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# Connect the Dots

Don't get rid of the homeless, get rid of homelessness!

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://connectthedots.cc/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Articles](https://connectthedots.cc/articles/)
- [The Help Exists. The Challenge Is Connecting People to It.](https://connectthedots.cc/the-help-exists-the-challenge-is-connecting-people-to-it/) - Why I volunteered with ShelterApp and why I hope you will consider helping, too. One of the most frustrating realities of homelessness is that help often exists, but the people who need it cannot always find it. A shelter may have an available bed. A food pantry may be serving meals nearby. A nonprofit may offer transportation, mental health care, clothing, job assistance, or help replacing identification. But that information is often scattered across outdated directories, websites, flyers, and phone numbers that lead nowhere. For someone experiencing homelessness, finding help can become a full-time job. That is why I was excited to discover ShelterApp.
- [What If We Knew Every Homeless Person by Name?](https://connectthedots.cc/what-if-we-knew-every-homeless-person-by-name/) - Following my last post on focusing on one person at a time, one idea stands out. It isn't another shelter. It's knowing exactly who needs help—and what is preventing each person from getting housed. Imagine asking the mayor of a city a simple question: "Who is homeless in your city tonight?"
- [Stop Trying to Solve Homelessness—Start Helping One Person at a Time](https://connectthedots.cc/what-if-we-stopped-trying-to-solve-homelessness-and-started-helping-one-person-at-a-time/) - It's been far too long since I posted. Wanted to reframe my original concept to help those experiencing homelessness. On any given night, more than half a million people in the United States experience homelessness. It's a number so large that it's difficult to comprehend. Imagine every resident of an entire state like Wyoming suddenly without a place to call home. When we hear statistics like these, it's easy to feel powerless. We wonder, How could one person possibly make a difference? Maybe that's the wrong question. What if the better question is, "Who can I help?"
- [Just Be Honest...](https://connectthedots.cc/just-be-honest/) - I have been a huge fan of Brian Goldstone's book "There Is No Place For Us" since it was released last year. It's been universally praised (rightfully so) and made it on numerous Top 10 lists for 2025. Then there is the back-handed compliment the City Journal gave it in a review last week.
- [An Important Book](https://connectthedots.cc/an-important-book/) - Over the past two and a half years, I have read dozens of books on the issue of homelessness. I'm not sure I learned anything new, not that the books were bad, but they were more suited for those who haven't delved as deeply as I have into the issues of homelessness. That changed with my latest read. There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America by Brian Goldstone is the most important book I've read about homelessness, for several reasons.
- [Technologies Helping to End Homelessness](https://connectthedots.cc/technologies-helping-to-end-homelessness/) - When I evangelize about careers, one of the mantras I have been using recently is, "New Year - New Job - New Life." If only it was that simple for the 800,000+ individuals experiencing homelessness in the U.S. We'll have a better idea on the number after the Point-in-Time count (PIT) that will take place in communities across the country over the next couple of weeks. Most people are surprised when I tell them that around half the homeless population actually have a job. So much for just telling someone to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps." No, someone who is homeless doesn't simply just need to find a job.
- [Here's Your Proof](https://connectthedots.cc/heres-your-proof/) - Earlier this year I wrote about how we need to focus on specific individuals and get them whatever they need to help get them off the street and stay housed. It's too overwhelming if you obsess about all the 650,000+ people who are experiencing homelessness in the U.S.. On Thanksgiving I read this article about a man, Patrick Fealey, who has been experiencing homelessness for years.
- [The Blame Game](https://connectthedots.cc/blamegame/) - As I get ready to move to Denver, I wanted to give an update on my initiative. I’ve learned a lot. I learned that a lot of people are set in their ways, and no I am NOT talking about those experiencing homelessness. Some individuals believe people are homeless because they choose to be or because they made bad decisions (drugs or alcohol). The amount of patience I’ve exhibited when dealing with these idiots should have resulted in some award.
- [Why My Plan Is So Important](https://connectthedots.cc/why-my-plan-is-so-important/) - A couple recent articles crystallize why my plan is so important to help the homeless. The first one is something you see and hear almost daily, the Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) crowd. However this time it became absurd. A local non-profit teamed with with City of Tulsa to use a former nursing home as a shelter for between 50 and 75 households who are on a waiting list for permanent housing.
- [Literally Connecting the Dots](https://connectthedots.cc/literally-connecting-the-dots/) - There are reasons you see and hear about the need to build more housing for those experiencing homelessness, it’s easier to provide services to a group of people in the same location, hence the idea of transitional housing. We need to do more Scattered Housing. To do that we need to cover transportation needs. There’s a challenge though in having people spread all over town. It’s a problem, but one that has a simple answer; provide the transportation. It’s literally that simple….and it isn’t. Let me explain.
- [We Do This For Dogs - Why Not Cindy?](https://connectthedots.cc/we-do-this-with-dogs-why-not-cindy/) - If you've spent even 10 minutes with me you know what a huge dog person I am. Friends, family members, former coworkers and even clients know the story of my beloved Baxter who I said goodbye to last March after 16 years. So it stands to reason I would be on top of dog rescues, right? Of course....but it got me thinking. Why isn't there the same thing for people?
