Hundreds of Austin Homeless Receive Clothing
House the Homeless’s annual thermal underwear drive was recently featured on Austin’s Fox News 7. Hundreds of men, women, and children picked up clothing that will help them survive the winter cold. The drive goes all winter so there is still time for you to contribute money or clothing.
Thermal Underwear Drive by HtH
The attitude toward the Austin street community started changing with the skyline. And as the growth downtown continues, so does the pressure.
Homeless advocate Richard Troxell, who organized the clothing give-away says he is bracing for a crisis.
“I think as long as people out live the resources that’s what is going to happen, in inevitable so we have to deal with this,” Troxell said.
According to a recent survey by Troxell 52 percent of those living on the streets cannot work because of health problems. Forty-eight percent are able to work. But according to Troxell the few jobs available don’t pay enough to get people off the streets.
Richard R. Troxell, founder of House the Homeless, is advocating for a Universal Living Wage as one way to solve the homelessness problem.
The Swap-A-Hat Program
GOAL:
$4000 = 500 Hats
COLLECTED AS OF 7/25:
$600 = 75 Hats
Due to the extreme heat in Austin this spring and summer, House the Homeless is again conducting the Swap-A-Hat program.
People experiencing homelessness will be given the opportunity to either swap their existing hat of any kind for a new summer hat (with a tail) or donate a $1.00 and receive a hat. All proceeds will go to the newly homeless citizens in Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, etc. Similarly, we will be making UV-rated sunglasses available for a $1.00 donation.
Again, 100% of all proceeds will go to serve people who are newly experiencing homelessness.
We are asking supporters of House the Homeless to donate $8.00 to support the cost of providing these items. You can donate online here:
Or, please send a check payable to House the Homeless, Inc to:
House the Homeless
P.O. Box 2312
Austin, TX 78768
Thank you for your never ending support for the folks living on our streets.
Together we can end homelessness.
Richard Troxell
In Search of Socks, Underwear, and Hats
Remember how the musicians of New Orleans went all out, raising funds to help people recover from the aftermath of the deadly hurricane? Now a bunch in Texas are doing a thing called Warm Up Fort Worth. It can actually get pretty cold in that part of the country. Steve Watkins tells us about how the local musicians sent out a call for donations of coats, hats, gloves, socks, and especially underwear, to benefit the people experiencing homelessness.
This is a match made in heaven, because any band either owns or has access to some kind of vehicle big enough to carry stuff around in. Remember the friends of Gram Parsons, who had a hearse for moving their equipment from show to show? It really came in handy when they needed to transport his coffin.
Those trucks and vans are just as useful for collecting blankets, winter clothing, and other practical and necessary items from people fortunate enough to have jobs and homes. Then, the bounty is shared with people who are experiencing homelessness, though they may have jobs. Yes, that happens, more often than you might think. Economic homelessness is the term for when somebody has money coming in, but not enough to even rent a basic, no-frills apartment.
Warm Up Fort Worth started with Phil Wallace, a member of Snake Shaker Revival and a self-described hellraiser musician, from whom Watkins has captured a pithy sound bite:
It’s not easy to be homeless, but it’s easy to become homeless.
The musician himself is unclear about his own motivations. Wallace seems to have received what some would describe as a call, and has formed a conviction that this is what he should be doing at this time, and he doesn’t really have much of a choice. The reporter went along to Family Baptist Church, where the collected clothing is made available as burgers are served. Of that experience he says,
Keeping the distribution orderly is major ordeal… After last week’s drive nearly got out of hand, the volunteers took a firmer stance — telling the eager crowd they would move on if everyone didn’t back up. Order was quickly restored…
When I was a kid, there was a goofy rhyme:
Knock knock!
Who’s there?
Uncle Miltie’s underwear!
And I can’t help being reminded of it, every time I think about the Thermal Underwear Party that traditionally occurs on New Year’s Day in Austin (check out this page at House the Homeless about the last year’s drive). The article contains a typo, by the way. The upcoming Thermal Underwear Party on January 1, 2011, will actually be the 10th annual occurrence of the event. And what a fascinating event it is! Hey, even poverty and homelessness are not serious all the time. And if you can’t have fun with skivvies, what in the world can you have fun with? Maybe the drive will adopt this as its official chant:
Knock knock!
Who’s there?
Austin Thermal Underwear!
Okay, so there’s a reason why I’m not in public relations. Still, it is kind of catchy, no?
But we’re not just talking about warm underwear, important and life-saving as it is. The drive volunteers are also asking for hats, gloves, scarves, and all the same kinds of items that are needed when, for instance, a Veterans Stand Down is scheduled in an area.
Hats are important in cold weather. People who know about these things say that 80% of the body’s heat loss happens through the scalp, which is very vascularized. Your head has a lot of veins in it, so when your blood is up there, it over-chills, and then circulates around making the rest of you cold.
