1 in 5 in Brooklyn....1 in 50 in the US
I'm talking about homeless schoolchildren. I opened yahoo.com today and there was the headline about 1 in 5 schoolchildren in PS 636 and I thought to myself, "This is horrendous - just unbelievable!" So I went digging around the internet only to discover that the number of homeless school kids across the country has gone up tremendously over the past year.
I posted quite a long time ago that I, myself, had once been homeless...but I was an adult and working at the time, and very few people in my office were even aware of the fact that I was living out of a pickup truck. I cannot even imagine what it must be like to be a child in school who has no home to go to at night.
It just breaks my heart.
Time for me to start volunteering at the food shelter up here. And as soon as I start working again, I'll be donating money as well as time.
New York, as far as I can see, is a city in retreat. A city that's dying.
October 12, 2009 7:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's not the only one.
October 12, 2009 7:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I know. But we're the shining light on the hill, the bastion of democracy, unlike those banana republics we outsource to-
When do the sweatshops reopen, so we can stitch clothes for 2 cents a day in toxic conditions, for whatever country (China?) becomes what we used to be?
Because we will NEED jobs, and it's a global economy.
October 12, 2009 8:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
New York is not dying. Suffering, yes, but it will never die.
October 13, 2009 8:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
Back in the 70's My wife and I lived for a spell in The Village, out on Barrow Street, where it meets the Hudson.
We did not have children at the time, but one thing I was very impressed by, which was contrary to my own misguided Midwestern preconceptions about the Big Apple, was that the children there were so much like children all over the country.
My landlocked upbringing had me convinced that the city was filled with street urchins, begging for nickels from the Daddy Warbucks walking by.
Instead, I saw kids on skateboards and stingrays, wholesome-looking as any Iowan, maybe a bit more profane (taxi drivers, remember there are little ears all 'round) but it really revised my opinion of urban childhood.
I guess the one thing that strikes me now is that, how could so many of them be transient or downright homeless, surrounded by such urban wealth and resources?
Seems as if there's a lot of empty buildings and shops in every urban setting, considering the economy these days. If we are going to spend our taxes anywhere, it would be wise to fill some of these empty rooms with needful families, and both the landlord and the residents benefit from that incentive.
As usual, especially in an urban setting, two problems (empty buildings and homeless people) can solve both issues when a little public money is applied.
Urban renewal starts with occupancy.
October 13, 2009 10:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Small world, JEP07. I'm originally from the Midwest too (Ohio) and have a good friend who lives in the huge old apartment building on Barrow and Hudson (entrance to courtyard on Barrow). When I first moved to NY in 1996, I stayed with another friend on W. 12th (St.) and Greenwich (St.), so I know your old 'hood pretty well.
Like you, I don't have kids and was amazed at seeing real-live children in New York City! They are everywhere: on playgrounds, in museums, crossing the street two-by-two with their teachers, flooding the subways in eardrum-puncturing rambunctiousness at 3 pm. I currently live within earshot of an elementary school playground (quite an unearthly sound when they get released into the "wild"); it's my second apartment next to a school. :-)
My current neighborhood, Bed-Stuy, is historically African American and has struggled economically since the Great Depression, but it was literally a poster child for urban blight in the '60s and '70s (LIFE magazine did a photo essay on it). It's nothing like it was back then (or else I couldn't live here) and is not only holding on through the recession but thriving. I have to credit the resilience and determination of the people who live here, doing so much with so little. I don't have any answers or any money myself, so I just try to make myself useful.
October 13, 2009 11:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
In a society with enough disposable wealth to spend it (waste it, really) blowing up third world nations for fun and profit, that even a single school child anywhere is homeless for even one day is an obscenity.
October 12, 2009 7:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ain't that the truth. And, even more sad, is the fact that some of the schools these kids attend need just as much funding as the kids' parents do.
October 12, 2009 8:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
This does break my heart. I thought about this issue a couple of months ago, I predicted it would get worse and damn
THIS IS SHAMEFUL, SHAMEFUL, SHAMEFUL
October 12, 2009 7:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, in my internet digging today, I found reports from 2008 -- only a year ago -- with much lower numbers. Now that's shameful.
October 12, 2009 8:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
And congress keeps going down this unbelieveably stupid road at a breakneck pace, paying absolutely no heed to the minefields or the state of the road. The evolvement of the political in this country is seriously flawed. Nothing short of a horribly bad event is going to provide the impetus to change. We know this because the pleadings of the majority have gone unheard.
