Again, I caution those of you not used to working with the homeless, not aware of the inner-city culture or the risks of encountering the severely mentally ill, sex offenders or sociopaths and criminals to work WITH groups and individuals who DO have that experience. Just because a person is homeless doesn’t mean they are a criminal, sex offender or sociopath, but statistically those who are chronically homeless are desperate and have issues and drives you may not recognize. I was homeless and moved among the chronically homeless and can assure you they are individuals in pain, hurting, hungry, needy and many are just people like you and me, but unless you know how to recognize an addict under the influence of crack or other drugs, or those with serious issues, don’t put yourself at risk.

Work with shelters, churches, food banks, and with those homeless individuals you know of through your local social agencies or Salvation Army. This ebook lists 101 things you can give or do for the homeless besides giving them money that can help them get off the streets, get a job, have an easier time while on the streets and regain their self-respect and confidence. I hope you’ll download it and read it and share it with your friends! Thank you!

To download click: 101GiftsForHomeless2012

As part of a FREE ebook I’m writing for the homeless on money matters, and on starting a simple street business to get off the street, etc. I’m reviewing debit and bank cards, an alternative to a bank account for people who are homeless or marginally employed.

The number one problem with those who don’t have money or a steady income is they have to pay 10 times more to get the same services that people with credit and money take for granted. Think “Rent to Own,” and “Pawn Shop Loans” and all the other scams and businesses out there charging people 20-40 percent interest or at least bogus rates and fees so high they might as well be interest.

Debit cards are part of this gold rush to rape the poor. That’s a fact of life. If you can’t or won’t handle or manage money responsibly, you pay for it, literally. We get it. But of all the charges and fees of all the debit cards I’ve looked at so far, I have to say, this one COULD be the best, and let me EMPHASIZE

COULD BE.

Because the ApprovedCard.com web site is so buggy I had to request my password and user name several times. Each time I tried to use the names they were rejected. Finally the site locked my attempts  to protect my account security. Fine. Then I called the toll free number to get help with that and was told that it would cost me $2 to speak with a live person. $2??!!

Really? It costs me $2 to talk to someone in customer service
about YOUR product, a product that DOESN’T WORK?

While Suze does a better job than most debit card companies of hiding her $2 charges among some very well-written marketing material I confess, I did not see this $2 for customer service calls fee anywhere before signing up. I’m still looking though.

I want to remind you all that Suze and Oprah BOTH believe that people who don’t pay their bills on time, have money problems and are irresponsible with money are losers and crack heads and bad, evil people. That said, Suze doesn’t mind getting a piece of your financial action because, as we all know rich people think it’s okay to rape poor people just like guys think it’s okay to rape women who have an active sexual life. I’m not the only one who finds her self-righteousness about money annoying. Yes. People make poor decisions, or life hits them hard. That doesn’t make them bad people, just people with poor money skills.

Just for the record? NetSpend, Green Dot and almost every other debit card I’ve reviewed charges NOTHING to talk to a live person. Talk is FREE. They may charge .50 CENTS to get your balance via the phone. NO ONE ELSE charges you to talk to customer service.

Things I LIKE about The Approved Card:

Marketing: Suze didn’t skimp on any money when it came to designing the ads, the site and doing the copywriting! Wow. Lots of purple and orange — happy vibrant colors that appeal to low income people and teenagers (not my opinion, studies show that). Orange also stimulates our appetites and urges us to “Take action NOW!!” which is why so many fast food places are decorated in orange and yellow…think McDonalds, Burger King…. Lots of pictures of Suze smiling and looking rich and happy and wearing a blue shirt — the color blue evokes TRUST, so good move there.

The website is amazing!!! I felt like Dorothy met Alice and the Cheshire cat doped their lemonaide and took them on a hallucinogenic spin on the Internet! Wow! It was like candy! I was salivating at the colors! EXCELLENT!! Kudos to baiting the hook so beautifully! You sucked me in in a heart beat!

The body language, arms across her chest and her head turned to one side or the other says “No,” when the message says “Yes,” and the arms and palm position screams defensiveness…either that or she’s hiding her chest….Fake smile. There’s no crow’s feet wrinkles at the eyes…so, not crazy about that.

Emergency Fund Accounts: You can actually do more than move money around online. Suze was savvy enough to set up the card so you have up to 4 or 5 funds, or savings accounts with your card. This allows you to create an emergency fund, save for a car, set aside your rent or whatever you want to do with it. The money is not touched or transferred unless you go in and do that. It’s a great way to keep your money safe, and to not spend it without making some effort to do so. LOVE that feature. I can’t tell if you’re charged for those funds — like a maintenance fee etc — because I can’t get into the buggy site and I refuse to pay $2 to talk to a customer service rep to get them to unlock the account. That’s insanity on a stick. What was she thinking???!!!

Credit Bureau Reporting: This one is both a pro and a con. It’s a pro because ultimately it COULD give you a way to fix your credit by having the debit card report when you pay certain bills on time. Right now the card doesn’t do this, although you can opt in to an anonymous program (beta testing I’m guessing) until they do offer that. There is NO incentive (like they waive your monthly fees) to participate in this program, so I advise you NOT to. There’s just not enough information and there’s no benefit to you the user. If Suze is going to charge you $2 to talk to a customer service rep, why would you want her to benefit from your data if she’s not willing to pay you or give YOU some financial love in return eh? Just saying. If the site is buggy now, there’s no telling how buggy the reporting process is. Use caution.

Consumer Services: There are actually some tools, calculators and other stuff on the site, in your account, that COULD (if you can log in) help you learn to manage your money better. I’m wondering why Dave Ramsey isn’t all over this concept and doing his own debit card. Dave, charge a flat yearly fee for the card and link it to your Financial Peace University and all your other tools, tips and tricks. Awesome dude! It would SO rock!! I’d tell you MORE about all the cool features on Suze’s site, BUT I CAN’T log in and I refuse to pay $2 to talk to someone whose product I own is broken.

