Category: Social Issues

Homelessness in Albuquerque – video update

We have been following Albuquerque’s homeless story for quite a while.

This video update was recently featured at the City of Albuquerque’s state of the city speech.

Robert Nelson at Metropolitan Homelessness Projected shared this update with us:

“Greetings!

I just wanted to write and share a new video that the city produced for the Mayor’s State of the City Address this past Wednesday. We’ll be reaching some milestones very soon and I wanted you to know about them. To date, 43 people have been housed in permanent housing and we’ll probably reach 50 in the next week. We’ll keep pressing onward to house 75 people by February 2012. With this rapid increase of housing, I want to also thank you for your help volunteering for us over the past few months. Because of you, we have been able to get this initiative going from the ground up – from Survey Week back in February to delivering furniture and housewares to those who were newly housed to the ongoing conversation on how we sustain housing for our clients. Thank you.

The link below is a video not only of the initiative and where we’re headed, but it also includes some of the stories of the people that have lived on the streets for years and finally moved into housing. Please share this video with your family, friends and colleagues and help us spread the word about our mission to end homelessness. Hope this message finds you well and thank you again for your support.

Robert Nelson | Metropolitan Homelessness Project”

Who opposes development?

As always, I am astounded at the amount of information available on the internet. Recent case and point – fellow Twitter, Patrick Fox @pffox send me a link to the New Saint Index , which tracks opposition to real estate projects.

What an amazing resource!

While landfills and casinos continue to be unpopular with neighborhoods, the opposition to WalMart has reached a tipping point where those in favor and against are almost even. (As an interesting aside, one of my favorite authors, Marc Levinson has just released a new book titled “the Great A&P and the Struggle for Small Business in America” which covers the opposition to A&P markets which was the largest retailer in the early 1900’s)

I also appreciate how the index breaks down the demographics of each product type – like supporters for grocery stores (mostly male 21 to 45, who rent and have some college and a lower income) vs. opponents (mostly female 45 to 55, own their home, high income).

First responses from 2011 Census of homeless – in ABQ they are finding housing.

An update from our from the Albuquerque Heading Home homeless survey we helped with earlier this year.

This article at 100k homes indicates that the first 15 homeless people from that survey have found housing – kudos to the Mayor and the folks at Albuquerque Heading Home for making this happen!

Do you procrastinate?

It’s true, many of us suffer from this disease- it is amazing – as a deadline approaches, so many of us end up giving the dog a bath, cleaning the house, filing paperwork, just about anything to keep us from focusing on the work at hand.

My wife, Kahleetah, and I think Sponge Bob typifies how many of us deal with a major assignment.

The solution? I found this article on steps to overcome procrastination at www.43folders.com .

So what do you do to overcome procrastination? I welcome any thoughts you have for a cure…

spongebob