I'm Speaking Tonight about Second Chance Village with the Kiwanis

WHEN: Tonight, Tuesday April 24, 2018 at 6:15pm
WHERE:  Rockynol, 1150 W. Market St., Akron Ohio in the new Stonebridge Grill Room
This meeting is open to the public. It is a buffet dinner that costs $10.
Zack Milkovich, the Ward 10 Councilman, invited me to speak at his Kiwanis group in West Akron.
I LOVE these opportunities to share the story of Second Chance Village.
There is so much misunderstanding of the homeless population.

• Lazy
• Drunk
• Addicts
• Won’t work
• Dangerous

We’ve learned to stop stereotyping people like African Americans and Latinos. But it’s still very socially acceptable to stereotype the homeless. And, of course, stereotypes are never based in reality. They are based in fear and ignorance.
So, trying to change the perception of the homeless is something I love trying to do.
But then the next layer of conversation gets really interesting:

• Why are people “choosing” to live in tents?
• And are tents the best we can do for Americans?

This is an onion where we have to spend time pulling layer after layer away to see what is really going on with this population.
This is interesting because of where America is financially. The stock market is at an all time high:

And unemployment is at a record low:

Yet Americans are still living in tents.
And then of course there is this:
Trump Budget Would Slash HUD Funds by $8.8 Billion, Ask Assistance Recipients to ‘Shoulder’ More Housing Costs

President Donald Trump’s recently released Fiscal Year 2019 Budget proposal included major cuts to the Department of Housing. The budget would slash department funding by about $8.8 billion, or 18 percent of 2017’s enacted levels.

This will absolutely, 100% without a doubt, increase the homeless population. So these refugee-style camps are going to be more of a thing.
My point is: This population is not going away. In fact, when we have another recession and if there are cuts to HUD this population will increase.
So, we need to spend time and effort coming up with a plan. It’s not going away.
I’d LOVE for you to come to the meeting tonight.
Here is the write up from the Beacon Journal on the event: (see you tonight, hopefully)
Tent city pioneer headlines Kiwanis Club event
Published: April 23, 2018 – 2:40 PM
Beacon Journal/Ohio.com
Tent city pioneer headlines Kiwanis
AKRON: Sage Lewis, homeless activist, auctioneer, marketer and unsuccessful mayoral candidate, will speak at the Kiwanis Club of West Akron 6:15 p.m. Tuesday at the new Stonebridge Grill Room at OhioLiving Rockynol, 1150 W. Market St.
At the $10 buffet, which is open to all, Lewis will talk about progress at his tent city for the homeless, Second Chance Village in Akron.
For additional information about the Kiwanis Club, please contact Mike Marks at westakronkiwanis@gmail.com or 330-475-9413.