Homeless, Tired of foreclosures, Reclaim Vacant Government Homes

I have a link to these folks -- the Nashville Homeless Power Project-- on my blog, and when I got this email today, asking for help publicizing what they're up to, I was happy to oblige.

Contact: Jeannie Alexander, 615-799--8108

Homeless, Tired of foreclosures, Reclaim Vacant Government Homes

The Nashville Homeless Power Project led a march of poor and homeless families for housing, Wednesday which culminated with the takeover of vacant HUD homes. The march began at 1:00 p.m. in front of the Metro Court House then proceeded to Dickerson Road, an area that has been recently rezoned for luxury development. The homeless group is concerned that redevelopment will again not prioritize the needs of the poor and may push families out of the area. “In this time of foreclosures, many of us are facing homelessness. We need our city to prioritize poor and working families above luxury development. Despite repeated promises from local government the homeless are left the die in the streets while their demand for housing is ignored” said Clemmie Greenlee, formerly homeless grandmother and organizer with the Power Project.

The march then became a caravan and participants were driven to Tom Joy Elementary School where the group held a brief prayer vigil for the estimated 1,800 homeless school children in the Nashville area. The march ended where one of the vacant HUD homes has been reclaimed. Homeless people vow not to leave the homes voluntarily.

Cheri Honkala, National Organizer of the Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign, also participated in the march and takeover and cited the City of Nashville for “ their failure to address the homeless crisis and rise in foreclosures. “ Representatives of the power project vow that the May 7^th march and takeover is the next step in a fight that will not end until everyone has access to safe and affordable housing. Jeannie Alexander, program director of the Power Project further stated that the takeover was the first public takeover of a vacant HUD home by the Power Project but that the organization has “covertly taken over more than a dozen other vacant houses in the city” and will continue to take additional houses “as long as there are people who do not have homes.”

Homeless leader dies

From the Nashville Homeless Power Project: Monday March 3, 2008

It is with great sadness that we share that we have lost one of our leaders this last week. Cyndi, several months pregnant, died while sleeping out in the streets. While the exact cause of death is not known, she was a brittle diabetic who often came close to diabetic comas because of difficulty managing her blood sugar while surviving on the streets.

Cyndi is best remembered for always celebrating life, being a positive person, who always acknowledged the bright side of every situation. She was a faithful member of the Power Project and one of the first vendors of new paper, the Contributor. More than that, she was a friend to so many of us on the streets. Below is a short autobiography that Cyndi wrote in the recent book- Homeless Power!

Homeless blogs: checking in

The Homeless Guy, Kevin Barbieux, who blogs out of Nashville, is feeling disillusioned about Nashville's street paper, The Contributer, feeling that the paper is actually promoting an anti-homeless agenda. So he's writing the articles that he'd hoped would appear in the new paper.

David Eby is keeping an eye on homelessness and housing policy in Vancouver as the city prepares for the Olympics in Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Displacement and Homelessness blog.

Anya Peters, the Wandering Scribe in the UK, isn't living out of her car. She saw someone buy her book, Abandoned

Chris, the Homeless guy in NYC, is recovering from gall bladder surgery and still staying at a men's shelter. Slowly getting better.

Great Blog of images, interviews with Nashville's homeless

Sanshouses