Things I HATE about The Approved Card:

Start Shopping NOW!: WTF?! You want people to save money and then you have a direct link to places they can SHOP AND SPEND??! ARE YOU NUTS?!!? Of course there’s the thoughtful, “Look, but don’t buy if you can’t afford it, promise me you’ll be good girls and boys,” but damn! You KNOW that you are tempting people and that is just evil. I’m sorry, but Bloomingdales, Lancombe ($75 makeup), and all the priciest places on the Internet? That’s not “discount” shopping! That’s like waving a lifetime of free liquor offer in front of alcoholics and saying, “Now don’t drink if you can’t handle it.”

$2 Fee for Talking to Customer Service: Well, if you’ve read this far you already know the number one thing I hate! I hate that damn $2 customer service fee. If the fee is because you’re checking your balance, then SAY SO! Don’t just tell people it’s $2 to talk to a live representative.

$2 Fee if You Don’t Enroll in Direct Deposit: Suze, girlfriend, not every company HAS direct deposit. Many of us are freelancers, business owners, new business owners etc. and we have customers and clients that work with us once or twice and pay cash, or by check, or Paypal or some other way. Maybe if you were nice to the folks over at Paypal they’d do something for you, but probably not. Paypal has their own debit card thing happening and it ROCKS. Love Paypal!

Not a Beginner Money Card: I say this because if you’re new to the world of debit cards and you can’t or don’t manage your money well, you are SCREWED. There’s a fee and a charge around every bend to take advantage of you if you’re illiterate, don’t read all the fine print and don’t understand how to use their rules to save YOUR money. A $2 fee here, a $2 fee there, maintenance fees, ATM fees, fees for not signing up for direct deposit, a  monthly fee, A $2 FEE FOR CALLING FREAKING CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! and pretty soon you’re spending $30 of the $50 you deposited in your account, just to pay the fees. DO NOT GET THIS CARD unless you read ALL the fine print. All debit cards have fees and charges, but the wording and copy writing on this makes it more confusing than most.

If you want to get a Debit card you can reload and not have to venture into the part of town where all the Pawn Shops and liquor stores and drug-dealers hang out, the best card out there is a Walmart Money card. It’s the cheapest to reload ($3 at any Walmart). So, you save gas — no extra trips to a bank, or Western Union or someplace JUST to put money on your card. You already shop at Walmart — or sleep in the parking lot if you’re homeless, so it’s a no-brainer.

You also don’t have to drive to a neighboring town to find that special store to load your card since many debit cards don’t offer easy loading. You don’t have to drive all over town looking for a CVS (Greendot and Netspend) to reload your card only to find out the clerk has NO idea what you’re talking about, or tries to sell you another card rather than load your current card (been there, done that) and then charges you $5 to put $20 on your card.

If you cash your paycheck at Walmart you can add the money to your card for FREE! Yeah. If you get paid weekly, then that’s $12 to  $20 you SAVE by not having to pay to load money on your card. You can also get Direct Deposit on your Walmart card.

Click here for a free, no register download.

CopywritingTips_Homeless

Since the overriding common characteristics of both second and third world countries is poverty and economic dependence on capitalism or more advanced and wealthy countries, most people equate poverty and limited or non-existent resources with the third world.

Now, consider Orange County California—by all census and other standards, the richest county in the United States. Yet, there is an invisible third world village there, dependent on the population surrounding them—a population who doesn’t know they exist. There are similar villages across the USA. Three of their children die on the streets EVERY DAY.

Who are they? They are homeless youth. Most have been kicked out of their homes by abusive parents, or they’ve run away because of sexual and physical abuse. Many have parents or a parent who was sent to jail, leaving them alone to fend for themselves. For whatever reason, many have taken to the streets. Some fall prey to prostitution or drugs to survive. Others continue to attend school, holding out hope they’ll be able to survive, get a job and do better once they graduate.

All of them need food, housing, medical care, mentoring, tutoring and help. Stand Up For Kids provides that help, all for $25 a month. That’s less than a dollar a day.

Many of us complain that we’re helping third world countries outside the USA, so here’s your chance to do something for a third world village inside the USA—homeless teenagers. Here’s your chance to help. Make a $25 a month, tax-deductible contribution to Stand Up For Kids by clicking HERE.

People ask me all the time if they should give money to homeless people on the street. I tell them to trust their gut, give only when they want to and they’re comfortable with the idea. I’m telling you that now too. Almost all of the staff at Stand Up For Kids are volunteers. I believe in what they’re doing. I trust them and what they’re doing. I’m asking you to support them, whether it’s $5 or $25 or more. Help get a kid off the streets.

Okay, I’m excited. It’s not the first book I’ve been mentioned in. It’s probably the 20th or so, but it matters most to me because it’s going to students who will be discussing the issue of homelessness. And that means the essay is sparking conversation and debate. And I like that.

The other reason I’m so pleased is that my friend Ed Brenegar is my essay and he’ll get some traffic from the exposure too. Ed was my competition in the Johnny Bunko contest that got me to Oxford. We’ve become good friends and the friendship has changed lives….I love it! Anyway, just wanted to share the good news and thanks again to all of you for your ongoing support!

so WELCOME to MINE!

I get two reactions when people see this ebook, (1) How funny! or (2) Isn’t that demeaning? To the first response I say, “Yeah, awesome humor isn’t it!?!” and to the second I ask, “Why?”  The homeless, like any business or charity, must earn or raise money to survive. Those are the cold hard facts. Like any business or charity they must draw attention to themselves, their product, service or their cause. If you’re a marketer, advertiser, author, or just someone who pays attention to headlines, then this ebook will give you more tips and real life examples than you’ve probably seen all year. Learn and enjoy.

Download your free copy of Copywriting Tips From the Homeless by clicking on the link. Please feel free to share it!

I’m not selling anything, but I am pushing people to look at homelessness differently. If you like the book, then check out  my TED Global Talk at Oxford.

If you want to know more, email me or visit my business site: http://rsbpublishingonline.com.

If you’d like to read more, sign up for my newsletter on the home page! Thanks much!

If I hear it one more time I may get sick. A friend of mine sent me an email about an ABC reporter looking for someone to interview about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome today. So I emailed her and she called and we ended up talking for awhile about the thing I’m almost more passionate about than homelessness – Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia.

