millions of new homeless revved up to vote:I want to say that this should not be happening to people in America, and I am very angry and upset about it." White, 42, is among many homeless people eager to cast a vote in an election year dominated by the shaky U.S. economy and a deepening housing crisis "Low income and homeless people are more energized than I have ever seen before,"

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080723/pl_nm/usa_politics_homeless_dc_1

As economic woes mount, homeless plan to vote
By Syantani Chatterjee
Wed Jul 23, 1:17 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Single mother Mary White worked as a sales
clerk until the bank foreclosed on the home she rented.

Tossed out on the street with her six boys, she lost her deposit and
her job. Now she is revved up to vote in November. "My situation is
going to make me want to vote even more," she said.
"I want to say that this should not be happening to people in America,
and I am very angry and upset about it."
White, 42, is among many homeless people eager to cast a vote in an
election year dominated by the shaky U.S. economy and a deepening
housing crisis.
The U.S. government estimates that more than 400,000 people around the
country sleep in homeless shelters each night, with many more on the
streets, under bridges and in parked cars. Advocacy groups say that
some 3.5 million Americans will find themselves homeless at some point
in a year.
As home foreclosures passed the 2 million mark last year,
organizations offering emergency accommodation say they are fielding
more calls from families facing homelessness as they struggle to keep
up with mortgages, rent and bills.
Specific figures are not available, but advocacy groups say many
people who have lost their homes are particularly motivated to cast
their votes this time around, because they feel they have more at
stake.
"Low income and homeless people are more energized than I have ever
seen before," said Michael Stoops, executive director of the National
Coalition of the Homeless.
"There's a lot of interest in voting because of what's happening in
this country."
FOLLOWING THE ISSUES
With the U.S. housing crisis and economic insecurity forming a grim
backdrop to the November election, both Democratic candidate Barack
Obama and his Republican rival, John McCain, have policies aimed at
helping those hardest hit.
Obama has promised to help the nearly 37 million people living below
the poverty line with measures including a raised minimum wage --
pegged to rise with inflation that hit a near three-year high of 1.1
percent in June -- together with family tax breaks and increased
access to affordable housing.
McCain campaigned in the "forgotten places" in the U.S. South in
April, reaching out to minorities and the poor with policy proposals
including business incentives for areas with high unemployment, and
housing vouchers for the homeless.
People without a home, more than a third of them families with
children, depend on the government and nonprofits. For them much is
riding on the outcome of the Nov 4. presidential election, advocacy
groups say.
"If you are homeless it is probably a little more important. Because
whatever assistance you receive comes from the public sector, which is
regulated by politics and elected officials," said Louisa Stark,
chairwoman of the Phoenix Consortium to End Homelessness.
Among those following the campaign is Shera Greenwich, a mother of two
living at a shelter run by the Henry St. Settlement in New York City.
As she waits to move into a subsidized apartment, she says issues
including economic security and obtaining quality healthcare are her
focus, and she plans to vote Democratic.
"I see so much change in the future if Obama is elected President,"
she said. "I think he can get America back on track."
OBSTACLES TO VOTING
Advocacy groups campaign each election season to get the homeless to
register to vote, noting they often face formidable obstacles on the
way to the ballot box.
Many may have no permanent address from which to register. Others have
lost track of the identification documents that they need in order to
obtain voter cards, such as Social Security cards and birth
certificates.
"What you find is that so many families move so frequently, things get
lost along the way," said Darlene Newsom, CEO of UMOM New Day Centers
in Phoenix, which provides emergency shelter for more than 60 homeless
families.
Organizations such as UMOM and Beyond Shelter in Los Angeles are
helping their clients assemble paperwork, and providing them with an
address they can use to register.
While homeless people are not a demographic that will determine the
contest's outcome, some who have registered say many of their dearest
hopes are pegged on the outcome.
"I want to try to get security for my family, retirement, health
issues, all of those things, to try and get myself a little piece of
mind." said Mendy Harris, 40, a mother of five who works for a
transportation company and lost her rented home in Phoenix after her
husband lost his job.
"My husband hasn't voted since he was about 18, but he's really
serious this time," added Harris, who plans to vote Democratic.
(Additional reporting by Tim Gaynor in Phoenix and Nancy Leinfuss in
New York, editing by Patricia Zengerle)