27 July 2009
Humanitarian Resource Institute
Phone:
(203) 668-0282
Url: www.humanitarian.net
United Nations Arts Initiative
Arts Integration Into Education
Url: www.unarts.org
Twitter: unarts
Rock The World: USA: "Bridging Unmet Needs to Untapped
Resources" Artists/professionals, arts organizations, music labels
(management, arrangers, producers), film production and media companies join
together to spotlight the size and scope of unmet needs on the community
level, strategic planning and development, with emphasis on reaching families
in crisis, that have fallen through the cracks.
National Community Support for Wounded Warrior Project
Our members of the armed forces protect all United States citizens
with their lives, it is time that we show respect, honor and gratitude
for their sacrifice. This need has prompted a national call for all
communities, businesses and corporations to commit special programs
and assistance for current members/veterans of our armed forces, our most
severely wounded warriors and wounded transitional.
The Wounded Warriors Project
is our focus initiative that supports our most severely wounded warriors
and wounded transitional.
Additional unmet needs in the spotlight include:
- Jobless rate at 11.2% for veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan:
The 11.2% jobless rate for veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and
who are 18 and older rose 4 percentage points in the past year. That's significantly
higher than the corresponding 8.8% rate (3.20.2009) for non-veterans in
the same age group, says Labor Department economist Jim Walker. -- Article, USA Today, 20 March
2009. See Also: VetJobs:
America's Premier Job Board for Veterans.
- Untold Mortgage Crisis: Families
Facing Military Foreclosures: According to one
recent study, the number of foreclosures in military towns are four times
the national average. Why? Because military families were targeted as customers
during the boom in subprime lending. Their frequent moves, overseas stints,
and low pay meant they were likely to have weak credit ratings. The initial
low rates and easy terms of these loans made them more attractive than the
traditional route of taking out a Veterans Administration (VA) loan. In
fact, at the peak of the U.S. subprime lending, the number of new VA loans
fell to their lowest level in 12 years. - Article: Veterans Today,
14 October 2008. See: Crime
Victims of Predatory lending, Humanitarian Resource Institute.
- Homeless
Veterans: The VA estimates that 131,000 veterans are homeless on
any given night. And approximately twice that many experience
homelessness over the course of a year. Conservatively, one out of every three
homeless men who is sleeping in a doorway, alley or box in our cities and
rural communities has put on a uniform and served this country. The
vast majority are single, most come from poor, disadvantaged communities,
45 percent suffer from mental illness, and half have substance abuse
problems. America’s homeless veterans have served in World War II, Korean
War, Cold War, Vietnam War, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, Operation Enduring
Freedom (Afghanistan), Operation Iraqi Freedom, or the military's anti-drug
cultivation efforts in South America. 47 percent of homeless veterans
served during the Vietnam Era. National Coalition for Homeless Veterans: 1-800-VET-HELP.
- More
female veterans are winding up homeless; many are single parents: One
out of every 10 homeless vets under the age of 45 is now a woman, the statistics
show. Overall, female veterans are now between two and four times more likely
to end up homeless than their civilian counterparts, according to the VA,
most as a result of the same factors that contribute to homelessness among
male veterans: mental trauma related to their military service and difficulty
transitioning into the civilian economy. -- Article: Boston Globe, 2
July 2009.
"When
campaigning, be swift as the wind; in leisurely march, majestic as the
forest; in attack, like fire; in standing, firm as the mountains. As unfathomable
as the clouds, move like a thunderbolt," to protect the weak.
- Adapted from Sun Tzu. "The Art of War" - The Ultimate Objective: Humanitarian
Resource Institute.
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Thank you for your support of these efforts....
Stephen Michael Apatow
Founder, Director of Research and Development
Humanitarian Resource Institute
Phone: (203) 668-0282
Internet: www.humanitarian.net
Email: s.m.apatow@humanitarian.net
Director, Global Arts Integration Into Education Initiative
Internet: www.unarts.org
Twitter: unarts
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