Road Trip U.S.A

Posted by invisiblepeople

On any given night, over one million people sleep without a home to call their own. In the past year, homelessness in America has snowballed into a full-fledged crisis. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, 80 percent of individuals and 90 percent of families are homeless due to economic reasons. Community-based homeless service organizations from California to Massachusetts are reporting sharp increases in demand. In many communities, there are not enough shelter beds to meet the need, contributing to the growth of tent cities and the transformation of motels into temporary homeless shelters.

The experience of being displaced and without a home is devastating. The experience of living in a shelter, on the streets, or in a tent city is humbling. And the experience of sharing one’s story is powerful. For those less impacted by the economic downturn, the experience of coming face-to-face with people who are often shunned by society is both eye-opening and deeply moving.

Invisiblepeople.Tv Visits The Deadly Terrain Of Alaska

On March 1-3, 2010, I will visit Anchorage, Alaska to capture the stories of the people who live their lives in the streets. InvisiblePeople.tv will spend time in the city’s homeless camps, where more than a dozen people died in 2009, videotaping the personal stories of those living without a home in “The Last Frontier”.

InvisiblePeople.tv’s trip to Alaska is being sponsored by a generous donation from Hertz Car Rental and other caring individuals.

Links:

Press Release

InvisiblePeople.tv Headed to Alaska

The following is from 2009’s Road Trip. We are working on a 2010 Road Trip along with a new and improved website.

InvisiblePeople.tv Road Trip U.S.A.
This summer, InvisiblePeople.tv is traveling across America to capture the stories of people without a home. By visiting tent cities, motels, and other modern-day accommodations for people without a home, this tour will unearth the modern-day realities of homelessness while providing a venue for “invisible” people to tell their story, raw and unedited.

Follow Along

Click Here For Updated Calendar

Ways You Can Help

Host Mark at a stop on the tour. Bring him to your community’s shelters/tent cities/homeless encampments and see that these stories are heard.
Put the issue of homelessness on the front page of your local paper. Host a Road Trip event. Invite Mark and other local experts to speak. Invite the press. Write a letter to the editor about the tour. Make people listen.
Make a donation! Buy a tank of gas for $50, a night at a hotel room for $100, or two weeks of meals for $300.
Spread the word! Post stories on Facebook and Twitter. Scream as loud as you can.
Take action locally and get involved. Three sites to help get you started: Idealist.org I VolunteerMatch I 2-1-1 (dial #211 from any phone)
Don’t let your involvement end with the tour. CLICK HERE for 10 additional actions you can take to fight homelessness every day.

Ways To Donate

Your donations help keep InvisiblePeople.tv going.

Mail checks to:

Mark Horvath
7000 Hawthorn Ave #205
Los Angeles, CA 90028

Please write InvisiblePeople.tv in memo

Road Trip Sponsors

PLEASE THANK ALL WHO HELPED MAKE THIS HAPPEN

Permalink | Comments (Comments) | Jul 5, 2009

Lelah Dobson

Thank u for coming to Anchorage Alaska and visiting our homeless...God bless you and the homeless in this world......

trnscndnc

There are people you might need to talk to. I don't know if it is still there, but there used to be a tent city near Midland, TX. Odessa - a nearby city - has the resources to deal with a minimal load of homelessness, but Midland, historically, is a town full of people who look the other way. They barely have a Salvation Army outlet, much less real shelters or other resources. Of course I hope the tent city is gone and that those people managed to pull themselves up, but if not, you need to talk to them. Used to be located south of I-20 between Odessa and Midland. I heard about it a little more than a year ago and haven't been back to see if it's real. Maybe someone else knows?

Stacy

I just read this really neat story about a man named Dan de Vaul. He has taken in dozens of homeless people by building housing on his ranch in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Some politicians are bickering about it. He has a perfect system worked out. If they can't pay rent, they chop fire wood, work on car engines, or other chores and attend AA Meetings. But everyone always gets fed, has a roof over their heads, etc. I don't know if he can handle any more. I would contact him first.

David Milonas

Hi Mark, I was hoping to find access to a video you put together last year with a man by the name of Walter Thomas in Chicago. Please let me know how I might get this. Thanks!

BeatTheDevil

I highly recommend homeless to catch a bus to Elysian Park and pitch a tent there. Take the Metro to Sunset Blvd and Portia. There is only one way to go on Portia. When you get to Scott, turn right and Scott will lead you into the heart of Elysian Park. Scout out a place in the woods for your tent. You can use old trails or cut new ones into the wilderness. You can leave a tent up there for months, try to cover it with foilage, branches, trees. The police academy is there and they patrol. It keeps the crime down. They really don't bother you much, they know what you are doing and have compassion, mostly. No joke, this is your best chance, until you can make other arrangements. Please let others know. It's not for everyone, but atleast you have soap, bathrooms, water, wildnerness, your tent, walking distance from free food and clothes (Dream Center). It can be easier to do this, than to live a crazy life in drugs, prositution, or crime.

