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Campaign P.O. Box 292-577 Davie, Fl 33329

J ason Andrews, eldest son of Broward Circuit Judge Robert L. Andrews and for-

mer Broward School Board Chairwoman Carol Andrews, died Sunday at the Homeless Voice Homeless Center in Holly-wood. He was 35.

The cause of death has not yet been determined. An-drews had a history of high blood pressure.

“No parent should outlive their child,” his father said.

Andrews worked as the front desk manager at the home-less center, where he lived.

Judge Andrews said his son was a ''good man.'' who had a big heart.

About a year ago, the younger Andrews was working

the night shift at the homeless center when a woman walked in and went into labor. He deliv-ered the baby, Judge An-drews said.

According to Sean A. Cononie, presi-dent of the Homeless Voice Homeless Center, Andrews started working at the center about three years ago “to get in-volved in helping people. He wanted to share his personal struggles in life with others.”

Andrews chose to live at the homeless center, an option for staff members there. He was trained as the first responder to medical emergencies at the cen-ter, Cononie said.

“It was counterproductive

for him to really go home because he'd be on call,” Cononie said.

Andrews’ girlfriend, Ramona Montayne, moved in with him.

“We were going to get married on July 4 so the whole country could celebrate (our anni-versary) with us every year,” Montayne said. “He had a lot of humor in him and that helped a lot of people in their hard times.”

Before working at the center, Montayne said, Andrews promoted concerts on South Beach with J. Thomas Andrews Productions.

He gave up that business after five years, Montayne said.

In addition to his front-

desk job at the homeless center, Andrews volunteered as a re-searcher for the Cosac Founda-tion's International Human Rights agency, the People's United Na-tions Inc.

In addition to his parents, he is survived by his brother, Matthew A. Andrews of Atlanta, and Benjamin M. Andrews of Hollywood.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Fred Hunter's Hollywood Memorial Gardens Home, 6301 Taft St., Hollywood.

A service will be con-ducted at 11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home.

By Oliver Stephenson The Herald

JASON ANDREWS, 35 On staff at homeless center

D ear Mayor and city commission: I represent 14

human rights agencies in the United States, one of them the People's United Nations and the other the South Florida Coalition for the Homeless. We are advo-cates for human rights. We look at policies that may be consid-ered unconstitutional in the United States as well as looking at international policies that may be in conflict with United Nations

treaties. We have looked at your proposed plans where you would outlaw all feeding of the home-less in the park. First, how can the greatest country of all make a policy that outlaws the feeding of the poor? Have we gone mad? Are we trying to create a forth, fifth and six class of people in America? Besides the legal mumbo jumbo, just based on these words, “In God we trust,” where is the human compassion that all Americans should pos-sess in their heart? This country was founded by criminals under British law; and when our found-

(Continued on page 8)

How’s My Vending?

Call (954)

925-6466 X101

“You've seen the signs that say don't feed the alligators, but in Fort

Myers you may see one saying don't feed the

homeless.”

Andrews, at Christmas time, helping Santa pass out toys at the

Homeless Voice COSAC Quarters Shelter;

where he worked at for several years.

HOMELESS VOICE

The Voice of the Homeless

FRIENDS OF THE HOMELESS For just $15.00 a month you can keep a homeless family off the streets for a day.

Please make check payable to: COSAC Foundation Friends of the Homeless. Please include on memo what name should appear in paper.

Mail check to: Friends of the Homeless, P.O. Box 292-577 Davie, FL 33329

Your Name Will Be Printed in Our Paper Every Month • Donald Peterson • The Cononie Family • The Targett Family • Patrick Helings • John Bendor • The Preston Family • Jake Forest • Lisa Gram • The Jameson Family • In Loving Memory of Uncle Joe & Nana • Shannon Brooks • Jose Rodrigues • Lisa Cebrat • Greg Thompson • The Bowe Family • Pakita Price • The Stone Family • Nana Sullivan • The Watsons • Sean Cononie • Sally Lister • Judith Kelly • Arnold Goldstein • Martha Roman • The Baptista Family • The Whoa Family • Jacob Robinson • Julie Stokes • De De Hupp • John Criasia • Daniel Harrison • The Martinez Family • Amanda Reynolds • Dolores R. Cerra • Bob Hall • Tressie W. Osborne • Clark Rogers • The Savir Family • Peter Richman • Richard McHenry • Stevie Nix • Corinne James • The Browns • Chris Sanchez • Hugo DeCarpintini • Mario Yuio • Richard Friedman • Diane Friedman • Uylna Quadrino • Ginny Scott • Arnold Reemer • Chris Tucker • In Loving Memory of Peter Sullivan • Maryann Springer • Elaine Snaith • Marshal Bugin • Keith Yude • Steve Murrey • Young Anderson • Bruce Wethersoon • Isabelle J. Henry

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HOMELESS VOICE Volume 6, Issue 6

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W e’re still remodeling here at the shelter! As for the living quarters,

we are done with seven rooms…we basically have seven new rooms… and we only have another 15 rooms to go, and we still have to redo the complete downstairs. When we bought this place three years ago it was beautiful. Unfortunately, our population of people is a little rough on the surface. They tend not to treat this place like they should. Some do have the utmost respect for the building itself, but others may cause damage on pur-pose and some just don't realize to be nice to the place. You have to remember the population is

made up of many who have for-gotten social skills or even never had them to begin with. Also mental health consumers, or anyone for that mat ter , may sometimes fly off the handle and cause dam-age that they would otherwise not do. In a nut-shell, for one reason or another, most everyone here may be a little hard on the whole place.