On the same scientific principle, a radiator cools a car engine, and a swamp cooler keeps the temperature reasonable in a trailer. In the summertime, this is a splendid arrangement that nature has made for our comfort and convenience. In the winter, however, a hat can make the difference between staying healthy and getting sick.
Reactions?
Source: “Local musicians help Warm Up Fort Worth,” dfw.com, 11/16/10
Source: “10th Annual House The Homeless Thermal Underwear Party,” House the Homeless, 01/02/10
Image by renschmensch, used under its Creative Commons license.
Celebrities, Thanksgiving, and People Experiencing Homelessness
Maybe you’re a fan of the most-watched soap opera on TV, The Bold & the Beautiful. Apparently, it has 26 million devoted viewers. Journalist Becky Blanton focused her attention on this television program because the creative team has written several homeless people into the script. If we’re understanding this right, one of the characters, a Stephanie Forrester, has been told that she would die of cancer very soon. This news inspires her to become interested in the plight of people experiencing homelessness.
The show’s producers hired 25 people right off Skid Row and recorded them telling their stories, and some of these documentary segments will be woven into the show’s plot line. And there is more. The head writer and executive producer of the show, Brad Bell, is said to have also hired an additional 30 homeless individuals as extras, or actors with non-speaking parts. He has told journalists that this interest is not just temporary, and that he intends to continue to incorporate people experiencing homelessness into the unfolding narrative.
Blanton is interested to discover whether this show will go along with the same old stereotypes, or have the integrity to do something better. She asks,
Will they provide a realistic view of the homeless and the challenges they truly face, or will they sanitize life on the LA streets for viewers?… I hope Bell takes time to address the real issues that affect the majority of the homeless — the lack of affordable housing and child care and living wage jobs.
Blanton sees this as a great opportunity on Bell’s part to influence the attitudes of Americans regarding people experiencing homelessness. Depending on how this widely-viewed serial depicts members of the homeless community, a powerful force for good could be exerted. It might also, she feels, give the housed American public some useful ideas for how to help, and, in some cases, might even put into their heads an idea that wasn’t there before, the idea that we should all help.
Although not a soap opera star herself, Becky Blanton is another kind of celebrity. You’ve heard of TED, which stands for Technology Entertainment and Design. Every year, this nonprofit organization sponsors a series of conferences where people with “ideas worth spreading” come to spread them. In 2009, Becky Blanton spoke at TEDGlobal in Oxford, England. This is a credential of almost unparalleled cachet. Her topic was “The year I was homeless,” and there is a seven-minute video clip on TED’s website. For an appetizer, here are a couple of soundbites:
Homelessness is an attitude, not a lifestyle.
Hope always finds a way.
The Universal Living Wage is the concept that Richard R. Troxell, president of House the Homeless, offers as a solution that will help all Americans. The foundations on which his argument rests are included in the Protected Homeless Class Resolution, whose full text is found in Looking Up at the Bottom Line. Here are just a few of the points he makes:
● There is a shortage of affordable housing stock nationwide.
● The national minimum wage is an insufficient amount of money to secure safe, decent, affordable housing even at the most basic financial level.
● More than the minimum wage is required in every state to be able to afford a one-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent, as set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The Universal Living Wage could bring about the day when no American is unhoused or hungry. Meanwhile, highly publicized celebrities continue to adopt the cause of helping the homeless.
There is an interesting website called “Look to the Stars,” which keeps track of Hollywood personalities and show business folk, and what charities they are connected with. The search word “homelessness” matches up with 29 celebrity names. Among them are such luminaries as George Clooney, Whoopi Goldberg, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nicolas Cage, Scarlett Johansson, and Eddie Murphy.
The search word “Thanksgiving” brings up 28 matching news items published on the site, where we learn about the philanthropic activities of Kirk Douglas, Gisele Bundchen, Ludacris, Akon, Drew Barrymore, and many other actors, musicians, and fashion models. Celebrities donate their time, talents and money to turkey giveaways, or serve dinner at the Los Angeles Mission, and just generally give it back or pay it forward, to show their gratitude for their own good fortune.
Here, from another source, is a story about a typical celebrity response. It is a cooperative effort including promoters of hip-hop and martial arts to provide Thanksgiving dinners for families. All over the country, people who are famous, and a whole lot of people who are not so famous, do their best to make this holiday a happy occasion for others.
Reactions?
Source: “The Bold & the Beautiful to Feature Homelessness & Poverty,” Homelessness.change.org, 10/27/10
Source: “The year I was homeless: Becky Blanton on TED.com,” blog.ted.com, 07/09
Source: “Looking Up at the Bottom Line,” Amazon.com
Source: “Search results for homelessness,” Look to the Stars
Source: “Master P to Help Feed Homeless People on Thanksgiving,” AceShowBiz, 11/13/10
Image by petercruise, used under its Creative Commons license.