This is tragic to watch knowing full well it could be avoided. The caveat to freedom is it requires a certain measure of fairness and equality to stay on track. We're well short of that measure.
October 13, 2009 2:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for the timely reminder, LisB.
October 12, 2009 8:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have never been homeless so far. But I do know what it's like to be dirt poor. To buy unlabeled cans at the supermarket and hope that at least 2 or three are not pet food.
When having 25 cents to spend is a big deal. When lunch at school is a 10 cent sandwich and a nickle for milk if you are lucky.
C
October 12, 2009 9:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Which is why we need a massive New Deal effort from our government NOW!
October 12, 2009 9:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
We'll get it... in Iraq and Afghanistan.
October 12, 2009 9:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, that is a sad fact, and a sad commentary on the state our country is in.
As I watch the New York Jets play on Monday Night Football, and think about how much money the 22 players on the field "earn" for every play...
-- ARG
October 12, 2009 9:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not to mention the amount of money each of the, what?, 60,000?, people in the stands paid to be there tonight, down in Florida. Where the housing collapse is even worse...
October 12, 2009 9:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Fiddling while Rome burns..." or something like that, yeah.
October 12, 2009 9:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think what you're looking for is "bread and circuses".
October 12, 2009 9:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ah, so!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_and_circuses
Exactly right, Grouch. Thanks.
See, if I'd stayed in school, I might already know that. ;)
October 12, 2009 9:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Due to the evolution of urban society, we have managed to recreate the circus without having to provide any bread. Now THAT's progress!!!
NOT!!!
October 13, 2009 12:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
I hereby recommend that comment. Painful though it is.
October 13, 2009 12:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
And when one thinks of the impact this homelessness will have on their education (once a child falls behind it is very difficult for them to catch up), the ripple effect over time is even disasterous not only for the individuals involved but for our country as a whole.
October 12, 2009 9:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Excellent point, acamus. I'll add that the psychological damage won't help either.
October 12, 2009 9:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
SNARK ALERT!!!
Are you suggsting that they will not be stronger and pull themselves up by their 8 year old bootstraps, assuming they have boots?!?
October 13, 2009 12:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
......and winter will be here soon. Below freezing temps.
Keep an eye out for donation barrels asking for gently used winter coats...all sizes. Please, please, please donate clean coats....these kids are already dressed inadequately...they don't need insult added to their wardrobe.
And hats and mittens and boots.
One would think that 49 people could make sure one little kid gets warmth and food. Or in Brooklyn, four people looking out for one.
Fer cripes sake....it ain't that hard to be nice.
October 12, 2009 9:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for the head up LisB.
This is a very sad reflection of our nations deranged priorities.
I know that we have an emergency family assistance program where I live because I had to go to them for help in the past.
My daughter brought home toddlers to young teens over the years on occassion because she was very social and would discover parents sleeping with their kids on the streets or a young teen with nowhere to go. And this type of organization is the one that could actually help them get in line for some sort of temporary housing, help meet other needs that might help a parent get work like gas, cars, bus tokens, clothes, etc. and they give out food immediately as opposed to waiting for food stamps etc. which tends to require an address.
I recommend looking for those emergency family assistance type programs in your area and finding out what they most need help with. I have been thinking about that but after reading your post I will definitely contact them. Thanks LisB.
October 12, 2009 10:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you, and thanks to Flowerchild, too. I have two winter coats that don't fit and are new, and other clothes that I can give away. And just because I'm short on cash doesn't mean I can't help out the emergency family assistance type programs you mention, Synch. Tutoring comes to mind. Taking my old electric typewriter to one and teaching some kids how to type, comes to mind. Reading aloud to others...
Thank you both for the suggestions.
October 12, 2009 10:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
The question is, what will the administration do about it? I remember the primaries last year when Edwards and Clinton proposed a poverty czar for this type of thing. Will the Prez put forth something substantive to deal with this embarrassment?
October 12, 2009 10:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Do we need yet another Czar? I'd rather see all of us writing and calling in to our reps, and urging them to do something about it, first.
Actually, I'd rather see us do that second. First, we should be looking through our closets and bookshelves and pantries and schedules, and donating what we can.
October 12, 2009 10:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
The whole "fear of czars" is retarded. Another Republican scare tactic. Martin Luther King called for a "War on Poverty" and his mission was not wrong for America, maybe if he would've been successful we wouldn't have these problems right now.