We bought over 100 dressers when we moved in but because of the constant opening

and closing, not abuse, they have fallen apart. So our new goal is to remove all movable parts and try to make things more resistant to physical damage. We are not simply building or replacing things so they won't break like shower doors, but we are making things easier to keep clean and sanitary. For instance all drywall that would be subject to damage is being replaced with tile. Before renovation, the shower doors would need to be repaired once a week but now they have a nice shower curtain that won’t break and can be easily washed or replaced. The whole place will have tile. This way it will be longer term maintenance free, in-

stead of constantly washing walls, which means washing off the paint, and con-stant painting, now all we will have to do it to wipe down the tile. This not only makes the place look better but it keeps the germs to a minimum and odors suddenly vanish.

Let’s face it, when people come in from living on the street, you can imag-ine how their shoes and even clothes must smell and let’s not forget those clients who still have a problem taking regular showers…but they are do-ing better! These odors

penetrate the carpet and dry-wall, but by having tile, it prevents this from happen-ing. Please help us by do-nating Home D e p o t g i f t cards. Please

help us by donating any-thing you may think we need. Also, in recognition of corporations or churches that donate $2500.00, we will place their names on those rooms they have helped to remodel. Did I mention that the great workers doing the job come from our population? Where people think that homeless people are lazy and are only homeless because they don't want to work, this proves those people wrong. Where some towns want the homeless gone from their community, these great men are doing a very

professional job. We are very proud of them. This is what it is all about. To see the pride and satisfaction on their faces when they complete a room is a gift that we don't forget.

Send your Home Depot gift card to: P.O. Box 292-577 Davie, Florida 33329

Written by Lois Cross

“In a nutshell, for one reason or another, most

everyone here may be a little hard on the whole place.”

We, the Homeless Voice Newspaper and the staff here at COSAC, want to formally thank Joe and Christian for their time and efforts in making our home better.

Please help us by donating Home Depot gift cards. Please help

us by donating anything you may

think we need.

COSAC


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(954) 434-7480

• Hats • T-Shirts • Jackets

• Staff Shirts • Sweatshirts • Sport Bags

We are looking for churches and/or other organizations to get involved by

starting penny drives at your location. Call 954-924-3571

All it takes is One

NATIONAL NEWS

Volume 6, Issue 6

"I t isn't that I'm not ready to go. I just have no-where to go," Sarah

Nome says. (Feb. 17) - More than a

year after Sarah Nome was deemed healthy and given her discharge papers, the 82-year-old woman stubbornly refuses to leave her hospital bed.

Nome admits there is no reason she should be racking up unpaid medical bills - which have now topped $1 million - but says she has nowhere else to turn.

Now Kaiser Perma-nente's San Rafael Medical Cen-ter in California is suing her for the cost of her stay and trying to show her the door.

"The thing is, I have no medical problem. I've been here more than a year, never had any medication, never had any treat-ment, never had a fever, have a perfect heart, blood pressure is like a teenager," Nome said in a telephone interview from the hospital north of San Francisco. "It isn't that I'm not ready to go. I just have nowhere to go."

Exasperated hospital officials persuaded a judge to approve her eviction. But be-cause Nome is bedridden and cannot walk, they have no inten-tion of wheeling her onto the street. Instead, they hope the ruling encourages her to pack

her bags. "We're really not inter-

ested in her money," Kaiser at-torney Stanley Watson said. "We just want her cooperation."

Nome's troubles began, her daughter Jane Sands says, in 2002 when she broke both her legs while living alone. After several operations, Nome could no longer care for herself and was admitted to the first of sev-eral nursing homes.

The most recent one, Nome claims, sent her to the hospital against her will. Hospi-tal officials say she was admit-ted for a weeklong psychiatric evaluation, was deemed to be in good mental health, was then ordered released.

But because she is suing the nursing homes where she lived before she was hospital-ized, Nome and her daughter claim she has no choice but to stay put. Nome is suing the last home she lived in, Greenbrae Care Center, for sending her to the hospital.

Watson said hospital officials have tried to find a suitable home for Nome, but Nome and her daughter insist on staying in Marin County, where Nome has spent her entire life. That puts Kaiser in a difficult position, given Nome's bedrid-den state.

"If a patient were ambu-

latory, you could simply dis-charge them and say, `Have a nice day,"' Watson said. "But I can assure you that we don't plan on having the sheriff come in and physically remove her and put her on the street."

Green-brae will not take Nome back because she is suing the nursing home, s a i d B o b Peirce, chief operating officer of Ocadian Hospitals and Care Centers, which runs the center.

"She's suing us, and we obviously feel very strongly that she has no case," Peirce said.

