Posted on 12/12/2001 12:20:38 PM PST by mdittmar
Hunger and homelessness rose sharply in American cities this year as the nation slipped into recession and could get worse in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, according to a survey released on Wednesday by the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Examining the situation in 27 cities, the report found that requests for emergency food aid climbed an average of 23 percent and requests for emergency shelter rose an average of 13 percent during the year, from November 2000-2001.
"This survey underscores the real impact of the economic slowdown on real people," New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial told a news conference.
The annual report found an increase in requests for emergency food assistance in 25 of the 27 cities surveyed with no change reported in the other two, Chicago and Charleston.
However, resources available for emergency food aid failed to keep up with demand in most cities, increasing by only 12 percent.
Two thirds of the cities said they were unable to provide an adequate amount of food for those in need and 85 percent said they had cut either the size of the meals they provided or the number of times people could come to get food.
In one third of the cities, hungry people were actually turned away, the report stated. Over half of those needing help were families with children and over a third had jobs.
"Hunger remains a very real problem in America and that problem has gotten worse over the past four years," said Robert Forney, who heads America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest hunger-relief charity.
Citing the impact of the Sept. 11 attacks and the current recession, all of the cities participating predicted that both food assistance and shelter assistance requests will increase again in 2002.
That is already happening in cities like Denver, Nashville and Salt Lake City where layoffs in the travel, tourism, service and communication industries have been driven to food banks for the first time in their lives.
The survey also found that 19 cities reported increases in requests for emergency shelter compared to last year. It found that 22 percent of the increase came from families.
Resources were stretched beyond the breaking point. Over half of the requests for shelter from families went unmet, the survey said.
Officials estimate that 40 percent of the homeless were single men, 40 percent families with children, single women were 14 percent and 4 percent were children. Half of the homeless population was black.
In half the cities, families seeking shelter were broken up when temporary accommodation was found.
The left is so predictable.
The only ones I'll give money to are the honest ones. "Why lie, I need a beer" sign carriers get a five from me. The phoney "Work for Food - God Bless" guys arouse little sympathy.
What?! I've known quite a few people who have suddenly lost a job, myself included. 0.00% of us went into the streets to live in a cardboard box and eat out of a dumpster.
Homelessness is not a result of a loss of a job, sluggish stock market, or an economic slump. A super-majority of homeless people are alcoholics, drug addicts, or mentally ill.
This story is just more leftist drivel. What's really sad is the number of people who believe it. During the klinton administration, all we heard about was how wonderful the economy was and how it went bad the day GW Bush was elected.
And isn't it funny how, after buying food with food stamps, they pay for their beer and cigarettes with a fifty dollar bill?
During that time, I served breakfasts to the disabled and families, who are served in a place that doesn't have steps. ONE kid came in the whole time, with his mom, and there were probably 15 women among the 50 people that came in.
Some of the people who received free food there looked at the meal, complained loudly, and left without eating the food.
I still think that it was a positive experience for my son, because he pretty much knew that these guys were, for the most part, just taking the path of least resistance, and strengthened his desire to live well, and renewed his commitment to live a prosperous, productive life, which will prevent his having ever to take advantage of these social services.
Please, don't flame me for helping out Cecil Williams, who was involved with Jim Jone's "Peoples Temple" Guyana massacre, because I believe that this church is doing some positive work among the disturbed people who still roam the streets in liberal bastions like San Francisco.
Regards,
Jesus said the poor are always with us. You are right--because of Bush's stimulus package and the economic downturn, the propagandists are beating the drums (or their gums). It would be interesting to have a real study and see how much casinos have contributed to the upturn in food requests,as people have tried to recoup by gambling.
vaudine
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