New Fund-Raising Place

If you have not noticed a new link or new channel to contribute to our mission is on the donation tab of our home page. paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/2036616 We have earned a spot with PayPal to get funds via the PayPal Gift Giving Fund. For those of you who give every month and use our regular PayPal channel there is no need to change. But be sure the gift is directed to HPLA Charities. It is important to keep each of you updated on what we are doing with the donations we get. Our mission has been to give home repair to low-income homeowners to keep folks in their homes. We have been extremely successful in helping many elderly or physically challenged individuals stay in their homes and not go to nursing homes. Our government has made great strides in helping folks stay in their homes too by providing in home care by professionals or payments to relatives willing to take on the task of caring for a loved one in their own house. If you ever talk to someone who is terminally ill the one thing we always hear is, “I want to go home”. If you have not had anyone close to you in a health care facility and experienced that process you need to go see anyone who has no family and visit them. Maybe you can volunteer to read to a group or use your crafts skills to show how these folks can stay active and hopeful doing what you do. Knitting, singing, assembling puzzles, etc. I would dare say not one of them would not rather be home then there. So, keeping folks in their home is a benefit for everybody. Most importantly it is an advantage to the homeowner. It provides a safe place and relieves stress.

In our post we try to stay positive and encourage folks to share the wealth directly to those who are hurting or via trustworthy organizations who don’t absorb most of the donations to pay for overhead. In our eighth year HPLA has never had a paid staff. We do all we do with volunteer help and the monies we get goes directly to help our clients. Worst case we have bought drinks and snacks for our volunteers while they are working for us. This statement is made proudly because while many great organizations keep pets alive that have been abandoned or abused, they spend a tremendous amount of donations paying for air-conditioned building with first class accommodations for the managers and healthy payrolls. In all our years we have worked out of donated vehicles and use gifted tools. Donations are used to buy materials and supplies for the projects that we take on. Recently we bought over $200.00 for wood siding and for replacing wood rot for a couple who were cited by the county. The man is invalid and while the women is a nurse it takes all their income to pay for his care. With all the mandates given to keep a home operational sometimes it is the structure and the nuts and bolts of the home that goes without maintenance.

With the excessive heat we have had, cost of utilities has increased as well as the cost of all goods and services. To that point we have paid some utilities, bought groceries, replaced a hot water heater and did yard work. Recently we have tried to expand our service area to include another county. We now serve Wyandotte County & Sedgwick County in Kansas. Although we still try to help on the Missouri side of the Kansas City Metro the greatest good is done in Kansas. As an aside we have pointed out over the course of many success stories that it is the folks that have the least that proportionately give the most. If every multi-millionaire would sacrifice the cost of one adult beverage per week and send it to us, we stop every leak in everyone’s homes in both counties for years. That being said the cost of water is not only going through the roof, but it is getting scarce in Kansas as well as other parts of the country. In fact, on average a faucet dripping 10 drops a minute will waste a gallon of water a day. 120 drips will waste up to 11 gallons a day. Take that across 100 homes and it is easy to see how our services can help not only help our clients, but our communities’ resources. You make the difference and little issues like these is what we as charities, working in the trenches, bring to the table. Savings of money and resources. Each of you that are reading this post can honestly say you are struggling yourself, but the old adage of “I desperately needed shoes until I met a man with no feet”.

American’s salary is the second highest in the world only slightly less than Luxembourg where the average salary is approximately $78,000.00 per year. At the other end of the ranking is Mexico with annual average salaries of $16,685.00. You now know why any struggling family from Mexico would risk coming to America to work. Data suggests that even the illegals give a positive income to outgo while they are here. So, do we service “Dreamers” who are here illegally and have been for years? We don’t ask. Income status and homeownership is all we need to approve them. If the family falls below the poverty level established by The US department of Health & Human Services and own their home, they qualify for all the services we can offer. In our part of the world, we are the closest country to give Mexicans a better future. We are glad the US can give them sanctuary as the law allows. We are glad to help the families who sponsor these folks. Tax deductions for donations to charities may one day go away, but for now your donation will reduce your tax burden and save resources. Our wish is for all who live in this world to have their basic needs met and anyone living on the street is there because they want to be. At some point I hope HPLA will do more and go further out into the world, but for now we will do all we can for Kansas.