Anthony Wright, execu-tive director of the health care advocacy group Health Access California, said Nome's situa-tion highlights a larger, nation-

wide problem. "This issue is becoming

more and more contentious be-cause ... we don't have a long-term care policy in this country, so there is no set way that we

take care of sen-iors who need ongoing care," he said. M e a n -while, Nome remains in her hospital gown. She said the doctors and

nurses "couldn't be finer," but she has missed the news since her television and newspaper privileges were taken away. "I think Bush might still be presi-dent," she quipped.

She passes the time by reading in bed and gazing out the window.

By Brian Skoloff, AP

Says She's Healthy, But Has Nowhere to Go

"This issue is becoming more and more

contentious because ... we don't have a long-

term care policy in this country…”

JASON ANDREWS




Jason was a good friend. I worked around him for about 3 years. His job was at the center of operation and Jason was often the first person a client saw and sometimes the last. The judgment and intelligence that Jason brought to his work, along with a sense of humor made him someone that will be missed a great deal.

James Sawyer

I am one of the many friends Jason had here at the shelter. For 2 months I was confined to a hospital, when I came home I couldn't work the road any longer so Sean started my training as front desk manager. I was lucky enough to have Jason as my trainer. I knew noth-ing... he knew everything; kindness, patience, and understanding.

When I came home from the war I prayed I would never see another friend pass so I made no friends except one very close one, Jason. I will see you again Jason.

God bless, Greg

Jason, what can I really say about you that we don't al-ready know? I know at times I yelled at you when you made a mistake but that was because I wanted you to be me. I wanted you to know how to make deci-sions like I would. As you know I almost died last year with Meningitis and the shelter had to continue. There are times I thought that it could happen again to me and that all staff should do and think like me. I live by the golden rule, "the coach always picked on the one he liked the best" and Jason I was that Coach to you. I know in my heart that you really loved me, and Jason we all loved you. You saved me so much time when I had to do research, you got me the info I needed and then you knew all about the research. To this day I can’t figure out how you were so smart, every time I was doing a project you knew in depth about the pros and cons. You were as open minded as me and weighted things that were good and bad. Jason I was very happy when you met Ramona because I knew it was good for the both of you. I remember you breaking the news to me that I was not going to marry you and Ramona that you thought your dad should do it and we all said good call. Then I said cant we have two weddings one with your family and one here. Jason do you know why I said that? It was because I was so proud of you and I wanted to take part in that special day by bonding you two together. Jason you know my life is full of stress, so I need you to keep an eye on me. I loved you with all my heart and I have enjoyed you immensely. You were open about everything like most people should be, we all have a lot to learn off of others and I have learned from you.

Do me a favor, Say Hello to Mary, Pete, and the rest of the gang. I never thought it was going to be me working on you trying to save your life, I thought it was going to be you work-ing on me. I was confident you were the man- as they say on West Wing- that was able to do emergency medical techniques. I felt confident if something happened to me that you were able to do it without delay. I love you Jason Andrews, I love you.

Sean Cononie

You made me laugh. You made me feel loved. You made me want to be a better person.

I'll miss your patience, your jokes, you kisses, your dragon and “jagged crew” bird, the way you'd stroke my face and call me “Bubbie” or “Princess." You used a stern facade to cover the tender and emo-tional part of you. I'll miss that.

Our relationship went through many convolutions before end-ing at the door to our love. Remember resenting me when you had to check on me every hour? Or our stolen hugs and kisses on the elevator while we kept our burgeoning romance a secret?

Or the late nights when we’d stay up late laughing or talking? You always had and will have all my heart, my trust, my love. I feel desperation when I think of being without you. But

some of the depression goes away when I realize I don’t have to replace you. I couldn’t if I tried. I need to remind myself how lucky I was to have had all you gave me for any length of time at all.

You filled my soul with the love and happiness and comfort and belonging that I needed to push out the emptiness and con-fusion and sorrow and pain that previously resided there cloud-ing my vision, making me feel unlovable and my life not worth living. You made that big of a difference. Your love lifted me because it was immediate, tactile and soothing.

Jason, I will always love and miss you. God gifted me with your love and you'll live in my heart forever.

Love Ramona Ramona, we will step in for Jason. I know that we can't be Ja-

son but we can try real hard at it. We can never replace him for you. I promise Jason that we will take care of you making sure you are safe. I know it is hard, but think for a moment what hard really is. Hard is not being able to see him again, hard is not knowing where he went upon his death. Hard is not know-ing if he suffered at the time of his death. Hard is doing this all alone. You see there is this man who made the hard go away. He turned the hardness into softness as he will cushion you when you fall. You see he cushioned Jason to. He took his lov-ing hands as he did for Jason and he held him as he will hold you some day. He will not only hold you, but he will take you where he took Jason. It is not hard where he took Jason. The roads may be hard because they are made of gold. The man-sions he built may be hard in structure but soft in love. This man who loved you so much, as he loved so many, stretched his arms out as he lay on the cross and said, “I am doing this be-cause I love you Jason. I am allowing these people to crucify me so you and your wife Ramona can live happily when the time comes.” Ramona any guesses who this man is? I know you know the answer, nothing is hard here on earth compared to what your friend Jesus did so the two of you can live forever. Just be patient and when it is time, Jesus will be there to greet you and I am quite sure Jason will be there as well assigning you a bed in Heaven as Jason did at the shelter.

