By RACHEL STULTS - The Tennessean - May 8, 2008
After setting up a makeshift bed in the federal Housing and Urban Development residence on Flamingo Drive, the man said, "My brain has a sanctuary and now my body has a sanctuary.''
But five hours later, Metro Police forced Allen and other homeless representatives off the property. Allen and two other people were cited for trespassing.
"Time has worn thin for talking and no action," said Allen, who has served on several homeless commissions. "I'm willing to go to jail for this."
Homeless advocates maintain that it makes sense for the homeless to move into the publicly funded building rather than allowing it to sit empty.
The nonprofit Nashville Homeless Power Project used a mid-day march to make the point. About 40 homeless advocates left the Metro Courthouse on James Robertson Parkway and walked to the house, where police were directing traffic but did not immediately intervene.
Later, Pyramid Real Estate Services, which is trying to sell the home for HUD, asked police to remove them.
Organization officials say they've already taken over a dozen vacant HUD homes in Davidson County, but this was the first time they made their intentions public.
"It's a point we appreciate, but we don't advocate breaking the law to do it,'' said Brian Sullivan, a spokesman for HUD in Washington, D.C. He said the home is for sale, and that as long as it's occupied it can't be sold.
Allen said he had sent an application and a check to HUD to legitimize his occupation of the home, and that he intended to pay more as he continues in his new temp agency job.
He says he has a criminal record stemming from a voter fraud conviction, a nonviolent felony, and says that makes it difficult for him and other offenders to get housing.
"I've messed up but I've paid my debts. I was a failure and now I'm a success,'' he said.
Between January 2007 and January 2008, the number of homeless men and women sleeping outdoors in Nashville grew about 19 percent, from 390 to 466, according to the Metropolitan Development and Housing Authority.
Homeless advocate Cheri Honkala, began doing housing takeovers 20 years ago in Minnesota. She and her son were living in their car but the makeshift home was totaled in an accident.
"It was that day we had to make a decision: Move forward and take over an abandoned house or stay on the street and freeze to death," said Honkala, who works with homeless advocates across the nation.
Honkal was cited along with Allen and Jeannie Alexander, program director for the Nashville organization.
Contact Rachel Stults at 726-8904 or rstults@tennessean.com.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Homeless Crisis Met Head-On
By HEATHER DOUGLAS - The Calgary-Sun - May 8, 2008
"The Calgary Committee is a community-based initiative," states Snyder, "launched to respond to our city's growing homelessness crisis. The goal," he adds, "was not to find new ways to manage or cope with homelessness, but end it.
"The plan contains practical, results-oriented solutions that cut through the underlying systemic barriers. It rewards personal accountability and initiative; it helps people move to self-sufficiency and independence; it ensures people will receive the care and support they need when they need it; and it will result in a net cost savings to taxpayers."
Homelessness came to Calgary in the 1970s, during the last oil boom. The city's unprecedented wealth had created an appetite to clear out the run-down areas.
Most of the low-rental, low-cost housing was demolished. Then, as interest rates skyrocketed, rent controls were imposed. Rents were no longer affordable and the poorest of the poor were forced out on the streets.
Calgarians were horrified.
The recession of the 1980s and cutbacks of the 1990s created this decade's disaster. "Today, we estimate as many as 1,200 Calgarians have been homeless for more than a year," the committee reports. "Nearly 400 of those have been homeless more than five years."
Several key milestones have been set for 2008-2018:
* Retire 50% of Calgary's emergency shelter capacity within five years.
* Decrease the chronic homeless population 85% from current levels, within five years, with a complete elimination of chronic homelessness in seven.
* Eliminate family homelessness by 2010.
* Stop the growth of homelessness and stabilize the overall homeless count at 2006 levels by May 1, 2010.
* Deliver a 12.5% annual decrease in total homeless population starting in 2010.
* Reduce the economic cost of homelessness.
* Reduce the maximum average stay in emergency shelter to less than seven days by 2018.
The plan calls for 11,250 affordable and specialized housing units to be built with the necessary social services in-place to support people in their homes. It also requests special facilities for alcohol and drug abusers and those suffering from mental illness to ensure they get the care and treatment they need.
