Passion: compelling emotion or feeling.
Eryn on 22 Feb 2008 | a bit of us & future & singing my tunes
I am so excited to start getting more involved in music with Jared. I am sooo eager to start working on some material with him. There are not a lot of words that can explain how inspired I am. The typical thing to do with such feelings would be getting a pen, paper and just start at it. I can’t. When I get the pen in my hand I go blank. I was letting my dogs out the other day and started singing a song. I kept singing it so I would remember. When I got to the paper I could remember only the two words. It was black and fence. It was disappointing because I loved it. It had something to do with a black bird I saw sitting on a fence. Thats it.
I met an admirable person that knew his lyrics. When Jared, me, and some friends went to pass out socks & ponchos to the homeless we met this man named Jimmy Jackson. He was soo thankful for socks and ponchos that he wanted to sing us a song. This song is one he has kept in his head, he had no pen. Jimmy was obviously homeless, had torn clothes, missing teeth, dirty hands, and a yellow film that draped his eyes. But His voice lit up the entire park. His praises to God were so genuine and sincere. We all snapped our fingers and picked up on the chorus to join him in fellowship. I couldn’t understand why jimmy was so talented lyrically and vocally and was still homeless. Here is a man that has no teeth and his smile and voice was one of the prettiest things. I was so amazed by this song that I still remember the lyrics. I can sing it. I can remember. Just thinking to myself, I thought… He clearly needs to be cleaned up and tested for drugs, but man if he got his feet back on ground he could go somewhere. He was spitting out other songs that I was in awe over. I don’t know if Jimmy does drugs or alcohol, but I know for some one that might be frying their brain he is so lyrically deep with Christ’s story. He knows THE real history. If it is true what Jimmy says about God giving him these words, I hope he keeps them, remembers them, and does something with them.
I found this in a library:
Total Number
As many as 3.5 million people experience homelessness in a given year (1% of the entire U.S. population or 10% of its poor), and about 842,000 people in any given week.[10]
Familial composition[11]
40% are families with children—the fastest growing segment.
41% are single males.
14% are single females.
5% are minors unaccompanied by adults.
1.37 million (or 39%) of the total homeless population are children under the age of 18.[12]
Ethnicity[13]
49% are African American (compared to 11% of general population).
35% are Caucasian (under-represented compared to 75% of general population).
13% are Hispanic (compared to 10% of general population).
2% are Native American (compared to 1% of general population).
1% are Asian-American (under-represented compared to 4% of general population).
Health-concerns[14]
22% are considered to have serious mental illnesses, or are disabled.
30% have substance abuse problems.
3% report having HIV/AIDS.
26% report acute health problems other than HIV/AIDS such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, or sexually transmitted infections.
46% report chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or cancer.
55% report having no health insurance (compared to 16% of general population).
58% report having trouble getting enough food to eat.
Backgrounds[15]
23% are veterans (compared to 13% of general population).
25% were physically or sexually abused as children.
27% were in foster care or similar institutions as children.
21% were homeless at some point during their childhood.
54% were incarcerated at some point in their lives.
Education[16]
38% have less than a High School diploma.
34% have a High School diploma or equivalent (G.E.D.).
28% have more than a High School education.
Employment[17]
44% report having worked in the past week.
13% have regular jobs.
50% receive less than $300 per month as income.
Location[18]
71% reside in central cities.
21% are in suburbs.
9% are in rural areas.
Duration[19]
80% of those who experience homelessness do so for less than 3 weeks. They typically have more personal, social, or economic resources to draw upon.
10% are homeless for up to two months. They cite lack of available or affordable housing as responsible for the delay.
10% are so called “chronic” and remain without housing for extended periods of time on a frequent basis. They typically struggle with mental illness, substance abuse, or both.
Somewhat different data seem to be presented in the full demographics reported in the 1996 NSHAPC survey which include:
Family status
61% Single men
15% Single women
12.2% Women with children
4.6% Other women
5.3% Other men
2.3% Men with children
Racial demographics of head of household
41% White, non-Hispanic
40% Black, non-Hispanic
11% Hispanic
8% Native American
1% Other
Length of current homeless period
5% Less than one week
8% Greater than one week, less than one month
15% One to three months
11% Four to six months
15% Seven to twelve months
16% Thirteen to twenty four months
10% Twenty-five to sixty months
20% Five or more years
Lifetime self-reported alcohol, drug and mental health problems
62% Alcohol
58% Drugs
57% Mental health
27% Mental health and alcohol or drug (dual diagnosed)
