_Homelessness is another step down on the ladder of poverty and it is a very real problem faced by 1.5 million children in the United States. Many homeless families live in shelters in rural or urban areas. With one income, high rent and living expenses, many families are just one emergency away from disaster. As a result, even children who still have a home to go to could lose it in a heartbeat.

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_"I'm invisible as they walk on by,
Lowering their heads to shield their eyes
Can't they see me begging right in front of their eyes"....

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I've never told many lies. I am not good at it. I prefer the truth; lies only cause more trouble. I tell myself and others that I am not lying; I am only speaking positively. I'm not sure if anyone believes me. I'm not sure I believe myself.

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Things change. One day I was a stay-at-home homeschooling mom and wife. The next night I was in my car with my daughter, my service and my daughter's cat (who was headed to a foster home) looking for a place to sleep. I was also armed with a cell phone that I hoped to use to find us shelter. Unfortunately, I found only closed doors.

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"When I grow up, I want to be a homeless, disabled single mom" was a thought that never crossed my mind. Despite that, I am in that situation now. I am learning from my circumstances and fighting to change them.

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By Linda St.Cyr, Contributing Writer

In Florida it is illegal for you to feed the hungry in large groups. If you do so without a permit you could face jail time and a large fine or both. The group, Food Not Bombs, had three volunteers arrested for, “violating Orlando’s ordinance regulating group feedings in some public parks.” Judge Thomas Kirkland has ordered Jonathan “Keith” McHenry and two other Food Not Bombs members to keep away from Lake Eola Park, where they were found feeding the homeless, for a year.

The Food Not Bombs members who were arrested were released from the Orange County Jail on $250 bail each. Each member received trespass warnings along with being banned from the park. What is appalling about this story is that the group was non-threatening, was in a public place that is open to everyone and was giving back to the community by serving the homeless who might go for several days without a good meal.

Orlando apparently has a city ordinance that regulates large group feedings. The regulations allow groups who feed more than 25 people access to no more than 2 permits a year for parks within a two-mile radius of Orlando City Hall. The regulation is appalling to human rights groups and anti-hunger activists. Jessica Cross, 24, who was arrested for feeding the hungry says, “It’s inhumane to tell people they should not give food to the hungry.”

Violators of Orlando’s group feeding regulations can face 60 days in jail and/or a $500 fine. Orlando Police said that Food Not Bombs received two permits to feed the hungry in public parks, one on May 18 and one on May 23, but failed to get permit for the large group feeding that took place on May 25th which prompted the arrests.

Ben Markeson, 49, another of the volunteers arrested, said in a press conference outside the county jail that Food Not Bombs feeds the hungry in public locations, “to protest poverty, war and other social inequalities.”

Personally, I wonder how it felt to be the police officers arresting the peaceful anti-hunger activist who were feeding the hungry. Do you think they are ashamed of their actions as defenders of the public?

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Imagine having nowhere to go at night, no blanket to sleep with, no basic necessities to take care of yourself, and only the streets to provide you with shelter. This is the life of some.

But you can help.

With minimal cost and some creativity, you can give one or more homeless people a backpack full of items that will help them get through it.

Backpacks for the Homeless explains to people how they can help a homeless person and be green and thrifty at the same time. Simply pick up a used backpack at a thrift store and fill it with used items that will help someone in need get through their day and night. Useful items are a wool blanket, a tarp, toothbrush and toothpaste, bottled water, soap, canned tuna, canned sardines, canned fruit, canned stew, wash cloths, sweater, sweat pants (buy larger sizes to accommodate more people), winter hat and gloves, can opener, a book, garbage bags, washcloth, and more.

Visit the Backpacks for the Homeless site for more tips or to donate to their cause.

More from Lyn:

Green Homeschool Crafts: Scrap Quilts for the Homeless

Low Cost Items that Help Homeless Kids

Where Can Teens Volunteer?

Centennial Hall will become a one-stop event for service providers to lend a hand through Project Homeless Connect on Monday. This will be the second time Juneau has hosted the event, which will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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For some children, the distraction is the rumbling in their tummy. Or the shiver of cold air against their skin. Or the anxiety of not knowing where they will be sleeping that night. Food. Clothing. Shelter. We take these basic necessities for granted, but the reality is that many children here in Indianapolis -- far more than we'd like to think -- come to school without these basic needs met.

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HELENA — A program to help homeless veterans pay for housing has helped nearly 100 Montana veterans since it began about three years ago, but there are still hundreds of homeless veterans in the state, say people close to the program.

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