Homeless | haRdLy NOrMal

Posts Tagged ‘Homeless’

THANK YOU to all of YOU and National Alliance to End Homelessness

Published by July 15th, 2010 in My Big Mouth

This week was an amazing week for me. Three years ago when I lost my cushy, six-figure marketing job I aggressively went after executive employment in homeless services. For some time I was back involved helping people with socks and water on weekends, so since unemployment is a chance to go after dreams I thought I would chase mine. Unfortunately, because of the economy, I found a nightmare. No one would hire me – not homeless services – not McDonald’s.

This week the National Alliance to End Homelessness flew me in to their annual homeless conference in Washington, DC. It was truly an honor, but in all honesty I have all of you to thank. Here I am a guy with a cellphone, laptop and social media. Even though I have a great resume, and my creative projects have raised millions of dollars for nonprofits, the only job I could find in homeless services was a low-paying case manager gig. Please note: I am grateful for Path Achieve Glendale for hiring me, and I also feel like it was meant to be since I learned so much. The point I am trying to make is that not one homeless services organization would hire me to help with their marketing, yet InvisiblePeople.tv’s even with a very limited budget has had more impact than maybe all the other big-budget homeless services marketing campaigns combined. For this I must thank each and every one of you for your continued support.

Here are a few highlights of the event:

100KHomes launched their new campaign (I’ll blog more about this)

My interview with Officer Robert Martinez from Santa Monica Homeless Liaison Program Unit

Delegate Charniele Herring’s keynote – AMAZING

You can watch HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan by clicking here

It was an honor to meet Dr. Jim O’Connell. Here is my interview with Becky Kanis, Dr. Jim O’Connell and Linda Kaufman, Chief Operating Officer, Pathways DC

All of these feeds were done with a $60 camera on a cheap laptop – mine! Homeless services are behind on anything internet related especially social media. Information at this conference effects us all because homelessness touches all of us in one way or another. This information needs to be on the internet.

Today most tools are free or low cost. There is no excuse anymore to not have a social media and internet presence. If I can do all this with a cellphone, laptop and lots of enthusiasm you too make make things happen. Just do it!

Again – thank you everyone for supporting me and very special thanks to NAEH for believing in me enough to allow me to run around with my laptop like the madman that I am!

You Can Change Lives On Hollywood Blvd

Published by April 18th, 2010 in My Big Mouth

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For those who have heard me speak or have been following me you already know how much I love Common Ground. Just before the Holidays I had the honor of interviewing Beth Sandor and Becky Kanis, which may have been my favorite interview so far [you can watch here]. Common Ground has made a huge difference in New York City, and they have an aggressive 100,000 Homes Campaign that will be launched this summer.

In preparation, Common Ground has already started to survey communities such as Charlotte, Denver, Phoenix and Detroit. This coming week Common Ground will be surveying Hollywood.

Lives Can Change

Most people think I am whacked for loving Hollywood Blvd so much. I will admit it is an acquired taste. I’ve tried to move, but for some reason I always come back to the Blvd. For most of the last 26 years I have lived near Hollywood Blvd, and in 1995 I literally lived on Hollywood Blvd – homeless and hopeless. I am proof that even the worst street person can change for the better.

Of course, many of you have heard about homeless counts before. About once a year communities ask for volunteers to count homeless people in a geographic region, mainly to get funding. Common Ground’s survey is so much more than a count. The main purpose is to use tools like the vulnerability index to find the people who need help the most and get them housed. That’s right – housing! Unlike the homeless counts you’ve heard of before, and (most) Homeless Connect Days, Common Ground partners with the local community to get these people the help they need!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Hollywood Homeless Registry Week is April 25 – 30, 2010

Sunday, April 25th – 2 to 5 p.m. at Hollywood Fountain South (6501 Fountain Ave.): Training on motivational interviewing and Vulnerability Index tool from Common Ground’s 100,000 Homes Campaign Leadership Team
Monday – Wednesday, April 26 – 28th – 3:30 a.m. to 6 a.m.: Debrief at Hollywood Fountain South (6501 Fountain Ave.) and field interviews
Friday, April 30th – 2 to 3pm: Community briefing and presentation of survey results. Location TBD.

For more information download the PDF here

Ok, I hear ya! 3am is crazy early for people anywhere and especially those of us in La La Land. But we are talking about saving lives! Common Ground has a proven track record of success so your time will not be wasted. This is a real opportunity for you to make a real difference in our community. If you cannot find the time please do me a favor and share this post with everyone you know.

This Is Only The Beginning.