The most important election in recent history is here and now in 2024

Voting –What’s in it for me?

As the election of new representatives for every part of the country draws closer to its final day the question in my mind is why do I care? Better yet, why should I care? An old joke was I only listen to my favorite radio station WIFM. The acronym stands for what’s in it for me. Well, what is in it for me? What is the most often used response for this question?

It your duty!

With the 2024 election just weeks away it is important to know the answer. The 2020 election had 155 million votes forever changing the course of our nation. The 2024 election, however, may have the greatest impact of any election in our 248 year history. It will once again decide Americans way of life.  It may be the future of health care, immigration reform, economic policy, women’s’ health, social programs, foreign aid or global warming. Social programs are a big factor to be considered, no doubt.

For the sake of argument there will be two sides to these topics. One considered the conservative view and the other the liberal view. The idea that there is a third view is not seen very well if indeed there is another view, but the moderates and independents are to be respected among either side.

In the House of Representatives, there are 220 Republicans (plus 2 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico), 212 Democrats (plus 3 Delegates), and 3 vacant seats. The Senate has 49 Republicans, 47 Democrats, and 4 Independents, who all caucus with the Democrats. Additionally,

• The average age of Members of the House at the beginning of the 118th Congress was 57.9 years; of Senators, 64.0 years.

• The overwhelming majority, 96%, of Members of Congress have a college education.

• The dominant professions of Members are public service/politics, business, and law.

• Most Members identify as Christians, and the collective majority of these affiliate with a Protestant denomination. Roman Catholics account for the largest single religious denomination, and numerous other affiliations are represented, including Jewish, Latter-day Saints, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Greek and Russian Orthodox, Pentecostal Christian, Unitarian Universalist, and Adventist.

• The average length of service for Representatives at the beginning of the 118th Congress was 8.5 years (4.3 House terms); for Senators, 11.2 years (1.9 Senate terms).

• One hundred fifty-four women serve in the 118th Congress: 129 in the House, including 3 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner, and 25 in the Senate.

• There are 59 African American Members of the House and 4 in the Senate. This House number includes 2 Delegates.

• There are 62 Hispanic or Latino Members serving: 56 in the House, including 2 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner, and 6 in the Senate.

• There are 22 Members (17 Representatives, 3 Delegates, and 2 Senators) who are Asian Americans or Pacific Islander Americans.

• Five Native Americans (American Indians or Alaska Natives) serve in the 118th Congress (4 in the House, 1 in the Senate)

Then there are the local offices which hit real close to home and which great care should be taken to choose. Anyone who is registered and allowed to vote should know whom to vote for and where to cast your vote. It is your duty, but let’s be honest; it’s about what is in it for you. Wichita, Kansas became one of the first municipalities in the United States to adopt a commission-manager form of government. Currently there are six commissioners that serve four year terms and one Mayor (at-large).

 It is understood that taxes, fees, fines etc. finance the City of Wichita and all the departments necessary to serve the population. It is the leadership that approves the expenses and oversees the revenue. Wichita, Kansas is in Sedgwick County which has its own revenue stream and expenses. So to the question, what’s in it for me, the biggest concern is how much to support  all these city and county services going to cost  me/you?  There is where voting becomes vital to us. I want to elect leaders who represent my interest, leaders that will make laws for my better welfare. So to that point there is a huge divide.Where can we agree to spend the money that will help me and you? The bare minimum of services is not enough, but what else do we need that the largest percentage of the population will agree. I look at a theory drafted by a fellow named Abraham Maslow, who breaks down the general populations needs anywhere in the world.  In a 1943 paper he wrote titled “A Theory of Human Motivation” and published in the “Journal of Psychological Review” {50(4),370-96} Abraham Maslow extended an idea to include his observation of humans’ innate curiosity.  It was later put into a pyramid or triangle with the base entitled physiological needs and seven other layers to suggest a person’s goals or desires. Best described as a hierarchy of needs and broken into a dichotomy of, individualized and the prioritization, of needs. The very basic of all needs in Maslow’s theory was named physiological and followed by safety at level two. The thought being that one could not reach the next level without having every need fulfilled in the first. So, to reach level three an individual would have to have physiological security and feel totally safe. The third level being “belonging and love”. For now I will stay with the thought of level one to three.