-COSAC Staff

To a friend and family member: I will miss you very much. We at COSAC are all family members. The 4 years I’ve known Jason, we have never had a harsh word with each other. We worked together trying to help to show people a bet-ter way. He is in God’s hands now. What a great place to be. See you on the other side my friend.

Love Always, Joe Reed

JASON ANDREWS

Volume 6, Issue 6

A cross the survey cities it is estimated that single men comprise of 41 percent of the homeless population, families with children 40 percent, single women 14 percent and unaccompanied youth 5 percent.

I n Fifty-six percent of the cities, homeless families may have to break up in order to be accommodated in emergency shelters. Miami: Two of the major shelters do not accommodate intact families. The Salvation Army and the Homeless Assistance Center may separate fathers temporarily

(in the same facility) pending family room availability.

To Jason: Tears we shed we shed tears for you. It is time to say goodbye. The good times and the bad times we had with one another. We didn’t always get along but you were a friend and went to a better place. We’ll miss your smile and your laughter and you joking around with everyone. This is a hard goodbye for me to do my friend because we shared a lot together. We miss you, we love you, you made a difference in our life. It won’t be the same without you. You are now an angel with wings. You earned them so use them well.

Love, Kat & John

Dear Jason, How are we going to man-age without you? You were the best we ever had. Actu-ally you were the best at whatever you did, not just running the desk and all the duties that went with it. You were our top First Responder. I never worried a minute if you were around. If I think real hard, I could probably come up with a name or two of someone who was as cool and as calm as you, but for right now I have to give that honor to you. You never had a bad word to say about anyone and were always right there to help anyone in need. You put in unbelievable hours when needed or covered anyone’s shift for them if they were sick. So many times you were one step ahead of Sean when he would say to check on someone. You already had and were ready with the report. You were as faithful as they come when it came to the foundation. Of course you broke all the rules when it came to giving people a couple of dollars out of your own pocket! Ramona had a very safe place under your wing and now that the wing has left us...well life has to carry on the best we can. Just like I said when Petey died, I am stuck here in the office so I don’t have the privilege of seeing the real human and fun side of people, the interactions with each other around here, but there were fun times up here in the office. When you guys get together...well, I won't say anymore. I never had the time to ask you how to re-search so many of the out of the way things that you came up with, especially "you know what", that really blew my mind. Your last research is sitting on my desk right now; I think I might frame it. You were a very special person, Jason, I will miss you…we all will miss you. Nobody will ever be able to fill your shoes. Its funny, but every now and then I hear someone on the camera that sounds like your voice or look at it and see someone else's figure there but it looks like you. Just in normal conversa-tion your name still slips off our tongues, Sean still goes to call you for something he needs. Speaking of helping him, you im-pressed me so much with the care you took when you put on gloves to pour his tea. Nobody else in this world would think about keeping things so sanitary “since Sean was sick with menin-gitis.” It will be a long time before things like this subside, but the memory of you will always be in our hearts. And I won't hear, "Oh no, (as you put up your hand in a stop motion) I can't...my stomach." You are at peace now…be another angel to look over us and intercede for us.

We love you, Lois

Dear sweet Jason, I’ll always remem-ber your smile and the com-passion you had for people. Your grin was one that lit up a room and said don’t worry everything will be okay because I’m here to lend an ear and guide you. I know you didn’t know this but I’d watch you from afar and saw the genuine empathy you owned for others. It came across by way of your facial expres-sions and in your sparkling eyes. I saw how you made people feel because they knew the world stood still during those mo-ments you shared with them. It is such a battle when someone you’ve admired passes on because you know they’ve gone to a better place but your own human selfishness tells you to miss him or her immensely.

Cathy Freites

This is to Jason: He will be terribly missed. We knew him for a long time and he was lil Lenny’s bud. We would whisper in Lenny’s ear and make him laugh. Jason was our buddy and buddies never forget one another so we will never forget you. We love you Jason.

The Pacheco family and especially lil Lenny

Well I only knew Jason for only 1 ½ years which is not very long. He would always be there when you needed him. He was the type of person that would give you the shirt off his back so to speak. He was like a brother to me person-ally speaking. He always tried to help out no matter who you are he was always there. I mean I can go on and on about Jason. But since I don’t have enough space to do so in a sentence I would say this, “Jason was a wonderful person!” Thanks Jason for all you have done. Your friend,

Lysandra Nelson

To Jason a friend that was always there; Spreading his self thin, trying to show everyone that he

cared. Even with money, words, and deeds,

Everyone he tried to please. Understanding he had problems of his own;

His patience with others was strong. So as I say good-bye to Jason with all my heart,

Only God knows why you had to part. So may the heavenly gates open and let you in,

