The Americas

America sees rise in families left out in the cold

Rampant unemployment and record home foreclosures have led to a dramatic increase in the number of Americans with children who do not have a place to live.

Nicholas Kimbrell

December 26, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC // Across the nation's capital this Christmas there were no vacancies at family homeless shelters, only waiting lists. Even as many sectors of the economy recover from the financial crisis, the number of homeless families across the country has continued to rise. The winter season, always a tough time for America's most vulnerable population, has proven particularly difficult for struggling families.

"Someone leaves and someone enters immediately. We always have a waiting list," said Kamala Miller, the executive director of Hannah House, a 30-year-old transitional homeless shelter for women and their children in north-west Washington. According to Ms Miller, the last eight months have been especially bad. "If the job market doesn't bounce back, I fear for what the statistics are gonna look like in DC," she said, as the residents of the house prepared for a Christmas dinner party sponsored by a local church.

The US department of housing and urban development said there had been a nine per cent increase in family homelessness in 2008, although when it released the report, the department's secretary noted that the figure did not reflect the "full brunt of the economic and homeless crisis we have been through". Another report issued by the US Conference of Mayors earlier this year showed that 76 per cent of cities studied reported an increase in family homelessness.

In Washington DC, which has one of the highest rates of homelessness in the country, the increase was estimated to be as high as 25 per cent, according to sources in the social services. About 6,000 people are considered homeless in DC, including 703 families ? and there are nowhere near enough beds for them all. At Hannah House, residents were well aware that they were lucky to have a roof over their heads.

"Everyone here's been wonderful. It seems like I'm with family. Everything's going well. I'm happy. Content. It's nothing like I had before but I'm happy," said Sabrina, a young-faced grandmother of two, who has lupus. Sabrina has been out of work since 2008 and looks after her two grandchildren, Shaquira, six, and Shakayla, three, while her daughter is in a drug rehabilitation centre. She moved into Hannah House about a month ago after the friend she was staying with asked her to move out because her sister was coming to live with her.

"I am homeless because I lost my job. With me not getting my disability right away you know that plays a part as well," she said. In the wake of the financial crisis, families like Sabrina's and others at the shelter are beginning to redefine the notion of the urban homeless - many of whom do not have the security which Hannah House provides. The perception of homelessness in American cities has long been paired with mental health issues and drug addiction, but with economic hard times and record family home foreclosures, that image is changing.

"Now we're seeing people who are not the traditional look of homelessness, these are families who really just can't make ends meet. It helps if they don't have to buy food everyday - they've been sleeping on family couches for the last month just trying to save up enough to get an apartment," said Alicia Horton, the executive director of Thrive DC. "These are hard-working, generally healthy - emotionally and mentally - people who just have fallen on bad times," she said.

Thrive DC, a non-profit organisation that operates out of St Stephen's church in the north-west of the city, offers among other services two meals a day: breakfast for men, women and children and dinner for women and their children. Ms Horton noted that for many in need, particularly those who recently lost work or housing, reaching out for help could be embarrassing. "They're realising their situation and importance in our community in a whole different way because they have crossed in to a different social strata and it's a hard place to be," she said.

"It can be incredibly difficult. It's humbling to have to ask for help, to have to ask to for a place to shower." Thrive DC's Christmas Eve breakfast was attended by a large and diverse crowd of about 50, an increase, Ms Horton said, on last year. Holiday decorations hung from the pillars of the church basement and the hungry and homeless cheered when Ms Horton announced that meals would be served on Christmas, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Some shouted, "Merry Christmas," others, "Feliz Navidad."

However, beneath the Christmas cheer was a considerable amount of frustration. Several homeless men expressed anger over what they considered to be the government's lacklustre attempts to spur job growth. Eric Sheptock, who has lived in shelters for years and blogs regularly about the plight of the city's homeless, noted that there are different stages of homelessness. "Most people who are made homeless by the [financial] crisis don't go straight to the shelter. They go couchsurfing," he said.