The Chamber continues to recommend the city permit secondary suites in all Calgary communities -- as long as parking, infrastructure and safety considerations are met.
The Chamber salutes the unsung heroes of the business fraternity who refused to accept the premise that governments must house the homeless.
Instead, they devised a strategy to ensure these citizens are able to re-engage in our city and share in the Alberta Advantage.
After all, the citizens of great cities look after themselves, then care for their neighbours.
"The Calgary Committee is a community-based initiative," states Snyder, "launched to respond to our city's growing homelessness crisis. The goal," he adds, "was not to find new ways to manage or cope with homelessness, but end it.
"The plan contains practical, results-oriented solutions that cut through the underlying systemic barriers. It rewards personal accountability and initiative; it helps people move to self-sufficiency and independence; it ensures people will receive the care and support they need when they need it; and it will result in a net cost savings to taxpayers."
Homelessness came to Calgary in the 1970s, during the last oil boom. The city's unprecedented wealth had created an appetite to clear out the run-down areas.
Most of the low-rental, low-cost housing was demolished. Then, as interest rates skyrocketed, rent controls were imposed. Rents were no longer affordable and the poorest of the poor were forced out on the streets.
Calgarians were horrified.
The recession of the 1980s and cutbacks of the 1990s created this decade's disaster. "Today, we estimate as many as 1,200 Calgarians have been homeless for more than a year," the committee reports. "Nearly 400 of those have been homeless more than five years."
Several key milestones have been set for 2008-2018:
* Retire 50% of Calgary's emergency shelter capacity within five years.
* Decrease the chronic homeless population 85% from current levels, within five years, with a complete elimination of chronic homelessness in seven.
* Eliminate family homelessness by 2010.
* Stop the growth of homelessness and stabilize the overall homeless count at 2006 levels by May 1, 2010.
* Deliver a 12.5% annual decrease in total homeless population starting in 2010.
* Reduce the economic cost of homelessness.
* Reduce the maximum average stay in emergency shelter to less than seven days by 2018.
The plan calls for 11,250 affordable and specialized housing units to be built with the necessary social services in-place to support people in their homes. It also requests special facilities for alcohol and drug abusers and those suffering from mental illness to ensure they get the care and treatment they need.
The Chamber continues to recommend the city permit secondary suites in all Calgary communities -- as long as parking, infrastructure and safety considerations are met.
The Chamber salutes the unsung heroes of the business fraternity who refused to accept the premise that governments must house the homeless.
Instead, they devised a strategy to ensure these citizens are able to re-engage in our city and share in the Alberta Advantage.
After all, the citizens of great cities look after themselves, then care for their neighbours.
ACLU Sues Over State Not Allowing Homeless to be Fed
LAist - May 8, 2008
State of California, Park Rangers: "'The park system we have is not set up to be an answer to social services' but exists as a recreation and vacation venue, [Roy Stearns, a state Department of Parks and Recreation spokesman,] said. He said churches and community centers would be more appropriate as sites for feeding the homeless."
Interfaith Needs Network (represented by ACLU): "'We are not inciting a riot,' Siler said. 'We are simply feeding our friends in the same manner that most of us have done for years. This is not much different than when families or others gather in the park.'
Citations were threatened against the group after feeding the homeless in a picnic area of Doheny State Beach in Dana Point last February. Park rangers said it was an unlawful assembly while advocates for the program say their constitutional religious and speech rights are being "abridged." The group tried to work it out with the state, but said they would not budge. So today, they brought the ACLU and a lawsuit to overturn the law that allows park rangers to interfere with the activity.
Source: KNBC
State of California, Park Rangers: "'The park system we have is not set up to be an answer to social services' but exists as a recreation and vacation venue, [Roy Stearns, a state Department of Parks and Recreation spokesman,] said. He said churches and community centers would be more appropriate as sites for feeding the homeless."
Interfaith Needs Network (represented by ACLU): "'We are not inciting a riot,' Siler said. 'We are simply feeding our friends in the same manner that most of us have done for years. This is not much different than when families or others gather in the park.'
