Waterman Dave| Invisible People

What do people on the streets want?  It’s often as simple as “a bottle of water, a hug, and some eye contact.”

 

Listen to Waterman Dave talk about how he learned this basic truth.

Anyone and everyone connected to homelessness in San Diego knows “Waterman Dave”. Dave Ross, who most people call Waterman Dave, spends his days handing out bottles of water to people experiencing homelessness. Dave also advocates for our homeless friends in big ways. A few years past he successfully sued the city over people’s belonging. That lawsuit created temporary storage facility. Dave was also instrumental in getting the seasonal emergency shelter extended, and he is currently battling to keep a few portable bathrooms open.

Dave is almost larger-than-life. As he walks and drives though San Diego’s worst neighborhoods, Dave almost has a draft effect of smiles. People who are down on their luck, living in small tent communities all over downtown, see Dave and know that for at least a moment they’ll get a bottle of water and friendly conversation.

via Mark Horvath at Invisible People TV

Mark Horvath talks to Gates Foundation About Family Homelessness

In this video David talks about the needed culture change in homeless services. David also goes on to share how the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is leaded the way to change in the Pacific Northwest, with their focus on ending family homelessness. Even if you do not work in homeless services this is a must-watch video.

via Mark Horvath Talks to David Wertheimer from Gates Foundation About Family Homelessness – YouTube.

David | Invisible People

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David worked as a chimney sweep for 23 years in Minneapolis, but when the economy crashed, work slowed and he lost his job. Both David and his wife ended up homeless going from shelter to shelter. Right now they are couch surfing, staying in a over-crowded apartment with friends.

I cannot imagine living homeless in Minnesota. David tells the story of how they lived under a freeway bridge for a time, and were lucky to not be hurt when the bridge collapsed.

via David | Invisible People.

Mike | InvisiblePeople.tv

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Mike told me the shelter makes people blow into a breathalyzer to get in at night. I understand and actually support abstinence based models as long as there are other ‘low barrier’ options in the community available. Alcohol and drugs eventually take over a person’s life and they cannot simply quit. By only allowing sober people into the homeless shelter in severe weather states like Minnesota, chronic alcoholics are then refused services when they need them the most.

via Mike | InvisiblePeople.tv.

Catherine | Invisible People

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It is completely unacceptable that people like Catherine, and there are many, go through the homeless services system over and over and over just to return to the streets! It is completely unacceptable that Catherine’s only hope now is to have a major surgery so she can be placed in a nursing home! It is completely unacceptable that several homeless service agencies have given up on Catherine!

Please share Catherine’s powerful story with everyone you know. My hope is that somehow this video will get seen by the right people who will take action to help fix the broken homeless services system. While we say “whatever it takes”, the real truth is people just like Catherine die on the streets everyday! With the boomer generation reaching the senior years we are going to see a lot more people like Catherine living without adequate housing and support. If we cannot take care of one senior woman in fifteen years time we’re in a whole lot of trouble next few years.Distributed by OneLoad.com

via Catherine | Invisible People.

Al | Homeless in Seattle

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Al chose to move to Seattle because of its appreciation for the arts, says though that he’s finding it harder to become a human here than it is an artist.

His art and life mix together, he plays guitar beautifully, makes jewelry, carves wood, is a photographer, used to love working in the darkroom, likes to draw and paint too.

via Homeless in Seattle.

Soda Pop | Invisible People

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As a society, we must stop this rotation from jail to homelessness and then back to jail. Right after this video Austin Police stopped in front of us. For a second, I thought they were after me for some reason, but then I remembered Soda Pop was behind me, and quickly the police officers placed their attention on my new homeless friend. The criminalization of homelessness does not solve homelessness, it just increases taxpayer costs!

via Soda Pop | Invisible People.

Johan | Homeless in Seattle

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Here is our goodGOOD friend Johan with his joke for the day:

Do you know why the lobster wouldn’t share his food?

—–Because he was shellfish!

Johan sells his jokes on the street for $1.00, he has a beautiful way about him that makes people smile.

via Homeless in Seattle.

Joshua | Invisible People

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As you can tell by his smile, Joshua is excited to have the opportunity to make a few bucks and meet some new people.

Normally Joshua survives by food hand-outs from homeless shelters. Joshua said with the money he will make that day he’s going to grab some fast food and a hotel room with air conditioning. Before you judge, in his shoes, you’d probably do the same thing.

via Joshua | Invisible People.

Homeless in Seattle

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Please meet Flora Pacano, she is 72 years old.

When I sat next to her in Occidental Square and she said hello; I asked if she was okay and she told me she was very tired, just needed a place to nap.

Flora sleeps in shelters at night, but some nights has a hard time knowing where to go, the process of finding a place to stay is difficult and exhausting

via Homeless in Seattle.