Mark Horvath

Recent Activity

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  Mark commented on the article | over 1 year ago

  It's Cops vs. Volunteers on L.A.'s Skid Row

  listen to Robert on Skid Row

  
  

  http://invisiblepeople.tv/blog/2009/06/robert-homeless-skidrow/

  
  

  he says "you never have to worry about someone feeding you. You can get food 24hrs a day whether you want it or not"

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

   

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  Mark commented on the article | over 1 year ago

  It's Cops vs. Volunteers on L.A.'s Skid Row

  I sure wish homeless activists would wake up on this food issue and see the TRUTH

  
  

  First, I know Officer Deon Joseph personally. He is a great man who has given his life to help the people of Skid Row. He is a real hero! And his statement is spot on!

  
  

  FOOD on streets! WAKE UP!

  
  

  I was in Saint Louis and people were giving homeless people sandwiches laced with feces. I guess all you homeless activists think that is ok!

  
  

  I have seen churches leave a crazy mess.

  
  

  I was in a park in East Village for 2 hours and 5 different churches came and fed the same people. If I stayed all day I bet 20 or more churches came to feed people in that park. Street feeding is not a solution and is part of the problem!

  
  

  Unorganized, unregulated, and often random feeding by faith-based organization does far more harm than good. If these people truly wanted to help homeless people they would take their food to an organization like URM that help people with housing and jobs so they could save their food budget on providing housing a jobs.

  
  

  Point blank honest! You want the food you eat regulated. You want to know it is healthy. So it's in homeless people's best interest to have street feeding regulated. If you think otherwise then next time you eat a sandwich think about feces in it. That really happens much more than you know

  
  

  Point blank honest! there is NO shortage of food in Skid Row. 24 hours a day there is food there. Homeless people do not need more street feeding. They need housing, jobs and health services.

  
  

  WAKE UP! street feeding should be regulated!

  
  

   

  
  

   

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  Mark commented on the article | over 1 year ago

  Hurt, Not Helped, by a New Mega-Shelter

  interesting that I received a phone call tonight confirming what these homeless people told me. Other organizations are fined if they help the homeless in San Antonio.

  
  

  also, I thought it a little "off" that in each interview the homeless people complained about the cold food their. then this showed up http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/courtyard_cold-food_ideabrings_lukewarm_response_100857689.html

  
  

  
  @SLO that is my biggest concern. we'll see more of this.

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  Mark commented on the article | almost 2 years ago

  San Diego Will Help the Homeless, Whether They Like it or Not

  Josie,

  
  

  I understand that. And as a formerly homeless person I've felt that at times until I was presented with facts. But the tone of this post is attacking a service that saves lives and saves money that more communities need to adopt.

  
  

  As homeless advocates we need to support services that work and slam those that don't. I found this post to be not just bad journalism but bad blogging. Nothing written here would help homeless services and thus homeless people.

  
  

  Are bloggers writing on change.org to get views or to help fight a social crisis? Even the title of this post is sensational. And let's be real. The author suggests that these 25 people would not have a choice. That is ridicules

  
  

  I must disclose that I love and support Common Ground, but even if I was not friends I would fight this type of post. I've sat and looked at the photo book made in Santa Monica of the most vulnerable people on the streets. It wrecked me hard. These are people back in alleys rarely even seen. They will die without help. It's really that simple

  
  

  I am sure Natalie is a very nice person with good intentions. She may have just not been informed. I more feel this is irresponsible on change.org's part to post. I am all for open communication on all sides and all different thoughts. But because this blog is to help homeless people I feel that posts should be researched and if they are not going to help the cause than should not go public. The only outcome of a post like this is a community may shut down support for services that saves lives.

  
  

  
  Still love me? :)

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

   

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  Mark commented on the article | almost 2 years ago

  San Diego Will Help the Homeless, Whether They Like it or Not

  Great comment Kat.

  
  

  I remembered that I also commented on the post Natalie references on homeless people not wanting help that she obviously didn't read. Please read my comment on that post http://homelessness.change.org/blog/view/when_the_homeless_dont_want_help

  
  

  Like I said more often than not the homeless population will put the most hurting person first themselves. It's kind of whacked that this post suggests we shouldn't.

