Addicted to blogs? Has World Homeless Day prompted you to want to understand more about homelessness? Then you’ll want to check out this post on Masters in Public Health, originally discovered through Change.org’s End Homelessness section – which is, by the way, one of the blogs listed!

Looking for blogs with a local focus on homelessness and ending it? Check out 1Matters, Food For Thought, Voice of Rescue, and Toledo Streets!

Which blogs would you recommend?

Wow, did 10/10/10 get here fast. World Homeless Day is THIS Sunday! So here’s what’s going on:

Here’s a press release on the events that we are aware of for Sunday:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 TOLEDO AREA UNITES TO COMMEMORATE WORLD HOMELESS DAY; RAISE AWARENESS

Toledo Agencies and Organizations Seek to Educate Community on Homelessness and Celebrate Changed Lives and Local Efforts

Toledo, OH – Thursday, October 7 – Sunday, October 10th is World Homeless Awareness Day and several Toledo agencies and volunteers that work with the homeless are joining forces to commemorate this day and welcome the public to come learn about homelessness and how they can get involved and make a difference. 

Member agencies of the Toledo Area Alliance to End Homelessness (TAAEH) will kick off the evening’s activities at International Park (boat launch) at 6 p.m. Opening remarks from Elizabeth Tore, Midwest Regional Director of Family Promise, and Deborah Conklin, Director of the Toledo Lucas County Homelessness Board, will provide participants with local statistics of homelessness. A prayer and call to action will conclude with the ceremonial lighting of candles that will be launched in paper boats into the river, signifying our commitment as a community to be a light unto others.

Following the TAAEH event, participants will walk across the Martin Luther King bridge to Trinity Episcopal Church at St. Clair and Adams. The conclusion of the evening’s activities will begin at 7 p.m. in the church proper. According to Rev. Elizabeth “Liddy” Hoster of Trinity Church, the activities are designed to “raise awareness and compassion of the homeless situation in this area. Many voices – those who have experienced homelessness and those that care for the homeless – will share their stories.” Candice Coleman-Lange will perform music, and Pastor Don Schiewer of New Harvest Christian Church in Oregon, a founder of Food For Thought, will help facilitate the event and lead in a closing prayer. The service will conclude at 8 p.m. with a small reception in Trinity Episcopal’s Living Room, catered by My Brother’s Place.

Public service announcements for World Homeless Day are available for viewing on www.1matters.org, and more resources for those wishing to educate themselves on homelessness in Toledo and beyond can be found at www.1010toledo.org. 

For information regarding this event, please contact Donna Perras of Harbor House at 419-277-0950 or Susan Lowery of Trinity Episcopal Church at 419-345-6106.

Here’s a new PSA for use in churches, etc., at any time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf1M2sUhmjs 

And here are a couple more “10 Things” lists, courtesy of Portland Rescue Mission (please note some things are specific to Portland, Oregon):

10 Causes of Homelessness

10 Ways to Help a Homeless Person - Instead of the Rose City Resource Guide, may we suggest United Way’s 2-1-1 as a local resource you to which you can point people.

10 Questions You Can Ask a Homeless Person

Learn about homelessness. The more we know about the issue, the better equipped we are to make a difference! Here are 10 sites you can use to educate yourself about homelessness, as well as local resources.

10 ONLINE RESOURCES ABOUT HOMELESSNESS

1. Change.org – End Homelessness
   http://homelessness.change.org/

   Helpful blog covering issues of homelessness and related stories.

2. Alltop.com – Homelessness
   http://homeless.alltop.com/

   Compilation of 40 top blogs related to homelessness.  Includes links to the five most recent posts on each blog.

3. InvisiblePeople.tv
   http://invisiblepeople.tv/blog/
   
   Short candid video interviews with homeless people from all across America.
4. U.S. Conference of Mayors – Hunger and Homelessness Report
   http://www.usmayors.org/pressreleases/uploads/USCMHungercompleteWEB2009.pdf
   
   (PDF download) Annual report on hunger and homelessness in 27 U.S. cities. (Toledo is not included, but Cleveland and Detroit are.)

   
   

5. National Coalition for the Homeless
   http://nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/index.html 

   Facts and statistics about homelessness in America.

   
   

6. National Alliance to End Homelessness
   http://www.endhomelessness.org/

   News, facts, statistics, interactive maps and more about homelessness.

   
   

7. Homelessness Resource Center
   http://www.nrchmi.samhsa.gov/

   Compiled articles for researching homelessness.

8. 211 Online
   http://www.refersoftware.com/211toledo/

   Online and phone-in organization connecting people in Northwest Ohio with community resources.

9. Toledo Streets
   http://www.toledostreets.org/

   Street paper and blog in Toledo, Ohio, covering homeless advocacy.
   
   

10. 1Matters
    http://www.1matters.org/

    The organization that coordinates Toledo’s annual Tent City, as well as funds and organizes other initiatives that assist the unhoused population.

Only one month left until 10/10/10 – World Homeless Day. Check out the links below from Portland Rescue Mission, then ask yourself how you might make a difference here in Toledo!

10 Myths About Homelessness

10 Places Homeless People Sleep

10 Items a Homeless Person Could Use

Thank you for caring! Now – how ’bout sharing… these links with others?