Common Ground is just starting in Los Angeles and will be moving to a new office next month. Its exciting to envision the impact they will have on our homeless crisis. They could use a few office items. If you can help please contact Beth Sandor via BSandor [at] commonground [dot] org

Common Ground Office Wish List
Item	Number
desk	1
table	2
phones	4
file cabinets	2
desk chairs	4
printers	2
Reception area chairs	2
Reception area table	1
Refrigerator	1
Microwave	1
Coffee maker	1
Bookcases	2 to 4

This morning I was honored to join Kerry from Hollywood Entertainment District for coffee. They are the primary stakeholders in making this survey happen. Being honest, for the first time in many years I felt encouraged that there will soon be a real solution to help my homeless friends on Hollywood Blvd. Please do whatever you can to support Common Ground and the Hollywood community in making a real difference! I am proof that lives can be changed on Hollywood Blvd.

Interview With Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan

Published by March 6th, 2010 in My Big Mouth

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I was really honored that Mayor Sullivan took the time out of his busy schedule to speak with me this week. Anchorage, Alaska has a very serious homeless problem, and making matters worse a very serious alcohol abuse problem. I was told official number of deaths in 2009 of homeless people was 12 – 14. Most all were alcohol related. What has not been officially reported was the number of deaths of people found in hotels, so the number of deaths is much higher.

How serious is the problem? Several of the people were found dead with Listerine bottles next to the body. Original formula Listerine is 26.9 percent alcohol, making it approximately 54 proof. When stores are closed, or sale is refused, people addicted to alcohol drink Listerine.

My next post I will write about my own addiction to alcohol 20 and 30 years ago to help give some perceptive. I also rode along with Anchorage Police and I am still trying to process everything I experienced. I will write about that, too, and add a video made with Sgt Allen.

I wish I had answers for this community. The people of Anchorage are some of the nicest I have ever met. From what I saw (I was there three days) Mayor Sullivan is taking some right steps to solve a huge problem. But talk is talk and the community must work together to turn talk into action. After this interview Mayor Sullivan allowed me to join a homeless task force meeting. To be honest, I got emotional in the meeting. Not because I was there, but because I kept on thinking about what would happen in Los Angeles if all the homeless service providers and politicians got in a room and worked out real solutions.

I rolled 2nd camera and that video can be found here

Anchorage Press wrote a story about my visit

We can end homelessness. It is doable!

Published by September 1st, 2008 in My Big Mouth

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This thought kind of just happened by accident through two events.

I was working on a marketing strategy for a retreat and conference center on the East Coast in a very rural city and I happened to put the address into google maps and did a search on how many churches there are nearby. The results shocked me!

Then last Thursday Pastor Matthew stated he had heard that if every church took in just 2 homeless people the problem will be solved. Hmm…I started thinking about that I went back to google maps.

Let’s play a little game. Go to google maps and enter your church address. When the box appears click on “Search nearby”. Type in the word “church” and hit enter. Then on the left menu column you’ll see the option to “refine by:” Click on “distance” and look at the number. Now click on “15 miles”. Take that number and multiply by 2. If the churches in your area just helped 2 people each that would be the total amount of people helped and the end of homelessness or poverty is doable. Very doable!

Now I am not talking helping people by leading them into the “sinner’s prayer” and leaving them with toothpaste and a bottle of water. I mean really extending yourself and actually helping just 2 people out of poverty! Every church can help 2 people, can’t they?

As an example I didn’t want to use Los Angeles just because it is a large metropolitan area. The number is so huge it freaks me out! So this example will be more real I used my last physical address in Missouri. Within 15 miles of my old address there are 2,580 churches. Within 45 miles there are 9,243 churches. If each church helped just 2 people (a month? a year?) that would be 18,486 people helped out of poverty in St Louis. I might be wrong here but I believe the number of homeless in the St Louis area is less than 500 on any given night.

So I realized two things here. Solving homelessness is doable and the Body of Christ can actually make a serious impact if we just put our words into action. Also, as is right now, the church is selfish and blind. We believe we are helping people but if we just step back and see the real truth we would be aware of how little effect most churches have on the world.

I sure hope this is a wakeup call for someone!

WARNING – these videos will mess you up

Published by July 26th, 2008 in Homeless, My Big Mouth

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This week I keep getting slapped in the face. I was asked to share my story at AT/DC the other night and as I started to reflect about everything I was just slammed with the seriousness of homelessness, what God has done for me and how very lucky I am to have gotten off the streets and still be able to formulate a sentence.

Yesterday a co-worker asked me to help a friend who was trying to help a homeless person. As I was doing a little research I found these videos and I have been messed up ever since. Yesterday driving home from work and then to and from church each homeless person I saw, and there are many, I could literally feel their pain.

As a TV producer and a fundraiser I feel these videos are excellent. As a person who once lived homeless on the streets of Los Angeles these videos do a very good job of capturing the seriousness of the situation. I hope you take the time to watch more than one, and my prayer is that you will be motivated into action. At the very least please share a link to this post with a friend. You may be a long way from LA yet homelessness will affect you and your neighborhood very soon.

*** there are a very small number of “colorful” words in a few of these videos. If they stop you from viewing, or if you are more offended by such language than the issues facing our nation’s poor, go read a nice and fluffy blog because this ain’t one!

Skid Row Part 1: Introduction