Homeless | LA Progressive

Homeless in Los Angeles

February 8, 2012 By Jerry Drucker

Jerry Drucker: In all of Los Angeles County, except for Glendale, Pasadena and Long Beach, which conduct their own census counts, the 2011 census count of the homeless was 51,340, 3% less than 2009 at 52,931.

LA’s Offer to Its Occupiers

November 24, 2011 By Paulina Gonzalez

Paulina Gonzalez: What if Occupy locked arms with community groups and announced its refusal to move unless the city extends and agrees to enforce the moratorium on the eviction of tenants in bank-controlled foreclosed properties?

Haiti: Cholera Down But People Still “Living Like Stray Dogs”

September 21, 2011 By Georgianne Nienaber

Georgianne Nienaber: There is mixed news from Haiti in the last few weeks, but all of it reflects a government paralyzed by a combination of foreign meddling, an administration hamstrung by a balky Parliament, and the refusal of foreign donors to make good on pledges made in March 2010.

A Few Cutting Remarks

May 31, 2011 By Walter M. Brasch

Walter Brasch: Slagheap World Airlines announced that in the spirit of national cost cutting, it would cut back its cockpit crew to one pilot and eliminate flight attendants, meals, and life rafts. “This way,” said the president, “we won’t have to penalize our loyal stockholders by lowering our return on investment.”

Haiti: Searching for Empathy

February 11, 2011 By Georgianne Nienaber

Georgianne Nienaber: ow, Haiti is bleeding more profusely, and those same international interests are scrambling to dress the wound, but not cure the infection that threatens to turn cancerous, if it has not already.

General Shinseki Has a Dream

January 19, 2011 By Brent Budowsky

Brent Bukowsky: Let’s begin a JFK moon-shot program to end homelessness among American veterans within five years, and end homelessness of any American within 10 years.

Remember Our Homeless Gay Youth This Holiday

December 24, 2010 By Rev. Irene Monroe

Rev. Irene Monroe: many of our LGBTQ youth, myself included as once a homeless youth, do not really have a home to go to where they can sit at the family table and be fully out — or if out, fully accepted.

I’m a Daddy and I’m Homeless

November 22, 2010 By Jasmyne Cannick

Jasmyne Cannick: Most people don’t end up homeless by choice. Homelessness is usually the result of a series of unfortunate events.

As Progressives Predicted, Clinton Welfare Reform Law Fails Families

April 21, 2010 By Randy Shaw

Randy Shaw: After President Bill Clinton signed legislation in 1996 “ending welfare as we know it,” many highlighted this “common sense” solution and criticized progressives for opposing the bill. Soon after passage, politicians and the media said it had not caused the downsides that activists had predicted, ignoring that the law had not been fully implemented. But troubling reports soon emerged.

Hollywood’s Fix for America’s Three and a Half Trillion-Dollar Lobbying Addiction

March 31, 2010 By Nomiki Konst

Nomiki Konst: The United States of America has a dirty little secret. We’re addicted to a drug. A drug dealt everyday in the halls of Congress, on the streets of Washington, and at the exclusive Georgetown soirees. That drug is corruption, pure and simple. And the dealers are lobbyists. The year 2009 was record breaking for the lobbying industry, mostly due to the health care debate, with total spending on all issues at more than $3.47 billion.

Haiti Watch: There Are No Loaves and Fishes in This Purgatory

March 15, 2010 By Georgianne Nienaber

Georgianne Nienaber: soft rain has just begun to fall, but it is a terrible event here in Petionville, Haiti. There are 5,000 people with no shelter, food, or sanitation on Highway 1, about an hour from here. Babies are sleeping in dust that is turning to mud alongside mothers with shriveled breasts who are offering the infants paint chips mixed with dirt because they believe it is nutritious. It is all they have.

Christian Debt

January 18, 2010 By S. Blair Fox

S. Blair Fox: The question isn’t whether Leviticus 18:22 is the word of God for Christians, but who the heck are we having sexual relationships with and why. This, of course, goes for heterosexual and homosexual relationships.

Grassroots News from Congo: Midwives Transform Trash Into Hope

September 2, 2009 By Georgianne Nienaber

The midwives need the means to accomplish their noble goal of saving women through direct intervention, HIV/AIDS counseling, and nutrition. This is truly a grassroots effort with a humble beginning that literally transforms grass and roots into life-supporting energy.

Father’s Day: It Takes All Kinds

June 18, 2009 By Jasmyne Cannick

In 1995, Oakland, California, a young man helping a fellow church friend found himself the father of a 4-month-old child. This happened when the mother, who at the time had three small children, simply couldn’t afford to take care of them all. What started out as helping her on the weekends with the kids, eventually [...]

Messy Blond Dreadlocks of Grace

April 23, 2009 By Wendy Block

Late afternoon rush hour, Hollywood, this time of year — right after Easter, just a few days left of Passover. Moments after hugging my then 11-year-old goodbye and watching her dad welcome her to his seder, I already missed her. I was expected at a seder in the West Valley in about 40 minutes. With [...]