BeatTheDevil

Like Mark said, the Dream Center is a magical place. You can camp at Elysian Park, clean up at the bathrooms, and walk to the Dream Center for daily meals. If you have any sort of income, it can be saved by camping at Elysian and walking to the Dream Center for the free food, clothes, etc. You can scout for new areas to hide your tent and leave your clothes there. If you need an address, you can use Burbank Temp Aid. They also give bus tokens and canned food ONCE A Month. It is worth it to take the bus there if you want to stock up on canned food. Also, you can put a tent in Griffith Park, near the freeway, but police bother you there, not like Elysian, where they are friendly.

Anne Currie

Mark; Can you please tell me how I can make contact with Dale?
My family has chosen to have a scaled down Christmas this year and his story really touched our hearts. Please contact me at my email address as we would like to have something delivered for him in time for Christmas.
Thank you in advance

Anne Currie and Family
Ottawa, Canada

Ashara Attia

Thank you so much for the important work you are doing. When I was still living in the states I used to volunteer at the shelters in downtown L.A. and I always made a point to talk to homeless people out on the streets, give them a smile and a kind word. Homelessness is shameful for America. I live now in Israel, where thank god there is almost no homelessness. Your work has inspired me to put in some time at a shelter on my next visit to the states. I will remember the homeless in my prayers. God bless you for all you do. May it wake people up!

Marie

My husband is an acestoral Jew, so we are planning to go to Israel too. We are learning Hebew, how much of an issue is the language barrier? I want to wait until we can speak it better. Are there many English speakers?

Jeff Smith

I am homeless in Boston MA. If you are ever in the area I will help you with some gas money and a tour of the pine street inn. Where homeless people are regularly treated like dogs by the staff at pine street inn. It is bad enough to be homeless, but to be kicked while you are down by the people that are supposed to be helping you just adds to the mental stress involved with life on the streets. 90% of the staff have no qualifications for dealing with people. Many people stay out on the streets just so they don't have to deal with the pine street staff. If you are ever in Boston send me an email a week before you arrive and we will make sure you have gas money and a safe place to park your car, Jeff

Jay Austin

We like what you are doing with this site. We are happy that we found it and hope we can be a prefered partner one day.

Rhiannon Wallace

Hi,
I'm a University student from the UK currently doing research for a devised verbatim-style performance about the foreclosure crisis. I was wondering if I could use some of your interviews as part of my research?

Many Thanks,
Rhiannon

tom

whats up i meet you at a hotel after me and my friend lost or apartment to a fire then where homeless i think what you are doind is so great you know we have all this money for war but we cant even feed or own people
oh ya i meet you in bethlem at the hotel my name is tom and lawrence

Sandy Sample

Hi Mark,
I see you will be in Sioux Falls on the 26th of Sep. Where will you be?

Stephen Boyle "Fuzzytek"

Looking forward to your visit here to Detroit and interested in contacting you as a host / guide. I'm one of the local coordinators for Spacewalk.org, a creative community outreach program to create change for those in need.

I tried to direct message via Twitter, but it failed. Would like to offer a phone number to make conversation easier.

Genevieve Frederick

Dear Mark,
Thank you for helping to bring this issue out of the closet. For too long the general public has not addressed the growing numbers. I ask that you keep in touch with us at "Feeding Pets of the Homeless" (www.petsofhomeless.org) to let us know of your experinces with the homeless who have companion pets.
Have a safe trip.

Shayna H Cass

Hi Mark if you need a place to stay in DC I would be happy to host you (as long as you don't mind my 2 adorable friendly cats ?).

Dale Alton

If you are interested in joining us in our street outreach the Saturday in August you are scheduled to be in Atlanta, please let me know. StandUp For Kids - Atlanta serves the homeless youth in Atlanta area. Our Center is open Monday and Wednesday nights. We do street outreach Wednesday nights and Saturday afternoons. Please contact me if you are interested in connecting with us while you are here. Safe travels.

Jan LightfootLane

You link is covered in Black. If you are near Louisville KY on the 16th to 19th of July stop at Spalding University As about the poverty conference slated to finally take up where MLK Jr. left off.

Economic human rights are the new buzz words. They were mentioned and adopted by the UN back in 1948.

I have been homless and devoted 25 years to working to prevent homelessness, Both one family at a time, and addressing the root cause of Homelessness. I see it as POVERTY.

People who call the Maine/national hotline are facing homelessness because they can not pay the rent. Even those mentally people cannot pay their rent because their income is under Fair market value of rent. The US admits 16 states in the USA pay less than the cost of rent in SSI.