What is being physiologically secure? For a body to survive one needs air, food, water, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc. Physiological needs. Second and just as important is Safety. One might start with protection from the elements, security, order, law, stability and the freedom from fear. Other areas might include employment, healthcare. The third level of the triangle is Love and belonging. Included are the need for friendship, intimacy, family and a sense of connection.

Without any help from anyone the story of the caveman might come to mind, but I dare say no one would want to go back to living the way, as it is theorized, the way those folks lived. Bringing us further into our reality I would not like to live like those who left the eastern part of the country to go west. The rewards were great for some, but disastrous for most. (I recently visited the Sierra Nevada Mountains and read the story of the Donner Party. To survive they resorted to cannibalism, but ultimately all died. They could not maintain the basic level of physiological needs). The elements were too hard to overcome.

Let’s look at life of your grandparents or great grandparents who most likely relied on an Agrarian lifestyle of living. That is a life of living off the land. Laws helped them acquire a piece of property and have full control of buying and selling anything they wanted. They sustained their physiological needs by hard work and a little help from some Politician who wrote a law that assured their self-sufficiency with laws to keep their cattle from being stolen or from claim jumpers steeling their land. These Politicians were their friends, neighbors, family etc. They had a single purpose in mind and that was freedom and the ability to survive any legal way.  As folks did things that were questionable these elected officials created laws against what was not right for the community. In time establishing a law enforcement department to be sure the laws were followed and hardworking, honest people safe. This is not a history lesson, but instead a reminder that our elected officials are no longer friends or family of the majority and may not have our best interest at heart, but instead motivated by their own goals to reach the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy using you as their stepping stone.  The morals and mores have changed dramatically and the standards are all over the board. In order to bring this all to some sort of order a base line has to be reestablished to meet today’s way of thinking.

1. Every basic physiological need must be covered (Food, water, clean, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc. Currently we are on the verge of a drought and water rationing has started. Our elected officials decided that for the better welfare of the community and to insure everyone’s physiological needs are met, rationing was necessary. And penalties put in place to punish those who do not follow the law. This is a good group of politicians.
2. For safety a budget, is in place that assures the police and sheriff’s departments have adequate budgets to protect the public. There are approximately 6,000 law enforcement officers in Sedgwick County.  There is an argument that this number is not enough to maintain order. This is a good group of politicians trying to pass laws to help with our safety.

The list of physiological and safety needs required to keep us alive is long and very expensive to maintain. The cost of living continues to rise and cost of doing business is where it starts. This is where the road gets a little slippery and the hard decisions come into play. Where can we cut back to compensate for the increasing cost of services? What are we willing to lose or risk for keeping more of our hard-earned money for ourselves and it not go to supply the needs of the county? It is social programs, right? There in begins the rub and the disagreements. Which politician is going to follow your lead to create a budget that balances everyone’s basic needs fairly? How do you voice your ideas and your suggestions to those in power? You vote for the folks that are running for office that feel the same way you feel and are there to take your lead to the rest of your neighbors. You vote so that what you believe is fair and just and necessary is considered. Then it’s the majority rules, right? Who has the greatest opportunity to get to the voting booth, probably those that don’t care about you or your priorities. People that have much more than they need and are willing to sacrifice services that impact the lower classes instead of what affects them.  The only voice the lower classes may have, is the right to vote. Get to know who your representatives are and what they stand for and then VOTE! The cost of your survival may lay in your vote.

(We are fighting to help those in need and those who are hurting through no fault of their own).

Serving Kansas City and Wichita, Kansas We are:

www,hplacharities.org/donate

Be a light to the world

Jesus’ words are practical and concise, and their truth rings out clearly, even centuries later. He was truly a master wordsmith. In his references to the ten commandments his message was that the spirit of the law is broader than the letter of the law and that includes our thought towards others. When asked which was the greatest commandment he said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your mind.” “This is the first and greatest commandment.” “The second is like it, Love your neighbor as thy self.”