For Jason you were a good person and real friend. Love,

Ronald Simmons

NATIONAL NEWS




ing fathers decided to say, “In God we trust,” this country was then built on religious values. Your policy would not allow my brothers and sisters that have Christian faith values to do what their Savior has taught them. In Florida, there are laws that were passed that state, we have the right to carry out our Christian values and ac-cording to the book of Matthew we shall feed the poor. How can most of us go to church on Sun-day, worship a homeless man and then on Monday, turn our backs on an-other homeless person? Are we hypocrites? Have we lost faith in our own God? It may be your intention to make sure your community has no negative impact and we commend you for that; however, outlawing the public feeding of homeless people is wrong… dead wrong. There are groups of people, like us, who stand behind our brothers and sisters, and pro-tect them from this misuse of government power. There are advocates in this country that will use civil disobedience when cit-ies misuse power. There are ad-vocates that will videotape any kind of action that is unfair, un-constitutional, disrespectful, and/or unlawful to any person that is poor or homeless. What even sickens me more than the above is the fact that my homeless population, who sell the Homeless Voice Newspaper in South Florida, raised $18,000 for your commu-nity and your surrounding com-munity when you were hit with the hurricanes last year. Not only did they work raising the money for your town’s people, they gave up three more days of additional income by transporting van load after van load of supplies and water to the West Coast. The

transportation was just not an eight-hour day! In most cases it was well over 20 hours each day, and then only one hour of rest; then another 20 hours of work bringing the water to your area. These were my homeless peo-ple, who not only sell our paper, but stay at one of our five shel-

ters, who did this for your community. At one community, the homeless took care of your town’s people when they were down and out because of Mother Nature. The same town now wishes not to take care of their own people who are down and out. Again we are

reminded of how could one man worship a homeless person on Sunday and ignore one on Monday. I urge you to bring advo-cates to the table. To come up w i t h o t h e r w a y s i n which advocates, individuals, church groups, and any other group can feed the homeless in your city legally. Sometimes mak-ing policies, as ridiculous as this, will only create large amounts of civil verdicts. We cannot sit here and just let you take food out of the mouth of poor people. Did you know the largest growing number of homeless people are children between the ages of two and four years of age? Do you want to be the one to be known for taking food away from a baby? By coming to the table and asking advocates to feed in a different way, or designating an area where this can be done (where it will not negatively im-p a c t n e i g h b o r h o o d s ) is sometimes better than making policy. I am quite sure that if you asked your local homeless he-roes to sit down and work with you, and you designate a differ-ent area where this can be done in a way that will be conducive to the morals and goals of the local community, the homeless can still be fed and no policy would

need to be developed. On the other hand, if you pass a law that takes away food from the poor, we will do what ever it takes to make sure that this policy becomes unconstitutional. If one person gets sick because of lack of food we will hold your city responsi-ble. If you allow one per-son to share food with another person that is not homeless, then you have discriminated against the poor. Advocates such as myself will make sure that if at any time we see peo-ple that are not poor hav-ing food in an area where the homeless cannot eat, we will simply call the police every time and de-

mand action. If you want your police depart-ment to be a Maitre D' then so be it. If you think my state-ments are ri-diculous look at your own. I am hearing that the homeless people's rights are being vio-lated. Because o f modern technology, the days of police h a r a s s m e n t towards the homeless are gone. If your city uses such techniques, we will do every-thing in our power by videotaping these ac-tions. Most people say in today's times, advocates should not write letters like this, and they are cor-rect; however, when city politi-cians try to make policies like this, you cannot expect us advocates to sit back and beg so our people can eat. I do not know the attitude of your local homeless heroes that are advocates. I do not know how strong they feel about a law all such as this. We do not give the government money, just a service; so we do not hold back in our advocacy campaigns. Our job is to speak up what others cannot because of funding streams. I beg of you to solve this problem without making policies like this. Many cities have cor-rected problems by asking advo-cates to come to the table and come up with a valid plan that will not negatively impact the community. We are homeowners too, and we certainly understand your concerns; however being on both sides creates a productive and caring America. I have been one of these people who helps city governments come up with plans so that legal action can not follow. In the case of Abbott ver-sus the City of Fort Lauderdale, the judge gave Mr. Abbott the right, his religious right to feed the poor.

Sincerely, Sean Cononie

Homeless Advocate

Y ou've seen the signs that say don't feed the alligators, but

in Fort Myers you may see one saying don't feed the homeless. After receiving numerous com-plaints, Fort Myers Mayor Jim Humphrey is drafting an ordi-nance to limit homeless dinners served in city parks.

Christopher Peterson works at Centennial Park every day.

"It's a public park, a lot of kids here," said Peterson. Kids aren't the only ones at the

park. "A lot of transients come

down here," said Peterson. He says most of them mean well, but some drink or use drugs.

"Drinking in public, drug using," said Peterson.

Every Monday at the pavilion, there is a church service and dinner is served to the poor. It's organized by Joan Murphy.

"We simply come down to give homeless and those in dire straits a good meal," said Murphy. Where do they go after the dinner?

"The homeless stay there and then disappear into neighbor-hoods. A lot of them have emo-tional challenges so you can un-derstand it will scare families," said Fort Myers Mayor Jim Hum-phrey.

Mayor Humphrey is drafting an ordinance which would put a stop to the weekly dinners at all city parks.

