Virginia’s Budget Cuts

Across Virginia, there is a lot of opposition toward budget cuts for Union members. The debate on how to spend our nations money is still lingering in Capitol Hill. Republicans say the Democrats won’t cut enough money. Then the Democrats argue back saying it’s wrong to add corporate taxes to middle class families’ annual taxes. It’s 2011 and they’re still arguing. Filibusters have ensued, bills have been shot down and we are wasting time.

The GOP wants to make deep cuts that would kick 2,400 Virginia children out of Head Start program — a program that provides school readiness to at-risk children as well as health, educational and nutritional assistance. These programs reportedly have a great success rate for children who come from broken homes. They are given the essential support, courage and tools necessary to do “the right thing” (whatever that may be for that individual) in life.

Republicans already broke the federal budget with their wars, corporate giveaways and tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires. Through these extreme cuts to public health and vital services, the Republicans are going after Virginia’s budget. If the Democrats in the Senate and President Obama don’t serve as a firewall against these extreme proposals, Virginia will be left devastated by these Republican cuts. Non-profit agencies in every county and Head Start programs will be famished.

Some specific proposed budget cuts from Governor McDonell regarding the, “health and safety net programs that aid the homeless and prevent teen pregnancies…

Refer to: “http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/236851#schools”

“Within the Department of Social Services, for example, McDonnell has suggested eliminating general fund support for nine programs outright, including $1.2 million for homeless assistance programs, $700,000 for domestic violence services, $4.8 million in child support supplements and $3.6 million for the state Healthy Families initiative.”

“From the Department of Health, McDonnell’s lieutenants have suggested eliminating nearly $1 million from a teen pregnancy prevention program, cutting $1.8 million for the Virginia Association of Free Clinics, trimming $2.2 million from the Virginia Health Care Foundation and eliminating local health department dental care services.”

I’d be interested to know why Governor’s are proposing cuts to higher education, mental health facilities and other outreach programs that are essential in aiding those in need for desperate help, not to mention the qualified employees that work for these programs. Why slash our human resources? Does the GOP want the nation to be depressed?

This post by the Washington Post is a more up-to date version of McDonell’s proposed budget cuts from February 17, 2010.

Photo citation: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef014e601bfeb4970c-250wi

Take a Look at what Quincy, MA is doing.

Quincy City Council passed with unanimous support a resolution to support QCAP and to send a letter to the President and Congress requesting them to fully fund the Community Service Block Grant. In addition many Council members spoke about the work that Quincy Community Action Program staff do with much praise and admiration. They also acknowledged in their comments the great need for the services that QCAP provides. This recognition and support helps everyone keep the faith as we battle this potential funding cut.

As Quincy Community Action Programs have to deal with looming budget cuts, they gather for support. The people of Quincy feel so strongly and passionately about this 50% budget cut that they are officially writing a letter to President Obama himself, arguing for reasons why this budget cut is going to be detrimental. How are programs like QCAP supposed to do their jobs and help house the less fortunate if they aren’t getting grant money? If you cut out money from the equation, the whole system will fall apart. It is a chain reaction. There is only so much case workers can do for the homeless when they don’t have the resources and their programs are suffering. Can our country really afford to put people who are trying to help other people out of work? You can’t just throw people away. They’re not animals. They cannot overstay their welcome in the world and then just be cremated, like in a shelter. They need guidance and they need help. We cannot crowd our streets with people who just need a little direction, because the government decided to cut financial aid to the block grant program.

We can only see if the letter addressed to President Obama impacts him and leads him to re-think his actions. Their letter will argue that this budget cut “impacts people that they see everyday.” They will strategically map out the chain reaction and argue how that the budget cut will affect too many people involved.

“The organization’s programs include adult education, early-childhood education, food and nutrition programs, energy programs, money-management services, and housing programs. It helps about 10,000 of the city’s 90,000 residents daily.”

If the Federal Government cuts this agency’s funding, then they will have debilitated essential case workers who not only house the homeless, but help them find jobs and ease back into society. Some of QCAP’s case manager’s have even driven the tenant’s to the food pantry or AA meetings. We can’t afford to lose the people who work to help these people secure a job so they can take care of themselves, both financially and mentally.

Photo Citation: http://www.network-health.org/About-Us/In-The-Community/Community-resource-directory.aspx

Homeless but Never Hopeless

This is a video About Homelessness In Youngstown, Ohio and the various agencies that are making a difference in the lives of homeless people.

Not Everyone’s American Dream

It’s easier just to turn our heads and look the other way when we see someone who is homeless, living on the streets. Most people simply just turn and look away. It’s easier to ignore it; it’s easier to pretend this rising issue plaguing America is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I think we owe it to ourselves and our people to help those in desperate need. The homeless are no longer in a position to help themselves, so if society refuses to help them because we dismissively think they did this to themselves, they will never again get a fighting chance.

It’s up to us, the more fortunate, to do what is necessary to aid our ailing social class. We must let go of our judgments. It is our obligation to be the source of hope they look to.

The next time you turn your head, take another second to ponder and think about what you can do. It will soon become a source of inner peace and satisfaction for you and a source of hope, help, and relief for those who truly need it.

In this photo, volunteers are handing out sandwiches to the homeless in downtown Las Vegas. According to the article in the Las Vegas journal, not only are the volunteers giving out food, but they are also trying to persuade the individuals to enter into programs that “will put them off the street for good.”

Solutions:

Citation for photo: http://www.lvrj.com/news/42516182.html

The Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and The Federal Housing Act help low and middle class families get loans to buy their own houses. Without this government assistance many of these families would never qualify for a bank loan and would not have a house or any other place to call home.

