Work Week Graffiti.

It's been a long week at work... I can't finish anything and I forget everything that I'm supposed to do... so.. yeah, not much gets done on my end. I've written my tasks all over the place in hopes I'll remember, but no. If I worked corporate I wouldn't give a shit if I did my tasks, but since I work for a homeless advocacy group I feel I gotta do my part. One of the things I'm supposed to do is recruit people (women, since we had none at the last mtg) to join the Homeless Congress. I've been helping with the Congress for a year + it's a way for homeless/formerly homeless people from all backgrounds + shelters to join together + make changes in the community. We invite people from the County, City, Mayor's office and even the State to talk with the Congress. It really is a great idea. I just haven't got around to recruiting more people so our numbers are sliding. I can't justify being lazy for a good cause... I can explain why I'm lazy, but I can't justify it.

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I guess it's now obvious that I'm pregnant. A man at the bus stop said to me yesterday, "Hey lady, how long you've been pregnant?" He then asked if I know the sex and I said I should by next week [update: I now know it's a boy!]. To which he expressed his hopes that the baby will be a "guy." It was funny b/c the guy was homeless and was assured that I was a student at Cleveland State. Maybe I'll see him at 2100 Lakeside Men's Shelter + he'll be set straight. It's always strange talking to a homeless person outside my work, especially when they ask for money to "help the homeless." I make pennies b/c my job is to "help the homeless."

Speaking of panhandlers...(and not all who panhandle are homeless and not all homeless people panhandle) the Downtown Cleveland Alliance (the street cleaners/safety patrol) have started a campaign to discourage people from giving to panhandlers. Will this really work? It's somewhat of a personal choice if a person wants to give up a buck or two. Instead, the Alliance plans to install boxes where people can make donations to homeless service agencies. I don't know who these agencies are or what they'll do with their dollar donations. In an article in the PD, it said panhandlers often beg for money for a bus pass but they can get free passes at local churches. ???? How come I didn't know of this? One of the biggest complaints is the lack of available transportation. I asked my supervisor about this + apparently the churches only give out like 4 passes a month to a person. So that really doesn't help.

And I'm sick of all this talk about tourists come to this city. Their virgin eyes!! We should ditch "Cleveland+" and advertise ourselves as the #1 City for Poverty. Come to Cleveland and meet interesting homeless people! Try to count all the abandoned buildings on Euclid Ave.! Which store will be the next to close? Just a thought.

It's Been Awhile:: An Update.

I haven't posted here in forever + I plan to change that (though I always say this). But first, here's what's up.

+ Still working for the homeless advocacy coalition in Cleveland so expect a lot more on homelessness.
+ I'm gonna be a mother in January. Yes, I'm gonna be an unschooling, cloth diaper using, welfare relying, breastfeeding in public, stereotype breakin' mother of one. A boy, and he's due in January.

That being said, I will probably cross post some old stuff and then keep this blog regularly updated.

New Blog.

I created a new blog about personal stuff:

New Blog

And no, I don't update it more often than this blog. Yes I know that's sad.

Half a Week.

It's only the middle of the week and so far too much has happened. We all know about the tragedy that happened at Virginia Tech so I won't say much more on that. I really don't have anything "new" to add other than that I keep hearing that Nickelback song play on and on and it depresses me.

I'm one of only a handful of people that know about a recent hate crime committed against a homeless person that happened in Cleveland. I personally spoke to the victim and he asked me to respect his privacy so there's not much I'm going to say other than that this is a full-out national epidemic. This man was beaten on the head with a 2x4 by some kids. Apparently the new trend in teenage entertainment is to beat/throw things at/set fire to people that happen to be homeless. Across the state, across the nation, it is happening all the time with many incidents not even reported to the police.

A few weeks ago, a man in Florida was beaten with a cinder block by three kids--one of them was seventeen and the other two were ten years old. The man nearly died.

The National Coalition for the Homeless released their 2006 Hate Crimes Committed Against Homeless People report. Check it out to get a full portrait of this epidemic.

Also this week: I got notice that ODOT is doing a sweep of a homeless camp. Why--It's located near a freeway in a marginal area. Who cares. If these people are safe, let them be so they aren't forced into a more dangerous area, making them become the next victims.

War on the Streets, War in the Garden.

A woman living on E. 71st gets cited for a fence she constructed around a homemade healing garden. In the St. Clair-Superior neighbor, officials are worried about a fence that surrounds a garden dedicated to the people who've been murdered on the street??? Our city officials at work, I guess...

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/117671261030590.xml&coll=2

Gray City.

[I started writing this last week....then stopped. I figured I should as least post what I have.]
Finally the sun is making an appearance over the snow engulfed city, reminding us that all gray skies must come to an end. For the past few days, it's been February all over again. The Indians have yet to finish a game and now they're moving their "home" games to Milwaukee. Easter was colder and more snow-packed than Christmas. We had one day of almost 80 degree weather only to wake up to below 30 degrees the next day. Some say "well that's Cleveland for you--don't be surprised."

We are a city of browns and grays.

[And I swear this was going somewhere... probably to my "Let's Be Positive, Cleveland!" rant, but I'm sure that will spill over into another post.]

Homeless Congress + the Press.