"Have a limited amount of times you can have services in park," said Humphrey.

Under the draft, the ser-vices would be allowed only once a year. Murphy and others are outraged.

"People are hungry 365 days a year," said Murphy. The debate has started and the battle lines are drawn.

"We need to find an al-ternative approach," said Hum-phrey.

"I think it's a very unkind thing to do, to turn people away from a public park which is sup-posed to be for the public's use," said Murphy.

Mayor Humphrey hopes to present the ordinance to the city council in May or April.

-NBC2 News

(Continued from page 1)

“If you allow one person to share food with another person that is not homeless, then you have dis-criminated against

the poor.”

WE NEED GIFT CERTIFICATES

FOR: • WINN-DIXIE • WAL-MART

• PUBLIX • OFFICE MAX

• HOME DEPOT Call the Shelter @ 954-925-6466

NATIONAL NEWS

Volume 6, Issue 6

Things We Need • Batteries all sizes

• Solar panel for our solar system

• Copy paper

• Envelopes big yellow ones and regular white ones for mail; all sizes

• Coffee

• Garbage bags

• Medical bandages

• Medical tape

• Band aids regular types

• Tampons

• Bottles of alcohol and peroxide

• Paper towels

• Toilet paper

• Lunch bags

• Silverware

• Plastic drinking cups

• Dinner plates

• Pens

• Ketchup and mustard

• TV’s

• Bug bombs and roach motels

• BLEACH

• Flashlights

• Generator

• Extension cords

• Emergency exit light

• 150 gallons of white or yellow outdoor paint

• Paint sealer

• Tylenol

• Aspirin

• Cough syrup

• Throat and flu medicine

• Zantacs or Tums

• Candy by the box

• Lays potato chips; individual bags

• Soda

• Folding chairs; metal

• Light bulbs

• Plungers for toilets

• Lysol

• Combat/Raid bombs

• Bug Spray Roach Hotels

H e's a house painter by trade, his clothes spat-tered from the day's

work. When volunteers doing the annual homeless count ap-proached him a few feet from the railroad tracks last week, he was just getting home. That is, if you can call the underside of an aban-doned loading dock, enclosed in cardboard, "home."

He didn't want his name in the paper, let alone his picture. Maybe, he suggested, we could ask the man who stays in the next space over from him.

“ H e ’ s working on that hotel or what-ever they’re building down-t o w n , ” t h e painter said, re-ferring to the new condos next to Blumen-thal’s.

“He gets off work later,” he said.

It was a day for seeing what some call the “unseen” homeless. They’re not the people holding signs at intersections, claiming to be stranded or pledg-ing to “work for food.”

No, these are people who are already working— day labor, construction, fast food— al-though not making enough to afford a roof over their heads.

“They get off work, get dinner at McDonald’s or wher-ever they can, and they’re in bed by 10 o’clock. Then they’re up early and back to work,” said Greensboro Police Officer Tim Tepedino, who has worked the city’s central district for seven years.

“They don’t cause prob-lems,” Tepedino said. “Most peo-ple don’t even know they’re here.”

On Wednesday, Teped-ino guided one of a half-dozen volunteer teams that blanketed the city for the yearly “Point-in-Time” homeless count, a snap-shot census to help members of the county’s Homeless Preven-tion Coalition assess the problem.

Though the numbers won’t be tallied until Tuesday, the widespread evidence of peo-

ple sleeping outside clearly sur-prised even those who have daily contact with the homeless.

Tepedino, for instance, led volunteers from one overpass to another, each showing signs that people were living on the ledges up the steep embank-ments. Next to sleeping bags and old mattresses perched precari-ously under the surfaces of the bridges, household goods were lined up. On a steel girder with a decal that says “One Nation Un-

der God” were cans of beans, shaving supplies and bottles of drinking water — these likely to be frozen solid by the weekend. A c r o s s town behind a warehouse, the offi-cer showed the cen-sus-takers a cargo

container full of carpet padding that is sleeping quarters for a group of workmen — apparently Spanish-speaking, judging from the graffiti scrawled inside in Magic Marker.

“I work with the home-less every day, and I thought I knew,” said Michele Forrest, a Grace Community Church dea-con active in the coalition.

“But the sheer amount of the camps, the tremendous vol-ume of it — people don’t have a clue how big this is.”

One of those people was Mayor Keith Holliday himself, who rode along on the first leg of Tepedino’s tour. Though City Council members are invited each year to ride along on the tour, organizers said Holliday is the first and only member of the council to accept.

Beginning at a railroad right of way that happened to run directly behind the offices of Mayor Pro Tem Yvonne John-son, Holliday remarked to a TV reporter that this land would soon be part of the newly unveiled city “greenway.”

But as Holliday de-scended toward the railroad bed, the unmistakable sights, and odors, of human habitation made it clear that for the current occu-pants, this was far from recrea-tional “green space.”

“I’d always heard about these places. But to do this in January?” Holliday said. “It almost makes me mad. To have the resources, the wealth that we have in this city — it’s literally ridiculous to have peo-ple living on the street.”

