Stories and
Poems from the
December 2006
Street Spirit Publication
What is Street Spirit? -Click Here|To read
all articles and poems from this issue of
Street Spirit, please visit Street Spirit's Website at
http://www.thestreetspirit.org/.
Articles, stories,
poems, statements, and such sharing first-person accounts and opinions do
not necessarily reflect BOSS's organizational views. We offer this site as
a forum to share all views, particularly those not generally heard in
mainstream outlets.
Without Housing, the Poor
Will Perish -
According to a U.S. Department of Education report, more than 600,000
identified homeless students attended public schools in the 2003-2004
school years.
Survival Stories from the Streets
of Oakland -
The life stories of homeless seniors who have survived life on the hard
streets of Oakland are a marvelous mixture of happiness, sorrow, joy,
faith, tragedy, renewal and, above all, hope for the future.
We Accuse the U.S. Government
of Causing a Homeless Epidemic -
In front of the Federal Building in San Francisco, we assembled. Banners
waving in the wind declared: "Stop the criminalization of homelessness.
Being poor is not a crime. Housing justice for all!"
The Berkeley Food and
Housing Project Lends a Helping Hand -
The man had been homeless for years, according to Annie Perry,
supervisor of the Berkeley Food and Housing Project (BFHP) Multi-Service
Drop-in Center. He was about to leave the men's shelter, also directed
by BFHP in the Veteran's Building on Center Street, after spending 30
days there. That is the usual term limit for occupying a bed, the time
given to all shelter residents to get into more stable housing.
Greed Fuels Oakland Condo-Conversion
Proposal -
A newly proposed ordinance is moving forward through Oakland City Hall,
a condo-conversion plan that would offer the false hope of homeownership
to Oakland renters; even though the ordinance, if enacted, would saddle
them with drowning debt and foreclosures.
An Artist Documents Life on the
Streets of Berkeley -
Claire Burch is a familiar figure around People's Park and Telegraph
Avenue. A small person toting a bulky video camera, she has been
documenting the people and the happenings of this area since she came to
Berkeley from New York 28 years ago.
Criminal of Poverty: Growing Up
Homeless in America -
It is illegal to be homeless in America. Poverty is an act of violence.
Like thousands of unheard, unseen, very low-income and no-income
children, families and individuals living in poverty in America, I have
been incarcerated for those crimes. I am a criminal of poverty.
"My name is Bessie, I am 94 years
old and still homeless" -
"I'm Bessie. I'm 94 years old, and still homeless. The police has been
harassing me, please help us!" As everyone gasped, Bessie, obviously
well cared for and neatly dressed, flashed a bright smile, a twinkle in
her luminous blue eyes: "We are not going to give up!"
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