occasionally subtle
Love Begins
taylor price
Not today Justin
EXPECTATIONS
Cosimo Galluzzi
RMH
noise dept.
roma★
pixel skylines
Game Changer & Make Some Noise
oozey mess
KIROKAZE
Keni
YOU ARE THE REASON
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No title available
#extradirty
Monterey Bay Aquarium
shark vs the universe
seen from United States
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seen from Finland
seen from Malaysia
seen from Ecuador
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from United States
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@untoldstoriesofthe-blog
Hello, I am doing a project on homelessness in school and I would appreciate it very much if you could answer some of my questions?
Well, I’m so flattered that you’re interested in asking me! Of course you can ask me anything you’d like. What’s up? What’s your project about?
Looks like an absolutely amazing project! Can't wait to see how it goes.. All the best of luck. Charlotte Rutherford Copp (from Instagram!)
Thanks Charlotte! And thank you even more for stopping by. I really appreciate it :)
#Repost We are kind of a messed up society when a coffee cup design is considered an issue. #FirstWorldProblems
Happy 59th Birthday Jay Jayyyy! I got to interview her on her birthday! 😊 If you were to talk to this woman, you would never guess that she's currently living in the back of a truck. Our interview was full of tears and laughter. No one should be homeless, but it seems so unfair that someone so lively should be going through this. Stay happy Jay Jay! #homelessness #homeless (at San Jose, California)
This is my new homie Kevin aka "Buddah West". He's been a homeless youth since 2011 yet he has one of the best spirits I've ever encountered. We talked for 2 hours and he rapped and sang for me and let me listen to his rap beats. Afterwards, the youth director told me that Buddah came up to him and said "I told my story!" Which is something he usually never does. And that it made him feel so good. My day is officially made. Love this kid. #homeless #homelessness #ProtectTheYouth #Love #SanFrancisco #StoriesToChangeYourMind (at Larkin Street Youth Services)
Something about saying "Americans" just makes it more real, right? (Link to my project in bio) Photo Credit: Google Search
Utah is ending chronic homelessness by providing people with homes, no strings attached. This policy is cost-effective, compassionate, and successful.
I visit Twitter everyday to see what’s going on in the fight to end homelessness. The information is quite inspiring and it also helps me with my own project in many ways. Over the last couple of days, many people and organizations have been tweeting about Utah’s amazing strategy to end homelessness. They’ve been using abandoned buildings to house Americans in their state who currently have no where to live, and they’ve been doing this since 2005- free of charge...
But that’s not even the coolest part of all of this. They’ve taken it a step further to make sure that all citizens have the opportunity to combat homelessness in their states, using the same strategy as Utah. If you visit the website I’ve posted above, you have the opportunity to send an email to your state’s senators and governor to request that the same program be implemented in your state. All you have to do is fill in your name and address and the email will be automatically sent - you don’t have to do any extra work and it literally takes 2 minutes, maybe less.
I just sent my request for the state of Illinois to use the many abandoned buildings in our state to house the homeless. I can’t even count how many Americans I’ve witnessed roaming the brutally cold streets of Chicago in the dead of winter. We have plenty of abandoned buildings that could completely change and save lives. I urge you to take a second to do this. There’s power in numbers. And who knows? Your efforts may just buy someone a home.
Sincerely,
Kelauni Jasmyn
On any given night, there are more than 16,000 homeless in Detroit, one-third of these are children, according to the Coalition of Temporary Shelter (COTS). For more than 30 years, COTS has served ...
Hey readers! It’s been a while. I’ve been so incredibly busy lining up organizations and meetings for my West Coast leg of this project, but I promise that I’ll post about my journey a lot more often!
In the meantime, I found this article on Twitter, tweeted by The Michigan Chronicle (@MIChronicle) written by Patreice Massey. I really appreciate this article for a couple of reasons. First of all, it includes so many facts concerning homelessness in Detroit that I didn’t know. For instance, there are approximately 20,000 homeless people in Motor City and only about 2,000 shelter beds. Yea, that’s a slightly huge problem for a town that (used to) boast a booming economy and at one time led the world in auto production.
But what I appreciate most about this article are the stories of Starkela Lloyd and Jessica West, who I’m assuming are the two young women pictured above (middle and right). I think that their stories remind us that our stereotypical views of the homeless are completely off. Star found herself out of a home after dealing with domestic violence, which is the case for many homeless women who escape from hostile relationships. And Jessica was only 22 and pregnant when she, her husband, and her children found themselves sleeping in a car. An entire American family sleeping in a car! That’s everything opposite of the American dream.
I would like to shout out COTS (@COTSDetroit) in Detroit for the great work their doing in the community. I’m not sure if I’ll make it to “D-Town” on this first go around the country, but maybe I’ll visit at some point in the future, once I’m able to raise more funds.
I urge all of you to take a look at this article. It actually has a heart-warming ending- one that may just encourage you to stay strong through whatever situation you’re going through in your own lives. Enjoy!