Overhead at the top of the steep incline, where a cluster of about five adults had evidently set up camp, Tepedino startled one man who was asleep in the otherwise empty quarters. After making sure the man was all right, the officer left him alone.

Unless the homeless are disorderly, or the subject of a trespassing complaint, the com-munity resource officer said he leaves them alone.

Though police do try to persuade people to seek shelter from the cold, some don’t meet local shelters’ admission rules — either because they have already used their allotted stay, owe the shelters money, are under 21 or are mentally ill.

At times, Tepedino said, the shelter of last resort is a “24-hour commitment,” which entails no criminal charge, only a night in jail.

“If it’s cold enough and they have no place to go,” Teped-ino said, “they’re actually happy that you’re taking them to jail.”

At this, the mayor shook his head.

“If you’re taking them to jail, with the money that costs, there’s got to be a better solution. This has got to stop,” said Holliday, who conceded that homelessness was not a popular cause for politicians.

“It’s not cutting ribbons and kissing babies. Things like this make us feel helpless. It’s

'out of sight, out of mind.’ I mean, all the City Council mem-bers were invited to come today. You see how many are here.”

But even for outreach workers who regularly visit homeless people where they stay, Wednesday’s wider view of the problem was hard to process.

At one cardboard home directly under a heavily traveled downtown bridge, Tepedino’s group found a multi chambered layout — a kitchen, living room and sleep quarters. Though the occupants weren’t home, Forrest, the Grace Community deacon, said she got their message.

“'I’m gonna survive.’ That’s what that said to me. 'I’m going to bed, and then I’m gonna get up and go to work.’ But when they come home, there’s no warm dinner, no hot shower, no crashing out in front of the TV,” Forrest said.

“We say, 'Blessed are the poor.’ I’m finally beginning to understand that.”

By Staff Writer, Greensboro News

& Record

“'I’m gonna survive.’ That’s what that said to me. 'I’m going to bed, and then I’m gonna get up and go to work.’ But when they come home, there’s no warm dinner,

no hot shower, no crashing out in front of the TV,” Forrest said.

Greensboro, NC

Sean, add anything you want!!!

B elieve it or not some people are homeless because of weight. Some are so heavy that it is impossible for them to move in a productive way. Then of course there are other side effects

that will not allow a person to gain employment: seats, desk, office space, even emergency evacuation takes a part in denying people jobs. Emergency evacuation, what’s that? The boss man says to himself, “If I hire this person and there is an emergency in the build-ing will they be able to get out in time? If there was a fire could they make it down the stairs?" No company wants liability. So now you know not only drugs, mental health conditions, medical conditions, but excess weight called obesity can keep a person from having a self sufficient life which leads to homelessness. How to lose weight (and keep it off)

Everyone today is trying some new version of a crash diet in the hopes of this one being different than the thousands of diets al-ready out there that don’t work. However, we all know that this one won’t work either. There is no way to lose weight and keep it off other than a lifestyle change. You have to change your eating habits, not just what you eat for a month or two. I am going to tell you how to do this.

An important aspect of weight loss is total calories. In order to lose weight, your intake of calories has to be less than your output (the amount of calories you use everyday). The amount of calories that are used just for keeping us alive is called the basal metabolic rate (BMR). The actual amount differs for each person, but is generally between 12-18 calories per pound.

(http://health.discovery.com/tools/calculators/basal/basal.html is a place where you can find a more accurate basal metabolic calcu-lator).

After figuring out your BMR, you need to figure out any ac-tivities that you do and add them to your BMR. After adding every-thing up, eat about 300-400 calories less per day, and this should lead to a weight loss of about 1 pound/week.

Another important thing to look at when making food choices is what exactly is in the foods that you are eating. There is a difference between eating a ½ cup of sugar, and a ½ cup of pasta, even though both will give you the same amount of calories. In your body, in order to be able to absorb sugar from the bloodstream into your cells, your body releases a compound called insulin. Insulin is necessary for the absorption of sugar into the cells. The more sugar you have, the greater the insulin response. Unfortunately, when there is a lot of insulin present is also when fat gain is most likely. So, try to eat less sugar.

Of course, eating healthfully is also extremely impor-tant. Limit consumption of saturated fats found in most red meat. Opt instead for lean cuts of meat. Also, make sure you don’t eat so little that you are not getting all of your vitamins and minerals. If this hap-pens, not only would your fat loss be curbed, but it could also lead to some pretty dangerous health conditions.

The results you get from changing your eating habits are commensurate with your level of dedication. As long as you put your heart into it and really want to change, you will succeed.

Liran BenDor



We Need RV's and boats. They will be

used to provide social services during an

emergency for COSAC's disaster

relief services. 965-920-1277

We may need you

to pull over and make a donation

So please do not get mad at our vendors if you are holding up money and

they do not come to your car.

• I know this will be a big pain • We can only do medians for now • We are going to court

Cities are Changing and want us off the

street

Donate Online or Send check or

money order to: P.O. Box 292577 Davie, Fl 33329

Looking for Volunteers Call the Homeless Voice

954-410-6275

W e usually think of bone as being lifeless and set. However, bone is living,

breathing tissue. Our bones are constantly be-ing torn down and built back up. Calcium is an extremely im-portant nutrient, which is necessary for bone rebuilding to take place.

