Thursday: Chicken Corn Chowder and more Brooke's cupcakes

Lynnda decided to start the soup on time while I was detained by my dentist; by the time I got to Nickelsville she had the chicken sautéed,  bacon fried and now combined with onion, carrots and potatoes in the pot half full of water and she was trying to will it to boil (industrial size pot on the home type of range - that's never going fast);  Tracy was working on a head of garlic.  We looked what else is going to the pot and decided to bring the soup volume up by throwing about half of the package of broken into small pieces spaghetti noodles.

Brooke's cupcakes arrive

When everything was about getting almost soft we added lots of whole and some smashed in the blender  corn, a can of smashed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for a kick, and little by little the creamy part:  milk, cream, shredded cheddar cheese and on the very end a box of instant potatoes. Garnished with chopped garlic and big bunch of Italian parsley - the best corn chowder I ever had.

Jeremy transfers cupcakes
onto big tray

Over the soup and Brook's cupcakes had a chance to catch up with Joanna, who was hoping to pass the post office exam for a job there, but now says that the post office is laying off its employees, so she is likely stuck with her job at Jack-in-the-Box for a while longer.  Her daughter LeeAnn was also eating at the table, so I asked how she is getting along with the 2 new boys;  Joanna told me that now there is 6 children in Nickelsville, so LeAnn can now play with the girls only, 'no boys':).

While monkeying around with camera I checked with  Jarvis what is ok to post about him on a public blog:  'that you are waiting for ankle surgery, and when this is done and healed you want to start trucking school and then trucking job, and everything will be all right for you then'.  'Yes', he smiled, 'if life would be only THAT simple, but as a matter of fact I can check on the school next week and will, because I can start the school before surgery'.

Lynnda and Jarvis

John of China was laid up with some stomach bug for a few days, but better now.   While we were eating Tracy came from the food bank a few blocks up, carrying a load of donations; she looked pale and nearly dropped her box - turned out her asthma caught up with her  and no inhaler in her pocket.  When she put the box on the table she produced a happy smile while showing a big block of cheese - a rarity in Nickelsville.  Both Andrea and Jeremy visited (they live in the tent outside, not the communal structure of the fire station) with the rest of us for a meal.
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Here is a fragment of the  article 'Why are People Homeless':


Why Are People Homeless?
Published by the National Coalition for the Homeless, July 2009


Two trends are largely responsible for the rise in homelessness over the past 20-25 years: a growing shortage of affordable rental housing and a simultaneous increase in poverty. Below is an overview of current poverty and housing statistics, as well as additional factors contributing to homelessness. A list of resources for further study is also provided. 


FORECLOSURE
Recently, foreclosures have increased the number of people who experience homelessness. The National Coalition for the Homeless released an entire report discussing the relationship between foreclosure and homelessness. The report found that there was a 32% jump in the number of foreclosures between April 2008 and April 2009. Since the start of the recession, six million jobs have been lost. In May 2009, the official unemployment rate was 9.4%. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that 40 percent of families facing eviction due to foreclosure are renters and 7 million households living on very low incomes (31 - 50 percent of Area Median Income) are at risk of foreclosure.


POVERTY
Homelessness and poverty are inextricably linked. Poor people are frequently unable to pay for housing, food, childcare, health care, and education. Difficult choices must be made when limited resources cover only some of these necessities. Often it is housing, which absorbs a high proportion of income that must be dropped. If you are poor, you are essentially an illness, an accident, or a paycheck away from living on the streets.
[...]


CONCLUSION
Homelessness results from a complex set of circumstances that require people to choose between food, shelter, and other basic needs. Only a concerted effort to ensure jobs that pay a living wage, adequate support for those who cannot work, affordable housing, and access to health care will bring an end to homelessness. 

The rest of the article here....