Preventable Crises: Iran, Climate Change and Homelessness January 10, 2012
Posted by tackettmedia in Uncategorized.Tags: climate change, global warming, homelessness, Iran, Iraq, Saddam Hussein, United States
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As we are bombarded in the media by news about the bad relationship between Iran and the US, I can’t but wonder what will come our way and how we, as regular middle class residents can protect ourselves if this tension is not diffused.
When I grew up, I remember that in my Swiss education in the mid-1980s, we learned about the war between Iraq and Iran. We were taught to think of Iraq as the good guys then, with Saddam, even though a dictator, holding the balance of that region in his hands.
It turns out that the money spent on my education may not have been wasted on me. But then, we also learned in elementary school that by the year 2000, there will be climate problems facing Mother Earth if we in our generation don’t come together on a global level and rethink our behavior.
In other words, we knew all of what we’re facing was coming our way. We knew it 20, 30 years ago. Yet, we did not prepare, did not change our behavior because at the time it was inconvenient.
Now I’m working in the field of homelessness and still observe the same pattern. It seems easier for some people to work in their silos and protect their own organizations rather than collaborate and end homelessness in one of the richest countries on earth.
We know we will face the consequences of homelessness – lack of education, health crises, etc. – in the next generation. I’ll keep on fighting. But will it be enough?
Female Veterans September 2, 2011
Posted by tackettmedia in homelessness, sustainability.Tags: female veterans, homelessness, sexual assault, The Key Alliance
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I think I already talked about my work as communications coordinator of the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission and The Key Alliance. While I am responsible for content updates on our social media, Website and blog as well as media relations, I also write issue briefs, situation analysis and policy briefs on issues surrounding homelessness.
Most recently, I was working on a situation analysis about female veterans.
It seems to be the “it” theme with the military right now because the female veteran population is increasing.
The percentage of females serving in the military has been increasing from 3.3% of enlisted troops in FY1974 to 10.9% in FY1990 to14.8% in FY2004. By 2007, 165,000 female troops had been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan (that number currently stands at 182,000), which compares to 41,000 in the Gulf War and 7,500 in the Vietnam War.
In testimony before the House Committee on Veteran Affairs in 2009, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs noted that the United States has about 1.8 million women veterans. He further stated that women currently comprise about 14% of the active duty military and 17.6% of Guard and Reserves.
The military, over the past year, has made great strides in homelessness prevention for veterans and has vowed to eradicate veteran homelessness in five years. However, female veterans who are trying to adjust back to civilian life after a deployment deal with different issues than their male counterparts.
Female active duty soldiers have been found to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at higher rates than their male counterparts. Between 23 and 29% of female veterans seeking medical care through the VA reported that they have been sexually assaulted. Sexual assault has been linked to PTSD, depression, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, disruption of social networks, and employment difficulties—and places female veterans at an increased risk of homelessness.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that especially among young female veterans, the unemployment rate is significantly higher than for non-veterans of comparable age.
Because homeless female veterans still make up a relatively small percentage of the entire homeless veteran population (5%), homeless services are not geared to address the special needs of female veterans.
Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary, Eric K. Shinseki, said during the 2011 National Training Summit on Women Veterans in July, that support for women veterans has improved but “it has not been enough.” The VA announced the new Task Force on Women Veterans in July 2011, which will develop a comprehensive VA action plan focusing on key issues fac-ing women veterans and specific actions to solve them.
These issues will include obstetric and gynecological care, child care, military sexual trauma, homelessness, aging, and end-of-life issues, to name a few.
I believe the goals layed out are great. However, the military needs to take a step back and truly examine whom they are sending to their training courses which should help investigate female sexual assaults in the active duty military. I know that male soldiers are sent to receive these trainings.
As a woman, who has been sexually assaulted in the past, it is hard enough to talk about the issue. I sure would never have approached a man for help.
Think about it. No matter how capable a man is in dealing with these sensitive issues, in a military that is still dominated by and known for male chauvinism, a female soldier is likely NOT to seek help from a male soldier for rape or sexual assault. The military needs to train female active duty soldiers to address these issues. Male soldiers who become victims are more likely to open up to a female than a female victim is to open up to a male.
Happy Fourth of July! Get involved in yo July 4, 2011
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Happy Fourth of July! Get involved in your community – it’s the American way. Thank you to all volunteers!!!
Birthday Gift List July 3, 2011
Posted by tackettmedia in Uncategorized.Tags: Birthday, gifts, Lovie's Legacy, Starbucks, Surprise
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My Birthday is July 5.
It is a big one – and my husband has planned a surprise party for me. Considering that it didn’t quite work out as planned, I have taken over. As part of my detailed planning skills, I do not want to omit a list of possible surprise gifts, which follows here:
1. A Starbucks Gift Card – $5
2. A Starbucks Gift Card – $10
3. A Starbucks Gift Card – $15
4. A Starbucks Gift Card – $25 (If you were so nice to dish out $20 for my birthday – thanks, you can do so, but why not throw in the extra five bucks and really surprise me?)
5. A subscription to Foreign Affairs magazine (this is a politically inspired blog, after all).
6. A donation to Lovie’s Legacy; please include a note that you learned about this wonderful organization through me. I am currently on the board of Lovie’s Legacy. I believe in this nonprofit because it wants to change animal welfare by teaching children how to deal with animals, especially dogs. My belief is that true change happens when we teach our future generations how to care about and respect other living beings.
Thank you for being my friends!
P.S. Any stranger is welcome to join in the happy giving. Just leave me a comment, and it will be my pleasure to help you make sure I receive your gift.
