Saturday, March 26, 2011

Unpaid jobs: The new normal? - Fortune Management

Unpaid jobs: The new normal? - Fortune Management: "'People who work for free are far hungrier than anybody who has a salary, so they're going to outperform, they're going to try to please, they're going to be creative,'"

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Dignity Village, Tent city - Home


Dignity Village, Tent city - Home: "We have had visitors from all over the world since we been here at the Sunderland yard from 2001 to 2008. We have been a model community for others who see the helping need that our village offers to the homeless people in the community. This has only happened because of all the wonderful support so many have given to us over the past 8 years. Many more community's across the country, have looked to us for answers to help the homeless population that is growing bigger each year. When People come out to visit us , they are amazed at what we have set up and how we help the 50 to 60 homeless people that live here at any given time, a stepping stone effect that gives each person living here a chance to help themselves regain a new start to gain main stream living again"

Safe Haven: rest for the weary : Culture : Smile Politely

Safe Haven: rest for the weary : Culture : Smile Politely: "From the very beginning, Safe Haven’s standard has been “no riff-raff.“ They expect no drinking, no drugs, no stealing, no violence — no riff-raff. They are attempting to establish a community characterized by safety, authority, and respect.
Safe Haven currently has 10 mutually agreed-upon guidelines that are enforced within the community (based, in part, on the rules established by Dignity Village in Portland, Ore.):"

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Seattle councilmen tour Dignity Village | For those who can’t afford free speech

Seattle councilmen tour Dignity Village | For those who can’t afford free speech: "March 4. Licata was joined by fellow council members Sally Bagshaw and Tom Rasmussen. Seattle is considering recreating a similar agreement for tent cities residents in Seattle. For more than a decade, Dignity Village has worked with the city as a transitional housing option for people working to move out of homelessness."
"The environmental justice organization OPAL (Organizing People, Activating Leaders) began a campaign on Feb. 21 to get Trimet to extend the transfer times of bus tickets by one hour.
Currently, people using Trimet buy one ticket for $2.05. That ticket has (or is supposed to have) a transfer time of two hours.
OPAL’s executive director, the Rev. Joseph Santos-Lyons, says it’s a matter of making sure that low-income people who depend upon public transportation to meet their daily, basic needs. “What we’re hearing is that people can’t do that,” Santos-Lyons says."

Happy (legal) campers— Eugene, Oregon | For those who can’t afford free speech

Happy (legal) campers— Eugene, Oregon | For those who can’t afford free speech: "More than a decade ago, the city of Eugene took a radical approach to common sense: faced with a homeless population it had neither the resources nor capacity to address, the city changed course and instituted a homeless camping program.
That was in 1998, and the program today has a backlog of people without homes that need a place to camp in safety and without penalty. The program is managed by St. Vincent DePaul, and the man at the helm of matchin"

Eugene City Council Reviewing Homeless Camping | KEZI

Eugene City Council Reviewing Homeless Camping | KEZI: "EUGENE, Ore. -- The number of homeless people in Eugene keeps rising and with it, so does the waiting list for an available camping spot.

That's why the community services manager will ask the city council for more camping spaces.

A mix of the economy and limited affordable housing has forced more residents to live in campers at places like Alton Baker Park. Homeless advocates say there's not enough camping permits to keep up with demand, a waiting list that has recently ballooned to 60.

After months of moving and parking his motor home on a daily basis, Richard Haskell can finally enjoy 90 days in one spot; the allocated time period for homeless camping. 'It's a great thing they got going. They should expand it if anything,' said Haskell.

Expansion is exactly what Community Service Manager Richie Weinman is hoping for when he goes before the city council Wednesday.

Right now, 20 camping spots are scattered throughout town, but only three campers are allowed in each lot. 'The best thing we can do is get more of those legal spaces because they take more pressure off of the street,' said Weinman. Weinman says taking pressure off the streets results in a safer community, especially for people like Haskell and John Peach who had to prove they were law-abiding citizens, before earning permits."

City Of Seattle Moves Forward On SODO Homeless Camp

City Of Seattle Moves Forward On SODO Homeless Camp: "Seattle city officials say they're moving forward with a plan to create a semi–permanent homeless camp in the SODO neighborhood. Soon the city aims to find funding for the project and an organization to manage the site. KUOW's Liz Jones reports.


