Homeless News

Google has this great feature. You can sign up for news articles on various topics to be sent to you, daily or weekly. So, for years I've been getting a summary of news from the internet related to the keyword "homeless."

Sometimes a story might simply be about a local housefire that leaves a family homeless. Or a new policy in Florida.

The juxtaposition of these two articles was just too delicious and ironic.

Cities' homeless crackdown: Could it be compassion fatigue?
USA TODAY
A growing number of cities across the United States are making it harder to be homeless. Philadelphia recently banned outdoor feeding of people in city parks. Denver has begun enforcing a ban on eating and sleeping on property without permission.

 Homeless Teen: Sight set on Harvard
Fox News
"I found myself, absolutely homeless with nowhere to go," Loggins said. "I stayed at friend's houses in between, and instead of worrying about it, I decided to take action. I knew I had to go to school and I wanted to go back to work.

Cities cracking down on homeless survival activities, set against a homeless teen that is entering Harvard this fall.   


They were running back to back this morning.

Thursday night birthday

My birthday and Thursday night must have lined up at some point in my 18 years at Operation Nightwatch, but its the first time I remember. Old age! (Thursday night is my late night out - we visit several homeless places and a bar.)

I was minding my own business, talking with one of my Tent City 3 friends, when people started coming into the movie tent to wish me a happy birthday.  I figured my homeless Facebook friends had spilled the beans, or maybe my co-Nightwatchers. 

Then they started singing outside the tent. I come out to see what all the fuss was, and there's a birthday cake, candles ablaze, and a gorgeous redhead sneaks up behind me and gives me a smooch on the cheek.  Somehow wife Lorri got all this together in about 30 minutes. She is amazing.