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Hard Times Generation: Families living in cars

July 29, 2012 4:00 PM

Scott Pelley brings "60 Minutes" cameras back to central Florida to document another form of family homelessness: kids and their parents forced to live in cars.

Hard Times Generation: Families living in cars

60 Minutes OverTimeA reporter's story: Finding homeless families

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by mapicerno August 12, 2012 11:52 AM EDT
Hi, thank you CBS for taking the time to look at our communities. With tears in my eyes and a heavy heart, I hope for the best, these who were interviewed are inspiring. I would guess there are many levels of complexity to homeless, homeless in a vehicle, homeless in vacant buildings, many types I would rather not hear, but I assume that is what's wrong, we are not listening to the magnitude we should. I can't stop thinking of money that was gathered for political purposes, and the hate ads toward our leadership is squandered while people need leadership. I in now way blame any political figure for the homelessness, I also don't praise their efforts in helping the american homelessness issue. Want my vote? Help our people. Stop spending on ads, help our people. Instead of a recording studio ad, help our people, the walls have ears and people will see who should be leaders and those who should not be. Thank you CBS, your a credit to news.
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by MystiKasT August 11, 2012 7:19 PM EDT
Welcome to america! Thank the central bankers and illuminati for this! Go back to american idol and dancing with the stars as the country collapses, DON'T WAKE UP AMERICA, DON'T FIGHT FOR YOUR COUNTRY, GO BACK TO SLEEP!
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by Arielle_Metzger August 2, 2012 3:15 AM EDT
No one has told me yet if that law was ever changed. The one we went to congress to talk to. Basically if you live in a hotel and an agency pays for it then you are homeless but if you pay for it then you are not homeless. This was stopping thousands of families from housing assistance and trapping them into the high cost of hotels. I'll tell ya, it is a hard situation to get out of.
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by Arielle_Metzger August 2, 2012 3:00 AM EDT
When there is a feeding and the agency knows that I am there, people eat better. I'm treated different when I am a homeless kid. But when I am Arielle Metzger, agencies seem scared or put off. like I'm a threat or something. I just can't put my finger on it. Am I intimidating?
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by Arielle_Metzger August 2, 2012 2:52 AM EDT
Hey this is Arielle. I had been mentioning to some agencies and art stores about homeless kids decorating cloths to help raise money for agencies. And with art studios, maybe some kids could sell their art. Who knows, it could take off in the art world. This was just one idea that I thought about. Community involvement stuff. Any other positive ideas that might be new that the community can do? I noticed caseworkers don't seem to be very familiar with Pel Grants. At least how to fill them out. Police should carry more resource guides. And for crying out loud, the next police station I ask to help me learn how to do background checks myself or help hook up my security camera, needs to help a kid who is asking. Especially one like me, who has been seen by millions. I have been turned away with excuses by every police station I ask. Except Sanford. They have known me a couple of years now. Shame on all you police across the country, I asked for help. Tomorrow, I'm going to the Beverly Hills station. If I'm brave enough.
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by cybernaut_koala August 1, 2012 8:24 AM EDT
Hi, I am from Australia and I am feeling pretty bad watching this documentary. I can't understand how your government don't do nothing about this and other issues in your country. I believe that it is about time you USA citizens wake up and ACT!
In my country there is homelessness "by choice" not by force. Children are NEVER left to live under these conditions in Down Under and believe me, we'll start a revolution the day any federal or state government do something like this.
SHAME in your government, SHAME in your politicians but also SHAME ON YOU people of the USA for not doing anything about it! I am sorry, but it is the truth.
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by alanty July 31, 2012 5:00 PM EDT
Greetings from the UK. Watching this video, I have to ask you, what on earth is going on with you USA? You let children sleep in the streets? I can tell you that in the UK you won't find a single child being allowd to sleep in the streets with no home (and no adults either, unless they chose to, and even then social workers will make sure to take them out of the streets. Every single one of them). This is why we have social services who provide council housing, financial support and free healthcare for everyone who can't support himself (let alone children).
The big question is, WHY DO YOU KEEP GIVING TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO SO MANY FOREIGN COUNTRIES EVERY YEAR IN AID AND JUST FOR NO REASON AT ALL, INSTEAD OF GIVING THIS MONEY FIRST TO YOUR OWN PEOPLE WHO NEED IT?
WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?
I don't know and can't understand you really.
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by angeljperea July 30, 2012 5:15 PM EDT
KEEPING IT THOUGHTFULLY HONEST: JUST CONNECTING THE DOTS AND THE CLASS WAR ON CHILDREN with Republican policies! The Liar, Rep. Kevin McCarthy from Bakersfield, the Republican leader that is number 3 on the political prostitutes campaign money-taking list for services rendered continues to lie and distort facts that " Democrats would have to explain their opposition to the GOP plan after Obama and his allies on Capitol Hill agreed two years ago to extend tax breaks across all income levels." However, the Congressional record, Huffington Post and Senator Sander, documents that on Friday, December 10, 2010, on a trade-off between the President and Boehner, Cantor and McCarthy House republicans that had held a combo hostage, the continuing of unemployment benefits for thousands of needy Americans that lost their job to Outsourced jobs to Chinas as well as the setting a terrible precedent to divert money away from our Social Security Trust Fund to threaten its future! This to pay the republican's RANSON to give their billionaires and Millionaires continued extension of Bush tax cuts in order to trade for these 2 hostages' issues. Further, The Huffington Post reports that five noted economists interviewed stated "that the GOP 30 job bills package contributes NO meaningful impact on job creation in the near term," nor "likely to do much in the long term, either," but obstructed the President's Job Bill for the past year, meanwhile 12.5 Million unemployed American families have been surviving, many homeless! http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gop-tax-cuts-20120728,0,5136053.story THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH: A Powerful must see 60 minutes documents what our country's politician's irresponsible and shameful policies are affecting our beautiful children's future and their unemployed parents! A sad but real and continuing tragedy! "NEVER HAS UNEMPLOYMENT BEEN SO HIGH for so long, and as a result, more than 16 million kids are living in poverty" in the United States, Scott Pelley reported tonight in his piece "Hard Times Generation." To watch "Hard Times Generation," click here: http://cbsn.ws/N5U3ZL. So McCarthy, Liar, Liar, YOUR PANTS ARE ON FIRE! But we Middle Class Americans will remember YOUR shameful and disgraceful continuing republican policies in November!
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by Mtjudge July 30, 2012 1:21 PM EDT
After seeing this segment in November, my husband and I decided to let a homeless family live in our condo in Southern Florida. We were using it for long weekends and vacations, and felt that it would serve a much greater purpose by having a family live there. We found a single mom with a teen daughter through our church and they moved in, and have even been able to send some money to offset some or our costs. I mention this because there are lots of people who have second homes in florida that are not being used, and perhaps you too can help.
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by amocci July 30, 2012 12:22 PM EDT
My heart breaks for these dear families and brave children. These families need to go to a local jcpenney salon. They are offering free haircuts for children in grade K to grade 6 during the month of August 2012. Call 855-jcpkids for an appointment to make kids feel great about themselves and get ready for school! Thank you, jcpenney!
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