"The young couple I met on Skid Row today, who was kind enough to be in this video, looked exhausted and broken. They had been walking from mission to mission trying to find a place to stay. Most homeless services just offer referrals that do not show availability. This couple was given phone numbers to places that were full so now they were walking until their feet were blistered trying to find help.
The other big issue is many homeless people are not informed. Street homeless obviously have less availability to the internet and television. Sheltered homeless have more access, but computers have time limits and many shelters restrict computer use just to job searches. Normally in a shelter there is one group TV for everyone. Usually movies are played. Television news is rare so forget any political convention coverage.
Not sure about you but the more I thought about homeless people not voting the more it upset me. The very people who desperately need change the most are not speaking up. From what I see there is very little effort by any political party to empower those of us close to or in poverty.
All the focus is on the rich and the middle class, when the people at the bottom are ignored. I'm not saying this is on purpose. But I would bet things at the top would change fast if the people at the bottom actually had a voice, which is the theory behind this video project.
Being a person who believes the glass is half full, I want to believe we'll soon see a change. Hopefully by the next election. We already have reduced landline services but who the heck uses a landline anymore. We need to break the generational curse of poverty with educational programs when families are placed in transitional housing. We need to fix homeless services and start treating our homeless friends with dignity. We need more help for school-aged kids experiencing homelessness. There is a lot we can do, and should be doing!
And greater access to information is empowering -- more free public WiFi and the lower cost of laptop and tablets, technology and access to the internet will help educate people experiencing poverty. There is a movement to bring free cellphone service to low and no-income people.
I think the man I met on Skid Row today sums it up with his last comment on the video:
"After you finish with homelessness and you're dealing with their conditions and their problems, then you can meet the community and say I'm the guy to elect". If you don't meet those issues I don't think it's proper for you to talk about that you need to be elected if you're not helping the people that's trying to elect you."
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