- [The Homeless Aren't Cool Enough](https://connectthedots.cc/the-homeless-arent-cool/) - This has to be the case right? How else do you explain the lack of help for people in their own backyard, yet so many are quick to help someone 10,000 miles away? Yeah, this post is snarky, but for a good reason. To make a point.
- [Poverty Porn](https://connectthedots.cc/poverty-porn/) - "Poverty porn"...I had never heard that term until earlier this month. A social worker mentioned the term when I was talking to them about highlighting specific individuals experiencing homelessness and how a people could help them. Later that day I looked up the meaning of that phrase. Here is Cy Alcala's definition from an Medium article a couple years ago... Poverty porn is a concept used to refer to sensational media content, typically using a voyeuristic, schadenfreude-style viewpoint when portraying poverty to generate controversy and traffic and it is exploited by filmmakers, advertisers, and others for profit.
- [My Superpower & My Crappy Tuesday](https://connectthedots.cc/my-superpower-and-my-crappy-tuesday/) - In my career as a salesperson, I had a motto that went like this: "I don't sell anything, "I figure $*&% out." What I meant by that is I don't have all the answers, but I will go get whatever is needed. I was tenacious, persistent, and creative. That’s a hell of a combination. I call it my superpower.
- [What is a Refugee?](https://connectthedots.cc/what-is-a-refugee/) - Over the past two years, Americans from every part of the country have responded enthusiastically to the call to welcome Afghan families, Ukrainians displaced by war, and others fleeing persecution.
- [Performative Helping](https://connectthedots.cc/performative-helping/) - For a long time, I have wondered about individuals and organizations doing things for their particular causes. Did they really do it to help, or was it more driven to make them feel better about themselves?
- [Evictions](https://connectthedots.cc/evictions/) - It's an ugly word. Eviction is a brutal process for anyone who has had to suffer it. In one fell swoop, a tenant, who by definition, doesn’t own their place of residence, has everything ripped out from underneath of them. They come home to a locked door, usually losing their belongings in the process.
- [Housing First](https://connectthedots.cc/housing-first/) - No two people experience homelessness the same way. Some have a mental health diagnosis; some do not. Some are living with addiction, others are not. Some spend each night in a shelter, while others sleep in doorways, cars, or encampments.
- [Do More the Sequel](https://connectthedots.cc/do-more-the-sequel/) - Most people have a cause they are passionate about. They want to get involved. They want to do more. I found my cause twenty-eight years ago. I saw this great Dennis Miller monologue that changed my perspective and started me on the path to my goal.
- [The Reason Homeless Don't Get Help](https://connectthedots.cc/the-reason-homeless-dont-get-help/) - Every time there's a disaster somewhere in the world, the U.S. jumps into action to help. Whether it's refugees in Ukraine or the heartbreaking devastation out of Turkey and Syria with last week's earthquake, our military and private sectors join forces to help alleviate the suffering.
- [1,000 True Fans](https://connectthedots.cc/1000-true-fans/) - I attended a virtual public meeting today on "Housing and Homelessness in Oklahoma," where they discussed how to use Federal funds for local initiatives. A couple of things irritated the hell out of me…as often happens.
- [Super Important Article](https://connectthedots.cc/super-important-article/) - The New York Times just ran this long article about the annual PointinTime (PIT) count for the homeless. Besides covering this annual activity from four different cities, it also dives into the challenges and roadblocks encountered by everyone trying to end homelessness.
- [Tiny Changes = Huge Impact](https://connectthedots.cc/tiny-changes-huge-impact/) - Atomic Habits is one of the best books I have ever read. The gist of it is how tiny changes in your habits can have a huge impact in your life. It's true in almost all aspects of life...including whether or not someone suddenly finds themselves booted out of their home or apartment.
- [Not in My Backyard](https://connectthedots.cc/not-in-my-backyard/) - "Not in My Backyard" is one of the common roadblocks to helping the homeless. NIMBY, an acronym for "Not In My Backyard," describes the phenomenon in which residents of a neighborhood designate a new development (e.g. shelter, affordable housing, group home) or change in occupancy of an existing development as inappropriate or unwanted for their local area.
- [Permanent Supportive Housing](https://connectthedots.cc/permanent-supportive-housing/) - Someone who is experiencing a crisis needs the basic human right of a roof over their head, THEN you can address the challenges they are facing that is a roadblock to their return to normalcy and a productive life.
- [It's About The Homes](https://connectthedots.cc/its-about-the-homes/) - Turning the tide on homelessness starts with correctly diagnosing it. It's not drugs or mental illness that is driving homelessness. It's also not a "choice."
- [Myths about Homelessness](https://connectthedots.cc/myths-about-homelessness/) - Myths about homelessness are universal. It doesn't matter what country you are from, homelessness exists and a lot of people don't understand that true nature of those affected. Here are some examples of what people think in different countries...

## Pages

- [Home](https://connectthedots.cc/) - My vision is to bring communities together to help homeless individuals with permanent and replicable solutions by crowd-sourcing the best ideas and practices.
- [Submit an Idea](https://connectthedots.cc/submit-your-idea/) - Submit an Idea As I mentioned in “What’s My Goal”, I don’t have all the answers. I actually have very few answers, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist! There are individuals, groups and organizations across the country and even overseas who are doing wonderful things to help those experiencing homelessness.I want to catalog and
- [The Goal](https://connectthedots.cc/the-goal/) - The Goal The Goal On any given night there are between 500,000 and 600,000 people experiencing homelessness in the United States. That’s about the population of Wyoming! In Tulsa, where I live, there were 1,063 homeless individuals counted in the 2022 Point-In-Time (PIT) Count. The 2023 count was finished in late January and the number

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