As the National Governor's Association Task Force on the Homeless tells us, "in the . . . last few years, homelessness in the U.S. has taken on crisis proportions." After a trip to Philadelphia, rural Greene County PA, or our nation's capital, most all would agree on this without having to read the report. Alarmingly, the fastest growing segment of the homeless is that of families with children. The old image of the single, alcoholic male no longer applies. In some areas in fact, the majority of the homeless are children.

It is a national crisis that a generation of children are being brought up under conditions that deprive them of reaching their potential. I was appalled to find there are entire families living in old abandoned schoolbuses in Greene County. Both in rural and urban areas, the problem will continue to spread quickly if we ignore it. Both an immediate response to this emergency and a long-term commitment to end homelessness should be made by us, as citizens, and by the incoming administration. Things we can do include: 1) Get informed, 2) Work with and support local groups (i.e. Habitat for Humanity, Centre House in State College) 3) Volunteer at shelters back home over breaks or holidays, 4) Contact your senators and representative to Congress and let them know your thoughts.

Right now the federal government's response to the growing crisis of homelessness is, primarily, the McKinney Act. Named for the late Rep. Stewart McKinney of Connecticut, this legislation has been used to authorize funding for emergency shelter, food aid, primary health care, mental health services, and job training. In the last Congress the McKinney Act authorized $634 million for the homeless in Fiscal year '89, however only $378 million was actually appropriated.

In the first presidential debate, our Soon-to-be President Bush said, "The government has a role. It is to fully fund the McKinney Act . . . I see the funding that is required, and I hope the Congress will fully fund this bill."

A few members of Congress have already taken him up on his word. On January 3, Rep. Bruce Vento from Minnesota introduced a House Joint Resolution (HJ 31) that would provide the additional $256 million needed to fully fund the McKinney Act. In order to see all of Pennsylvania's 23 representatives sign on to this one, popular support is needed. Readers are urged to call or write their representative in support of HJ 31. One cannot expect our new President to singlehandedly cure the ills of this nation without citizen action. We must educate ourselves and support the work we want to see accomplished. In the words of Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweider, "We're not passengers on Spaceship Earth, we're the crew. We're not residents on this planet, we're citizens. The difference in both cases is responsibility."