Blog, I

The scent of a disposable diaper needed is one that’s not easily forgotten, seeming to linger and stay within the nostrils unwanted.

When someone’s in need of one they’re immediate need or reason isn’t really considered that much. If anything they might get quicker service, but getting help with what is sometimes a required medical need isn’t going to be found in most shelters.

If you’re a service provider and wondering what you can do to help stop the smell…try putting up a sign that says “Do you need help with adult diapers?”.

If you don’t offer, they won’t know you can help.

Department of Children and Families interim Secretary George Sheldon announced the award of more than $6.9 million today to communities throughout the state striving to provide homeless assistance to families and individuals in their area. The grants, awarded annually, will provide services to more than 23,000 homeless in Florida, including families with children, youth aging out of foster care, persons with mental illness or substance abuse issues, victims of domestic violence and veterans. Statewide, it is estimated there are more than 60,000 homeless in Florida including approximately 20,000 children.

“Florida’s homeless coalitions, food banks and community partners are doing an incredible job serving the growing number of individuals and families facing financial strain and homelessness,” said Sheldon. “Together, these organizations are the backbone of Florida’s communities and this funding will further strengthen their services and their efforts to keep families off the streets.”

The $6.9 million in grant dollars were awarded through two separate grant programs – the Challenge Grant and the Homeless Housing Assistance Grant – both administered through the Department of Children and Families. A total of 22 Challenge Grants were awarded this year serving 44 counties with a total of $2,031,384 being distributed to Florida communities. Challenge Grant recipients will use their dollars for a variety of services including emergency financial aid and rental assistance for families on the verge of being evicted. Grant dollars can also pay for supported employment, shelter operating expenses as well as food, clothing and transportation for members of the homeless community who lack basic necessities.

Homeless Housing Assistance Grant recipients will dedicate their funds to the creation, renovation and maintenance of affordable housing options for the homeless. Nine Homeless Housing Assistance Grant recipients will create a total of 241 new housing units across the state using the $4.8 million provided by the Department. These dollars will join with $8.5 million in other private and public financing to help stimulate local economies through construction. The housing units will provide a free or low-cost housing option for underserved homeless populations including veterans and individuals with severe and persistent mental illness or substance addiction.

The Department awards the grants to organizations that demonstrate their ability to provide quality services in their area with a track record of success in receiving grant funding and private cash for services.

In recent years, homeless grant dollars awarded through the Department’s Office on Homelessness have helped Florida expand homeless services to 63 counties, covering more than 95 percent of the state’s population.

For those that didn’t make the cut, maybe they should look in to some business performance management software.

While Hurricane Fay gave spin doctors a new opportunity for new tunes to be dealt to the masses, there were some realities again that didn’t make the airwaves to the people.

Nobody wants to hear that the right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing when it comes to the little people the hands were meant to be helping.

The simple fact that an unsheltered family couldn’t be told immediately where to go was the concern raised, and once again 80% of locations including Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office non emergency number (904) 630-3100 didn’t know the downtown Red Cross emergency shelter was operating.

Since that storm nobody wants to hear about it either. But they still check the blog here, so in that spirit here’s a tip: subordinates need to be given printed instructions of what’s open when the boss goes home at night.

After having done so, it’s THEN that Jacksonville’s spin doctors can feel more secure and relaxed their dealings with futures broker won’t be at risk of bad spin or job loss.

One of the more common problems facing the unsheltered community isn’t lack of shoes…it’s lack of properly fitting shoes. With the incrrase of diabetes in this demographic rising regularly, foot care and monitoring is one of the concerns dealt with by many clinicians servicing the homeless.

Got to admit, you’ve either got to be insane or love caring for people in the health field. One person I befriended had left his shoes and socks on for a month, to the point of not being able to walk. I ended up having to take them off myself while he nearly passed out on a picnic table bench my family had ate just an hour ago on.

If you’re in the giving mood, rather than purchasing a pair of shoes that might not fit, check with the outlet to see if they have store gift cards. Put the money; and amount for tax and extra laces to be on the safe side; on the card and give personally to someone you see, rather than drop in a gift box.

Trust me…it won’t go wasted if it’s a place they can get access to. If not, throw in a few bus transit tokens for good measure. You can buy yourself a pair of golf shoes for your generosity

Hey, when you’re homeless you don’t have time or finances to invest in ‘all that’. Your on a mission, your surviving, and it’s down and dirty.

Before you or your family becomes homeless, consider checking out the functionality of some Swiss Army luggage. Not only will you be accessorizing for today, you’ll be preparing for an unplanned future, no matter what it brings tomorrow!

For many reasons, I chose to see this movie until just now.

I’ve had mixed feelings over the movie, some to do with it’s marketing, some to do with the portrayal of the family portrayed. Maybe because I needed to just wait and let myself heal so I could simply experience the movie for being just that…a movie.

I thought Will Smith was very genuine in his portrayal, and the movie moved through stages really well.

I also got emotional at seeing the portrayal of what the dad went through, trying to connect so many dots day to day while experiencing homelessness, like trying to push a bone scanner he invested so much in to while keeping his head together.

It’s almost like me still wanting to give IWC a chance at being seen sometimes.

“Five teens held in torching of man sleeping in park“. They told people he was worth as much as a cat or dog,he was trash,it didn’t matter whether he was alive, and one yelled “Let’s clean up trash!”.

Still in the hosptal with 3rd degree burns, the man hasn’t been back to work since.

He was a cleaning worker.

Glad to see it’s not just some of our ignorant local bigots and snobs that do this.