During the 10 years I was on the streets, welfare for homeless singles, which was euphemistically renamed “Ontario Works” was set at $195.00 per month and this was raised to about $200.00 per month only a couple of years ago. Obviously, a person can not survive on such a meager amount, so I began panhandling [...]

For those who were not aware, today is National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day.
“Each year since 1990, on or near the first day of winter and the longest night of the year, National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has sponsored National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day to bring attention to the tragedy of homelessness and to remember [...]

This is the second in a series of case studies examining the root causes of homelessness by investigating the circumstances and history of specific individuals in hope of bringing some level of understanding and recognition of anyone’s potential vulnerability.
In March of 1998 a homeless 71-year-old African-American man was discovered in the streets of Brooklyn, New [...]

Whether we should actually hand over money to homeless panhandlers is debatable. Many people are discouraged from doing so for fear that the recipient will spend the money on drugs or alcohol. Chances are, many of them will but if you do choose to hand over money then it belongs to them and you should [...]

One of the most common causes of homelessness is mental ill health. It is estimated that between 30% and as much as 70% of homeless people suffer from some form of mental disorder. In a 1999 survey for the Office for National Statistics, 6% of homeless people were considered likely to have a psychotic disorder, [...]

They may not be able to fly and with the possible exception of the transients who lifted a two-tonne car off of a nine-year-old girl, may not be able to display super-human strength. All these people have, however, demonstrated feats of extraordinary courage, selflessness or honesty and kindness towards fellow human beings and all [...]

Following the popularity of my article on Famous People Who Have Been Homeless, this is a continuation of the series intending to debunk Homeless Image and Stereotypes.
Talent has no social or economic boundaries. There are tens of thousands of extremely gifted children, adults and families living on the streets and in shelters around the globe. [...]

This post follows on from and should be read in conjunction with the recent article, Homeless Image and Stereotypes.
Every day, we walk past people in the streets without having the slightest clue that they are homeless because they do not fit the stereotypical image. Even of those that do fit the common-held image, you [...]