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. These broken bones, also known as fractures, occur typically in the hip, spine, and wrist.

Any bone can be affected, but of special concern are fractures of the hip and spine. A hip fracture almost always requires hospitali-zation and major surgery. It can impair a person's ability to walk un-assisted and may cause prolonged or permanent disability or even death. Spinal or vertebral fractures also have serious consequences, including loss of height, severe back pain, and deformity.

Millions of Americans are at risk. While women are four times more likely than men are to develop the disease, men also suf-fer from osteoporosis.

Calcium is the main nutrient when it comes to bone re-growth. Studies show that calcium is a nutrient that many people un-der-consume.

The DRI for Calcium is as follows: DRI (RDA): 0-6 months: 300mg 6-12 months: 500mg 1-10 years: 600mg - 800mg 11-18 years: 800mg - 1000mg 18 years +: 800mg - 1500mg If you are pregnant / lactating, add 400mg to the above value. Good sources of calcium include low fat dairy products, such

as milk, yogurt, cheese and ice cream; dark green, leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, collard greens, and spinach; sardines and salmon; tofu; almonds; and foods fortified with calcium, such as orange juice, cereals and breads.

HEALTH


Get your yearly subscription for the Homeless Voice. Call

954-410-6275 or fill out form on

page 3

We are looking for churches and/or other organizations to get involved by feeding our ‘sheep’ two times a month.

Call 954-924-3571

W e need your help with our building fund. We are getting closer and closer to reach-

ing our goal. How can you help? 3 easy ways to help. 1.) get your church or school involved in a penny drive.

2.) check out page 2 and help with the friends of the homeless column. 3.) donate directly to the building fund.

HELP PAY OFF OUR MORTGAGE We need just

36,100 people to send in a check for $20.00, Or



722 people to send in a check for $1,000, Or Just one wonderful person or business to send

a check for the entire $722,0000.00 Remember the donation is tax deductible!!

Please send your checks to: The COSAC Building Fund

P.O. Box 292-577 Davie, Florida 33329

We do thank you

*Due to Jason’s death. We have prepared this special issue. The figures below are an approximate amount based on the figures of last year at this time combined with our total deficit. COSAC Staff

VOICE UPDATE

Volume 6, Issue 6

To reach

the sh

elter for any of

your oth

er needs please call

954-924-3571 R

emem

ber you can

send ch

ecks to u

s at : P

.O. B

ox 292-577 D

avie, Florida 33329

Need

a MasterC

ard an

d y

ou

hav

e no

credit?

Well, co

me get y

ou

r ow

n p

repaid

MasterC

ard at th

e C

osac B

ank

ing

and

Office C

enter.

We h

ave lo

wer fees.

Notary

service availab

le Ch

eck C

ashin

g w

ith ID

*

2%

Fee

Call G

inn

y at

95

4-9

23

-04

41

You w

ill surely be m

issed. We w

ill alw

ays love you. T

he staff here will

not be the same

without you.

•Article on page 1

•Letters from friends

on page 6 & 7

W

E’VE M

AD

E A N

EW Y

EAR’S R

ESOLU

TION

CO

ME JO

IN U

S W

hy are w

e bein

g so careful to try for th

is year only?

‘Cause m

y friend

s, we are ru

nn

ing ou

t of room. T

he In

n

is full an

d h

as been

for the lon

gest time! W

e need

to bu

y an

add

itional, sm

aller comp

lex.. SO

...once w

e pay off th

e cu

rrent m

ortgage we can

expan

d. If you

are a chu

rch you

can

do on

e special collection

to send

in you

r $1000. If you

are a stud

ent .. h

ave your sch

ool do a p

enn

y drive. If you

are a b

ig bu

siness or sm

all bu

siness take u

p a collection

an

d sen

d in

your $1000. W

e only n

eed th

ose 722 group

s of p

eople to d

o this. I, S

ean Con

onie, h

ereby give you

per-

mission

to do you

r own

fun

draisin

g plan

to help

us p

ay off th

is mortgage. P

lease do n

ot get involved

un

less you com

e h

ere and

see wh

at you are h

elping. I am

confid

ent th

at on

ce you see w

hat w

e do you

will, w

ith all you

r heart, h

elp

the p

eople w

ith ou

r shelter. I say th

e word

"ou

r " b

ecause

this p

lace is not m

ine, it is th

e comm

un

ity’s. Th

anks

We w

ant to p

ay off this

mortgage

this

year an

d

as a team w

e can d

o it

Mail your ch

eck to: C

osac Fou

nd

ation

Bu

rn that M

ortgage Fu

nd

!! P

.O. B

ox 292577 D

avie, Florid

a 33329 P

hon

e: 954-924-3571

We on

ly need

722 peop

le, organ

izations an

d in

stitu-

tions to each

send

in th

eir 1000.00. W

e have th

e ab

ility to pay off th

is b

uild

ing.

HOMELESS · • Amanda Reynolds ... • Tressie W. Osborne • Clark Rogers • The Savir Family...

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