October 12, 2009 10:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
While I applaud the thoughts behind your wanting a Czar, I just want to remind you that we already have a Secretary of Education. And of course I'm not trying to appease the rightwing nutjobs who fear the word "Czar", I'm just saying, I don't see the need to keep appointing said Czars when we have plenty of Departments already in place.
October 12, 2009 11:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Indeed; in addition to a Departent of Education we have a Department of Health and Human Services and a Department of Housing and Urban Development. I should think that among those three, we should have plenty of "czars".
October 13, 2009 7:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
And if we had a Poverty Czar what would they do exactly? Wouldn't it be just another expensive bunch of do nothing office holders? Homelessness has been on ongoing problem for centuries and there has been no effective government fix for it.
I'm past expecting the government to deal with this problem, ProfessorB. They throw money at everything and everybody except the ones that really need it, so I just try to do what I can on a personal level because these folks that are hurting are hurting right now. They can't wait six months for some Poverty Czar to turn the ignition key of one more big political machine.
October 12, 2009 10:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
A disgrace. A cryin' shame.
Thanks, Lis.
October 12, 2009 10:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know what to make of this article, Lis. After doing some research on this school, I think the article is misleading and poorly written.
For one thing, the article never mentions that P.S. 304 (which P.S. 636 "replaces") failed because of No Child Left Behind. The school's new name is actually Young Scholars' Academy for Discovery and Exploration. I find the omission of these 2 facts to be conspicuous, although I'm not sure what it means.
The school is located near 4 shelters for victims of domestic violence, and it enrolls kids from those shelters as well as kids who live in the neighborhood. It has been this way for years. In other words, there have always been homeless kids at this particular school, which the article does not make clear at all.
The student body is about 98 percent African American and Hispanic. The kids are classified as "economically disadvantaged" (in of one of the poorest school districts in NYC); all of the kids receive a free or reduced lunch.
The article is supposed to showcase a "success story" in the NYC public school system (under Michael Bloomberg's stewardship, without crediting Bloomberg directly). It is not intended to showcase the homeless issue. I suspect it's meant as a pro-Bloomberg piece (because it sort of goes with this attempt to peddle positive numbers), now that the mayoral race is getting quite heated. It's hard to find accurate numbers for the homeless in NYC.
October 12, 2009 11:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Blow, it's not surprising you would not be able to see, or even understand, the simple truth LisB immediately read between the lines in this story.
October 13, 2009 12:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
With all due respect, Gasket, it was the numbers that the headline touted that got me upset. When I linked to the story itself, I was at first heartened by the success story supposedly woven inside the thread. I didn't take it upon myself to go further with my research on that particular school, but instead took a more national approach to see what kind of numbers would come up.
When I found 1 in 50 in the US, I wrote my post.
One thing I've come to like about you, Gasket, is that you love to discern. It's an admirable trait, and it's one I still am working upon, within myself. I'm a very gullible person, eager almost, in my desire to believe what's put in front of me, to the point where I want to stifle my inherent cynicism (and yeah, I actually can be very cynical). Your ability to set aside distractions and get to the true facts is one of your main selling points, for me....which is why I keep pushing you to start that writer's workshop we keep talking about.
That being said, JEP just said what I want to say, but won't.
October 13, 2009 1:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well, I have to say I'm distressed that you've misread me, Lis, although I should have expected it because you don't "follow" me on these boards and never have. But please take what I'm about to say at face value instead of judging it according to preconceived notions. It may help you understand where I'm coming from in my comment.
It's perpetually my mistake to assume that regular readers of TPM know that I care immensely about homelessness and actively work to help people in need in my community. I don't "brag" about this information because I feel I don't do nearly enough. However, for the record, I have mentioned it more than once.
Also, for the record, I live in Bed-Stuy, 20 blocks from this school. This is not news either; I have mentioned that I live in Bed-Stuy several times before.
Considering my personal issue concerns, location, and interest in local politics, it's quite possible that I might be more concerned than anyone else in this comment thread about this particular story: it's about kids, homelessness, New York, Bed-Stuy, and dubious news reporting.
To err on the safe side, I will also qualify my comments by saying I love New York City more than anyplace on the planet (which I have said more than once at TPM and can't say too often), I love my neighborhood (which I have also said repeatedly), I hate Michael Bloomberg and will vote for Bill Thompson for mayor, although he's very likely to lose.
Therefore, I'm not saying it's not a deeply disturbing headline. It is a disturbing headline.