I have them both and have had since I was 36, although it took much longer to get the diagnosis. Doctors told me I had everything from Multiple Sclerosis (I did/do not), Lyme’s Disease (I did, but not until 10 years after the onset of symptoms and definitely related to a tick bite that left the classic bull’s eye on my back).  No one knew what it was, so failing a diagnosis, they opted for the stand by of most doctors – “It’s all in your head. You’re stressed. You’re crazy. You’re lazy. You’re depressed.”

No. I’m a journalist, a writer, an investigator. And so I dug. I questioned. I kept going to doctors and eventually a Nurse Practitioner was able to test the sore knots on my body and pronounce that I might have Fibromyalgia. Her supervising physician came in, agreed and I finally had a diagnosis. That took a tremendous weight off my shoulders since (1) I’d never heard of it before and now I had a name for what I was experiencing. That meant that other people had it too. So I was not alone. And (2), it meant I had a starting place, an anchor, a place to begin looking from. So I did.

It took awhile, but I found out that a lot of doctors believe CFS and Fibro are related to a virus. The official medical community disagrees, mostly because it’s not in their financial best interest to do so. After all, the push to sell pills and cures means more to doctors than finding answers.

Like I told the reporter, doctors want a blood test, or some proof in a repeatable diagnosis so that they can show insurance companies that treatment is (1) justified and (2) they won’t have to spend so much time with patients. They can pop in, charge $300 for 3-minutes, pop out, order a $99 blood test and then prescribe a round of expensive pills. That’s what modern medicine is all about these days.

Apparently someone came down hard on the folks who found that CFS was probably related to a virus. Because a new report came out claiming the study was bogus. Not surprised. I think it’s interesting that the blood banks still won’t let people with CFS and Fibro donate blood tho. If it is in the blood, then it can be transmitted. Which means, it’s a virus. Virus’ are too small to be seen with the equipment we have today. They replicate inside of cells and the little bastards are hard to find, harder to categorize and harder to test for. So, since science only believes in what it can see, prove and replicate, a CFS virus doesn’t exist – yet.

If doctors did what doctors used to do, which is take our histories, get to know us, and evaluate us based on a holistic view of who we were, onset, symptoms and history and treated us based on their diagnosis rather than on the results of some overworked, underpaid, undereducated lab tech somewhere, we’d be a lot better off. But that’s not economically rewarding. If doctors can move 20 patients through their office in an hour, order a test and prescribe expensive pills then the doctor, the office, the pharmaceutical company and everyone in the supply chain wins (eg makes buttloads of money). The patient, that would be me and you, loses.

So until money is no longer a factor in discovering a cure for Fibromyalgia and CFS, we’re left with a handful of doctors who do care and who do it the old fashioned way. Doctors like Jacob Teitelbaum. He’s not only a medical doctor, no quack. He had CFS and Fibro himself when he was in med school. He dropped out for a year to heal, became homeless, then went back to school and finished his degree. Now he only treats CFS and Fibro patients. And, he has trained other doctors in clinics around the country that are helping thousands of people just like me. He knows that we don’t have money to get the treatment we need because we can’t work full or even part-time in some cases. So he goes out of his way to make things affordable, and even has protocols and advice on his website (free) that people can try to see what helps.

It’s a start. In the meantime, I continue to work as I can and hope for a cure.

I stood in the doorway breathing in the cool mist and the smell and suddenly missing the hundreds of weekends I spent camping in the rain in my life. Huddled in a tent or under a tarp with a campfire hissing and blazing only yards away, the smokey fragrance blowing in and around me, I’d curl up in a sleeping bag with a good book, or sleep (as I did most of today). Those were the best of times for sure.

Even when I was living in the van and homeless, rainy days were awesome. Even though the van leaked and I had to place plastic bags to divert the flow away from the bed and the driver’s seat, the sheer bliss of knowing I had a bed, a warm sleeping bag, a cooler with all the fixings for baloney sandwiches and bottled water, and a safe haven in the van was amazing. My animals would curl up on the bed with me while I read and listened to the sound of rain on the metal roof. Being rich is having those memories and good times. And by good times I mean being safe, warm, dry and often even fed. In today’s world, and the coming world, that is such a gift.

I hope you have a fireplace and a fire going now. Failing that, I hope you have a bed, a warm blanket or sleeping bag, and the ability to sleep through a driving rain in comfort, warmth, dryness and safety.

In Anytown, USA or Anytown, The World, there’s a widget factory that employs 100 people. There’s production, shipping, administrative, sales, all the departments any factory would have. Things are going along as always until one day one of the administrative people gets sick. She’s the girl who orders all the supplies for the supervisors. It’s no big deal because she keeps things well-stocked and no one misses her.

The folks on the production floor hear about her illness and shrug.

“Doesn’t affect me,” they say, going on about their business.

The folks in sales hear about her illness and shrug.

“Doesn’t affect me,” they say, going on about their business.

The folks in shipping and receiving hear about her illness and shrug.

“Doesn’t affect me,” they say, going on about their business.

Then one day the forms for one division run out. The supervisor is angry. This has never happened before. He remembers he heard that the woman who orders the forms was sick and that no one else knows how many forms to order. So he photocopies the last form he has and requests that someone order more. He realizes he needs a carbon copy to turn in to sales and to other departments and realizes his workload just got a little bit bigger. He now has to photocopy each completed form and then put it in the workflow. He usually does this as each form is filled out, but going to the copier every hour takes too much time. So he does it at the end of the day, delaying the ordering process by a day.

It causes other departments to slow down as it disrupts their process, but people adjust. The change is so incremental they don’t realize their production is off too. Things begin to clog up all over the factory. But no one does anything because “someone” will take care of it or “IT” will sort itself out. They still don’t realize where the problem is.

One day there are the usual problems with a machine and production grinds to a halt so the supervisor gives the photocopying job to a worker who is idle because of the shutdown so he can deal with the machinery. The worker knows how to run a copy machine, but doesn’t understand the importance of the job. Halfway through the photocopying job the machine starts running and the worker is called back to the production line. He places the half-finished job on the supervisor’s desk and doesn’t have time to leave him a note that the job is not finished.

