On Sat, Jul 18, 2009 at 5:35 PM, InvisiblePeople.tv
wrote:
Cliff
Posted: 17 Jul 2009 08:35 PM PDT
It was 116 degrees when I met Cliff on the streets of Las Vegas. The sight of him bothered me; he was so malnourished and skinny.
I really feel for Cliff. He’s 59 years old. He’s been living on the streets of Las Vegas for several years. Like many older homeless individuals , he doesn’t really have any job prospects at this point in his life. He sees no other options but to stick it out on the streets for the next three years until he turns 62 and qualifies for Social Security. That’s, he says, when he’ll finally get a “nice place” of his own.
We can do better than this.
Click here for my behind the scene story from InvisiblePeople.tv’s Road Trip, U.S.A
Posted by invisiblepeople
On any given night, over three million people sleep without a home to call their own. In the past year, homelessness in America has snowballed into a full-fledged crisis. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, 80 percent of individuals and 90 percent of families are homeless due to economic reasons. Community-based homeless service organizations from California to Massachusetts are reporting sharp increases in demand. In many communities, there are not enough shelter beds to meet the need, contributing to the growth of tent cities and the transformation of motels into temporary homeless shelters.
The experience of being displaced and without a home is devastating. The experience of living in a shelter, on the streets, or in a tent city is humbling. And the experience of sharing one’s story is powerful. For those less impacted by the economic downturn, the experience of coming face-to-face with people who are often shunned by society is both eye-opening and deeply moving.
InvisiblePeople.tv Road Trip U.S.A.
This summer, InvisiblePeople.tv is traveling across America to capture the stories of people without a home. By visiting tent cities, motels, and other modern-day accommodations for people without a home, this tour will unearth the modern-day realities of homelessness while providing a venue for “invisible” people to tell their story, raw and unedited.
http://invisiblepeople.tv/blog/invisible-people-homeless-road-trip/
Sat, Jul 18, 2009 at 5:35 PM