Changes

Because of poor sanitation and the tendency of the homeless to accost people for money, vagrancy in some places is considered a legal offense for which the victim can be arrested.  

Because of poor sanitation and the tendency of the homeless to accost people for money, vagrancy in some places is considered a legal offense for which the victim can be arrested.  

 

 

Many homeless shelters are located across the United States, usually run by local government or [[religious charities]].   

Many homeless shelters are located across the United States, usually run by local government or [[religious charities]].   

Besides giving shelter, they often have programs for job placement that can help the homeless move back into society. Under [[Barack Hussein Obama|President Obama]] some homeowners received welfare money to help them keep their homes.<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/11/politics/otherpeoplesmoney/main4858348.shtml CBS News]</ref>  

Besides giving shelter, they often have programs for job placement that can help the homeless move back into society. Under [[Barack Hussein Obama|President Obama]] some homeowners received welfare money to help them keep their homes.<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/11/politics/otherpeoplesmoney/main4858348.shtml CBS News]</ref>  

==1930s==

==1930s==

The Transient Division of the Kansas Emergency Relief Committee (KERC) operated 1933-35 under the direction of Republican Governor [[Alf Landon]]. It was funded by [[FERA]] (the Federal Emergency Relief Administration), the central relief organization of the New Deal. The KERC assisted approximately 700,000 homeless people, often in family groups, during its two years of operation. The KERC was a microcosm of the national approach to dealing with interstate migration and a model program noted for its efficiency, highly trained staff, and excellent administrative structure. It was comprised of reference centers located throughout the state and staffed by caseworkers who evaluated the health, literacy, and work skills of the migrants. Their aim was to stabilize the lives of transients and return them to their legal residences. The Kansas system, known for its quality, may have encouraged migration by acting as a lure for those living elsewhere in difficult conditions. There were challenges to the program, including people abusing the system in search of gas and food, the scarcity of work relief projects, and tensions between the service and local relief groups. Before the New Deal, transients were the responsibility of individual counties and private charities. After the program was liquidated in late 1935, the vast majority of transients were placed with the [[WPA]] (Works Progress Administration), another New Deal program, and Landon became the 1936 GOP nominee for president.<ref>Peter  Fearon, "Relief for Wanderers: the Transient Service in Kansas, 1933-35," ''Great Plains Quarterly'' 2006 26(4): 245-264,  </ref>  

The Transient Division of the Kansas Emergency Relief Committee (KERC) operated 1933-35 under the direction of Republican Governor [[Alf Landon]]. It was funded by [[FERA]] (the Federal Emergency Relief Administration), the central relief organization of the New Deal. The KERC assisted approximately 700,000 homeless people, often in family groups, during its two years of operation. The KERC was a microcosm of the national approach to dealing with interstate migration and a model program noted for its efficiency, highly trained staff, and excellent administrative structure. It was comprised of reference centers located throughout the state and staffed by caseworkers who evaluated the health, literacy, and work skills of the migrants. Their aim was to stabilize the lives of transients and return them to their legal residences. The Kansas system, known for its quality, may have encouraged migration by acting as a lure for those living elsewhere in difficult conditions. There were challenges to the program, including people abusing the system in search of gas and food, the scarcity of work relief projects, and tensions between the service and local relief groups. Before the New Deal, transients were the responsibility of individual counties and private charities. After the program was liquidated in late 1935, the vast majority of transients were placed with the [[WPA]] (Works Progress Administration), another New Deal program, and Landon became the 1936 GOP nominee for president.<ref>Peter  Fearon, "Relief for Wanderers: the Transient Service in Kansas, 1933-35," ''Great Plains Quarterly'' 2006 26(4): 245-264,  </ref>