The fences were installed, in the case of Lafitte, while they were demolishing. The buildings were actually a better model of public housing. Lot's of greenspace and low density. Whatever replaces them will not be as well built.

Thanks, Karen. Without the fence, it resembles the apartment complex behind me--where rent for a one-bedroom starts at $550 per month.

Kate thanks for the overview In Maine I have dealt with a few Katrina victims. As the women who waited all day in one of the lines this one for the $750 credit card. Only to be told they were out of credit cards and she had to sign for a $200 check, or get nothing.

 Believe me, Someone got the $550 the women in need failed to receive, and most likely signed for, it just wasn't her or her family.
The stories of the Poor go basically untold whether it be in LA. or Oregon.

I will talk about another form of invisibility.
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Do Not tell Anyone the shelters are full

Waiting lists for abuse and homeless shelters, have been in place for a decade.  Imagine making an appointment for a mouth later because your boyfriend might hit you? That is nearly as impossible as signing up for a bed slot two months in advance at a homeless shelter. In either case, usually the need is immediate.

If top CEOs used shelters, the media would report the situation and demand something be done as they did with the foreclosure debacle. There were millions of foreclosures,  a  year, the decades leading up to thousands of foreclosures a day. But they affected only the very poor, they were not as now a trap for professionals.

Once the media began exposing, the increased foreclosure activity. The public clamored for   actions to prevent the new poor from losing their houses.   So the American media plays a great role, in styling American life.

When   the media of the 1950's and 1960's reported lynching  as anything other then a sport, with negro's being the equipment and dehumanized- then many people, rose up in turbulence and discord  until the matter was rectified.

Perhaps I answered my own inquiry.   Of why the media does not carry the news that homeless shelters are running full since about 1994.   The newspaper and broadcast media do not want improvement. They want every satisfied to sit back in their easy chairs, content to read about matters the public cannot change. If they told the flaws of the safety net some fool would want to fix it. Then they would leave their easy chairs and the news and promote change.

 I would love to write upon the press not exposing the public to the real side of poverty.  This lack of full coverage means poverty exists. Oh yeas in the late fall the early winter, they do one fell through the safety net. But nothing on how broken the safety net is can touch print.  Occasionally a reporter will slip in the number of people turned away in the last year. But editors do not want them telling you the public what needs fixing-You might volunteer your time to building another shelter. Or worst start fighting poverty. And no longer read the newspapers. 

I would be willing to guest write about how the News omits the blights of life of the poor. Let me tell about media's hiding facts from the public like shelters are filled. News sources can also blog and tell us why they do not carry stories of shelters being filled. I would like to know the excuses media uses wouldn't you?

Here in California we have mixed income housing/apartments.  It seems to work pretty well.  I believe the owners are given tax incentives to provide a certain percentage of affordable apartments.  And all newly built housing communities have to build a certain percentage of affordable houses for the low and very low income.  I think most of those sit empty because they still cant afford them.

I heard on CNN last night that the banks that have been given bail outs to help stop foreclosures will not refinance houses that will not appraise at their original loan value.  Duh.. nobodys  house would appraise at what it was supposedly worth a couple years ago.  So it boils down to the money the banks were given for this crisis will do nothing.  Instead I believe the banks will be loaning the money out to real estate investors who will then buy up the foreclosures dirt cheap and then rent it out at a high price.  The rich will get richer and the poor will live on the streets.  Nothing has changed yet!
Myself, I am disabled and lost my home a couple years ago and now live in a mixed income apartment.  In the last 90 days, it seems it has become mostly low income...we have a lot of gangs that have moved in.  With bullets flying I am now afraid to live here.  On top of that, I don't have the money to get out.  Social Security for the disabled had their raises taken away May 1st. It was like a $40 a month cut which is a lot of money for us.  (The media was sure to tell the news of the raises for days but I have not heard them report on the cuts, another wrong by the media.)  Its a lot of stress on someone who has post traumatic syndrome to begin with or disabled in any form, it just makes the problem worse.  From my point of view, I have thought about just giving up, selling everything I own and getting an old RV and go live in it.  A lot less stress...I have done it before while waiting 2+ years for social security to be approved.

I also read here somewhere on Change.org that either New York or Chicago? is now charging people to stay in homeless shelters.  How cruel is that.  By most laws these places would be condemable and not rentable by law.  Its like kicking someone who is already down.

I think someone with good organizing skills should start a "camp out on Capitol lawns" type of protest all over the U.S. to show them we will not just be shoved out of site and ignored by government or media.  Something has to happen, we cant just keep talking about it and doing nothing.  We have to get the media's attention and keep it for as long as we can.  One day on the news does nothing.  Example: Sacramento's Tent City debacle.  All they did was send some to temp shelters at the State Fair grounds, spent a million dollars doing so and still did not have enough beds or room for all of them and the rest just moved camp on down the river farther away from society's site.   

I would like to hear some ideas for solutions if anyone has some.  We CAN NOT expect the government just to take care of the problem out of theirs hearts.  We can already see that most of them don't have one.  When ever there is a budget problem, they cut the poor and when there isn't a budget problem, they still forget the poor that need help.  This time the middle class need help too.  The divide between the rich and the poor is snow balling at high speed.  What can we do??