TRANSCRIPT
The location for the city–sanctioned tent city is about 2.5 miles south of Safeco Field. The site is a former peanut butter factory known as Sunny Jim. It was destroyed by a fire earlier this year. The land is in the industrial part of SODO, right next to I–5. It's also close to a greenbelt known as the jungle, which has a long history of public safety concerns.
Smith: 'But look here's the deal, we want those folks there to feel just as safe as I or you would in our neighborhood, as related to the jungle. That's the bottom line.'
That's Deputy Mayor Daryl Smith. He says the city will work with the community to make sure the site is secure and safe. The city plans to raze the site and put up a structure with office space, bathrooms and an eating area. It'll also team up with an organization to manage the camp and help raise funds to support it."
FINAL DRAFT (October 18, 2010)
Citizen Review Panel Recommendations on
Encampments and Seattle’s Unsheltered Homeless Population
The Citizen Review Panel on Housing and Services for Seattle’s Unsheltered Homeless
Population recommends the City of Seattle sanction and offer available property to a
self-governed encampment to help meet the immediate survival and safety needs of
individuals in our community who have no access to safe shelter.
While the Citizen Panel endorses the establishment of an encampment, panel members
also strongly urge the City of Seattle to continue to aggressively develop permanent,
affordable housing options for individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness.
Encampments, along with other forms of substandard housing

Seattle Supports Homeless Camp Putting Down Roots | KOSU Radio

Seattle Supports Homeless Camp Putting Down Roots | KOSU Radio: "In Seattle, the city’s plans for a permanent homeless camp will get a public hearing Monday evening.
Similar encampments have sprung up in places like Sacramento and Fort Worth, where local officials shut them down.
Seattle wants to take a different approach with a city-run camp on city-owned property.
But the project is criticized for being at odds with the city’s own plan to end homelessness.
‘There Needs To Be A Place For Them’"

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Green-Projects-for-Homeless - -> No more criminalization of homeless-ness!

Green-Projects-for-Homeless - -> No more criminalization of homeless-ness!: "Between Sit/ Lie and Anti-Camping laws, for many homeless people, it is 'illegal' for them to simply sleep or rest, or gather their things anywhere within reasonable walking distance of (their only reliable sources of) food or services. Most do not have the fare for mass transit on any given day. It's not always easy to remain out of sight, away from the City Center. Add to this, many are in poor health, so that walking anywhere very far away is quite difficult.
We understand that there are some trouble makers among those who congregate on sidewalks, but to force the old, the tired, and the unhealthy to 'move along' as well - this can be cruel.


If our leaders and our police can not find the compassion to simply allow people to rest in the City center, then maybe they will realize that, reasonably, it is definitely in the public interest to designate some other places (at no or low-cost) where they would have some humble right to just be -- to peacefully sleep or rest or gather their things, or collect their dignity enough to try to find work."

Homeless, others protest city's 'no camping' ordinance

Homeless, others protest city's 'no camping' ordinance: "The protest was organized by the Free to Camp Coalition in reaction to the ordinance, enacted in 1997, that prohibits erecting shelters, laying down bedding for the purpose of sleeping, storing belongings, starting a fire, cooking or living in a vehicle in Tempe's public places. The protesters referred to Tempe Mayor Neil Giuliano as well in one of their chants.
ASU plant biology postgraduate Elizabeth Venable, who coordinated the protest, said she wanted to 'deal explicitly' with the criminalization of homelessness.
'People aren't addressing the political issues and the ways the state punishes [the homeless] or the ways people become homeless,' she said. She added that the ordinance banned activities 'normal people' can do without thinking that they're 'immoral' or illegal.
'But sitting doesn't hurt anyone and sleeping doesn't hurt anyone, and they're the basic things that people need to do to stay alive,' Venable said. 'The message that [the homeless] are getting is that homeless people shouldn't be able to stay alive. Like they're not worthy of living.'"