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  Mark commented on the article | almost 2 years ago

  San Diego Will Help the Homeless, Whether They Like it or Not

  Are you saying we should house a healthy person who has a better chance of getting off the streets through other supportive services than someone who may die unless helped?

  
  

  Are you saying that we should not even consider the cost on the community and the public health issue of someone who has been homeless for a long period of time and is taxing the system?

  
  

  Clearly anyone with experience in homeless services would not be saying such things.

  
  

  Leaving people out on the streets to die, no matter how you want to justify another solution, is literally insane. I have seen street people more often than not put those who need the most care first.

  
  

  Please forgive my candor but I find this post irresponsible and not based on facts or reality.

  
  

   

  
  

   

  
  

   

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  Mark commented on the article | almost 2 years ago

  Do Yourself a Favor; Don't Search "Homeless" on Twitter

  I completely disagree

  
  

  I think we MUST search "homeless" on twitter. I strongly believe a negative tweet is an open door for positive change. If someone needs to be "educated" then respond

  
  

  Here is a great example of a twitter exchange that turned a "mommy blogger" into homeless advocate http://www.keepingupwithmom.com/2009/10/meeting-mark-invisiblepeople-tv/

  
  

  I sure hope you clicked on that link and read the twitter conversation between us

  
  

  Christmas a few years back I saw a group of people in Venice tweeting about going to feed people. It was raining and I had an SUV full of raincoats. I tweet back and went to help them. By searching twitter I made new friends who to this day support InvisiblePeople.tv http://feelgoodguru.com/tweetuplift-recap

  
  

  I don't have the time now to search as much as I did. once a model had her shoes stolen by a homeless man. of course she was mad. I started a conversation with her that also changed her perceptions of homelessness by offering to buy her new shoes. most of the exchanges I don't remember, there has been many. If the person is too ignorant I don't engage. They won't be changing their mind anyway. Of course, some get me so mad I probably lost it a few times. But all in all searching the word "twitter" has proven to be one of my best strategies.

  
  

  Imagine if all of us engaged people on twitter who needed to be educated and the change it would bring?

  
  

   

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  Mark commented on the article | almost 2 years ago

  Can We See Some ID?

  Ed,

  
  

  There was nothing wrong with Jackie's response to you. Obviously you have issues with the State of Florida, but please don't take your frustrations out on a woman who has given her life to help others.

  
  

  Jackie is one of the most amazing people I have met while traveling the country helping to fight poverty and homelessnesss.

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  Mark commented on the article | almost 2 years ago

  When the Homeless Don't Want Help

  People give up. it's called "learned helplessness". I have two cell phones, a laptop, a car, I work in homeless services, and I cannot navigate the "continuum of care"! How the heck can a person with very little resources find the help they need?

  
  

  Alan Graham from Mobile Loaves and Fishes placed something in my head this last week about our homeless shelter system. Alan made the comment that if we took most anyone from society, lawyer, doctor, postal worker, coach, politician, and placed them in a room slammed full with bunk beds or cots only feet away from each other, had only one bathroom for everyone to share, threw GED, food service or yoga classes at them (I hated yoga when I lived in a shelter) they would not be able to survive. But we take people from the streets with crazy addictions and mental illness and expect them to heal in a homeless shelter. that's insane!

  
  

  So our shelter system at best is a revolving door, the "gaps in the safety net" are wider than ever, and it's not a miracle when a homeless person gets off the streets - it's a miracle the system even worked. No wonder people give up. You'd give up!

  
  

  This conversation as been around for a long time. Yes, there is an occasional few that actually live on the streets by choice. But most of the people who say they like being homeless are rationalising because they just gave up.

  
  

  Thing is, we must never give up on them.

  
  

   

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  Mark commented on the article | almost 2 years ago

  Meet a Teen Mom Turning Her Life Around

  Here's the deal. Don't look at the age, look at the crisis! Youth homelessness is a very serious crisis. Because it's 'challanging' to interview anyone under 18 the closest we can get to tell this story is often people over 18.

  
  

  And nineteen still has 'teen' in it.

  
  

  The whole point of these interviews, and so far every person has been over the age of 18, is to tell the story of youth homelessness.

  
  

  I hope you'll see past the 'teen' in the title to be concerned about teens on the streets homeless