OUR COMMON GROUND l “Black America Already Over the Cliff” l 10pm ET

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This Week on OUR COMMON GROUND

“Black America Over the Cliff:
Hunger, Mental Illness and Homelessness on America’s Political Agenda” 

 

December 1, 2012
10 pm ET
CALL IN 347-838-9852How Black are the problems of hunger, mental illness and homelessness? Where is the mobilization on these issues in our community nationally? How to create the Black mobilization on these issues ?

What does it mean that these issues did not occupy a place in the campaign, and is not articulated clearly in the debt/deficit discourse? Who in the White House or the Congress is expressing the issues as a public policy priority ? Who is already over the fiscal cliff ?

HUNGER in America
One out of every six Americans lives in a food insecure environment. The term “food insecure” means that they do not always know where their next meal will come from. Since 2006, the number of Americans served by food pantries has increased by 27 percent to 5.7 million people receiving emergency food assistance. 36 percent of households served by emergency food assistance programs have one or more adults working. 35 to 46 percent of households must choose between paying for housing, utilities or transportation and buying food.

MENTAL ILLNESS in America
An estimated 5.2 million adults have co-occurring mental health and addiction disorders. Of adults using homeless services; 31 percent reported having combination of these conditions. One-half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14, three-quarters by age 24. Despite effective treatments, there are long delays—sometimes decades—between the first onset of symptoms and when people seek and receive treatment. Fewer than one-third of adults and one-half of children with a diagnosable mental disorder receive mental health services in a given year.

HOMELESSNESS in America
Despite the fact that the number of homeless people was essentially unchanged between 2009 and 2011, there is much reason for concern. Economic and demographic indicators linked to homelessness continue to be troubling. Homelessness is a lagging indicator, and the effects of the poor economy on the problem are escalating and are expected to continue to do so over the next few years. In other words, we do not know the full impact yet.

IN BLACK AMERICA
Epidemic, Serious and Chronic

OUR COMMON GROUND with Janice Graham

“Speaking Truth to Power and Ourselves”

BROADCASTING BRAVE BOLD BLACK

Community Forum: http://www.ourcommonground-talk.ning.com/
Twitter: @JaniceOCG #TalkthatMatters

 

OUR COMMON GROUND l “Black America Already Over the Cliff” l 10pm ET.