It would get more news coverage if this was done on every State Capital lawn.

I just found out that California plans on cuts to the disabled again on July 1st. (SSI) This is in addition to the cut in benefits May 1st.  May was $47 and July is to be another $20.  Gee...  that puts us back about 5 or 6 years of raises.  The average income for a disabled person in CA will be $870 a month.  And we are not allowed food stamps either.  President Obama really needs to help us!!!!

Guess California is one of them 16 states which SSI does not cover the price of rent. I like hearing FACTS by the people all over the USA.  It makes me smarter. Heck it makes all of more informed.

we not just need to camp out at the capitols. WE need to tell America, by help the underpaid the homeless they help themselves.

I have grave concerns about the gist of this post. I hear conspiracy theories about FEMA building fenced camps around the country for "emergency evacuation" purposes and vague references to the disposition of margenalized people by confabricating an "emergency" and herding us into these "stocks" like cattle. Now we have testemony that it has happened...Complete with military compound regulations (minus the P-X of course!).

Here in Bristol, VA there is a 10 year plan to demolish 50% of public housing in favor of a much smaller "mixed income" development. This all started during that great Repbulcrat, Bill Clinton (a Republicrat is a politician who is hard to pin to one party or the other...Mostly "conservative" Democrats, like Slick Willy)...This bothers me. We direly need affordable housing and I wonder what all the freshly impoverished YUPPIES who have for two decades voted their greed are going to do now that their fondest wishes have turned into their worst nightmares?
Rise up America, we can't afford to take anymore!
Public Housing is not the ideal place for anyone to live. Most projects are just extentions of the local prison and look and smell like a prison yard (except both male and female inmates carouse) with prison-tatooed skinheads walking around with their pants down around their knees and their underware there for all to see. Violence is often just a step away...Then there are the inspections, often weekly...With the old buildings here, people have to take time from work to do the cleaning mandated by the Housing Authorities. Tell me, when was the last time you washed your walls?
Congress needs to investigate Public Housing, but I doubt we will get a fair hearing as long as Republicrats are in there. So here is what we should do...Vote for Green Party Senators and Congressmen!

There is a new, award winning documentary called Renaissance Village, which profiles the trailer park and its residents left forgotten. Check out the trailer at rvthefilm.com and become a facebook fan.
Another interesting reason why trailer parks like Renaissance Village were set up in such remote locations is the NIMBY syndrome- Not In My Backyard. Many parishes in Louisiana outlawed the construction of FEMA emergency group trailer sites...

Why is it always fifty percent of what ever. National homeless and poverty groups want to end 50% of poverty. Is that so they can appear to be accomplishing a goal while they do the same old/and FAILED thing? I live in a natural mixed income neighborhood, lower middle class and poor. 

It is fine do to having good folks no matter the income.  But since has not made me richer.

Yes, Here comes the broken record. It IS the Time to Fight for everyone to bepaid the full cost of living.$620 in SSI when studio or 1 bedroom apartments go for $600- $750 a month  does not cover the need.

Raising the minimum to $9.40 and hour in 2011, when the cost of living is $19.80 an hour is going to keep people trapped. Lets celebrate our humanity by having employers paying what it cost to live. If the employer can not afford it with raising prices the government should step in, ans supplement.

Instead of an ecomony built upon the highest price the market will bear. Turn to one aiming for what is fair.

I am glad you brought up that point. Let me ask a devils advocate type question. "Why do the goods and services Have to go Up?"  I know when SSI people get a cost of living increase prices go up, so yes, that IS what happens. Yet Why?  But there is No valid reasons why they MUST.

 But think deeply about it WHY does the raw materials to make a $40 action doll go up when there is a cost of living increased?  NO!

Let me use an example I came across in life.  A guy complained he felt like he was making too much money. The object cost 6 cents to make and get on the shelfs. So he made a profit of $19.94 per doll; On the sold goods.

I overheard him on a street talking to a friend. I jumped in,telling him to pay his workers more he said he was paying top wage (But still under livable wages)- other employers would be mad at him, if he paid his workers radically more than them.

Think what I seek might be called "resource economic"  If a doll cost 4 cents to produce, it gets sold for what ever is "fair"-not what the market will bear. Say $15.00, that gives a profit of $7.00 a doll for both store and the manufacturing.
guy. The price an employee makes an hour.

So the guy could make $19.94 adoll when his employees make livable wage of $19.60 an hour for 40 hours, or $39.20 for 20 hours a week.

If wages goes up, And everything else stays the same, prices should stay steady.

Business wants us to think they are compelled to put prices up When SSI income goes up. When it  doesn't cost them more to buy plastic or coffee beans prices should not inflate.

Think about this:Tax breaks are fine for the working, and if they cover the entire difference. They do not. Government give an arbitrary dollar amount as $3,000 a person.  That may not bring workers up to the cost of living.

It is what amount will silence the trouble makers? Not would rent, repairs replacement, transportation costs, health care, utilities and food costs are encountered. 

Our Affordable housing helps with 70 % of the need but only for 25% of those in need, on a good day. Cuts reduce the numbers aided.  

I respectfully call for ending 100% of poverty to 100% of the people in need. This is UNTRIED, But its due a trial.

Assuming you were open to my words, you might or might not think differently. But at least Change.org let me get that idea out there.