The Cost of Homelessness
Many in our community think of homelessness as just a nuisance. Others want people who are homeless to be out of sight so they are out of mind. And there are others who are...
Many in our community think of homelessness as just a nuisance. Others want people who are homeless to be out of sight so they are out of mind. And there are others who are...
January 28 Welcome to the wonderful world of traveling on a bus. We each could pack one bag. Fortunately the shelter had suitcases to give to people when they leave the shelter. They were...
Answers to poverty quiz questions 16-20: 16.c; 17.b; 18.c; 19.a; 20.c What was the most successful part of the simulation for you? Teaching us about poverty and hardships people may have in their lives...
Answers for Questions 11-15: 11. None; 12. a; 13. a; 14. c. ; 15. b. 16. The consequences of child poverty (15-22% depending on the study) in the US is a cost of...
Answers to questions 6-10: 6.a; 7.c; 8.a; 9.b; 10.c 11. Which of the following items may be purchased with food stamps? (You may choose more than one answer.) a. Diapers b. Comet cleanser...
The answers to questions 1-5 (see previous post) are 1.b; 2.c; 3.a; 4.c; 5.c What percentage of people age 5+ in South Carolina speak a language other than English at home? a.6.8% b.8% c.21.4%...
1. The 2014 poverty level for a family of four was: a. $17,600 or below b. $23,850 or below c. $25,800 or below 2. In 2013, the number and percentage of South Carolina residents...
When I switch from the 2014 calendar to the pristinely clean pages of my new 2015 calendar, everything seems a possibility. The past year with both joys and concerns is done and the new...
Annual Report 2014 Significant happenings: OEWO once again moved beyond Greenville County. I did workshops or simulations in Anderson, Pickens, and Beaufort counties as well as in Columbia, Roswell, GA. and Buffalo, NY. OEWO...
This ran as a guest editorial by me in the Greenville News on Sunday, December 14, 2014. I have worked in the poverty field for more than thirty years. I am passionate about all...
This time of year is full of contrasts: Darkness of Advent… light of Christmas Excess of the celebration…inadequacy of resources to celebrate Expressions of love and joy… desperation of depression and loneliness Hope of...
I recently revisited some articles I wrote for the newsletter at United Ministries when I still worked there. This scenario from December 2007 touched me once again. Gifts come in all shapes and sizes. Many of...
Here is an excerpt from Angelika’s Journal. She and her mother and brother are now staying in a shelter. December 20 Today was our last day of school before the winter break. I’m sad...
“Compassion constitutes a radical form of criticism,” says Walter Brueggeman in The Prophetic Imagination. Compassion says that I feel what you feel, I experience the human frailty that you experience. The powers-that-be cannot allow...
Edited excerpt from Angelika’s Journal November 20 I hope that Mama can work out something soon. With only one bathroom, I have no privacy for ANYTHING. I want to be able to take a...
John-Paul Flintoff, author of How to Change the World, was interviewed in the March/April 2013 issue of The Optimist. He had been active in world changing organizations such as Greenpeace and Friends of the...
I ran into Gloria today whom I first met as an addicted, homeless prostitute. I was thrilled to learn that she has been working the same job for nine years. She goes to church...
I told a friend about my mantra verse for all these years of working in poverty: Matthew 10:16 where Jesus is teaching the disciples before sending them out. He says, “Be ye wise as...
I was asked recently asked by someone who is mentoring an at-risk youth, “Is college for everyone?” She wondered about how valid it was for her to push the idea of college for someone...
Certain words have different meanings for people who have resources and those who don’t. One of the words is the word “money.” Those of us with resources use “money” to mean “security”—home, food, education,...