The supervisor comes back, sees the stack on his desk, leafs through the copies and assumes the job is finished. So he puts the paperwork in the mail to the different departments. Half of the departments don’t get their copies so they don’t start the appropriate steps they need to take to reorder parts, supplies, boxes and whatever is needed so they can do their job. What they do is write up a report that sales are down. The CEO goes to sales and asks what the problem is. Sales hears this and shows her their records–which show that sales are the highest they’ve ever been.

Sales are high, but without the proper supplies to produce the widgets haven’t been ordered, so production slows. Because production slows widget buyers get impatient, cancel their orders or find other suppliers and sales drop. The huge order of supplies comes in so now the company can meet the demand, but the demand is false. And so it goes, all because one critical, but seemingly insignificant person became ill.

The impact of one employee, one person is far reaching. So when someone gave me the gift of the remark, “Why should I get all upset about child sexual abuse, or rape, or all these things you’re talking about if they don’t affect me?”  Thus the story. The truth is, those things do affect you, just not in a way you can see it. From the Child Welfare Government site:

Direct costs. Direct costs include those associated with maintaining a child welfare system to investigate and respond to allegations of child abuse and neglect, as well as expenditures by the judicial, law enforcement, health, and mental health systems. A 2001 report by Prevent Child Abuse America estimated these costs at $24 billion per year. More recent reports place it at $61 Billion a year.

Indirect costs. Indirect costs represent the long-term economic consequences of child abuse and neglect. These include costs associated with juvenile and adult criminal activity, mental illness, substance abuse, and domestic violence. They can also include loss of productivity due to unemployment and underemployment, the cost of special education services, and increased use of the health care system. Prevent Child Abuse America estimated these costs at more than $69 billion per year (2001)

Behavioral Consequences

Not all victims of child abuse and neglect will experience behavioral consequences. However, behavioral problems appear to be more likely among this group, even at a young age. An NSCAW survey of children ages 3 to 5 in foster care found these children displayed clinical or borderline levels of behavioral problems at a rate of more than twice that of the general population (ACF, 2004b). Later in life, child abuse and neglect appear to make the following more likely:

Difficulties during adolescence. Studies have found abused and neglected children to be at least 25 percent more likely to experience problems such as delinquency, teen pregnancy, low academic achievement, drug use, and mental health problems (Kelley, Thornberry, & Smith, 1997). Other studies suggest that abused or neglected children are more likely to engage in sexual risk-taking as they reach adolescence, thereby increasing their chances of contracting a sexually transmitted disease (Johnson, Rew, & Sternglanz, 2006).

Juvenile delinquency and adult criminality. According to a National Institute of Justice study, abused and neglected children were 11 times more likely to be arrested for criminal behavior as a juvenile, 2.7 times more likely to be arrested for violent and criminal behavior as an adult, and 3.1 times more likely to be arrested for one of many forms of violent crime (juvenile or adult) (English, Widom, & Brandford, 2004).

Alcohol and other drug abuse. Research consistently reflects an increased likelihood that abused and neglected children will smoke cigarettes, abuse alcohol, or take illicit drugs during their lifetime (Dube et al., 2001). According to a report from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, as many as two-thirds of people in drug treatment programs reported being abused as children (Swan, 1998).

Abusive behavior. Abusive parents often have experienced abuse during their own childhoods. It is estimated approximately one-third of abused and neglected children will eventually victimize their own children (Prevent Child Abuse New York, 2003).

There are dozens and dozens of additional examples of how you are affected by child sexual abuse. It’s not just your taxes though. It’s your life and your property since reenactment of childhood victimization is the major cause of violence in our society.

• Numerous-studies have documented that most violent criminals were physically or sexually abused as children. (Groth, 1979; Seghorn et al, 1987)
• Over 95% of perpetrators who sexually abuse female children and over 80% of those who abuse male children, are men. Most of these men were abused themselves in childhood. (Fergusson & Mullen, 1999)
• Children from violent homes are 24 times more likely to commit sexual assault than their counterparts from non-violent homes. (Dinzinger, 1996)
  Of 14 juveniles condemned to death for murder in the US in 1987, 12 had been brutally physically abused and five had been sodomized by relatives as children. (Lewis et al, 1998)
• A study of convicted killers reports 83.8% suffered severe physical and emotional abuse and 32.2% were sexually violated as children. (Blake, 1995)

• The mental health system is filled with survivors of prolonged, repeated childhood trauma.
  50 to 70% of all women and a substantial number of men treated in psychiatric settings have histories of sexual or physical abuse, or both. (Carmen et al, 1984; Bryer et al., 1987; Craine et al., 1988)
• As high as 81% of men and women in psychiatric hospitals with a variety of major mental illness diagnoses, have experienced physical and/or sexual abuse. 67% of these men and women were abused as children. (Jacobson & Richardson, 1987)
• 74% of Maine’s Augusta Mental Health Institute patients, interviewed as class members, report histories of sexual and physical abuse. (Maine BDS, 1998)
• The majority of adults diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (81%) or Dissociative Identity Disorder (90%) were sexually and/or physically abused as children. (Herman et al, 1989; Ross et al, 1990)
• Women molested as children are four times more at risk for Major Depression as those with no such history. They are significantly more likely to develop bulimia and chronic PTSD. (Stein et al, 1988; Root & Fallon, 1988; Sloane, 1986; Craine, 1990)
• 97% of mentally ill homeless women have experienced severe physical and/or sexual abuse. 87% experienced this abuse both as children and as adults. (Goodman, Johnson, Dutton & Harris. (1997)
• 85% of boys and girls committed to the Maine Youth Center report a history of childhood trauma. (MAYSI: Massachusetts Assessment Youth Screening Inventory Assessment. Sept. 1999)
• Over 75% of juvenile girls identified as delinquent by court have been sexually abused. When they run away from the abuse at home, they are often labeled as delinquent. (Calhoun et al 1993)
• 80% of women in prison and jails have been victims of sexual and physical abuse. These women are far more likely to be abused while in prison. (Smith, 1998)
• Without help, one-third of those abused in childhood may abuse or neglect their own children, perpetuating an intergenerational cycle of abuse. (Kaufman, 1987)

I often wonder who and what I could have become had I not been so severely abused. What could I have given to society as a doctor, researcher or educator – all things I wanted to be at one time? I’m healing, but I look around at the quality of my life over the years and grieve at what could have been. You think you’re not affected? You are. You are affected by the loss of all the potential of those folks you encounter. Customer service sucks? Statistically you’re being impacted because at least one-quarter of those people you deal with don’t have the requisite skills they need to do their job because of their background of abuse. As more and more people with abuse issues enter an increasingly high-tech society with higher demands for creative and social skills more people are going to be out of work or become a greater burden on society that is already struggling with a lack of resources.