I don't expect you to read my links, but I'm going to show you the extent of the reading I did on this subject before I commented.
For starters, I had trouble finding anything out about the school because it doesn't go by P.S. 636. Google produces nothing. NYC.com produces nothing. The Board of Ed produces nothing. Nada. Zip.
That didn't stop me, however, from finding out what the hell was going on with this school!
Here's a blog that sheds a little light on NCLB and P.S. 636.
Here's a site for the school itself, which calls the school by its old name: Casimir Pulaski School. I recommend watching the video of the "poor homeless kids" because it might cheer you up a little.
October 13, 2009 8:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
I also read this Jonathan Kozol piece in The Nation and this piece in the NYTimes about Michael Bloomberg's experiment to take control of the public school system before I composed my comment. I expect no one but me will be interested in these articles.
October 13, 2009 8:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why should anyone care about what happens to NY's public schools? Because NYC is the model for other school systems around the country (can't find the link right now to confirm that statement, but feel free to fact-check me).
Why should people give a shit about homelessness on the granular level in NYC? Because the way Michael Bloomberg "handles" the homeless problem in NYC politically and to the press is a model for other communities to follow to obfuscate the facts. To find out how Bloomberg does it, please see this Gotham Gazette link from my first comment, as well as this piece from the Village Voice.
My conclusion, therefore, Lis, is that the national number of 1 in 50 kids is homeless is very likely an underestimate.
October 13, 2009 9:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
There is also something else going on in NYC that is hopefully becoming a model for others (it is where I am): the Harlem Children's Zone.
http://www.hcz.org/
In a nutshell, it acknowledges the fact that there is no single approach, but rather a comprehensive one, holistic system of education, social-services, and community-building programs that target both the children and their parents. The far-reaching goal is to break the generational poverty cycle. There are plenty of interviews with the Director Geoffrey Canada, but this is a good one with Terry Gross.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94576366
October 13, 2009 11:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you, Gasket, for expanding upon your original comment. You're right -- it makes more sense now. I appreciate the links, too.
October 13, 2009 9:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for the links. Others do care.
Luckily a sociology professor assigned "Amazing Grace" while I was in college, and it indelibly changed my perspective on life.
If we can give an hour or two, and/or a few dollars a week, it can make a difference....We have to believe that.
October 13, 2009 12:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Blow, you never cease to amaze me.
I, for one, DO know these things about you. It's part of what makes me respect you so much. Gruff exterior aside, you are a softy (in such a GOOD way)who cares so much about the plight of the poor, and you put your actions where your mouth is.
Thank you for expanding on Lis's post.
October 13, 2009 10:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
Blow, you never cease to amaze me.
I, for one, DO know these things about you. It's part of what makes me respect you so much. Gruff exterior aside, you are a softy (in such a GOOD way)who cares so much about the plight of the poor, and you put your actions where your mouth is.
Thank you for expanding on Lis's post.
October 13, 2009 9:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think we have gremlins...look at the time stamps on these duplicate comments!
October 13, 2009 9:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Lis is probably right on this. There are two sides to the story but only one is revealed.
This is the norm and is very much by intent.
The idea is the story isn't about what it appears. It's about selling a political candidate and not about the plight of the schools or the homeless or education.
The focus is misleading and all wrong from a moral perspective.
October 13, 2009 2:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
We all will need to cultivate our abilities to read between the lines.
This reminds me of an old joke about the Soviet Union.
A man in the city reads a front-page story in Pravda all about the virtues of cabbage. He shakes his head and says, "Looks like the wheat crop failed again."
-- ARG
October 13, 2009 9:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Appealing to Americans' shame over this outrage is pointless. We are living in shameful times, so we're vaccinated against guilt and remorse for throwing children away. Let's try this: It's impractical to re-establish Dickens' London in the streets of America because one day, this selfish stupidity will turn and bite us in the ass. What will these children become? Who will they listen to and follow, when lifetime rejection and gutter-level self-esteem inform them as grown-up citizens?
October 13, 2009 10:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
We don't have to ask what the future will be like for the current flock of homeless kids. All we have to do is look backwards and reread the stories that were told during the last big recession.
Who will they listen to and follow? Who are the 35-45 year old people with low self-esteem listening to right now on the radio? Hmmm?
We've always lived in shameful times. We always will. The human condition is perpetually full of shame. We just don't know how to be nice to ourselves.
October 13, 2009 12:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5tngHfemWc&feature=related
October 13, 2009 2:26 PM | Reply | Permalink