Friday, June 10, 2016

“If you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.” – Malcolm X


In Venezuela, crisis, economic chaos and the spectre of coup  https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2016/06/07/in-venezuela-crisis-economic-chaos-and-the-spectre-of-coup.html


Toronto Star:
With food shortages, blackouts, a hospital crisis and political chaos, Venezuela — once the epicentre of South American socialism — is falling apart.
In Canada, 35,000 people sleep every night without a home, according to report

NM News ca: A report, entitled Putting an End to Child & Family Homelessness in Canada, asserts that the problem of homelessness in Canada is "a disaster" that affects not only single people, young and old, but families They are living in households that cannot sustain and therefore hundreds of children.

This conclusion stems from the study by Raising the Roof, an organization based in Toronto, Ontario, conducted over three years, with interviews with people who must rely on community support centers and staff of these centers.

The study presents a case type of a child who is homeless: "imagine waking up in a strange place one morning, not knowing where he is, without recognizing those around you (...) After school, he finds his mother and takes another strange building at night. This time sharing the bed with her younger sister, her brother is on a couch and his mother sleeps on the floor of a room. He knows he is lucky to have where to spend the night at a friend's house. Tomorrow the process repeated. "

According to the analysis by Raising the Roof, "this is the life of hundreds of children in Canada who are homeless, for whom the loss of stability is enormous."

Some families, says the report, have permanent access to emergency shelters, but others stay in temporary places and friends. What happens to their family has serious consequences for both adults and children. "But there are many who still imagine a homeless man as a person, usually male, single, sitting in a corner."
Experts explain then emphasize that the situation of lack of housing is much more complex than that image, which has different stages and demographic groups.

According to the study, for every person who is already on the street, there are three that are about to be. "The lack of housing is a disaster in this country, even one that has been recognized by the United Nations," reads the report. Every night, 35,000 citizens in Canada sleep without a home, a number that annually amounts to about 235,000 individuals.

Some of the factors that affect the reality of these 3.1 million Canadian households currently are the lack of affordable housing, care services for children, income support, discrimination, poverty and food insecurity.

Carolann Barr, Executive Director of Raising the Roof, said through a press release that "three years ago decided to embark on a national initiative to analyze the gaps that exist to identify families living in homes they cannot keep. We are pleased to show the results of the study, with the hope that every child and every family living homeless in this country are a thing of the past. "

The report focuses on three key areas considered when analyzing this family situation and children: primary prevention, response and early intervention system. It includes a series of recommendations:

• Develop and support a coordinated national response and actions on mental health of children
• Develop and fund a National Housing Strategy


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