Ira Birkenfeld works with homeless people in Reno, Nevada. At last week’s 29th Convention of the Communist Party USA, Birkenfeld spoke passionately about their survival struggles. In the short video below he describes his work and outlines the severe crisis of everyday living the that the homeless face.

As the economic crisis continues to throw thousands into the streets, it seems that some major “relief” efforts are aimed at hiding the homeless from the world. Many of the homeless are people who continue to work but have lost their homes or apartments. Ira and many other homeless advocates believe that it’s time to unite and mobilize a national network of the unemployed and the homeless to fight for jobs and decent housing for all.