[unf0rgiven6262]

I was watching CBS evening news tonight and they had a special about Whitney Elementary School in Las Vegas. Apparently 85% of the students are homeless. This really blew my mind and there's no reason for this to be happening. Whatever your position on homelessness, it really doesn't apply to children who have no choice in the matter.

The principal apparently has a charity to help the kids but they are now on summer break. I would like to find a way to help and I wanted to extend this to anyone else in the valley with any means to make a difference.

Homeless students find hope in their principal - CBS News

[Tiger Beer]

Something seems wrong with the journalist's stats....85% homeless kids?

Of course its bad if there is even 2% homeless. But when a journalist blatantly tries some kind of 'shock tactics' and greatly overexaggerates numbers, than the story loses credibility.

I'm not sure if this is a social problem or a journalist problem. With that other Vegas/Detroit story, which again is just horribly unresearched journalists connecting very very loose straws.

I'm questioning more the credibility of the news sources in general, and the direction of journalism and research in the Valley. There aren't any more editors anymore? No more fact checking?

I also found it strange the journalist reported some gambler who regularly gives $2,000 of his earnings to the kids in this school. I'd like to have that one verified as well. Makes it even more un-credible. Did I just read 'the Onion'?

[las vegas drunk]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Something seems wrong with the journalist's stats....85% homeless kids?

Of course its bad if there is even 2% homeless. But when a journalist blatantly tries some kind of 'shock tactics' and greatly overexaggerates numbers, than the story loses credibility.

I'm not sure if this is a social problem or a journalist problem. With that other Vegas/Detroit story, which again is just horribly unresearched journalists connecting very very loose straws.

I'm questioning more the credibility of the news sources in general, and the direction of journalism and research in the Valley. There aren't any more editors anymore? No more fact checking?

I also found it strange the journalist reported some gambler who regularly gives $2,000 of his earnings to the kids in this school. I'd like to have that one verified as well. Makes it even more un-credible. Did I just read 'the Onion'?

Reread the article...

"Like most of her classmates, Charlee lives in one of the many rundown crime-ridden motels in the shadow of the Vegas strip."

They consider the children homeless if they are living in motels. I personally live in a weekly/monthly motel for the last 9 months. I guess I am homeless too...NOT. You are correct, this is scare tactics. I consider homeless to be on the streets or at the very least in a vehicle.

[unf0rgiven6262]

Originally Posted by las vegas drunk

Reread the article...

"Like most of her classmates, Charlee lives in one of the many rundown crime-ridden motels in the shadow of the Vegas strip."

They consider the children homeless if they are living in motels. I personally live in a weekly/monthly motel for the last 9 months. I guess I am homeless too...NOT. You are correct, this is scare tactics. I consider homeless to be on the streets or at the very least in a vehicle.

While I agree that being on the street is considerably worse than being in a motel, how exactly is it scare tactics? What I mean is, the story itself wasn't ragging on how terrible Vegas is. Quite the contrary, it was documenting how the principal and many others have quite a bit of compassion during a time when many people are financially hurting quite badly.

While one could easily perceive it as slander against the city, I found it to be quite the opposite. A glimmer of hope that people still care about each other and a subject that shouldn't be ignored. There's zero reason any American child should be eating ketchup packets for any meal when we're shelling out billions of dollars in foreign aid.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by unf0rgiven6262

While I agree that being on the street is considerably worse than being in a motel, how exactly is it scare tactics? What I mean is, the story itself wasn't ragging on how terrible Vegas is. Quite the contrary, it was documenting how the principal and many others have quite a bit of compassion during a time when many people are financially hurting quite badly.

While one could easily perceive it as slander against the city, I found it to be quite the opposite. A glimmer of hope that people still care about each other and a subject that shouldn't be ignored. There's zero reason any American child should be eating ketchup packets for any meal when we're shelling out billions of dollars in foreign aid.

I think its the journalism behind it. If something like even 5% of kids were homeless, it is considered a serious, serious problem. People would be greatly concerned, and rightfully so.

But those numbers look weird. For example, let's look at an issue like employment. If unemployment reaches 20%, you have a serious serious problem on your hands. If unemployment hit 85%, than you gotta question the numbers. Is that even possible?

So how does this particular journalist do his homework and find 85% of kids are homeless in this school. The numbers just seem too fantastic.

Not saying that homeless kids of even a small number isn't a tragedy. But, just hate to see very sensationalistic exaggerated journalism become common practice in major news sources like that.

[dynimagelv]

this happened because the majority of the schools....discouraged kids without a permanant home address from enrolling...because it might offend the GOOD parents....

Whitney [which happens to be in close proximity to several of the homeless camps] welcomed them with open arms.

This has been reported on several occassions

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by dynimagelv

this happened because the majority of the schools....discouraged kids without a permanant home address from enrolling...because it might offend the GOOD parents....

Whitney [which happens to be in close proximity to several of the homeless camps] welcomed them with open arms.

This has been reported on several occassions

Ah, okay...something like that would make sense. Rejected from every other school in the area, and than the one takes them in.

Something like that would have some logic to it. Is the school greatly overcrowded than? Are the regulars able to change schools to another one....to lose kids who have schools?

Still seems too high...but that could account for some of it.

[dynimagelv]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Ah, okay...something like that would make sense. Rejected from every other school in the area, and than the one takes them in.

Something like that would have some logic to it. Is the school greatly overcrowded than? Are the regulars able to change schools to another one....to lose kids who have schools?

Still seems too high...but that could account for some of it.

I really can't tell ya a lot about that since I am officially childless and have been for awhile....but I remember this story from several months back.

[Danknee]

I searched and found a story from June 2008(click), looks like the staff at this school are great and were taking extraordinary measure to accommodate the low income and homeless kids back then too, which is the vast majority of these kids. It appears the nearby available housing, low-income multiple family dwellings and cheap motels, partly explains the high concentration of needy kids there.

[dynimagelv]

that may even be the one I read...24 months qualifies as "SEVERAL" lol