And when they finally made the move into shelter, the afternoon check-in times made it difficult to apply for and work regular jobs. "You have to choose between working and getting a bed," said Mr Sheptock. One of his friends, who declined to give his name, also lamented the difficulties of the job search. "The job situation is terrible - The homeless are fed up; we want to go to work," he said. The swelling population of homeless families and the challenging job market have been further aggravated by cuts in funding for organisations that serve the hungry and homeless.

Ms Miller of Hannah House warned that the cuts could lead to shelters shutting down at a time when more beds were needed. "We've seen some significant cuts from our District of Columbia budgeting, to the tune of about 33 per cent this upcoming year. It is really hitting very hard," she said. "A lot of programmes are suffering. Several shelters have had to shut down and we've been getting their calls."

Ms Horton said Thrive had also seen about 30 per cent of its funding cut. "Who ultimately feels it is not the organisation but the clients who are served by the organisation," she said. * The National

Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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EA Sports FC 25
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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
  • The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
  • The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
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  • The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
  • The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

While you're here
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Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

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A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
  • HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
  • Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
  • Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000 
  • Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000 
  • Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000 
  • Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
  • Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The biog

DOB: 25/12/92
Marital status: Single
Education: Post-graduate diploma in UAE Diplomacy and External Affairs at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: I love fencing, I used to fence at the MK Fencing Academy but I want to start again. I also love reading and writing
Lifelong goal: My dream is to be a state minister

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The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
  • 2018: Formal work begins
  • November 2021: First 17 volumes launched 
  • November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
  • October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
  • November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Profile

Name: Carzaty

Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar

Launched: 2017

Employees: 22

Based: Dubai and Muscat

Sector: Automobile retail

Funding to date: $5.5 million

Top financial tips for graduates

Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:

1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.

2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.

3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.

4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.

Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas

Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa

Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong

Rating: 3/5

While you're here
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Our legal advisor

Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation. 

Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.

Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
  • Drones
  • Animals
  • Fireworks/ flares
  • Radios or power banks
  • Laser pointers
  • Glass
  • Selfie sticks/ umbrellas
  • Sharp objects
  • Political flags or banners
  • Bikes, skateboards or scooters
The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The specs

Price: From Dh529,000

Engine: 5-litre V8

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Power: 520hp

Torque: 625Nm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km

PFA Team of the Year: David de Gea, Kyle Walker, Jan Vertonghen, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Alonso, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguero

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

India squads

Test squad against Afghanistan: Rahane (c), Dhawan, Vijay, Rahul, Pujara, Karun, Saha, Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Umesh, Shami, Pandya, Ishant, Thakur.

T20 squad against Ireland and England: Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Raina, Pandey, Dhoni, Karthik, Chahal, Kuldeep, Sundar, Bhuvneshwar, Bumrah, Pandya, Kaul, Umesh.

ODI squad against England: Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Shreyas, Rayudu, Dhoni, Karthik, Chahal, Kuldeep, Sundar, Bhuvneshwar, Bumrah, Pandya, Kaul, Umesh

Mina Cup winners

Under 12 – Minerva Academy

Under 14 – Unam Pumas

Under 16 – Fursan Hispania

Under 18 – Madenat

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(Interscope)

More on Turkey's Syria offence
UAE currency
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
 
  • Grade 9 = above an A*
  • Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
  • Grade 7 = grade A
  • Grade 6 = just above a grade B
  • Grade 5 = between grades B and C
  • Grade 4 = grade C
  • Grade 3 = between grades D and E
  • Grade 2 = between grades E and F
  • Grade 1 = between grades F and G
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Australia men's Test cricket fixtures 2021/22

One-off Test v Afghanistan:
Nov 27-Dec 1: Blundstone Arena, Hobart

The Ashes v England:
Dec 8-12: 1st Test, Gabba, Brisbane
Dec 16-20: 2nd Test, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (day/night)
Dec 26-30: 3rd Test, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Jan 5-9, 2022: 4th Test, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Jan 14-18: 5th Test, Optus Stadium, Perth