Newspapers / The AC Phoenix News … / Dec. 1, 1987, edition 1 / Page 20
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Page 20 The Homeless At Christmas A Growing Number by Malcolm A. Pharr As WL‘ embark on a new year we must face one of the nation's greatest fears. No, not Aids. Although 1987 has been a year in which this dread disease has touched a huge seg ment of the populations lives, there are still other tragedies that face us. It is estimated that some three million people are living on park benches, doorways, alleys and va cant buildings. The ma jority of these homeless, unaccounted for, in divisuals are Black and Hispanic between tbe ages of 20-40 years old. Tbe males outnumber the females, but the latter is increasing at an alarming rate. The numbers which are growing at nearly 30% per year are enormously heterogeneous. Cities such as New York City, Chicago and Houston have larg numbers of homeless peo ple which have been displaced mainly because of declining job rates and federal cutbacks due to tbe Reagan Administra tion. In New York City, families constitute 60% of the homeless population with children occupying the fastest growing group at 11,000. The homeless problem in Chicago is related to the closing of steel mills and other ma jor businesses. Houston blames its growing number on tbe closing or decline of the oil industry. America appears to be beading in the direction it was in during the Depres sion Era (1920's). When people lost their means of support (jobs) they even tually lost their pride and within time their dwell ings. This caused a drastic increase in homeless. But for one who lives in East Winston or works out of a vehicle... they realize that the problem of homelessness is real ... not a B-Movie or something on an HBO special. For those of you who believe it does not exist visit the Soup Kit chen on Patterson Avenue-Northwest Blvd. at 11:45 a.m. and see some of those sad faces with few life traces, with empty lives and stomachs likewise. Black people The road down to this level is short and narrow. It does not take long to get on EMPTY. The "hidden popula tion", as it is sometimes called, is not quite so hid den in these large metropolitans, but in cities such as Winston-Salem if one does not look closely he will think it does not exist. When one lives in Buena Vista, British Woods or even off Carver Rd. and works at R.j.R. or Hanes, or maybe downtown, as opposed to uptown, they may also miss our second most fear. visit the Crisis control Ministry and see our young brothers and sisters out-of-spirit and out-of hope. These people, who have nothing as far as material possessions go are not only the ignorant or mentally ill ... they are persons in the street who have the mentality to make an impact on socie ty. They are those who could take either my job or yours. They are dead spiritually and only alive in body. The road down to this level is short and narrow. It does not take long to get on EMPTY. One of the major causes for this crisis has been a decline in low-income housing. Over 1 million units of single-room oc cupancy housing — representing 47% of the nations total were torn down between 1970 and 1980. It is reported that some 2.5 million people lose their homes every year through evictions and other factors. There is a trend of tear ing down low-rent hous ing and building high rise office space and parking lots. Cities are selling out their citizens in order to attract potential Investors and neo-Black and white "yuppy-types". The Reagan Administra tion's budget cuts which have sold out the public in exchange for "Star Wars" has reduced a $31 billion dollar budget in housing to $9 billion in 1987. The construction of federal low-income hous ing units has fallen from 20,000 to 5,000. The aid to families with depen dent children's budget has been cut by $3.6 billion creating a situation where only 55 out of every 200 poor children received AFDC payments in 1984. The budget cuts have also affected the number of social workers across the country. Economic Growth and Administrative cutbacks have been exchanged for housing for the public. The events which have lea to the demise of public housing in this country are beginning to hit home with authority. We are in a crisis in which no end is in sight. Continued on page 25 PAULA M. PARHAM yice Presidertt/Operarion “The virture of all achievement is victory over oneself...” 2409 Hillsboro Rd. Nashville, TN 37212 (615) 385-2858 1001 S. Marshall St. Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101 (919) 723-3552 Career Development * Personal Management |.ad]j ifideo Productions 'Special Edition" Mobile TV Studio Music Videos EMCutrve Producer Rev.EvdfiSniltrTmons Don’t Let Your Buddy Drive Drunk This Holiday Season I k *• 0®*“** lack Economic Development \0 MusK ^ Your WINSTON-SALEM/FORSYTH Minority Business League James Grace, President xo Uy Rahni Jere Sumler From Jermain E. Sumler
The AC Phoenix News (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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Dec. 1, 1987, edition 1
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