The Urban Renewal Project is another program established by the government designed to clean up inner city areas. Money is given to the cities’ local government officials. It is then put toward rehabilitating the inner city slum areas. This makes it more bearable to live there. Urban renewal Programs are being put into action in all of America’s major cities as well as about eight hundred smaller cities.

A Blast From the Past

Citation for Photo: http://www.nysut.org/rfk_11078.htm
Bobby Kennedy’s website for “Advancing Excellence”

When asked by David Frost on a television show what people are put on earth for, Robert F. Kennedy replied, “If you’ve made some contribution to someone else, to improve their life, and make their life a little more livable, a little more happy, I think that’s what you should be doing.”

Photo Citation: http://www.squidoo.com/top-ten-mother-teresa-quotes-and-sayings

“Hungry not only for bread – but hungry for love. Naked not only for clothing – but naked for human dignity and respect. Homeless not only for want of a room of bricks – but homeless because of rejection.'” Mother Teresa
Citation: http://quotations.about.com/od/stillmorefamouspeople/a/MotherTeresa3.htm

An excerpt from President George Bush Sr.’s Inaugural Address:

Photo citation: http://www.topnews.in/files/George.H.%20W.%20Bush.jpg

“My friends, we are not the sum of our possessions. They are not the measure of our lives. In our hearts we know what matters. We cannot hope only to leave our children a bigger car, a bigger bank account. We must hope to give them a sense of what it means to be a loyal friend, a loving parent, a citizen who leaves his home, his neighborhood and town better than he found it. What do we want the men and women who work with us to say when we are no longer there? That we were more driven to succeed than anyone around us? Or that we stopped to ask if a sick child had gotten better, and stayed a moment there to trade a word of friendship?

No President, no government, can teach us to remember what is best in what we are. But if the man you have chosen to lead this government can help make a difference; if he can celebrate the quieter, deeper successes that are made not of gold and silk, but of better hearts and finer souls; if he can do these things, then he must.

America is never wholly herself unless she is engaged in high moral principle. We as a people have such a purpose today. It is to make kinder the face of the Nation and gentler the face of the world. My friends, we have work to do. There are the homeless, lost and roaming. There are the children who have nothing, no love, no normalcy. There are those who cannot free themselves of enslavement to whatever addiction — drugs, welfare, the demoralization that rules the slums. There is crime to be conquered, the rough crime of the streets. There are young women to be helped who are about to become mothers of children they can’t care for and might not love. They need our care, our guidance, and our education, though we bless them for choosing life.

The old solution, the old way, was to think that public money alone could end these problems. But we have learned that is not so. And in any case, our funds are low. We have a deficit to bring down. We have more will than wallet; but will is what we need. We will make the hard choices, looking at what we have and perhaps allocating it differently, making our decisions based on honest need and prudent safety. And then we will do the wisest thing of all: We will turn to the only resource we have that in times of need always grows — the goodness and the courage of the American people.”

Quote Citation: http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres63.html

And finally from President Obama. In order to implement his policy, we cannot afford these budget cuts. Something else has to give. (October 14, 2010)

This photo belongs in Violentz’s photo stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/violentz/with/3199292482/

President Obama put it this way on March 24, 2009: “Well, the first thing I’d say is that I’m heartbroken that any child in America is homeless. And the most important thing that I can do on their behalf is to make sure their parents have a job. And that’s why the recovery package said, as a first priority, how are we going to save or create 3.5 million jobs?” …

“Now, in the meantime, we’ve got to work very closely with the states to monitor and to help people who are still falling through the cracks. And, you know, the homeless problem was bad even when the economy was good.

Part of the change in attitudes that I want to see here in Washington and all across the country is a belief that it is not acceptable for children and families to be without a roof over their heads in a country as wealthy as ours.

And so we’re going to be initiating a range of programs, as well, to deal with homelessness. One area in particular I want to focus on is the issue of veterans. The rate of homelessness among veterans is much, much higher than for non-veteran populations.”

Citation for Obama’s “Heartbroken Over Homelessness” from website: http://news.change.org/stories/obama-heartbroken-over-homelessness

So, I have gathered a few inspirational figures who have expressed their passion to end homelessness. This has dated back several decades. Such powerful figures have provided our nation with such encouragement and motive. According to my research (the websites I have cited), they have been successful. With strong leadership from the federal government, communities around the country, should, if not already, strengthen their approaches to providing integrated services to the currently homeless. By integrated services, I mean that case managers should be appointed by agencies to work with the individuals or families and establish a plan of action. Does the individual (s) need psychological services? Is there some sort of income? Are they collecting welfare? Are they sick with an addiction? Are they educated? Investing time and money in helping these families is essential.

Although soup kitchens and shelters are a temporary means for survival, case managers and agencies should consider that the homeless may have lost hope and rely solely on welfare as a means of survival. Society tends to look down on such people, because they think the homeless are lazy and just want to collect disability money from the government. In some cases this may true, so that’s why I believe there should be certain rules to abide by in order to receive low income housing. Everyone needs to agree. They have to be able to get jobs in order to earn an income.

Maybe all they need is a chance and some faith.

Locals Take Matters into Their Own Hands

In response to President Obama announcing his $50 billion foreclosure prevention plan, Cheri Honkala from Minneapolis speaks out on behalf of the Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign. The group is taking matters into its own hands and finding housing for homeless people in foreclosed and vacant homes.

Instead of wasting time arguing on Capitol Hill like the Republican and Democrats are doing in the White House, average citizens have stepped up to the plate. They have realized that there is a major problem plaguing our country and they are trying to solve the problem as best they can on the local level. We can no longer afford to allow the homelessness crisis spiral out of control. Before you know it, we will all be on the streets.

Although it is a sore topic, it is refreshing to see how we can still come together and help others in the worst of times.