Citations were threatened against the group after feeding the homeless in a picnic area of Doheny State Beach in Dana Point last February. Park rangers said it was an unlawful assembly while advocates for the program say their constitutional religious and speech rights are being "abridged." The group tried to work it out with the state, but said they would not budge. So today, they brought the ACLU and a lawsuit to overturn the law that allows park rangers to interfere with the activity.
Source: KNBC
Millionaire Birthday Boy Parties with Homeless
By Patty Fisher - Mercury News - 05/07/2008
Taj Chahal has thrown himself some great birthday bashes. He has rented limos to take his friends to San Francisco. He's flown to Vegas.
This year, for his 29th birthday, Chahal decided to do something a bit different: He hosted a surprise party for 300 total strangers - complete with birthday cake and party favors for everyone - at Martha's Kitchen, a San Jose charity that serves meals to the homeless and working poor.
Most of us consider our birthdays as a time to receive, not to give. So why would this guy celebrate his by feeding the homeless?
It's all about karma, he says.
"If you are blessed to have the things that you have, then you should share them with others."
Chahal has indeed been blessed. His family moved from India to San Jose when he was 7. After graduating from Independence High School, he attended San Jose State University until his younger brother, entrepreneurial prodigy Gurbaksh Chahal, started his first company at age 16. Taj, then 19, dropped out to work with him. Last year the Chahal brothers sold their latest start-up, BlueLithium, an advertising technology company, to Yahoo for $300 million.
So Taj decided to take some time off, but he's not the type to veg out in front of the TV all day. He sat down and made a to-do list:
1. Get in terrific shape.
2. Take flying lessons.
3. Do something really nice for people who need help.
After checking the first two items off the list, he began researching local charities and found a video about Martha's Kitchen on YouTube.
"I was very impressed with the organization. It's very lean. They really depend on the volunteers."
Martha's Kitchen, which opened in 1981 next to Sacred Heart of Jesus Church on Willow Street, serves more than 100,000 meals a year. Everyone is welcome, no questions asked.
A lot of newly rich valleyites would have written a big check, taken the charitable deduction and headed for the spa. But not this guy. He called Edita Cruz, who runs Martha's Kitchen.
"I thought he just wanted to volunteer," Cruz said. "So I showed him around and gave him the usual spiel."
Then Chahal shared his plan with her:
"He said he wanted to buy dinner for everyone. And he wanted it catered."
Cruz has seen a lot of volunteers come through her doors over the years, but this was the first time she'd heard an offer like this one.
So on Tuesday, when the regulars arrived, they found the dining room decorated with red tablecloths, balloons and festive place mats. Dinner included ravioli and meat balls, salad, garlic bread and, of course, birthday cake.
The tab came to around $8,000.
Chahal, wearing a black T-shirt, red pants and disposable plastic gloves, walked from table to table, serving juice and accepting thank-yous graciously if a bit self-consciously.
One woman told me she asked him how much money he'd made.
"He smiled and said: 'Not enough.' "
Chahal shrugged off the praise, focusing on his work, breaking into a smile only occasionally.
"I really want the people to have an experience they will remember," he said.
No party is complete without gift bags. On the way out, everyone received a box lunch and a bright colored bag containing a towel, toothbrush and other useful things. The kids each got a toy and some treats.
"This is out of this world," said Nancy McCary, who has been eating at the Kitchen every week for three years. "I wish Taj the best of luck."
Chahal confided that the first time he volunteered at the soup kitchen he found it a bit overwhelming. "But you get used to it."
In a valley filled with young people who have too much money, I wondered if Chahal was trying to guilt his peers into doing something for others. But he shrugged off that notion.
"If someone reads about this and is inspired to do something, that's awesome. But it should really come from the heart."
So now that he's checked his good deed off his to-do list, does he have plans for other charitable ventures?
"In the long term, I want to do something big with philanthropy - scholarships, building schools, that sort of thing," he said. "You know, when you get closer to the big 3-0 you start thinking a lot about your life."
In the meantime, he's already planning a product upgrade for next year's birthday party.
"I'll definitely do this again. I'd like to find a way to bring more people in and make it even more special."
Spoken like a true entrepreneur.
