The Key...

As you are probably aware from the thoughts and feelings I have shared on this site, I am constantly thinking about ways to help all of us connect and form a powerful community. I believe that this is a necessary step in our evolution as well the fastest and simplest way to live in peace and harmony on this planet. The premise of the Hearts Of FIre Project is that poor people and people without homes have something important...

First Time Shelter Visit...

I am always searching for ways to convey my experience of being with homeless people. I want to convey my experience of being at a shelter, talking and just being with the great people I find there. I am not sure that people understand my experience when I tell them about it; I guess you kind of have to be there to get it. Kim, the author of the following article, visited a shelter for the first time and explains what...

Human Disconnection In St. Petersburg, FL...

Is this how human beings treat other human beings? Is this how we help homeless people? This video was filmed by Tina May, one of the people who was living under the bridge when this raid took place. St. Petersburg is not the only place where this type of activity is happening. The police are not to blame, and really, neither is anyone else. Blaming people does not work. whether they are homeless or whether they sit...

Who Are We?...

Here is a picture. Guess where it was taken? No, it is not it is the capital of an African country, or in India or Asia. It is a picture of a street in downtown Los Angeles. Yes, this is what THIS country looks like today. The guy with the cart is Andy Bales from the Union Rescue Mission and he is literally rescuing people who need water to survive. We don’t need to scour the world for people that need help. All...

Eleven-Year Old Boy Making A Difference...

11 year-old Zach Bonner finally made it to D.C. Thursday, climbing the steps of the U.S. Capitol and completing his walk from Tampa, Florida – a 1,225 mile trek – on behalf of homeless children. Zach’s Little Red Wagon campaign continues to raise money and awareness of homelessness and already has a new goal on the horizon, walking from Tampa to Los Angeles. “You don’t have to be all grown...

Can We Get Off The Merry-Go-Round?...

I have been reading and researching the state of the world. Mostly, I focus on the economic system. I have always been fascinated with how money works, like what is it really and why does it have such a hold on us. Since I was a child, I have been trying to understand it, but until very recently, I never really got it. I have always had an innate belief that something about the world doesn’t work for people. Usually,...

What We Are About...

The Hearts Of Fire Project empowers homeless people to connect with themselves and the community through art and music. Through this connection, stereotypical fears and negative attitudes are replaced with a new understanding of the humanity we all share. This understanding forms the basis for new conversations about shared solutions and how everyone benefits by the inclusion and integration of homeless people in our...

Homeless Artist Discovered...

One woman looked beyond one man’s mental illness to the artistic brilliance hidden inside. Now art patron Marcelle Danan spends her Mondays with William, helping this long-ignored painter bring his genius to life. This moving story mirrors that of the movie “The Soloist”, the film about a real-life journalist who discovers a brilliant, but schizophrenic musician, who lives on the streets of Los Angeles. Click...

Fire & Homelessness...

Fire On The Hills This may seem like an odd juxtaposition: fire and homelessness. But in Santa Barbara, the Jesusita Fire caused a link, at least in my mind. Thousands of people were evacuated and seriously contemplated what it would be like to lose their home. The fire forced many people to look at what it would mean to be homeless, what it would be like to lose most of your possessions. I am very interested in what...

Donna...

Mark Horvath Mark Horvath is at it again! Wow, check out this interview. Donna is a single mother of five children. She has been homeless for about a year, choosing to live in a tent by the river instead of staying in a shelter. Although she has encountered unthinkable dangers while living outside- vandalism, assault- she still prefers this over staying in a shelter. This may seem counter-intuitive to those who have never...