Many Cities Observe Homelessness Awareness Week
Today, we’re looking around America to see what is being done in various cities about the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. The news is encouraging. Many groups, both secular and faith-based, are taking on the responsibility for doing something useful to alleviate the growing problem of people experiencing homelessness. Here is a small sampling of what folks throughout the land are up to this week.
In Vero Beach, Florida, housed citizens take turns living in a car for 24 hours in a public place, while a local radio show broadcasts their reactions and sends out requests for donations to help the involuntary homeless, whose number in the area is estimated at 2,000. Volunteers staff 10 collection sites around the city to take contributions, and many businesses put on special events where part of the profit is donated.
In Pensacola, Florida, the main organizers for the Week are the Waterfront Rescue Mission and EscaRosa Coalition on the Homeless. Events there include food and clothing drives, a candlelight vigil, a prayer breakfast, a sale of art created by people experiencing homelessness, and the screening of a film called On the Edge.
On the opposite coast, in Portland, Oregon, a group called Human Solutions has opened its 60-bed Family Warming Center (it will be open for 12 hours every night), and also offers help with housing information and help with job hunting. Located at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, the Center is always looking for volunteers to help out in the recreation room with the evening activities leadership, and to mentor the children. Community members volunteer in the kitchen and, as always and everywhere, food donations are gratefully accepted.
In California, Project Homeless Connect holds an event in three towns (Hanford, Porterville, and Visalia), visited this year by close to 800 people in need of help. Actually, this is only a small portion of the activities of PHC. Machael Smith gives the background:
Created in 2004 in San Francisco, Project Homeless Connect is equal parts welcoming homeless neighbors into the life of the community, changing the way resources are accessed and achieving quantifiable results for people experiencing homelessness. The innovation has taken off like wildfire across the country as communities look for solutions to end homelessness. More than 330 events in 220 communities have taken place so far.
Thanks to the efforts of many volunteering agencies and individuals, clients receive an amazing array of services from haircuts and showers to vaccinations for their pets. The State Department of Motor Vehicles is on hand to issue ID cards for those who need them, and many other needs are also met, improving the lives of people of all ages.
In San Francisco, Craig Newmark himself (the founder of Craigslist) takes the time to publish an appeal for the sock drive sponsored by St. Anthony’s. This may sound like a small thing, but, as the article explains, people experiencing homelessness are rarely in a position to be able to do something as simple as take off their shoes, let alone wash any of their clothes. Clean, dry socks are rare, and a brand new pair of socks can seem like a luxury fit for a king.
This is a reminder to all of us that no matter how little we have, and regardless of how close to the edge we ourselves might be, there is still something we can do for a person who is even worse off. A pair of socks is not much to give, but it can be a bounteous gift to receive.
Meanwhile, down in Southern California, STANDUP FOR KIDS (SUFK) hosts a wine-tasting benefit to raise money toward the construction of a drop-in center and transitional housing facility for young people. Orange County, long regarded as a center of affluence, estimates that it contains an astonishing 26,000 homeless youth. And that’s only the kids. The SUFK organization concentrates on helping the young gain a foothold in society before they can slip too far into the hopeless situation of seeing homelessness as their only possible future.
From Evansville, Indiana, Richard Gootee reports that this is one of the many cities participating in the “Totes for Hope,” a program that provides tote bags and backpacks to homeless veterans.
Last but certainly not least, The Statesman carries a report from Andrea Ball on the doings in Austin, Texas, the center of operations of House the Homeless, and the site of the annual Homeless Sunrise Memorial Service.
Reactions?
Source: “HFC joins National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week,” TCPalm.com,10/04/10
Source: “Homeless Families Warming Center Opens…,” Chuck Currie, 11/04/10
Source: “Events urge awareness of hunger, homelessness,” pnj.com, 11/13/10
Source: “A day of hope offered to the homeless,” Visalia Times-Delta, 11/06/10
Source: “St. Anthony’s needs socks for homeless veterans,” San Francisco Chronicle, 11/09/10
Source: “‘STANDUP On The Vine’ To Benefit Local Orange County Homeless Youth,” San Francisco Chronicle, 11/03/10
Source: “‘Totes for Hope’ gives hand to local homeless veterans,” Evansville Courier & Press, 11/12/10
Source: “Who Are the Homeless?,” The Statesman, 11/15/10
Image by Elsie Esq. (Les Chatfield), used under its Creative Commons license.
“Dutch” – Another Name for Austin’s Homeless Memorial
It’s over for another year. On Sunday, November 14, at Austin’s Homeless Memorial, amid prayers and songs, the list was read out. On the shore of Lady Bird Lake, we noted the passing of this year’s street casualties, as well as the victims of previous years. The roster of those memorialized was a long one, and our dearest wish is that it would not be added to in the coming months.