Contact Patty Fisher at pfisher@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5852.
Taj Chahal has thrown himself some great birthday bashes. He has rented limos to take his friends to San Francisco. He's flown to Vegas.
This year, for his 29th birthday, Chahal decided to do something a bit different: He hosted a surprise party for 300 total strangers - complete with birthday cake and party favors for everyone - at Martha's Kitchen, a San Jose charity that serves meals to the homeless and working poor.
Most of us consider our birthdays as a time to receive, not to give. So why would this guy celebrate his by feeding the homeless?
It's all about karma, he says.
"If you are blessed to have the things that you have, then you should share them with others."
Chahal has indeed been blessed. His family moved from India to San Jose when he was 7. After graduating from Independence High School, he attended San Jose State University until his younger brother, entrepreneurial prodigy Gurbaksh Chahal, started his first company at age 16. Taj, then 19, dropped out to work with him. Last year the Chahal brothers sold their latest start-up, BlueLithium, an advertising technology company, to Yahoo for $300 million.
So Taj decided to take some time off, but he's not the type to veg out in front of the TV all day. He sat down and made a to-do list:
1. Get in terrific shape.
2. Take flying lessons.
3. Do something really nice for people who need help.
After checking the first two items off the list, he began researching local charities and found a video about Martha's Kitchen on YouTube.
"I was very impressed with the organization. It's very lean. They really depend on the volunteers."
Martha's Kitchen, which opened in 1981 next to Sacred Heart of Jesus Church on Willow Street, serves more than 100,000 meals a year. Everyone is welcome, no questions asked.
A lot of newly rich valleyites would have written a big check, taken the charitable deduction and headed for the spa. But not this guy. He called Edita Cruz, who runs Martha's Kitchen.
"I thought he just wanted to volunteer," Cruz said. "So I showed him around and gave him the usual spiel."
Then Chahal shared his plan with her:
"He said he wanted to buy dinner for everyone. And he wanted it catered."
Cruz has seen a lot of volunteers come through her doors over the years, but this was the first time she'd heard an offer like this one.
So on Tuesday, when the regulars arrived, they found the dining room decorated with red tablecloths, balloons and festive place mats. Dinner included ravioli and meat balls, salad, garlic bread and, of course, birthday cake.
The tab came to around $8,000.
Chahal, wearing a black T-shirt, red pants and disposable plastic gloves, walked from table to table, serving juice and accepting thank-yous graciously if a bit self-consciously.
One woman told me she asked him how much money he'd made.
"He smiled and said: 'Not enough.' "
Chahal shrugged off the praise, focusing on his work, breaking into a smile only occasionally.
"I really want the people to have an experience they will remember," he said.
No party is complete without gift bags. On the way out, everyone received a box lunch and a bright colored bag containing a towel, toothbrush and other useful things. The kids each got a toy and some treats.
"This is out of this world," said Nancy McCary, who has been eating at the Kitchen every week for three years. "I wish Taj the best of luck."
Chahal confided that the first time he volunteered at the soup kitchen he found it a bit overwhelming. "But you get used to it."
In a valley filled with young people who have too much money, I wondered if Chahal was trying to guilt his peers into doing something for others. But he shrugged off that notion.
"If someone reads about this and is inspired to do something, that's awesome. But it should really come from the heart."
So now that he's checked his good deed off his to-do list, does he have plans for other charitable ventures?
"In the long term, I want to do something big with philanthropy - scholarships, building schools, that sort of thing," he said. "You know, when you get closer to the big 3-0 you start thinking a lot about your life."
In the meantime, he's already planning a product upgrade for next year's birthday party.
"I'll definitely do this again. I'd like to find a way to bring more people in and make it even more special."
Spoken like a true entrepreneur.
Contact Patty Fisher at pfisher@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5852.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
“Able Mable” Thomas Challenges John Lewis for US Congressional Seat
By JIM GALLOWAY - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Published on: 04/30/08
Rivals Say John Lewis 'out of touch'
On the last full day left for candidates to enter races across the state, the dominant message was generational.
'Able' Mable Thomas, a 50-year-old state representative, told U.S. Rep. John Lewis, 68, that it was time for him to leave Congress.
