I live on the Jersey shore in what is apparently one of the wealthyist areas in the country. But, there is a neighborhood not ten miles from where I comfortably live in a 2 story home that has conditions as bad as a third world country. Malnutrician and hunger are the least of the problems here. There is no public water or sewer so the waste gets pumped into broken septic tanks then into the ground where the water comes from contaminated wells that are so dirty the drinking is opaque. One bedroom houses have as many as ten people living in them in complete squalor, a hotbed for disease and infection to spread. Drug usage and gang activity are the norm because it is the only way these kids can see to make some money. Shootings are a regular occurance. How is possible that people who make millions of dollars live mere miles from this neighborhood and nothing is done about it? Nothing is even said. I looked up the name of the commmunity in the local newspaper archives and there's nothing, not even a mention of the community. My father sits on the board of a low income housing group that is attempting to fix some of the problems in existing houses and put up new ones, but the state will not let them go ahead because of an endangered snake in the area. Although I am all for the enviroment, human life should be more sacred than the snake. The local officials would like to help but they are in the midst of an election and unfortunatly the people who need the help are not the largest group of voters, so the politicians simply pretend it isn't happening. We don't want to go to the press because if we do the politicians may feel attacked and will be even more reluctant to help. Right now, I am at a loss for how to help. I need to do something, but it seems that the efforts to help are at a stalemate. So, I am calling on you my fellow YN'ers to help me. Please give me some ideas or something to work with to help these people.

The best thing you can do is to help people help themselves. Handouts won't work. Housing projects will work for a while, until they fall into disrepair. What these people need is a leg up so they can get good jobs and support themselves. Temporary fixes are just that: temporary. Permanent solutions come when people help themselves.