Many workers don’t even deal or experience the worst of their emotional and psychological issues until their mid 20’s or early 30’s their most productive work years. Add divorce, a bad economy and the usual life stress issues to the mix and if you aren’t a victim of abuse you may be married to one, dating one, divorced from one or employing one. Every facet of your life is affected, from people who don’t understand boundaries, to people who violate yours in small to large ways every day. Your children are engaging with children in school who are being victimized right now. That kid with the drug problem urging your child to try smoking pot or popping pills? Good chance he/she is being molested or abused by someone.

Managers aren’t dealing with the root of the problem. They’re saying, “Get over it, don’t think about it, forget it,” or are asking employees to self-medicate or not take care of themselves in order to deliver work at a level many can’t do because of the abuse.

The educational system thinks the issue is drug and alcohol use and control.

Your neighbors think it’s a moral, religious, personal issue they shouldn’t get involved in. And so it goes on, the illness that affects one person affects us all, whether we realize life is a widget factory or not.

Still think you’re not impacted?

Seth Godin blogged about selling the benefits of charity today. He said he’s fascinated by people who don’t see the benefits of giving.

He wrote and I totally agree:

I think marketers of causes that do good have a long way to go in selling the public on the core reason to give… don’t give because you get a tote bag, or a prize at the charity auction or even a plaque. The scalable unique selling proposition is that being part of the community is worth more than it costs.

A couple of people wrote to ask me, “What did he mean by that?” Hence this post:

That people who can most afford to give are the least likely people TO give because they don’t *need* the kind of connection to community that most charities are selling. They don’t benefit, or don’t think they really benefit from giving to the causes they’re approached by every day.

The people who give are those who recognize the value of their tribe or community and have a need for it. They tend to be conservatives. Those who give–the middle-class, the working class, the poor, the disenfranchised and those who really don’t have a lot to give, are the ones that also give the most! John Stossel did a great piece on this!

According to Stossel’s report and his interview with Syracuse University professor Arthur Brooks, “When you look at the data it turns out the conservatives give about 30 percent more. And incidentally, conservative-headed families make slightly less money.” Interesting that these are the same people whose *family values* center around community. 

Stossel points out that Brooks goes on to say:

• Conservatives are even 18 percent more likely to donate blood.
• The second myth is that people with the most money are the most generous. But while the rich give more in total dollars, low-income people give almost 30 percent more as a share of their income.
• Says Brooks: “The most charitable people in America today are the working poor.”

Why? It’s a God thing:

Brooks says one thing stands out as the biggest predictor of whether someone will be charitable: “their religious participation.” Religious people are more likely to give to charity, and when they give, they give more money — four times as much.

But doesn’t that giving just stay within the religion?

“No,” says Brooks, “Religious Americans are more likely to give to every kind of cause and charity, including explicitly nonreligious charities. Religious people give more blood; religious people give more to homeless people on the street.”

Wow.

I could go on and on. There are dozens of reasons people give, or don’t give to charity, but the two most compelling reasons anyone opens up their checkbook and writes the big one are because of exactly the reason Seth and John noted (COMMUNITY). But, they also do so out of a faith in something greater than themselves.

I donate to my local fire and rescue department and attend every all-you-can-eat event they hold. When I lived out west I bid on the 4-H livestock local kids were selling – usually at 4 to 6 times the market price of the meat like everyone else. I call my local Christian thrift store when I have clothing and books and old furniture to give away. I tithe. Why? Because community and my faith are important to me. I know when I support them, they support me.  It’s a mutually beneficial relationship.

Most marketers rely on the pity factors, not the community factor:

• We’re so poor.
• We can’t afford it.
• We need your help.
• Without you it’s not possible.
• Look at the face of these children or this animal – how sad

Do they work? On some people. But not on most – which is why charitable donations have hit an all time historic low. But look closer at the statistics. The people who are still GIVING the MOST are the ones LEAST likely to be able to afford to give! WHY?

Because THEY understand the benefits of community and they believe in something greater than themselves. Can I say this too many times?

Penelope Trunk pointed this out in an awesome blog post about her son selling his pig at a recent 4-H auction. I read it because after writing about these 4-H sales for years, and bidding on animals myself, I wanted to hear a parent’s perspective. She writes:

“San Diego County has 3 million people and it raises $400,000 at their 4H auction at the county fair. Lafayette County raises $100,000 from a population of 15,000.”

What’s the key word here? COMMUNITY.

In a related post Seth says:

The goal of a non-profit seeking money needs to be to create an environment in which the community congratulates itself on overpaying.

It doesn’t matter if your community is rural farmers who struggle to put food on their own tables, or billionaires whose incomes rival that of a third world country and couldn’t spend all their millions if they had to to save their own lives. Until you understand their COMMUNITY (Tribe) is, and what matters to it, you won’t ever raise the money you want or need.

For instance, the TED community values ideas and conversations about ideas. I was told the average TED Global attendee pays from $7,500 to $15,000 for the WEEK LONG attendance at TED. For what? For blue sky and the intellectual experience of a lifetime essentially. If I had the money I’d spend it every year the value is that incredible and I’m a member of the idea community. When I was there I met people who sold their homes, cars and gave up jobs to attend. I know of three people who told me they would return home and be homeless, but that it was worth selling everything to attend TED. I agree. It was that amazing. Those are the people who see and value what ideas can do for community.

