Vancouver Olympics Worsening Homeless Situation

The olympics are often seen as bringing in business and improving the living in the host city. What people often do not account for is that property values are often increased and as a result, many are forced out of thier homes because they cannot keep up with the payments. An article about the situation said:

The lack of affordable housing in the area despite large investments leading up the games were one of the complaints staged by about 1,500 protesters who ralliedlast week near the site of the opening ceremony. Since the city bid for the Olympics in 2002, homelessness has increased 373 percent.

Some activists and organizations are claiming the Olympics have only exacerbated the problem. A 2007 report by the Pivot Legal Society, a local nonprofit advocacy group, said the 2010 games increased homelessness while decreasing the number of affordable housing units through gentrification and evictions.

The report found housing speculation caused increases in property values as developers purchased properties in Downtown Eastside. Developers then renovated the properties and increased rents, thereby displacing residents; in other cases, landlords simply evicted tenants in preparation for a sale.

Whatever benefits and small economic gains that are made as a result of hosting the olympic games will not outweigh or improve the affordable housing situation in the area. This problem will become increasingly difficult to resolve as more and more people lose their houses and the numbers swell.

President's Plan to Handle Housing Crisis Uneffective

A year ago, President Obama introduced a plan that would "keep as many as 9 million people in their homes by lowering their monthly mortgage payments. Not with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner saying things like, "You'll start to see the effects quite quickly." However, the president cautioned that the plan wouldn't be able to save all homes. An Associated Press article described the plan:

The numbers show a program that failed to deliver. About 116,000 homeowners have had their loans modified to reduce their monthly payments, the Treasury Department said Wednesday. Only about $15 million in incentive money has been paid to more than 100 participating mortgage companies. That's 0.02 percent of the $75 billion available...

Interviews with officials in the Obama and Bush administrations, bank executives and housing experts show the government launched the effort without thinking through many of the details of such a complex program.

One large problem with Obama's plan was that the mortgage companies were not prepared for the plan. Mike Heid, the co-president of Wells Fargo's mortgage division, said that "The program was announced long before a true program existed". The government is having a hard time tackling such a large an complex issue. It will be difficult trying to find the solution to the housing crisis as house prices continue to fall.

Numbers of Homeless Outside Cities Increasing

This winter, homeless shelters are feeling the strain as more and more people lose their jobs as a result of the sinking economy. A few people were quoted in an Associated Press article saying:

"We are seeing many families that never before sought government help," said Greg Blass, commissioner of Social Services in Suffolk County on eastern Long Island.

"We see a spiral in food stamps, heating assistance applications; Medicaid is skyrocketing," Blass added. "It is truly reaching a stage of being alarming."

The article also later stated:

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's annual survey last year found homelessness remained steady at about 1.6 million people, but the percentage of rural or suburban homelessness rose from 23 percent to 32 percent. The 2009 HUD report, which reflected the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2008, also found the number of sheltered homeless families grew from about 473,000 to 517,000.

The problem of homelessness is growing and becoming more apparent throughout the country. One official said in the article that the problem was caused by a combination of foreclosures, unemployment, and a shortage of affordable housing. The issue of affordable housing is a problem that can also be seen actively being tackled. It is important that we help try to solve this issue to help get those that are homeless and in shelters back into houses that they can afford so that they can function as a consumer and help get our economy up and running again.

Mental Health Break

Rebuilding Haiti Could Take as Long as 10 years

Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said that it could take up to ten years to rebuild the 250,000 houses that were destroyed by the devastating earthquake that struck the Caribbean island nation. It will be a challenge getting the citizens of Haiti prepared well enough for the hurricane season which starts on June first. The last thing that Haiti needs after being struck by a devastating earthquake is a devastating hurricane to make matters worse in a an already broken nation. In an article about the situation in Haiti:

Bellerive said shelter remained the biggest problem for the government to address. Residents whose homes were damaged, or who are afraid to sleep indoors, have set up camp on the edges of the capital's airport, the main city square downtown, a golf course, open fields, courtyards of businesses and sidewalks.

Gibbs Takes a Swipe at Palin

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs made fun at Sarah Palin's use of her hand as a list of topics to cover in a speech of hers. Gibbs' hand had the word "eggs", "milk", "bread"(crossed out), "hope" and "change" listed. He jokingly said:

"Eggs, milk and bread," Gibbs read from the black ink stains on his palm, claiming he was going to "make pancakes" for his son Ethan.

"But I crossed out bread," he added, pointing to the line that, indeed, x-ed bread off the list.

"Then I wrote down hope and change just in case I forgot them."

A part of Palin's speech took a jab at Obama for relying heavily on a teleprompter, while she herself had a list written on her own hand. Palin's list contained the words "Energy", "tax", "lift American spirits", and "cuts" with the word budget crossed out before it.

More on Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity is an international organization that takes on the issues of poverty housing through building affordable housing in areas stricken with poverty. The organization was founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller. In 1984 the former president Jimmy Carter took a 'habitat work trip' and helped gain the organization national attention and in turn, caused the organization to grow dramatically in size. The organization now has many affordable housing projects across the country currently and worldwide. "Today, Habitat for Humanity has built more than 300,000 houses, sheltering more than 1.5 million people in more than 3,000 communities worldwide." More information about Habitat for Humanity can be found at their website: http://www.habitat.org/

Habitat for Humanity Helps Families in Haiti

Habitat for Humanity is setting a goal of providing 50,000 families with aid. The organization is planning to provide help and build shelters and housing for Haitian citizens affected by the earthquake over the course of a couple years. The Habitat for Humanity chief executive said that its a "bold goal for Habitat for Humanity, but the level of destruction and the number of families affected demands a bold response". The aid plan with the distribution of 10,000 emergency shelter kits. The workers will help citizens repair houses and clear debris. Ultimately the organization will build houses that are hurricane and earthquake resistant. After working with this organization, I feel that they will be able to obtain this goal easily based on how well they are able to stay organized and accomplish what they set out to achieve.