It's a Numbers Game

To qualify for financial aid in California you must meet the following maximum requirements:

A single parent with one child - $10,800 per year or $900 per month.

A family of 3 - $13,440 per year or $1150 per month.

How about a family of 5 - $18,360 per year or $1530 per month.

I am here in California and I check the local papers on rental units daily. I have yet to see a bedroom large enough for a family of 5 for less than what they are allowed to earn each month.

And we wonder why there are so many homeless families.

I am sitting in a park right this very moment writing this blog and there is a family of 4 living in a camper over their pick up. That is two adults and two children living in less than 100 square feet of space. They are lucky. It was a gift from his parents so it is paid for. No one can take this home away from them.

Now lets move on a bit.

The population in America is 309,457,000. That's a lot of people. There are 39,100,000 people in America living below the poverty level. Where do all those people sleep? Well...I can assure you it's not in homeless shelters. There are less than 42,000 spaces available for families across the entire country.

Interesting fact this:

There are 29,707,872 millionaires in America. Almost as many millionaires as there are poverty level people. So what I want to know is why there are so many in the poverty level? Why are there so many people homeless.

The bible tells us to tithe. 10% of our earnings. Take it one step forward and the bible tells us to make offerings to those who need it. Even famous Dave Ramsey says to live on 80%, tithe 10% and donate 10%. So let's take those numbers.

If 10% of all of the millionaires (2,970,787 millionaires) made an offering of 10% of $1,000,000 ($100,000) that would be $297,078,700,000. Did you read that right? It took me a few tries to wrap my head around that one. The magic number is two hundred ninety seven BILLION seventy eight MILLION seven hundred thousand dollars. Go ahead. Do the math yourself. I'll wait.

Da da da da.. Da da da. Da da da da Dum de da da da da. (Insert Jeopardy theme song here)

Came out with same numbers didn't you? Tried it a few times before you believed what you were seeing didn't you?

So...let's go back to those 2,970,787 millionaires. That is an average of 59,415 millionaires per state. If those millionaires per state pooled their money together to build housing first transitional houses, that would be an average of $5,941,500,000.00 dollars per state. Close to six billion dollars per state. Gee, I wonder how many affordable homes could be built for that?

Now the chances are pretty slim that these millionaires are going to part with that money so let's put it on you and me terms.

I am asking for 1 penny per mile. That is $18.63 cents total, to your nearest homeless shelter. If 10% of the population in America pitched in that amount it may not be as much as the millionaires can do, but it is still $576,518,391 or $11,530,367 per state. Come on America. We can do it!!!

What if you can't afford that? Let's do this. How many of you buy a cup of coffee from the jolly green giant at least once per year. Let's be honest now. Maybe it's not coffee but you've bought something there, right? For arguments sake let's just say every body does. So if everybody in the U.S. contributed the cost of a venti latte once per year, we would have raised $1,203,787,730 or an average of more than 24 million dollars per state.

Now not everyone is a Brad or Angelina. Speaking of which. I think it's great they are one of the first people to step up to the plate and donate $1,000,000 to the victims of international or national emergencies. What about some of those other people that entertain us in many ways that are now millionaires. Have they all donated to these international or national disasters? Probably not or the media would have glorified them in their moments of generosity.

Look, I know Brand and Angelina have done amazing things and I am not trying to single them out, but they are the names that are first and foremost in the media so they are the ones that come to mind. There are many famous people who do wonderful things for third world countries and people who stepped up to the plate when Katrina hit, but why??? Why does it have to take a national disaster for someone to help?

How many of those famous people have forgotten their roots? Click on the pictures above to get a larger view of those we all know and love who were once homeless.

What about the 3,900,000 homeless people here in the US. Doesn't that constitute as a national emergency?

What about the 300,000 veterans that risked their lives for us. What are we risking for them?

Remember all those kids you are saving in other countries as well you should!!!! Don't forget about the 1,600,000+ kids here that need your help too.

I don't know if what I am doing here is making any difference or not. I don't if my words will fall on deaf ears. I do know however that in order for this to work, I need every one's help . It has to go viral or it won't make a difference. So PLEASE. If you want to help. Give up that latte just once and then send this blog to everyone you know.

I will know when this goes viral when the Brad and Angelina's of the world donate $1,000,000 to their nearest shelter.

http://www.change-for-life.org/

Tell Me Why

I never really know what it is you, my readers, want to know about. I journal a lot more than what I write in these blogs. Do you want to hear about the trip itself, meaning step by step, we're in this city or that state and this is what it looks like? These are the beautiful places and theses are the places to avoid?

Perhaps you'd like to hear the 'Woe is me's.' The nitty gritty about the pain I have every day. The bad back, arthritic knees, the once broken foot that feels like it has re-broken from stress, and the hip that goes out more than I do. But with all the pain and I do down 4 Tylenol at a time sometimes 3 or 4 times a day, my woes are insignificant compared to the woes I hear from those I am here to serve.

Maybe you'd like to hear about the comparisons between my experiences of 30 years ago and what life is like for this homeless gal in the streets today. I can assure you both experiences are worth writing about. Both very different and both mind boggling.

Should I continue telling you about the incredible things Patrick and I see on a daily basis? Stories where the impossible happens; where people who were once poorer than a church mouse are now millionaires and spend every dime on people they don't know; stories about millionaires who are now living under bridges; stories of miracles that happen every day; and the miracle that are yet to come.

How about the story of the murderess who is now teaching kids the meaning of the hidden artistic abilities they hold within themselves. The basketball coach who gave up his job to live in the streets so he could watch over the homeless teens.

For now I will keep on doing what I am doing and whatever the spirit leads me to write about, I will. This evening will be no different.

I try to write what every person that will stop and have a conversation with me says. I find the diversity of responses to my question "If you had the power to stop homelessness, how would you do it?"

I have to write about the two answers that kind of caught me off guard. They didn't really answer the question, but instead asked one of me instead. The same questions I ask God almost every day.

*****

One man gave up his lifelong corporate executive career to be part of the end of homelessness. He now works as fundraiser for a large street to home organization in Sacramento. He has photos of teens on the shelf behind his desk. These kids were throw away kids. Now they are his.

I told him this story. "This woman from Russia who has lived here for 30 years, been married to the same man, and given birth to 2 children suddenly find herself homeless. She and her husband owned a business and then he had the nerve to go and die. Now America tells her because somehow she fell through the crack and never got her green card, she is not eligible for financial aide. America says we're not going to help you, we don't want you now you're on your own."

Bill finished my thoughts. "What I really want to know is where are her two kids? They are grown and their mom is living in a homeless shelter. I don't understand it. Why aren't more families helping? Tell me why"

*******

David was retired and about to move out of the state with his beautiful wife. But an opportunity opened up and God made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Two sometimes three days a week he and his wife bring hope to Sacramento tent cities.

He and I talked about the lack of participation from the community. I don't remember how, but we got on the topic of faith.

"I am a Christian," I said, "and sometimes I get angry because too many churches are not Christ like at all. I don't understand why each and every church in America isn't stepping up to the plate and taking in their neighbors who are less fortunate."

He didn't say much. Just listened to what I had to say. I apologized for being on my faith based political soap box. The words came quietly and I had to strain to hear him.

"Those of us who are strong and able in faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, 'How can I help?" Romans 15

"I was a Methodist minister for more years than I can remember and today I can say, sometimes I am ashamed to be called a Christian because you're right. Many churches are not Christ like at all."

"So what do you do? What can I do to change that?" I asked him.

"You're doing it. I am doing it. We are doing what we know God has called us to do. When these other churches are ready, they will hear the voice of God say to them 'Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:40"