Laptops: Hope For The Homeless

It is not much of a secret – nor a surprise – that the homeless population in the U.S. has been rising steadily since the early 1980’s, and has increased exponentially in the last five years. They have been marginalized and denigrated as men claiming to be “Christians” do their best to put them out of sight and out of mind.

The digital age is promising to change some of that.

Thanks to internet cafes, public libraries, and the fact that last year’s state-of-the-art hardware can be had for a song, the homeless are increasingly making their presence known on-line.

HappyIvy, who runs a website called “AboutUsNow.com,” lives in a bus without power nor plumbing. Nonetheless, thanks to public Wi-Fi, he’s able to run a 24/7 online TV studio, record an album, write his memoirs and – to the terror of neoconservatives in Congress – is organizing a grassroots political movement.

Those clinging to survival in the urban jungle may be pushed into the shadows of society, but the digital divide is becoming irrelevant to these people. As Michael Stoops, director of the National Coalition For The Homeless points out, “More have e-mail than have post office boxes….the internet has been a big boon to the homeless.” The new technology allows homeless persons to maintain contact with family members, helping many to get some kind of footing in society.

Although many homeless persons agree that the Internet has been empowering, it’s not a panacea. Contrary to the official “party line” in the U.S., the causes of homelessness are many and complex, although virtually the entire problem is a result of grossly misplaced priorities and unconscionable economic policies. Nonetheless, if the Internet cannot take the homeless off the street, it can give them a voice.

Via Wired

It is not much of a secret – nor a surprise – that the homeless population in the U.S. has been rising steadily since the early 1980’s, and has increased exponentially in the last five years. They have been marginalized and denigrated as men claiming to be “Christians” do their best to put them out of sight and out of mind.

The digital age is promising to change some of that.

Thanks to internet cafes, public libraries, and the fact that last year’s state-of-the-art hardware can be had for a song, the homeless are increasingly making their presence known on-line.

HappyIvy, who runs a website called “AboutUsNow.com,” lives in a bus without power nor plumbing. Nonetheless, thanks to public Wi-Fi, he’s able to run a 24/7 online TV studio, record an album, write his memoirs and – to the terror of neoconservatives in Congress – is organizing a grassroots political movement.

Those clinging to survival in the urban jungle may be pushed into the shadows of society, but the digital divide is becoming irrelevant to these people. As Michael Stoops, director of the National Coalition For The Homeless points out, “More have e-mail than have post office boxes….the internet has been a big boon to the homeless.” The new technology allows homeless persons to maintain contact with family members, helping many to get some kind of footing in society.

Although many homeless persons agree that the Internet has been empowering, it’s not a panacea. Contrary to the official “party line” in the U.S., the causes of homelessness are many and complex, although virtually the entire problem is a result of grossly misplaced priorities and unconscionable economic policies. Nonetheless, if the Internet cannot take the homeless off the street, it can give them a voice.

Via Wired