‘60 Minutes’: What did you think of homeless report?
Scott Pelley delivered another first-rate report about the Central Florida homeless crisis on '60 Minutes.' Photo credit: CBS News
With Tim Tebow as an opening act, CBS tonight reminded the nation about the homeless of Central Florida.
The Denver Broncos-San Diego Chargers game pushed the start of “60 Minutes” to 7:55 p.m., nearly an hour late. Tebow, the Florida Gators legend, led the Broncos to victory in overtime. It was thrilling.
Then it was time for a bracing look at the homeless problem in our region. Scott Pelley first highlighted the problem in a much-discussed March report for the CBS newsmagazine. Pelley, the anchor of the “CBS Evening News,” was back tonight with a report on Central Florida children living in their vehicles.
Children talked about the challenges and dangers of living in vehicles. Of all the homeless families in Central Florida, two-thirds are living on the streets, Pelley reported. Another shocking fact: Of all the families without shelter in this country, one-third are in Florida, Pelley told viewers.
The report focused on the Metzger family. Arielle, 15, and Austin, 13, live in a truck with their dad, Tom, an unemployed carpenter. The children have learned to improvise, and they see their situation as an adventure. They study hard, and they participate in community theater.
The children acknowledged that they had to grow up quickly, and Arielle warned that children need to appreciate what they have, because it could be gone very quickly.
Arielle dismissed the notion that she’d be embarrassed about people learning that her family lives in a vehicle. “It’s not really that much an embarrassment. I mean, it’s only life,” Arielle said. “You do what you need to do, right?”
It was another poignant report from “60 Minutes.” Pelley has been tireless in bringing attention to the problems that families face in the Great Recession.
What did you think about tonight’s report?
If you want to help, I’ve listed links in this post.