Month Three: More Lost Jobs

This time 80,000 jobs were lost. The previous month 63,000 jobs were lost. It’s becoming a tragic trend.

I do believe there is a direct correlation between lost jobs and an increase in homelessness. Don’t listen to what the political leaders say, when they say homelessness is decreasing around the country. They are defining this as a decrease in “chronic homelessness”—those who have been on the streets more than a year, or homeless numerous times.

Is chronic homelessness decreasing? Or are they being swept into other communities, so they can set up tent cities on the outskirts of urban areas, like Ontario, California?

The cities that are truly helping to decrease chronic homelessness are those who are actually building affordable housing linked with intensive services specifically for this population. Otherwise, they are sweeping them out of sight.

The downturn in the economy not only affects the employment rate, it affects the government’s willingness to fund programs and housing to help the poor. States around the country are decreasing their budgets, and also decreasing funding for services and housing.

It’s a sad phenomenon during these times—there is an increase of people in more need of services and housing, but there is a decrease in the funding to help them.

It’s a backwards reality.

(Pic from http://activerain.com)