From 1Matters.org: Today marks the release of John Mellencamp’s World Homeless Day public service announcement.  John lends his voice to the hundreds in cities worldwide with the intent to simply encourage you to do something to bring your community together and support those who have lost domestic autonomy.

Below is the press release put out night by Mr. Mellencamp.

JOHN MELLENCAMP PITCHES IN TO HELP UNHOUSED WORLDWIDE

(Toledo, OH) 1Matters.org today announced the release of Grammy award-winning singer John Mellencamp’s efforts to help those who have lost domestic autonomy worldwide.

These efforts include the global release of:

1) Public service announcements promoting World Homeless Day (WHD) to be held 10/10/10. The purpose of World Homeless Day is to urge communities to use their local resources to draw attention to the needs of the unhoused, as well as provide opportunities for the community to come together to respond to homelessness.

2) A print interview conducted with exclusive rights of distribution to the world’s street papers. This print exclusivity helps to provide financial autonomy for the poor or unhoused vendors selling one of the 110 street papers in 40 countries.

3) A call to other recording artists and celebrities, whether on the road or at home, to matter by making unprompted stops at local shelters and kitchens with the sole purpose of showing “every 1Matters.”

According to HUD, due to foreclosure and job loss, the number of families with children who have lost domestic autonomy and are on the streets and in shelters is up 30% since 2007.

“It’s not right that kids have to live on the street; it’s not right anyone has to live on the street,” Mellencamp says. “In this country right now there is no middle class, no place for middle class. You are either really rich or you are really down and out. It’s hard times in this country right now.”

Common perceptions of the “homeless” do not include many of those who are now unhoused, such as families with children. According to 1Matters founder Ken Leslie, “Most people associate the word ‘homeless’ with the stereotypes of those living on the streets. Fact is they only represent 15% of those who are unhoused in the US. Those who do not have “domestic autonomy”, including those doubled-up with friends or family define the entire scope.”

Before a concert in 2007, John Mellencamp made an unprompted visit to an awareness-raising Tent City in Toledo, OH, which sparked the founding of 1Matters.org. 1Matters works to change public perceptions of the unhoused and to involve local communities in ending homelessness.

According to Mellencamp’s publicist Bob Merlis, “John was touched by the experience in Toledo and has continued his support not only for 1Matters, but all of those who have lost domestic autonomy in our nation.” Mellencamp’s involvement in promoting World Homeless Day on 10/10/10 is another act in his long history of standing with those whose voices are often unheard in their communities.

The public service announcement and exclusive interview can be located at Mellencamp.com or 1Matters.org website.

About 1Matters - Founded by Ken Leslie, a formerly homeless alcoholic, addict, comedian and a 20-year advocate with and for the unhoused, 1Matters is working to fund micro-enterprises to provide financial and domestic autonomy based on the principal of hard work, as well as creating an international platform to change the world, 1 person at a time. 1Matters.org.

About World Homeless Day – Started by a group in Ireland. the purpose of World Homeless Day is to draw attention to the needs of the unhoused locally and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in responding to homelessness. The Official World Homeless Day website exists to resource local groups to apply the concept of World Homeless Day to benefit homeless people locally in their area.

About John Mellencamp – John Mellencamp’s career in music has spanned more than 35 years during which time he transitioned from pre-fab pop idol to one of the most highly regarded mature songwriters of a generation, with domestic sales exceeding 40 million units. A Grammy award-winning artist, John has been standing up and fighting for those with little voice by using his time, music and money for 35 years. October 2nd will mark the 25th year of Farm Aid which he founded with Willie Nelson and Neil Young. This month John released his 26th album, “No Better Than This”, produced by TBone Burnett, recorded in Mono and released by Rounder Records.

It’s short notice, but we wanted to invite you to participate in a planning meeting for World Homeless Day, 10/10/10. We’ll be meeting with Evangeline Kim and Amy Ambrose of Cherry Street Mission at their shelter on the corner of Monroe & 17th, at 5PM.
 
On the agenda is the development of a Speaker’s Bureau, comprised of staff and volunteers of service providers, and current and formerly homeless individuals. We will also discuss the marketing of 10/10/10, from the PSA’s (under development) and their distribution, the creation of fact sheets, the commemoration event the evening of 10/10, and getting the Toledo media outlets involved.
 
This is a collaborative effort meant to benefit all service providers in Toledo and raise awareness. 

Feel free to forward this message on to anyone who may be interested in participating. The more organizations we have represented, the more the public will recognize our united efforts!

We just launched this site, but we’ve been working on the local level to organize awareness efforts for World Homeless Day. So far, Toledo Streets Newspaper, 1Matters, and Cherry Street Mission Ministries are on board with promoting World Homeless Day, with invitations to participate being sent out soon to other service providers to Northwest Ohio’s unhoused community soon. Less than 10 weeks now to 10/10/10!

Toledo Streets is already covering WHD and promoting this site, and 1Matters is editing a PSA from John Mellencamp, who generously donated his time for this and a couple of other worthy causes. These organizations, along with (hopefully) some others, are also putting together more PSA’s, information sheets, and even a Speaker’s Bureau for the event. More details will soon follow!

If you would like to get involved, please contact amanda (@) 1010toledo (dot) org. Thanks!