Homeless, their advocates sleep at county courthouse to protest Santa Cruz's camping ban - Santa Cruz Sentinel

Homeless, their advocates sleep at county courthouse to protest Santa Cruz's camping ban - Santa Cruz Sentinel: "Leigh, who declined to provide his last name, was preparing to sleep out on the courthouse steps for the second night. He said he has lived in Santa Cruz for 35 years and has been 'houseless' for the last four or five years.
'I understand at some legal level why the ban was implemented,' he said. 'I also understand that it was implemented due to the city's intentional oversight in the creation of housing and jobs for people that actually live here. They're in violation of the state charter that requires them to build housing for people that actually work here, or at least plan for it.'"

Free Campgrounds for RVs

Free Campgrounds for RVs: "There are MANY homeless people that live in and around the Walmart parking lot, not all of them have an RV to live in either. The area behind Big O is now an Arby's, and I doubt the owner of Big O would want people camped out on their property. If you want to take a risk, then park there, I see dozens of RVs in the Walmart parking lot all the time now, it's a shame because it looks seedy and discourages customers and it looks very unsafe.
Posted: 2/27/2010 Grants Pass Grants Pass Oregon"

Three Boulder homeless men challenge constitutionality of camping tickets - Colorado Daily

Three Boulder homeless men challenge constitutionality of camping tickets - Colorado Daily: "Three homeless men in Boulder are challenging the constitutionality of the city's anti-camping ordinance, claiming that it violates their Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment.
David Madison, Mark Wray Sr. and Donald Jackson each received a municipal ticket in November or December for camping without a permit within city limits.
Boulder's code makes it a municipal offense to sleep overnight in public places, including parks or under bridges, without written permission from the city manager. The tickets carry a $100 fine, but most indigent people who can't afford to pay must perform up to 12 hours of community service.
Madison, Wray and Jackson are each fighting their tickets in Boulder Municipal Court, where Associate Judge Jeff H. Cahn has already ruled against a motion to dismiss Madison's case on the basis that criminalizing sleep is tantamount to cruel and unusual punishment"

How to Camp Homeless in the City | eHow.com

How to Camp Homeless in the City | eHow.com: "Once while traveling I stopped beside the freeway and discovered a small one person camp just a few feet from the edge of the pavement. A few bushes shielded his camp from vehicles passing by at 65 miles and hour, but not from anyone taking a leak."

How to Live in Your Car - wikiHow

How to Live in Your Car - wikiHow: "Industrial estates and business parks are often noisy by day, but very quiet at night. Small ones close to residential areas are best. They have to be quiet at night. You may encounter security in some places like this, but if you are honest, saying you are just sleeping the night in your car, they usually won't bother you. Their main role is to protect the property.University car parks. This is okay if you are a student, but not so good if you are not associated with the university. If required, get a parking permit"

Homeless make case against ban on camping / LJWorld.com

Homeless make case against ban on camping / LJWorld.com: "'The guys who were down here tonight probably aren't bothering anybody, but I think we need to treat all city property the same,' Commissioner Mike Amyx said. 'As much as you might want to say it is OK to do it here, but not over here, I don't know how you write an ordinance to do that.'
Eddie Otwell has been homeless for the past four years after falling into a financial crisis following the death of his wife. He said staying at one of the city's two homeless shelters was like staying in a penitentiary to him. He urged commissioners to come down and experience life in the camp.
'I don't make no trouble,' Otwell said. 'I'm not saying I haven't had any, but I didn't make it. The ones that did cause trouble, we made them leave because we're kind of like a family down there.'
Commissioners also heard from Raleigh Worthington, who said that he chose to live on the river and thought he should be allowed to continue to do so.
'I like the simplicity of it,' Worthington said. 'I was born and raised on the river. I just really like it down there. It is just freedom.'"

Are exclusion zones the answer? | DailyTidings.com

Are exclusion zones the answer? | DailyTidings.com: "In the past year, they said, they've seen a dramatic increase in complaints from residents, tourists and business owners about people panhandling aggressively, making lewd comments to people on the street, blocking sidewalks and doorways, being loud, trespassing, using drugs and alcohol, urinating in public, littering and engaging in other forms of disorderly conduct"

Saturday, March 5, 2011