Tweets from the Streets

categories: new media, Stories from the Streets, Trends

Published October 31, 2009 @ 08:18AM PT

I'd like to say that I found Ann Marie in Chicago, but the truth is that she found me. Ann Marie uses social media to escape from her world and connect with others. When I arrived in the Windy City I received a tweet from @padschicago and the next day we arranged to meet in a train station.

Ann Marie is not the first person experiencing homelessness to find me via social media. As the face of homelessness changes, and social media continues to expand, I believe we will see many other people without homes on twitter, blogs, and Facebook. Service providers should pay attention to this evolution and understand that social media can be much more than tool for marketing. Twitter and Facebook can serve as an entry point for services or a vehicle for providing virtual case management.

Social media may have the potential to change the way we provide services, but it will not close the gaps that exist in our safety net. As social services become more specialized and targeted to specific populations, some of those who desperately need help simply cannot figure out where they fit in. Ann Marie would like to get off the streets, but she is falling through the gaps in the social service safety net.

ChicagoNow blogger Megan Cottrell tagged along when I met Ann Marie and wrote a very powerful post. We were also on a San Francisco radio show - Live from the Left Coast - with Angie Coiro. And right now as I type, Ann Marie is on a Greyhound headed to Los Angeles to speak with me at 140 Conference.

Truly Anne Marie is a special person simply trying to survive. She honestly shares the challenges she faces everyday and talks about how she uses social media. Although much of her story is sad at least for a few days she is on a vacation from homelessness.

Ann Marie from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.

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Comments (3)

Bravo Twitter.

Posted by Aaron Shaw on 11/01/2009 @ 04:33PM PT
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ANN MARIE, ME AND MY WIFE HAVE BOTH BEEN IN YOUR POSITION. WE JUST RECENTLY MOVED OUT OF A HOMELESS POSITION IN THE TENT CITY OF NASHVILLE,TN. WE UNDERSTAND YOU AND OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO YOU. WE ONLY PRAY THAT YOU AND OTHERS WILL BE GIVEN THE CHANCE TO LIVE A STRESS FREE LIFE SOON, IT TAKES TIME AND MOST THINGS DONT HAPPEN OVER NIGHT SO BE PASIENT AND GOOD THINGS WILL COME !! I, WE LEARNED THIS AS WELL, I ONLY WISH ONE DAY I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND HELP BUT AS OF NOW STRUGGLING HELPING MYSELF. STAY SAFE GIRL AND GOD BLESS YOU !!!!

Posted by MATTHEW MAURO on 11/03/2009 @ 02:10AM PT
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Give city's homeless a little more time

Letter to the editor

I was appalled to read in the Sunday edition of the Juneau Empire an article about homeless people being evicted from "The Hill," which is situated on Alaska Electric Light & Power Co. land.

I understand AEL&P's reaction to a tree falling on a power line, causing a power outage. However, their timing could not have been more detrimental to the folks who are residing on their property, considering the time of year, and the shortness of the eviction notice.

These folks have been residing there more than one year, some of them for many years. Many of them are veterans. With Veterans Day having just happened on Wednesday, I have to ask - is this how we treat those who went to risk their lives for our freedom.

I believe it is time for the city to address the homeless issue in Juneau. The city is the owner of a great deal of land in the Juneau area and should begin thinking of ways to provide for those who are less fortunate than the rest of us.

Many of those who live under these conditions are not comfortable living in apartments or housing that we consider a requirement for normal living. These folks are more comfortable living in the wilderness on their own. With all the land that city controls, there must be a place where they can relocate. However, this is not the time to force homeless people to find a new location.

Therefore, I implore the Alaska Electric Light & Power Co. to be charitable and magnanimous in allowing homeless residents to continue to reside in the "The Hill" area until next spring, when other arrangements (hopefully) can be made.

Juneau

Posted by James Brouillette on 11/13/2009 @ 09:33AM PT
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Author

Sixteen years ago, Mark Horvath was homeless on the streets of Hollywood. Today, he works in marketing/communications and is an activist for the homeless. He vlogs at invisiblepeople.tv and blogs at hardlynormal.com.