That is a tall order, but for the sake of conversation and looking at the political climate of today; if I have 12 neighbors it is very likely that close to half will not think like I do. Coming from where I come from the count will be even worse. Coming together and doing things we can agree on may be our saving grace today. Loving our neighbors, next door and on our streets is crucial.

HPLA is a charity dedicated to helping low-income homeowners with minor home repairs. Let that sink in a minute and ask the obvious question, why low-income homeowners? Answer: because you have to start somewhere, and you have to do something. Over the course of eight plus years in business one of the biggest tragedies I have found is folks having repair problems without any means or resources to fix them. There are hundreds of ideas to remedy that problem. What is yours? I had one idea and acted on it. You can act on yours, if you want. If you want to be a light in the world. Start with contributing to an idea for good. I founded HPLA. In doing Handyman work I found that fixing one toilet would save the cost of filling a hotel swimming pool with fresh water in a week. (Standard motel/hotel pool is 30,000 gallons approximately but varies). So, we started fixing leaky toilets for free because folks could not afford a plumber. That led to faucets, indoor and out, which led to bathroom remodels due to the damage of leaks etc. After replacing floors and walls and entire water systems (we just recently replaced a hot water heater) it was important we do more. Taking care of those expenses does not catch up the waste and the cost of the waste of water month after month. Soooo, HPLA started helping with water bills. (FYI-the water companies have little sympathy for you wasting water due to your systems failure.) Helping our neighbors has caused us to rewrite our mission statement and increase what we are able to do to help. We have done this with a half dozen faithful donors who send money every month and with those who have given large & small one-time donations. Our volunteers are unbelievable people. Out of every dollar donated HPLA takes nothing. All donations go to help our clients and as necessary to licensed professionals who work at a discount for us, but not for free. Oh, yes, we have had a special contractor or two help us at no charge. Roofers, plumbers, HVAC and electricians. But all our work is now to help our neighbors and not for profit. We have paid out over two thousand dollars for utility bills alone.

HPLA Charities has recently received an award from PayPal’s newly established “Giving Fund” with was used immediately to repair wood rot for an invalid man whose wife was working almost day and night to care for him. (Homes must be kept in good repair, or the county will ticket you as a homeowner and give so many days to clear the citation.) Their shed was in shambles as was wood rot and paint on the home. HPLA was able to pick up the material cost for this job & a man ‘Jorge’ with his son did the repairs over the course of a couple of weeks. In a second project HPLA bought the hot water heater and it was replaced by Pegasus Construction at no cost. WOW! That link to the PayPal “Giving Fund” site can be found on our donation page on our web site. https://habitacionesparalatinos.org/donate/

HPLA Charities aka Habitaciones Para Latinos Assocation is working on two fronts and including all cultures. Now in Wichita, Ks and in Kansas City, Kansas where it originated. We will do all we can to be a light to the community as our county, state and country try’s to be a light to the world. We must keep our non-profit organizations, like HPLA, strong as they are working hard to bring our country together by insuring no one loses their home or their dignity. Hopefully it will fix our division with each other. Please give. God Bless

Times are hard and folks are begging for help. Please know we want to help. HPLA Charities AKA www.habitacionsparalatios.org exists to help low income homeowners in need of home repair. But please don’t ask us to be sympathetic to your need when you display piercing at every part of your body imaginable or tattoos that embellish them or those that stand along. Society accepted, reluctantly, cigarettes or beer for young folks to be consumed in years past, however the bar has raised to a point where the cost of social norms for young adults has gotten ridiculous and society can not afford to support those people who indulge in such behavior and yet reach out for help due to financial pain.

As a 501c3 charity we have helped folks get a leg up and have see them go on and live an independent and self sufficient life style. The list is long of those who are giving back and working hard to survive in today’s, extra ordinary, and difficult time. For the new clients, these folks need to start with the basics and if they cannot define the basics than someone has to direct them to the hundreds of entities that are there to help educate them. I address this post to anyone of you reading it. You know several friends and family that come to you with hard luck stories and you wish you could do something to help. There is help!!!!!