So, the value in the TED community is in the ideas, but it’s also in networking with others who value and see the value in ideas as strongly as you do. Some members of the TED COMMUNITY will give because they see that value. Do you belong to a community that’s so critical to you that you’d sell everything and even become homeless to promote and support it? There are many people who do. Find them.

If you’re trying to market a charity and convince people to give to your cause don’t waste time or resources on those who aren’t part of a community, or related to that community. They’re not buying and they’re not going to buy.

Identify who the communities are and how much your cause matters to them and why. Realize too there can be more than one community around the same issue/need/charity. Mark Horvath spends his time talking to the homeless and raising awareness among the general public about how hard, desperate and demoralizing homelessness is. He touches a lot of people with his methods and his message.  He’s raised money, gotten housing for people and touched thousands of lives. He knows his community.

My community and my message about homelessness is different from Marks – not better or worse, but different. My message is, “It happens to journalists, bankers, lawyers, doctors, engineers and even millionaires. It can happen to you. It happened to me. When it happens to you, or someone you know, or to a family member this is why it will suck for you, and this is why it sucks for others. This is not a moral issue. It’s a financial one.”

My message doesn’t resonate with most of Mark’s community and his message doesn’t touch very many of mine. That’s not good or bad. It just is – chocolate or vanilla. It’s just different. The reason that most of the people I’ve heard from resonate with my TED talk is not because they felt sorry for me, but because they’re in my community. They get it that we’re all a paycheck, a job loss, a serious illness away from homelessness and that it could happen to them. We’re a community of struggling boomers, creatives, writers, teenagers and professionals.

When they ask me what they can do I tell them to get involved locally, through their church, meals on wheels, or simply by donating an extra $1 to $10 a month on their utility bills. (Studies show that when families can’t pay their utility bills they’re more likely to become homeless soon afterwards. It cost more to rehouse someone than to keep them in the home/apartment where they already are. Your $10 a month is better spent helping pay someone’s utility bill than in buying someone a meal. Even better if you can do both, but given the choice between keeping a family of four in their home, or feeding a single homeless person understand you’re keeping four people off the street and out of that situation.

Mark’s community is the homeless man/woman on the street. Mine are often more likely to be those people struggling to stay off the street. Both are legitimate charities. There is no one is better than the other. One may feel more urgent, and which community you gravitate towards is up to you and depends on what matters to you. Don’t try to sell those who don’t feel the same on the urgency though – not unless you can identify the community they belong to that is affected.)

Anyway, my point being is that if you’re with a charity and you’re going after funds, you won’t succeed until you identify the community that cares. Do that and the hard work is half over.

No more rambling. I just felt compelled to point out that ALL giving, ALL charity is ALWAYS ALL ABOUT COMMUNITY. Understand that and you understand how to market to them.

His name is Kelly Thomas and he is the face of violence visited upon the homeless by the police, and of the homeless by the homeless.

I have seen worse, but not many. Scenes like this are why people live in fear of becoming homeless and living on the street. It is why those who live in boxes, or under viaducts, or who sleep under bushes or a plastic tarp fear the night. This is the sort of beating that can come under cover of darkness. It is the kind of beating a gang, the police, vigilante groups, homeowners who don’t like homeless people in their neighborhood and anyone with more physical strength, or numbers can inflict upon the homeless, the mentally ill or anyone who is “different,” or gay, or another race or religion.

Violence, real beatings, don’t look like Hollywood and the victims don’t walk away. Kelly Thomas, who was schizophrenic and accused of breaking into cars at the time the police were called, did the one thing no one should ever do when confronted by an officer – he resisted. Police will beat you for the hell of it if you don’t resist, if you’re polite, if you do all the right stuff. That’s what cops do. I know. I was one and I watched them do it. They’re stressed, tense, paranoid, manic, fearful and wired up so when they get a chance to let off steam and “bite” someone – they will. And if the someone resists – then God save them. That’s all the excuse the police need to tase, beat, break and kill.

Six police officers, five patrol cars and numerous tasings put Thomas into a coma before he died. His crime was looking for things to steal so he could eat. Witnesses at the scene reported officers saying repeatedly, “Quit resisting, quit resisting,” even though he was lying still and not resisting. Why did they say that? Because they’re covering their ass. They know there will be complaints and that people will question them so they build in their defense – which can be heard on tape. If they surround the person no one can video the fact the person is NOT resisting. It’s all a legal game. You don’t have to beat a man this badly to subdue him. If you have to hit a person, then you flunked the class in arrest techniques.

The whole point of having six officers is so the person is NOT hurt. It’s not an excuse to pile on. I see the YouTube videos and hear the stories about police abuse every day. It’s real. It’s real in small towns as well as large. It happens with state patrol, sheriff’s deputies and police officers. It’s sad that the men and women who swear to “protect and serve” prefer to maim, kill, rape, murder. The entire time I was homeless the one thing I feared above all else was not the streets as much as it was pissing off the wrong cop. Now you know why. I know what they can do.

Now you do too.

In my TED talk three years ago I talked about “Hope,” and was thrilled today to discover that there is yet another company working to keep hope alive. Jedidiah is a humanitarian-based clothing company that wants to cultivate change, one garment at a time. Their mission is to use clothing sales as a way to provide care, support and financial resources to those in need.

Their clothing line is cool, hip, young and so are the people they’re helping. Jedidiah recently teamed up with one of my favorite organizations – Stand Up For Kids. Stand Up For Kids, for those of you who don’t know, works with homeless kids across the country, providing food, shelter, supplies, transportation and education so they can stay in school, get back in school, find housing, find work, and stay alive. They literally go out into the streets, under the bridge overpasses, into abandoned buildings, culverts and wherever these kids are – to bring them help. It’s the most fantastic organization I know of. I wish I could do more, and when I am able to, I will. Anyway – I’m not the only who feels that way. Jedidiah does too.

Each season, Jedidiah partners with a distinctive and effective non-profit organization to raise money and awareness for life-changing causes. Every Jedidiah piece is creatively inspired and tied to a cause, all benefiting their non-profit organization. In the Fall of 2010 Jedidiah visited the LA, Miami, and New York StandUp For Kids chapters to see for themselves and to document the realities that homeless youth face. The visuals, thoughts, emotions and sentiments they experienced on their trip served as the inspiration behind their Fall/Holiday 2011 lines of clothing and designs. They’re giving back from their experience and you can help.

