In a recent blog post, I shared a story about the “New Face of Hunger“. It highlighted the rising number of working people who are now seeking support from food pantries and government services because of the current economy. These are individuals who are working to survive in an ever-shifting world.

Many of these hard working families and individuals often end up on the streets. Believe it or not, there are millions in our country that are actually one paycheck away from living on the streets or in their cars. Many of these families do not end up on the streets because of drug addictions, lazyness, or lack of work ethic. They end up there because of hard times and unforeseen difficulties (e.g., health issues, layoffs, etc.).

My friend Mark Horvath recently did a piece on his website (Invisiblepeople.tv) about a man named John who spends a good portion of his day collecting and recycling cans. What I consider powerful about this story is the fact that John breaks the stereotype of a houseless/homeless person held by far too many. Please take a moment to listen to this intelligent and hard working man talk about his life on the streets. Afterwards, please visit my previous blog post (New Face of Hunger) for practical advice on what you can do about this issue.

John from invisible people on Vimeo.