Libya… (too bad Zimbabwe) March 29, 2011
Posted by tackettmedia in politics.Tags: Europe, Libya, NATO, oil, President Obama, War, Zimbabwe
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President Obama’s speech on March 28, 2011, that aimed to justify U.S. military 
involvement in Libya, left the door wide open for criticism. If the United States were to save all the people in the world from their dictators, which countries should we attack next? Is there a secret list?
In any case, my big criticism is that the United States, nor any other country that I am aware of, does not have clear principles or policies in place that outline when a situtaion demands consideration for attacking a sovereign nation. My suspicion is that in the case of Libya, contrary to presidential sermon, moral issues were trumped by economic ones. We all know that Libya is a main supplier of oil to Europe. Furthermore, NATO pressure means that the United States needs to listen. If Europe’s economic base is hurting, the United States will share some of the pain.
Let’s shift scenery to another African nation. While President Mugabe of Zimbabwe brutally suppressed his people after they had elected another person, the World watched rather quietly (maybe there were some whispers).
Shift back to Libya. Yes, Libya is one among many north-African and Muslim countries in turmoil right now. However, if moral standards were the true reason of involvement in Libya, then why not helping Zimbabwe’s citizens?
The main difference that comes to mind is oil (a little humor is inserted here: http://www.dailysquib.co.uk/world/1407-oil-found-in-zimbabwe-uk-and-us-to-invade-next-week.html)
Europe’s interest and economic well-being affects us more than Southern Africa’s. Economic reasons always top moral reasons – and maybe they should in politics. But if that is the case, then please, don’t think we, the people, are stupid. Just be forthcoming and explain what is really going on.
And NO ONE seems upset! Students are hom December 27, 2010
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And NO ONE seems upset!
Students are homeless in basically every larger community. This article from the Washington Post confirms what I’ve observed in our local youth homelessness situation in Nashville. Teenagers who deal with homelessness are a very hidden population and hard to reach.
One of the problems helping homeless teenagers who are still in school is that federal dollars given to schools for homelessness liaison programs cannot be utilized for housing. At the same time, the definition of homelessness that the Education Department goes by is much broader than the one that the Department for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) uses. HUD moneys can go toward housing, but HUD mainly views people as being homeless if they live in the streets or in shelters.
Many teenagers crash on the couches of a friend, move from location to location, stay in motels, etc. Unless they finally go to a shelter, where they are a high target population for victimization, or sleep in a a car, it is hard to find federal dollars to put them in a habitable situation.
Here is a link to a Washington Post article that explains things better
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/26/AR2010122602334_2.html?sid=ST2010122602337
If you want to get involved locally, support Housing First. As we get more funding, we can look at expanding the programs to families and youth. But first we need the community to come together and support us. Join The Key Alliance at http://www.thekeyalliance.org
Sustainable Housing for Chronically Home December 23, 2010
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Sustainable Housing for Chronically Homeless Individuals
When communities come together and work together, when systems are examined and changed to fulfill the needs of the poorest of the poor, then we seed hope. And where plans are built on ideas that sprung out of hope, results will follow.
I just wrote a brief blog on the 100,000 Homes Campaign, of which The Key Alliance, the fundraising arm of the Metrpolitan Homelessness Commission in Nashville, is a part of. I work for that organization because I believe we can obtain solutions to homelessness. We still have ways to go, but I believe we are on the right track.
http://ow.ly/i/6E6C
Here is a link to the blog I posted for The Key Alliance: http://wp.me/pPMtg-2E
I’m now working fulltime as communicati November 23, 2010
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I’m now working fulltime as communications coordinator for The Key Alliance, the nonprofit fundraising arm of the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a busy and very exciting time right now.
Our goal at The Key Alliance is to end chronic homelessness and reduce overall homelessness in Nashville. To do so, we believe the entire community has to come together.
Homelessness is not a government issue. It is a community issue.
Together we can make a difference by taking one homeless person off the streets of Nashville at a time. We believe in changing lives.
As a society, we have been looking the other way for the past 20 years when it came to dealing with homelessness. But now, one by one, cities across the nation realize that it costs more to manage homelessness by providing services in an unconnected manner (one service agency at a time) than to end homelessness through Housing First. The high costs many chronically homeless individuals acrue stems from ER visits, detox and jail.
We at The Key Alliance promote Housing First, which offers permanent housing to homeless individuals coupled with intensive, individualized case management. Our case management is provided by master’s level social workers at a ratio of 1:12 (which compares to regular case management ratios that can be as high as 1:35 or more).
Our formula for success is: Housing + Case Management + Income = Reduction in Homelessness.
The Key Alliance is not a direct service provider. Instead, this non-traditional nonprofit is all about awareness and fundraising. As funding becomes available, we will contract with existing service providers to take Housing First to a larger scale. Therefore, we are not competing with existing agencies serving homelessness in our community. On the contrary, we are seeking partnerships and will re-allocate the funding we raise.
So why give to The Key Alliance instead of giving directly to a service provider agency? The Key Alliance will hold service providers accountable for the outcomes. We are seeking permanent solutions rather than band aids. If that were already the approach of all service providers, then we would not have seen stagnant and increasing homelessness numbers in our cities. In addition, The Key Alliance does not have much overhead costs. Our staff is paid for by the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission. We’re working for both organizations. Thus, every dollar raised will be utilized to go back out to the community towards solutions to homelessness and awareness to bring us together as a community to tackle homelessness.
You can make a difference today. Join The Key Alliance at http://www.thekeyalliance.org.
The Black Hawk pilots of Troop D, deploy November 22, 2010
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The Black Hawk pilots of Troop D, deployed to Iraq last year, were named “Unit of the Year”. Congrats Ricky!
Help remove barriers to housing for 100s November 22, 2010
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Help remove barriers to housing for 100s of Nashvillians. Please, volunteer on Dec. 8 @PHCNashville http://www.thekeyalliance.org/phc-volunteer.