Proceeds from the Jedidiah Fall/Holiday 2011 clothing lines will be used to help fund a brand new Stand Up For Kids homeless center in New York City.

Thirteen kids A DAY, EVERY DAY die on the streets of America. Organizations like Stand Up and Jedidiah are making a difference. You can help. Buy a shirt and buy some hope. You’ve gotta wear clothes anyway. Why not make a difference with your next shirt, or bag, or pants. Check them out. Your choices are support the sweat shops and shop at Walmart and big box retail, or buy hope and shop Jedidiah.

KEEP HOPE ALIVE. Buy a shirt and tell them you love what they’re doing. Somewhere, somehow, it will make a difference in someone’s life. Don’t believe me? Watch the video.

Marcos Gaser, a friend of mine from Seth Godin’s Triiibes.com, is a very successful Herbalife Distributor. Today I received a package from him containing Herbalife supplements, shake mix and all I need to get my energy back. He read/heard about my struggle with weight and energy due to my Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (fibro, CFS) and wanted to help! Thank you Marcos!! Marcos is not just another supplement salesman. He actually has a degree in food engineering, so I trust his endorsement.

If you’re not sure what Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are and you’re a Type A personality (as I was), or under a lot of personal, business or health stress, you need to educate yourself because YOU are at high risk of getting it. The body essentially has an “off” switch – a sort of circuit breaker that kicks in when we GO GO GO GO GO personalities GO GO GO too much AND happen to have something like a viral infection or physical or sports related trauma (my trauma was running a half-marathon). The problem is, turning the circuit breaker back on (so we can get back to burning the candle at both ends) is hard – damn hard.

Dr. Jacob Teitlebaum, M.D. has THE BEST damn book EVER on how to do it, From Fatigued to Fantastic but it takes 6 months to a year to recover even when you finally find a doctor and get the treatments.

Teitlebaum is MY hero because HE developed fibro and CFS in med school, then dropped out, became homeless for a year or so while he healed, then returned to finish med-school and go on to work exclusively with fibro and CFS patients. Since there’s no way I can afford the treatment right now, I have to boot-strap the program Teitlebuam outlines for fibro/CFS sufferers. He understands that most fibro/CFS folks can’t afford treatment because they can’t work and rarely have insurance.

He’s BEEN THERE and is giving back by providing a detailed plan in his book and on his website: http://www.endfatigue.com/resources/index.html.  About the only thing I can’t get are the prescription hormones and the careful attention to my health only a trained CFS doctor can give, but I can do a lot of the other stuff – including the supplements.

Anyway, I’ve committed to a 60-day trial to see how I feel with the Herbalife multivitamin, cell activator and herbal tea concentrate along with the meal replacement shake (which I love because that’s one less thing I have to cook!). I’ve plateaued for three weeks now at 225 lbs. (I weigh 258 in my TED Global 2009 video). So, I’m taking “before” photos today (June 17, 2011) and in 60 days will take my “after” photos and post them here as well. YOU be the judge. Did it do what he promised? If it does, expect me to become a major endorser of Herbalife! If not? Well, I’ll let die a quiet, unheralded death. Marcos is convinced of the effectiveness of the product so I’m very hopeful as well. Stay tuned!

The “Stay Hungry” ebook is finally here! Only $5 for 44-pages of photos and story you can’t get in the magazine articles or blog posts – including photos of my father at the last family reunion, seven months before he passed away; photos of the inside of the van after 2009 remodeling.

The past two years have been a tremendous time for personal growth for me – not always reflected in this blog, but often touched on in many of my posts. There have been more and more opportunities to tell my story and recently I’ve had articles on Salon.com, MyDaily.com and today on AOL.com. I’m excited for lots of reasons – because the stories drive people to the TED Global 2009 video, but more importantly, because reading the stories and watching the video sparks a conversation about what it means to be homeless and who it can happen to. The fact is, it can happen to anyone – even millionaires. If you don’t believe that ask any of the victims of the Bernard Madoff Ponzi Scheme. Overnight millionaires became penniless and even homeless.

I’ve been writing about my homeless story so much I’ve also taken time to put together a short version of the longer book, “Staying Hungry,” that I’m working on. It’s update, photos and information I haven’t written or blogged about before – so you won’t get it anywhere else on the web. I thought about giving it away, but by selling it I’m hoping I can sell enough copies to allow me more time to work on the full-length book and on the six non-profits I help support when I can. I also just started a new venture with a friend – a life-coach. We’re talking about Boundaries and other life skills to help folks as well. The free 15-minute podcasts are at: http://morethangoodadvice.com. We also offer a longer talk (40 minutes or more) for $1. It all goes to help fund our efforts at helping, supporting our continuing ventures and people like:

Tim Brownson: How to Be Rich and Happy Tim Brownson and his co-author, John Strelecki, have written a powerful book about the steps you need to take to become rich and happy – not in the traditional financial sense (although that’s certainly possible), but to begin by being happy and identifying what matters most to you. They’re giving away ONE  MILLION copies of the paperback book for free. Visit his website for more info.

Happy Tails Rescue – Rottweiler rescue and sanctuary My dog Koko has been my constant companion for the past 11 years. She came to me from my friend Toni Reita, who started and runs Happy Tail Rescue. Toni is the largest sanctuary for Rottweilers on the west coast, and possibly in the country. If you love Rottweilers and want to adopt one, or donate food, cars or cash to help feed and house them, then please visit her site.

Hope House - Shelter for minor (under age 18) girls involved in sex trafficking around the world. Hope House rescues them and gets them mental, emotional and psychological help and helps them develop skills and get the education they need to succeed.

My Orange Duffle Bag – Sam Bracken’s incredible story of survival and triumph as both a homeless and abused teen who went on to play football at Georgia Tech. His book is awesome – a work of art as well as an amazing story. Check it out.