I am not exaggerating in saying there are hundreds of organizations who help. HPLA Charities is here to help with minor home repair. But I am going to ask, what is it that you need? What is it your friends need help with? Rent, utilities, food, housing? At HPLA we want to do what ever is necessary for every family or individual to have their very basic philological needs met. I bore my readers with Maslow’s hierarchy. The pyramid of life begins at the bottom with attaining the very basic of needs. Food, shelter, clothing, safety. I see nothing in basic survival that suggest having piercing or tattoos. Those things are fore folks that have attained and earned the next level of the hierarchy.

If you are reading this I am preaching to the choir but please know you have to be the conduit that gets the word to these folks of which we speak. I recently spoke to a young man who got a girl pregnant. She is 8 months along and the girls Dad is trying to help the young man get work to support his daughter and the soon to be new family. If the Dad had known what was going to be than the thousands of dollars he spent on tattoos might have been diverted. But, since most folks are living pay check to pay check now there is no thought of the future, just today. So now they are crying on societies shoulder to pay for the prenatal care the medical expenses and the cost of feeding the new born. And some are asking society to pay for student loan debt. Really? Really?

As a liberal government tries to help the poor or a conservative government turns their back due to what they may think is stupidity and laziness of the populous, that fact remains, society is impacted. Pregnancy is going to raise its head. Testosterone is inbred. Is it OK to outlaw abortion while third world countries are allowed to have newborns die of starvation? There is no desire to get political here. Our concern is only to try to get support and resources to do what we can do in our own neighborhoods to insure that everyone of our neighbors has their basic philological needs met.

End of story, but please consider a contribution to www.hplacharites.org/donate so we can try to reach those in need and provide them the basic resources. Please take our mission on yourself. Or better yet lets work together to better each other. God Bless You!

At my age I tend to lean toward old friends and family. All those who you know that have never done you wrong. You can add the expression “those that never did wrong by you”. So what would cause someone to turn against you? I googled and got to Quora.com. I harvested some reasons I agree with. What is sad is someone has to admit they are wrong. But no one wants to admit to you that you are correct and they are wrong. They definitely will not admit to doing you wrong.

• One of may reasons folks do you wrong is due to their effort to gain power through bullying you. They are probably jealous of you or feel threatened by your competence.Their aggression is often perceived as confidence. In reality it is a masking of their insecurities. It is important to try and identify the root cause of the issue and address it in a constructive manner. If you are experiencing this kind of situation, it may be helpful to seek the advise of a trusted friend or professional. What are some ways to identify the to root cause of an issue? This is a complex process, but here are some steps that may help. 1) Identify the people who have turned against you and what their motivations might be. Are they someone you know well or a stranger? what is their relationship to you and why might they want to turn others against you? 2) Look for patterns in the behavior of the of the people who have turned against you. Are there commonalities in their actions such as timing, location, or triggers. Are they acting alone or is there a group involved? 3) Ask questions: Talk to the people who have turned against you and try to understand their perspective. Ask them why they are behaving the way they are and try to listen without getting defensive. 4) Reflect on your own behavior: take a step back and reflect on your own behavior. Is there anything you may have done to contribute to the situation? Are there any misunderstanding that need to be cleared up? 5) Seek outside perspectives: If you are having trouble identifying the root cause of the issue, seek the help of a trusted friend, family member, or professional. They may be able to offer a fresh prospective and help you identify the underlying problem. Remember identifying the root cause of an issue takes time and patience. Be open-minded and willing to listen to all perspectives. By doing so, you’ll increase your chances of resolving the issue in a constructive and positive manner.
• Another reason might be that person wants to drag you down to make themselves feel better. If you are living a good life or enjoying great success a person who does not like the way you do things may only be able to go forward by degrading you. They degrade you to themselves and to others to improve their own self-image. Friends sometimes stab you in the back because of their own insecurity, jealousy or to get back at you. I once had a friend who was a Don Juan (is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women). He was very successful and carried the physical features to shoulder the name and the load. It was exciting to me to divulge to one girl, who he had pledged his devotion to, to show evidence of just the opposite. A photo of him in bed with another women. What would cause me to do that? I wanted her for myself. But , to see another be deceitful and display dishonest behavior and try to get away with it is infuriating. It should not be tolerated. It is unfortunate that the trait of dishonesty and narcissism is being exulted in many circles today. Why would anyone aid and abet such behavior.

