricks dont
build a home by themselves. Putting it together will not make
sure it stays together. Ouch ! The subtle nature of semantics
can get one past you in a heart beat. I used the word "CHRONIC"
in a past post as my poster child for this. You can continue once
you look up the meaning............

Now that you are back let me say that you made
a few assumptions if you didnt get your definition
at http://www.hud.gov/ simply because that is the
only definition that matters if you want their money.
Throw out the window all your logic and determine
what,who,why, where first. Make sure you remember
to retrieve that logic, just dont be so sure at the start
that you know anything.

George Bush said they wanted
to end "CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS"
in 10 years not "HOMELESSNESS" itself.
Yes, 360 communities nationwide have
adopted a 10 year plan to end homelessness
and that includes Fairfax, Virginia.
But a uninformed reporter with no contextual
background can twist things around in a
New York second while being sincere .

That is why I am sure that without an
official dictionary of words and what they
mean to us when we deal with any part of
the government we continue to allow political
double speak which just passes off the payment
to our Grandchildren and great- grandchildren.

The practice used in Bills to explain
the exact nature of the intent and such.
But not everyday or cross borders into
other councils and such. So much can be
said while remaining mute this way. Closing
this road with a functional dictionary would
make finding what you need to find so much
easier and the 2nd cousin of the R word "reliable."

BIG EXAMPLE

AFFORDABLE HOUSING:
defined in such a way that
WE ALL AGREE upon it's
relevance and WHY WE WILL
WORK FOR IT.
From the Bottom up
and the top down
so that we meet in
the middle.

God!!! Wouldn' t that be a a miracle .

Somewhere along the way the symptoms of
unmet Affordable Housing needs veered off
course and created seperate lesser problems.
It may be the biggest thing in my life right now,
but I really dont want more company in my parking lot.
The true reflection of our attitudes towards
Human Rights may be showing in that we allow
this deficit to persist, and please disagree if you
need to. If some push and others pull we
may just get out of this rut,

Homeless in Fairfax

Affordable Housing Ramble

My thoughts started at Affordable Housing and went up north
to a place made cold by the thoughts of money ,scarcity and lack.
Market forces? What does that really say to you? to me ?

Supply and Demand and now to reverse those
words to imply a different relationship. Demand
and supply. As I play with these words it becomes
a bit clearer.If I have the supply then I certainly
dont want a lesser demand.
Reframe this thought........2050 we shall see a
population increase of say 33% . So If I drag my feet
these next 42 years and purposely supply less than
the demand I can certainly have an expectation of
being Rich a few times. So long as the price of my product
can be met while i construct the houses and get them
delivered I can stay ahead of the economy.

There is no reason for me to want to share this knowledge
as Some are aware enough to figure this out and the others
can bumb along for the ride. The economic momentum stops
with a recession. Projects take 36 months to come out of
planning with approvals.

Deep deep pockets can see past that distant horizon.
The ones who can keep plugging along are the first wave
of potential winners. Those with cash see the returns made
on the money. The ones leveraged can topple due to lack of
foundation depth. How fast the economy comes to a stop is
the madness seen recently. Hugely leveraged operations are
better off coming to a stop slowly if they must stop at all under
the guidance of Bankruptcy law.

So I worry how many years it will take for a political force to push
Affordable Housing numbers up high enough that Homelessness
isnt used as a measure of Collateral damage. An Opportunist/
Capitalist has no motivation to engage in a mature effort to
meet housing demands. Zoning laws must act as the behaviour
modifier. Political will must confront the fact that Big Money
will not support these efforts until it see's repercusions and
consequences of it's own making.

I have said it before. This country was founded
on the homeless of Europe shipping over . This means
also that Politicians have kicked this problem around
for centuries.

Affordable must be defined bottom up and
top down so that we can meet in the middle.

Because if you havent noticed ,by creating different
definitions for the same word we are effectively
divided by semantics and that is why we must have
one definition that all can agree on .

From there we can pool our talents
and resources and create the change we seek.