The Homeless Congress has gotten some press lately. On March 9th, the Congress was featured in the Plain Dealer's Metro section, complete with a photo of everyone at the Congress, even the people who said they didn't want to be photographed. Brian of NEOCH looked like Jesus. I, and my co-worker Josh, were the bewildered followers of this sweat shirted "Christ" staring at him in awe, or whatever. Funny photo.
The Congress was also written about in the Free Times in the "Rust Belt Report" which slightly bashed us. The Free Times has become annoying. It just seems like they want to bitch and bash rather than cover real events. The fact that the homeless shelters in Cleveland have NO minimum operating standards is--correct me if I'm wrong--scary. The Congress is actively trying to change this. Congress reps have written a list of proposed minimum standards to be adopted by all homeless emergency standards. This is big and exciting in the homeless community and I just hope some of the "alternative" presses will pick up on it. Hey, the PD caught on.

Welfare...

In order to (partially) understand poverty, I have to receive welfare. This is part of my job (I make little money) and part of my commitment to poor people (I have to understand some of the trials homeless people must face).

Welfare isn't completely new to me. I've never made much money and, in fact, I was even on food stamps while in college in NY. Being on welfare in another state only highlights how crappy the situation is in Ohio.

Let's talk food stamps. In order to get food stamps in NY you need to stop in the Social Services office and fill out an application. After waiting a few weeks, you'll receive a letter asking you to come back into the office to see if you qualify for expedited food stamps. All you'll need is a driver's license. If you qualify for expedited food stamps, you'll receive your allowance for 1 month while you get your paperwork in order. This means that in NY, you WILL HAVE FOOD while getting everything together for your permanent food stamps card (they call it a Benefits Card).

Now, let's say you want food stamps in Ohio. First fill out an application online. Months later you'll receive a mysterious letter in the mail saying you must report to your assigned welfare office. If your case is handled by Westshore, you'll have to figure out their temporary location (on Payne) or else you'll end up the address they've listed online (on Lorain) which is closed for renovations. In Ohio, you automatically won't qualify for expedited food stamps because THERE AREN'T ANY. You will only get you Direction Card after you get your cartload of paperwork in (bills, etc.) and make sure you don't miss any forms or you'll have to drop them off. You'll get yr card + you'll be lucky if your balance is right. Next you'll have to return to yr case worker for a face-to-face "interview" every 3 months. If you miss yr appt (or if the office is closed for snow, as on 2/14/07) you'll have to wait until you get a hold of yr case worker to reschedule yr appt before you can get food. SO YOU WILL HAVE NO FOOD.

Argh I hate Westshore. I hate welfare in Ohio. Why is Ohio so far behind?

Buh-Bye Edgewater/Cudell.

I'm moving in a week. Soon i'll be out of the Edgewater/Cudell neighborhood(s) that i have come to know. I could never figure out which neighborhood i lived in.... is it E or C? There was too many misleading info surrounding me... Oh well, Cleveland has few strong, distinct neighborhoods, so it figures that i was confused. I just took the matters in my own hands, claiming the whole area as the Gay Ghetto, as it was the ghetto, but only to the gayborhood. It's not like i lived in Central or Kinsman, here. The Gay Ghetto was interesting with its slew of seedy gay bars and cross-dressing prostitutes on the corners. More on this later.

Ummm... Uhhh... About That Last Post.

So I was at Trinity Cathedral and this man who I know is homeless came up and said that to me, and it got me thinking, "Hey, if you replace your with a generic the, then it creates a deeper social message about gratitude and being a part of the big change and being involved in all good things and... Whew. Ok. Actually I just like keeping track of the random, somewhat obscure things people say to me. Of which there are many. Yes--MANYmanyMANY.

High Res

"I want to be a part of your New Year's resolution."

This was said to me last week by a man I initially met while doing outreach.

Why I Hate Luxury Condos, Part 1

While searching for articles on homelessness via Google News, I stumbled upon this beauty from the Washington Post:

"Million Dollar Condos to Be Built Above Church Serving Homeless."

I congratulate the fact that luxury condos attempt to create a mixed neighborhood. Instead of being secluded in the suburbs, they are built amidst poverty with no intent to keep their residents' eyes hidden from the realities of an urban area. It sounds like a good attempt at creating a melting pot neighborhood.

But this isn't Sesame Street. I highly doubt that owners of $400k 1 bedroom condos have chosen their location so they can mingle with the homeless folks sleeping at their curb. In fact, I doubt any homeless people would be allowed within 100 ft of their million-dollar developments. The problem is this: There is a place for luxury condos and we need to realize that. But that place isn't everywhere. What developers have failed to realize is that WE DON'T NEED MANY LUXURY CONDOS, whether it be in DC or here in Cleveland. We're poor. We have loads of people without homes. What we need is safe, affordable housing. We need more CMHA. We need more mixed-income housing units. We need more housing priced below $100k that is decent (no-frills). We need safe homes for families--who make up the fastest growing population of people that are homeless.

The Homeless Congress has it all figured out-- we could create jobs and housing by having people renovate old, abandoned buildings into affordable homes.

Condos will not make a neighborhood. Look at both Tremont and Ohio City. Sure they've been yuppi-fied, which some people see as a good thing. But it's a strange mix of the wealthy "urban hipsters" and the original poor residents who are continuously being pushed out. Enough pushing. We need to solve the problem.

In the article, a managing broker for a real estate firm had this to say, "You don't need the soup kitchen to make it a tough sell. It's a tough sell because it's a condo, and if there's anything we need less of now, it's condos. It's like overkill."