Is it human nature that we go through life getting back at people for what ever reason. Probably in retaliation but maybe due to bad information. I had a superior who, I felt, was going out of their way to expose my weakness. He became my enemy and I did all I could to network with others and find some thread to his meanness. I later discovered that he had been mandated to ostracize all employees of a certain age and replace them with talented young people who would work for less. Secondly the new hire would not receive as much compensation for hitting the same goals. I was written up for failure to produce desired results and fired. I am thrilled today to have heard that most of the entire management team of that era was fired with no severance pay. What goes around comes around.

But, let get back to who do you trust? We experience life changes, some we can control and others we can not. After losing my job I was faced with some big decisions. The good news was I was receiving full benefit from my social security Insurance as was my wife though I had continued working. I started a Handyman business and tried to use my experience as a craftsmen to help folks. In a windfall settlement on some legal issues I was able to relieve myself of all debt. I grew up working hard to earn enough money to do the things I wanted to do and with my children all on their own and moving toward the peak of Marlow’s Triangle I felt blessed and at the peak of the triangle myself. As I worked to help folks with projects around their homes I worked with many financially secured folks spending money to make life better or maintain their investment. Of course many to add features and benefits. What I also ran into was very poor low income homeowners that had serious issues trying to keep up their homes. Older folks that were in a low income bracket with a fixed income which was way less than the cost to live & much less than the cost to keep up their home. Their option was to sell and clear out of their home or live in constant debt and buy as much time as the utility company and the tax collector would allow. Secondly came the code enforcement folks that would fine you for not cleaning up your yard or mowing the weeds. In time they, the county, would do the work, charge an outrageous price and charge the fee to your property taxes. They offered no relief since most times the taxes were delinquent which disqualified the homeowner for help. To move out of their homes and into a care facility would soon rob the homeowner of all the property value and monthly income. Thus be forced to become a ward of the state and be cared for by our tax dollar.

As D&R Services found more calls from these folks it was decided that a charitable organization be established that could call on volunteers and ask for donations to exacerbate the help. In 2016 Habitaciones Para Latinos Association was founded to help the Latino Community. Many in that demographic were hurting the most. As word spread the most savvy of folks started calling. Those folks were not the Latinos as the Latino Culture, who tended to be more self-sufficient to the extent of suffering more than they should.

To minimize being labeled a racist the organization the charity soon became known as HPLA Charities. It was open to all cultures and the focus of the charities advertising was to attract more families of all cultures. The client base became filled with poor folks of all cultures. As Covid 19 reared its ugly head the needs to help low income homeowners became greater, the contributions less and the list of volunteers few. A friend suggested to the “Kansas City Star” newspaper that they should focus on what Latinos bring to the community and thus a staff of reporters and videographers came calling on HPLA. On December 28, 2022 a beautiful four to five page full front page headline, as well as a video interview that was published on-line brought, great attention to the cause. the www.hplacharities.org/donate webpage got lots of hits. One $10.00 a month autopsy is still active today. D&R Services continued working at a discount for these same folks and officers of the company agreed that 90% of all profits retained by D&R Services would go to HPLA Charities. Due to COVID and lack of paid work D&R Services was dissolved in 2022 after 22 years of service.

Today HPLA has helped hundreds of families and is currently paying some of those families who can help do work for the charity, a small wage. These folks are still upside down on income to outgo so paying a grocery bill or a utility bill, for them, is better than getting a check. There has been a great deal of trust developed with our clients. They are still suffering way more than they deserve but the cost of living keeps getting way ahead of their ability to catch it. They are hard working faithful people who just need a leg up. We are just a band-aid. In closing the few hundreds of dollars we get to help are far outnumbered by huge charities with paid grant writers and paid management. Our clients can’t even get a returned call from them.

HPLA has never paid a salary to anyone. All funds go to benefit our clients. So please trust us as your fiduciary to pay your donations forward to these grass roots families lost in the weeds of bureaucracy and red tape. www.hplacharites.org/donate