Invisible People TV - Mark Horvath was homeless the same time I was. He travels around the USA videotaping homeless people and their stories, as well as hosting a website called http://wearevisible.com that empowers the homeless by teaching them how to set up free email, a blog and how to use twitter and Facebook to empower themselves and get a voice even though they are essentially in what seems to be a powerless position.

Stand Up For Kids - an almost entirely all-volunteer organization in 18 states. Stand Up For Kids goes out into the streets to help homeless kids and teenagers. They take the kids food and health items, help them get to the doctor and to job interviews and teach them the skills they need to get off the streets, and to graduate from school or GED programs. Amazing organization!!

If you like my story – I think you’ll like the book. $5 now.

Never say never because HOPE ALWAYS FINDS A WAY.
By that I mean never say miracles never happen. Never say “It won’t get better.” Miracles happen and it does get better. And yes, “Hope does find a way.”

Three years before that photo was taken I was living in a van in a Walmart parking lot – one of America’s invisible homeless. See my TED video here.

But I’m skipping ahead. I got to TED through a very circuitous route, one even the best writer couldn’t invent. Truth is stranger than fiction!!

Several years ago, shortly after having gotten OFF of the street (thanks to a well-timed remark by former journalist and Senior Vice President of NBC, Tim Russert) I signed up with elance.com. I began ghost writing ebooks for strangers through that site. I won a bid from a buyer who wanted me to “Write a book like Seth Godin.” I had no idea who Seth Godin was, but I Googled him, went to Barnes & Noble to spend the day reading all the books of his they had. I bought one – something about a Red Fez. And I studied his style and his voice and I wrote the ebook, made a couple hundred bucks and that was that.

I also signed up for Seth’s blog because I liked what he had to say about purple cows and business and being remarkable. Then I noticed he had some sort of contest or internship thing going on so I sent him my application and a letter and was shocked when he personally responded. The deadline had passed, but he didn’t blow me off or send a canned email. We chatted via email a few times, he seemed authentic and so when he invited readers to buy his book Tribes and sign up for a social network by the same name, only with three “i’s” (Triiibes.com) I literally scraped together my last $15 dollars or whatever and bought the book. I came so close to choosing groceries over the book, but something told me to buy the book. It changed my life.

Long story short - I thrived online in Seth’s new social media group http://triiibes.com, and I finally found the creative, passionate and authentic people and voices I’d needed for so long. One of those folks told me about a contest a friend of Seth’s was having and sent me a link to the site. I entered. Seth’s friend, Dan Pink, author of Drive, and The Adventures of Johnny Bunko (the book I wish I had written since I live my life by those six lessons) turned out to pick me as one of three finalists for the contest. The “winner” would have to get the most votes – first prize was a trip to TED Global. I was only vaguely aware of what TED was, but I urged friends to vote for me. It was a very close contest. Then, at the last minute Seth, unasked by me, stepped in and asked his readers to vote for me and I won by a landslide. Amazing. I won an all-expense paid trip to TED Global in Oxford, England courtesy of Dan Pink. Then another opportunity popped up – submit a story idea for a talk for the chance to be selected to SPEAK at TED! I was selected. The stars aligned. My friend Patty Newbold listened to me scream, “I’m speaking at TED!!!” for about 20 minutes and then promptly pushed me to write and rewrite and rewrite my speech until I had it as good as she imagined I was capable of. (I wrote it in my van of course – the one I’d been homeless in for almost 18 months).

THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS LONG POST!!!

The TED talk was very well received, which put me in contact with some amazing people, including Bob Poole, who introduced me recently to Tim Brownson who, along with co-author John Strelecky wrote and are giving away one million paper back books to people who are homeless, unemployed, underemployed, sick, disabled, recovering from illness or surgery or who just plain need a hand up, not a hand out. He thought we might have something in common – like helping people. We did.

By the way, if you are a charity or other organization that works with folks like that – you can get a case (or more!) of the books free – just by paying shipping charges. You can’t sell them – there’s a printed disclaimer on the book they’re not to be sold. But you can change a life by giving them away. $20 pays for a case of 60 books. Or buy a book for yourself for $25 and that $25 goes to pay for the printing of more books.

Serendipity has no end. It keeps building and building. I came home from the gym one evening and found an urgent message from Rabbi Issamar Ginzberg - who lives in Israel, but whom I met through HARO (Thank you Peter Shankman) when I responded to one of his requests for help. The Rabbi had purchased a “I Wear Your Shirt” day through I Wear Your Shirt, and he couldn’t use it. He explains all this through his blog post today – PLEASE click through and read it.

He asked if I knew anyone who could, and of course I thought of TIM!!! So the Rabbi graciously and generously GAVE his day to Tim to promote “How to Be Rich and Famous” – the giveaway to help people. I told Christina Ciani about it, Christina is an amazing writer, single mom and author of her most recent book “F-Bombs for Single Moms” (It’s not what you think, so check it out. F = Frugal, F=Fun, F = lots of things besides, well…you know.) Well, she got all excited and SHE bought a couple of cases of books and started handing them out…and then posted photos of the people she gave them to on her blog!

So, all this HELPING people is spreading…a LOT. And we need YOUR HELP to  make it spread even more. Please tweet or post any of our blogs about Tim’s book to your people, your blog, your facebook page and help us help people who truly want to change their lives. Tim’s book is fantastic – awesome and the best step-by-step method for becoming happy (and even rich) that I’ve ever read. I’m not getting paid to help distribute this book. Tim and John are paying for it out of their pocket, and all of us, the Rabbi, Christina, Tina Stull (a Christian, female drag car racer) and Stand-Up for Kids.org (helping homeless kids get off the street) are all helping get the books out there. If you don’t want to hand out books, then please donate $5, $10 or $20 to Tim’s site so we can send those organizations cases of books so THEY can give them out.

What begin as a simple request to “Write like Seth Godin” has become an amazing journey across the world to help others. Please blog, tweet and keep sharing the message of hope. I had it and look what happened! From living in a Walmart parking lot to speaking at Oxford at TED Global, to reaching thousands of people around the U.S.A  – because like I said in my talk, “HOPE ALWAYS FINDS A WAY!!”