The Local Puppy Trainer reports on the annual homeless survey, and it is up 22%. The report says that the majority of homeless have jobs, and 55% of the group are women.

The problem is perception. The visible homeless are either men looking for work, or the small group of that cause trouble.

You can’t afford to rent anything down here with a minimum wage job. The deposits are a huge barrier, and if you have ever been evicted after losing a job, you choices are even more restricted. Most of the homeless shelters won’t accept you into their programs if you are female, sober, or employed, and there is almost no low-cost housing available. Many of those who qualified for the BP fund checks couldn’t get them because they didn’t have a mailing address. Most of the government programs are the same way.

There is only one program in the county that provides the employed homeless a place to stay and helps them budget and save to amass the money for deposits, to transition into the housing market. It has a dozen slots, which isn’t much help for the over a thousand people who qualify.

The Miami Herald reports that there are No applicants for state’s top education post

With a national reputation as a leader in education reform, and more aggressive changes on the way, Florida should be an easy sell for those seeking a new education commissioner.

But with less than three weeks until the deadline, the position hasn’t generated much attention.

In fact, no one has yet applied.

“We’ve definitely not received any inquiries and the firm has not alerted us to any,” education department spokesman Tom Butler said of the effort to fill the spot being vacated by Eric J. Smith in mid-June.

Actually, after the current legislative session, Florida is becoming known for slicing and dicing education funding, while imposing mandates from Tallahassee. The current education commissioner is unlikely to provide a “glowing report” about the working conditions under the new regime, so I think this will end up with someone’s brother-in-law’s cousin’s nephew on his mother’s side. Someone who cleans up respectable and knows how to agree with the “powers that be”.

The Florida educational system is in the mad rush to the bottom, trying to outdo all of the other states that elected Tea Party whackoes in 2010.

The National Association of Letter Carriers’ annual food drive, Stamp Out Hunger, takes place in most areas this Saturday, May 14^th. This is a major source for the nation’s food pantries who are having a hard time keeping up with demand.

Fill a bag with non-perishables and leave it by your mail box if you can. If you don’t have a mail box, most post offices will have a collection point.

While the USPS provides some support, this effort is driven by the carriers themselves.