NGOs exhort G20
The World Bank and major non-governmental organizations are calling on leaders, who will gather for next week's Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Pittsburgh, not to forget the needs of the world's poorest countries, which have been severely affected by the last year's financial crisis. According to the Bank, because of the global recession, an additional 89 million people will live in absolute poverty. Soaring food and fuel prices have already pushed 130 million to 155 million people in developing countries into extreme poverty. Nearly $12 billion in critical spending on basic needs and infrastructure of the world's poorest people have been put at risk by the crisis. This will have a devastating impact on the numbers of homeless throughout the world. (Courtesy of Inter Press Service )
Poverty Rises in U.S.
The U.S. Census Bureau released it annual report "Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2008." The poverty rate climbed to 13.2 percent, up from 12.5 percent in 2007. More than 39.8 million people lived below the poverty line last year, which was defined as a family of four with an income below $22,025. While the unemployment rate in 2008 was on average 5.8 percent, in the first eight months of 2009 the unemployment rate has averaged almost 9 percent. Next year's report for the 2009 calendar year could provide a large spike in the number of people living in poverty. (Courtesy of NASNA)
Shelter closes
The Denver, Colorado Salvation Army closed its Crossroads Men's Shelter last month. The Salvation Army will redirect resources from the emergency shelter to support services such as counseling and transitional housing programs. It is hoping to better align itself with Denver's 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness. The closure is also due in part to the economic downturn. "In our ongoing mission to do the most good for people in need, we are making this change," says Capt. Ron McKinney, Salvation Army city coordinator. "Recognizing the limitations of funds that are available requires our agency to be as effective as possible in the use of monies." Last December, The Salvation Army's donations dropped by 30 percent. (Courtesy of Denver Voice)
Church shelters desperate Zimbabweans
The tale of Average -- whose name is not unusual in Zimbabwe -- is depressingly familiar to a people who have watched their once prosperous land spiral into economic disaster. Average had his life destroyed by the rule of Robert Mugabe. He lost his job and became one of the estimated 4,000 Zimbabweans who head south to South Africa, most of them illegally, every day. Average found himself at the Central Methodist Church in downtown Johannesburg, a homeless shelter that has become a virtual refugee camp for 800-900 Zimbabweans and a smaller number of migrants from other countries. (Courtesy of Reuters)