:: Solutions to the Homeless Problem ::

:: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 ::

Reflective Survival Blanket and cut A/C and Heating Cost a lot

Reflective Survival Blanket when hanging on the window can keep heat and sunlight out of the house and cut your A/C cost tremendously. If use properly, you may be surprised that you do not need to turn on A/C at all.

In the winter, if you hang it on window inside out, it will prevent heat inside the house to leak out in radiation way. If combine with other measure, such as let sunlight shine in in sunny day to have green house effect, you may not need to turn on heat because sunlight may heat up the house 10 degree, and cooking a dinner may heat up 5 to 7 degrees, and taking a shower may heat up 1 to 3 degree ...etc.

This is the same effect as Reflective Auto Shade of $5 but can effectively reduce the heat inside the car when placed at dashboard window.

You can get Reflective Blanket at stores like Target, Walmart or Sears at camping section, and someone found one big sheet at dollar section of Target. Just got one or two and tape it at the window with facing south west could obtain immediate cool down cost effectively.
:: Mr Cheng 12:34 AM [+] ::
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Pack Rat can help moving, storing or save money

Pack Rat may be a good solution for families facing foreclosure or need to save mortgage or rent for a few months to recover.

For example, if one family can not afford to pay mortgage, may need to pack all the valuables such as furniture, books, clothes ...etc, and store somewhere, and temporarily move to relative's home for a few months, or shelter, ...etc. Later, when able to rent a place, can move the items back.

For example, a student may save money by moving all the items into a container and store in the warehouse while taking a vacation home before coming back after summer vacation.

For example, one may help their brother or sister family to store all the stuff in the container and park at the driveway while helping them to getby and move to the new place when available, and they and share the home, while access their items in the storage container at driveway, instead of moving everything in to crowd the guest house. Accessibility to their stuff often help a "homeless family" with a "home" feeling.

Many homeowners who got a buyer but not able to align with a new place to move to may be able to store all their stuff and stay in motels for a few weeks or with parents or friends.
:: Mr Cheng 12:24 AM [+] ::
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DirectExpress Debit MasterCard will Help Many Homeless and Poor Families


DirectExpress Debit MasterCard will Help Many Homeless and Poor Families, especially, 4 millions of American families without bank accounts due to the fact U.S. Treasury Introduces Direct Express(R) Debit Card for Social Security Payments.


From my first hand experience of helping thousands of homeless, former homeless or to be homeless families, without bank account cost lots of check cash fees and transaction cost of getting the cash assistance into the families' hand in a timely manner, e.g. to avoid eviction or electricity service cut ...etc. I often had to ask the homeless family to find a friend who has bank account to direct deposit emergency cash assistance to the account to avoid fee, or even more importantly to reach to the needed family safely and in time. Sending a check often been lost or cashed by neighbors (also poor families, after all, former homeless families can only afford to rent at poor community).


Timing is also very critical. Many poor families came to me for help simply because their SSI check did not arrive on time on 3rd of the month. Many to be homeless families simply short of temporary cash and cash assistance from government arrives on time is very critical.


The government should also work with major US banks to waive the fees of the homeless or poor families. For example, many families I helped, I often found it is easier to go talk to branch manager to "waive" the late fees, which could accumulate to a few thousands a year, and some later late fees even depend on earlier late fee to make the account overdrafted, and eventually force the families to either give up the bank account or denied the service all together. The 4 millions American families do not have bank account has a lot to do with this.


So, I often told the bank managers that I do not ask them to help homeless families (after all, it is so difficult to ask bank managers who making 6 digits to help homeless families any way, try it!), but if bank do not rob money from poor families in an institutional way, many of the 8 millions American homeless families could not have become homeless at the first place.
:: Mr Cheng 9:35 AM [+] ::
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