Sincerely,
Kelauni Jasmyn
Not long ago this man was making 6 figures a year. The lesson? Count your blessings and stay humble. It can happen to you too. Everyone has a story. #StopNumber3 #Homeless #Homelessness #DC #StoriesToChangeYourMind #Love #Humanity #SocialChange #JusticeForAll #HumanRights #HelpTheHomeless #Oprah #HuffingtonPost #JackCanfield #OWN #ownnetwork #DarrenHardy #EssenceMagazine (at Thrive DC)
Dear Philly, Thank you for being my very first stop for this book. At the request of so many people and organizations who wanted me to stay longer to record their stories...I'll definitely be back. (Special thanks to @bmoncrease for being the best host ever 😤💙) #NoFilter (at Megabus - Philadelphia to Washington, DC)
This is what was on the wall in the room where I just did my interviews at Pathways to Housing PA. I always knew this, but after talking to a man that was beat by his parents, molested, and is now sober after 30+ years of drinking and homelessness, this statement makes so much more sense. Www.untoldstoriesofthe.tumblr.com #Homeless #Homelessness #StoriesToChangeYourMind #PathwaysToHousing #Peace #Love #Humanity #LoveAll #SocialChange #SocialJustice #BeTheChange #JusticeForAll #OWN #ownnetwork #oprah #oprahwinfrey #JackCanfield #EssenceMagazine #DarrenHardy #HuffingtonPost (at Pathways to Housing PA)
I sat on the sidewalk in the middle of the Philly for 2 and a half hours with this man....just talking about everything... life, goals, people, etc . And he's the dopest person I've ever met in my life. My new best friend. Dinzel. #Homeless #Homelessness #SocialChange #Philadelphia #HumanRights #Veteran #Love #Justice #JusticeForAll #StoriesToChangeYourMind #oprahwinfrey #oprah #huffingtonpost #EssenceMagazine #JackCanfield #DarrenHardy (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
My First Interview...One of Hundreds to Come
Lloyd Allen, 59 - Chicago
I, honestly, didn’t know how I was going to pull this project off. I still don’t. But this man gave me what I needed to be sure that I was doing the right thing. His name is Lloyd Allen. When I met and interviewed him two weeks ago, it was his last day being homeless. He was set to leave The Boulevard, a homeless shelter in Chicago, that next day. They’d helped him find his own apartment. He was leaving and I caught him just in time.
He was my first interview. And I’ll always remember that he was my first interview... forever.
I was nervous. But his soothing voice and relaxed demeanor rubbed off on me instantly. I think he made me more comfortable than I made him. He let me ask him so many questions. I kept apologizing and he just kept saying “No, go ahead. I ain’t got no where to go. Go ahead and ask me”.
I guess I was afraid to be too invasive. I didn’t know where I should draw the line. But I asked what I wanted to ask and he was honest, open, and genuine. I couldn’t have asked for better.
I cried while he spoke. Multiple times. He never cried. At one point his eyes became a little misty, but he never cried. Part of me wondered how he was holding it in. How could you have gone through so much and not cry while talking about it? But once I really got to know him, it was simple. He was a happy person. I’m not saying happy people don’t cry. But I think happy people see the joy in where they’re headed, not the pain they went through to get there.
I mean, not to sound super cliche, but happiness truly isn’t a reflection of what’s around you. He taught me that in only 45 minutes. They say when you begin serving others, you get more from it than they do. This is only the beginning, but I think it’s true. If he could change my perspective in such a short amount of time, I can’t imagine what I’ll come to learn as I continue this journey. I can’t wait.
Thank you Lloyd.
Sincerely,
Kelauni
Read @ www.untoldstoriesofthe.tumblr.com (If you have a story, please email it to [email protected] so that I can share it) #Homeless #Homelessness #untoldstories #UntoldStoriesofTheHomeless #KelauniJasmyn #SocialChange #socialexperiment #Socialjustice #JusticeForAll #LoveThyNeighbor #Love #Peace #Humanity #HumanRights #oprah #OWN #ownnetwork #JackCanfield #HuffingtonPost #EssenceMagazine #Chicago #newyork #losangeles #DC #Tampa #NewOrleans
Story #1: “Tears in her eyes” (by Sunshine Gills)
(photo credit: Google search)
July 2012
It was a hot summer day. The heat index had to have been at least 90+. I was driving down I55 heading towards Joliet, IL. At the time I was having a conversation about life and the act of giving without questioning the inner spirit of the Lord.
So I proceed to get off on my exit like I normally had done so many times before. I pull up to the light. I looked to my left and noticed a young woman with her back towards on coming traffic. I unknowingly stared off into space and thought she may need some type of help. She turned around with her sign and tears in her eyes. I knew at that very moment that I had to help her in some way. I pulled over and yelled for her to come over. I gave her all my change which was roughly $10.00 and some change.
I politely told her that everything would be alright and that she would make it through this storm she and her children were in. She thanked me in ways that made my heart whole with joy and peace. I gave her some references for her and her kids and she went to get her something to eat. I don't know where the young woman and her children are today but I'm pretty sure they are blessed and well taken cared of.
Sunshine Gills
(You can follow Sunshine on Facebook here. Thank you for your story Sunshine. If you have a story you’d like to share of your own personal encounter with homelessness, please email me ---> [email protected])
Indigent
Meaning: extremely poor
Everyday I study a new vocabulary word. Partly because I plan to take the GRE and go back to grad school at some point, but mostly because I want to be taken seriously when I speak. I found it so fitting that my word for today is “Indigent” as I go out to do my first round as a homeless person on the street of Chicago today.
In February, the number of people sleeping in New York City’s municipal shelters topped 60,000, the most since the Great Depression, and up 79 percent from ten years ago. On a random night last May, there were 24,014 children in the city’s shelters, 21,832 “adults in families,” 9,719 single men, and 3,341 single women. Fifty-seven percent were African-American, 31 percent were Latino, and 8 percent were white.
The New York Review of Books
(let that sink in)