"I believe that ... my opponent is not only beatable, but my opponent should - right now - just get out of the race and let a new generation come forth," Thomas said after paying her fee to enter the 5th District primary. "We've been with you; now why don't you stand with us?"
First elected to Congress in 1986, Lewis already had one Democratic opponent, the Rev. Markel Hutchins. Like Hutchins, Thomas took exception to Lewis' initial endorsement of Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential race.
"What it says is that he is out of touch, and did not see the movement - and he is a movement man," said Thomas, who also ran against Lewis in 1992.
She acknowledged Lewis' status as a "Civil Rights icon," but accused the incumbent of losing touch with a district that is a mixture of the state's richest and poorest residents. "It's good to be a national representative, but at some point you have to be a local representative," she said. "We offer him an exit strategy today."
Lewis, in a statement released Thursday, said, "No one is going to outwork me. No one is going to out campaign me. People talk about change. I am change. I will continue to represent all of the people of this district and fight for their concerns and fight for their needs."
The talk was also generational on the Democratic side of the U.S. Senate race. Ecologist Rand Knight, 36, became the fourth Democrat to sign up on Thursday.
Knight emphasized the need to develop alternative sources of energy, but doesn't want to be pigeon-holed as an environmental candidate.
"The Iraq war, health care, our debt, energy - this is all one issue. We've been separating it for too long," said Knight, an Atlanta resident.
Knight lags behind Atlanta attorney Jim Martin and DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones in fund-raising, reporting nearly $18,000 in cash on hand as of March 31. Former TV journalist Dale Cardwell also reported nearly $18,000 in available cash for the campaign.
But Knight, who is making his first run for public office, said his passion for campaigning would make up the difference, and said that major donors had been waiting until he formally signed up for the race.
"The average age in the Senate is 65 years old. They are tired. They are ready to retire. It's time we recruit into the ranks people who know how to get up there and fight for Democratic values," Knight said.
Rivals Say John Lewis 'out of touch'
On the last full day left for candidates to enter races across the state, the dominant message was generational.
'Able' Mable Thomas, a 50-year-old state representative, told U.S. Rep. John Lewis, 68, that it was time for him to leave Congress.
"I believe that ... my opponent is not only beatable, but my opponent should - right now - just get out of the race and let a new generation come forth," Thomas said after paying her fee to enter the 5th District primary. "We've been with you; now why don't you stand with us?"
First elected to Congress in 1986, Lewis already had one Democratic opponent, the Rev. Markel Hutchins. Like Hutchins, Thomas took exception to Lewis' initial endorsement of Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential race.
"What it says is that he is out of touch, and did not see the movement - and he is a movement man," said Thomas, who also ran against Lewis in 1992.
She acknowledged Lewis' status as a "Civil Rights icon," but accused the incumbent of losing touch with a district that is a mixture of the state's richest and poorest residents. "It's good to be a national representative, but at some point you have to be a local representative," she said. "We offer him an exit strategy today."
Lewis, in a statement released Thursday, said, "No one is going to outwork me. No one is going to out campaign me. People talk about change. I am change. I will continue to represent all of the people of this district and fight for their concerns and fight for their needs."
The talk was also generational on the Democratic side of the U.S. Senate race. Ecologist Rand Knight, 36, became the fourth Democrat to sign up on Thursday.
Knight emphasized the need to develop alternative sources of energy, but doesn't want to be pigeon-holed as an environmental candidate.
"The Iraq war, health care, our debt, energy - this is all one issue. We've been separating it for too long," said Knight, an Atlanta resident.
Knight lags behind Atlanta attorney Jim Martin and DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones in fund-raising, reporting nearly $18,000 in cash on hand as of March 31. Former TV journalist Dale Cardwell also reported nearly $18,000 in available cash for the campaign.
But Knight, who is making his first run for public office, said his passion for campaigning would make up the difference, and said that major donors had been waiting until he formally signed up for the race.
"The average age in the Senate is 65 years old. They are tired. They are ready to retire. It's time we recruit into the ranks people who know how to get up there and fight for Democratic values," Knight said.
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