Joel John Roberts

The image of hunger simmering in our consciousness by international relief agencies has been a picture of an impoverished child with a bloated stomach in some faraway nation that we can barely find on the map.

That sad photo of hunger, however, does not accurately reflect America's hungry population,...

Robert Irvine charges in like a bull in a fine dining establishment, except the restaurant in need of rescuing is typically failing, and certainly not fine. His television show on Food Network displays Irvine's talent in reviving dying eateries, with a change of interiors, menu, branding, and of course,...

I'm not surprised anymore when people complain to their local council member about homeless people sleeping in the alley behind their houses. Or when homeowners call the police insisting that these people are breaking the law and need to be arrested.

What about angry neighbors who...

Can a push of a virtual button, or a click of a plastic computer mouse, really change our world?

The generation before me consisted of traditional activists who rebelled against an American society that they thought had wrongfully sent young men to kill Southeast Asians without much clear rationale,...

When homelessness touches a community, polarizing stakeholder camps battle with each other like it is a high-stakes presidential campaign.

The moneyed businesses and homeowners admonish local politicians by threatening to withdraw their financial campaign support, while advocates for the homeless use their vote-getting potential to insinuate they will support...

I can only imagine losing my job, then my house, then ending up sleeping behind a trash bin behind the local grocery store. What I cannot imagine is waking up in the dead of night by a swirl of red lights and a jab in the ribs from a cop's...

California's state leaders are debating whether they should tax homebuyers in order to fund more affordable housing for those who struggle with renting a house, let a lone buying one.

It used to be the "American Dream" was to purchase a detached single family home down the street from...

I remember sitting in a large meeting room in downtown Los Angeles with about 60 other community and political leaders who were all connected in some way to working toward addressing homelessness in Los Angeles, what many still call the "Homeless Capitol" of America.

The year was 2003, and most...

A federal judge recently ruled that hurting people in the State of Utah have the constitutional right to beg on the streets, based on the fact that these people have the right to free speech. Of course, they can not shout "fire!" in a crowded auditorium, but they can...

All my life I've paid my bills -- mortgage, credit card, car payment, electricity, etc. I used to think it was because I was responsible; because I was taught at a young age to pay my debts.

Given the current difficult economy, I wonder if it is really because...

There was once a vast and prosperous empire that was the most powerful in the land. It was mightier than the ancient Mayans, more popular than the Romans, and wider reaching than the British empire of old.

This Northern Amerigo empire was the envy of the world. The...

I sat in a cavernous auditorium during my youth along with hundreds of other eager collegians who were determined to become the next Frank Lloyd Wright, America's most fabled architect. An older man carefully strolled across the empty stage to a standing ovation of his youthful aficionados. He...

I work a few office spaces away from a waiting room filled to the brim with people who are so impoverished they have resorted to living on the streets. Those of us on the front lines battling homelessness in America know that the so-called American social safety net is tattered.

One, two, three...

In the darkness of early morning, the counting can be monotonous, an exercise that almost puts you to sleep. I have written before about the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) mandated homeless counts that occur throughout this country during the month of...

What is this country coming to when a guy in a car chases down a homeless man and pounds him with a tire iron, just because they exchanged angry words? Sounds like the old Wild West where guns were the primary mode of justice, or today's...

At first glance, he appears to be the stereotypical image of a killer of homeless Americans. Young. Male. Angry. Short hair, almost to the point of being a skinhead.

Since 1999, the National Coalition for the Homeless has documented nearly 1,200 violent crimes against homeless Americans with...

There is a different sort of fear permeating the homeless streets of Southern California these days. Not the fear of temperatures dropping in the middle of the night, especially in this balmy winter weather. No worries of going hungry on these streets where a faith group feeds the homeless on...

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.
Raindrops on tents, with weather so cold. To us, rain's a nuisance; to some, it's a mess.

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.
Their gloves have torn holes, and are caked with much dirt....

As this year ends, the confusing tallies of homelessness in America persist. Take the federal perspective on the number of homeless in our country. This past week their "point in time" estimate resulted in a 2.1 percent decline in homelessness from a year ago. Not surprisingly, national leaders...

When you walk into your dorm for the first time, or onto the campus for your inaugural class, you just feel like you are crossing the threshold of an exciting new future. Hanging out in the Student Union, going back to your dorm or apartment at any hour of the...