The Tree of Remembrance grows where it was planted many years ago, and the plaque beneath it is still in place. The words on the memorial plaque have not changed either:
HOMELESSNESS:
It is the Essence of Depression.
It is Immoral.
It is Socially Corrupt.
It is an Act of Violence.
In Looking Up at the Bottom Line, Richard R. Troxell recalls the 1993 Memorial, when the needless death of Diane Breisch Malloy was on everyone’s minds:
I suppose sixty or more people came. We were too sad to advertise it like some kind of event. It just did not seem right. Therefore, we just spread the news by word of mouth. The ones that did come had been drinking and thinking. They were mad. They were mad about what had happened to Diane. They were mad about what had happened to their friends, and they were afraid. They were afraid that what we were really doing was reading their own eulogies.
Of this year’s Memorial, Richard says,
I was very sad to have read the list…but gathering it is always the worst. This involves too much reflection. These folks were not just my clients but also my friends. I hope it is as powerful to others as it is for me. The human cost is unacceptable. At least there were three City Council members and the City Manager (the first one in 18 years.) The saddest thing was that while there were about 125 people there, more origami birds with names of the deceased were present than there were people to place them in the tree.
Now, we are in the midst of the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. The issues are recognized as being urgent enough to merit the community’s focused attention for a whole week, not just a day. Austin certainly subscribes to that. Among others, the participating organizations are the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition and the Basic Needs Coalition of Central Texas. The website of the city’s Trinity United Methodist Church keeps people abreast of the various happenings, which included the Homeless Resource Fair on Saturday. It says,
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is the largest annual event that connects policy makers, local business leaders, service providers, faith-based organizations, and community members to engage in implementing active solutions and prevention methods for hunger and homelessness.
Ongoing, from now until the year’s end, is the annual Thermal Underwear Drive. Yes, it gets cold in Texas, and it would be a beautiful thing to make it through the year without any more illnesses exacerbated by winter weather. The drive officially started at the Memorial Service, and House the Homeless will continue to collect donations of warm underclothes, hats, gloves, scarves, and ponchos for the people experiencing homelessness in Austin, who include not only women and men, but children. At the New Year’s Day Party, all this life-saving clothing will be distributed.
The picture on this page, of a previous year’s Memorial, was taken by a House the Homeless member, and appears in Richard’s book. At Sunday’s Memorial, one of the newest names added was that of Edward Forrest Dutcher, who was stabbed to death during a fight on Halloween Night, October 31.
Witnesses pointed out to the police another homeless man, found to be in possession of a knife, who was immediately arrested. It is theorized that the murder was the result of a territorial dispute, with the issue being who has held the privilege of panhandling at the intersection. Dutcher was pronounced dead at the University Medical Center. The victim was 50 years old, his assailant 60.
By sad coincidence, the biography of Edward Forrest Dutcher, or “Dutch,” was briefly outlined in Looking Up at the Bottom Line, whose publication date was Veterans Day this year. Richard described Dutch as tall and boyish-looking, and his situation as typical of so many people whose life is a constant struggle.
When work was available, he put in as many as 60 hours a week, which was eaten up by the high motel rent. He was never able to get ahead enough to save up the amount needed to move into an apartment, which in most cases means paying the first and last month’s rent, plus a security deposit. That’s a significant amount of money to scrape together, and the fact that anybody can work so many hours without being able to afford decent housing is a good argument for the Universal Living Wage. This is the condition known as economic homelessness.
What Dutch really wanted was to somehow buy a used van and start his own moving business. As Richard says, “He was just a regular person trying to survive.”
Reactions?
Source: “Austin’s 2010 Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week,” Trinity United Methodist Church Blog, 11/04/10
Source: “Police release more details on fatal stabbing Sunday,” The Statesman, 11/02/10
Image of Memorial Service from Looking Up at the Bottom Line, used under Fair Use: Reporting.
10th Annual House The Homeless Thermal Underwear Party
On January 1st, we had our 10th annual House The Homeless Thermal Underwear Party.
If you prefer, you may send a check* to:
House the Homeless
P.O. Box 2312
Austin, TX 78758
*A check means that 100% of your dollars goes to those we serve.
On New Year’s Day, House the Homeless, with 40 volunteers from the community and from the First Baptist Church, provided a city wide Thermal Underwear Party for homeless citizens from Austin. Rockin’ Gospel Project provided the music and entertainment while a ham lunch was serviced and participants received thermal tops and bottoms, socks, gloves, hats, and ponchos to help them survive this winter’s weather.
Thank you to Trianon Coffee House, Central Market, Sweetish Hill Bakery, Whole Foods, Texas honey Ham, and JoAnn Koepke and Family for providing many donations to make the holiday lunch a success.
Thank you and Happy New Year to all!
Richard
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