Little Boy Studying in Street Inspires Fundraising

This little photograph speaks volumes.

A photo of Daniel Cabrera has now been sent around the world..  The photograph was taken by Joyce Torrefranca on her cell phone.  She posted it on her Facebook page and it was shared thousands of times.

That sharing on Facebook led to a fundraising page.

Daniel is an inspiration.  This method of doing his homework by the light of a McDonald's on the street is most likely a routine that his mother started for him to do his homework. Being homeless is no reason not to do your work is the message being shared repeatedly.

There is also another side to this coin which say there is no reason for poverty.  And education is Daniel's way out.

All I have to say to everyone who thinks there is no reason for poverty:  Visit Skid Row in Los Angeles.

I've spent a lot of time on Skid Row lately visiting a friend.  He's educated with a four-year college degree.  He wants a job.  He's applied for jobs. He doesn't get the job.  And he's still on Skid Row.

He's not lazy.  In fact, he's busier than most of us.  Living on the street is stressful.  Staying out of the way, finding a safe place to rest your head, maneuvering many programs to stay afloat, it's all very stressful.

He's lowered his expectations.  He's applied for jobs that pay $9 an hour only to go through several interviews and then not to be given a job because he's in his 40s, he's inexperienced at flipping burgers or labeled with the dreaded word:  "Overqualified."

Yes, you need experience to be given a minimum wage job.  That's what the human resources people tell the applicants despite the fact that they are supposed to be entry level jobs.

Even if my friend finally gets a minimum wage job, he will still live on Skid Row because he won't be able to afford housing in Los Angeles because the prices of housing are skyrocketing.  It's a cycle of poverty.  Few doors swing open for him to survive because he is a number, a statistic and no one will help him get a job.

People in poverty are also priced out of the housing system.  If he finally gets a low-paying job, he could potentially be living on the street or in a Skid Row mission and yet be working a job.

While I wish young Daniel well and hope and pray he gets out of his situation, an education alone is not going to do it.  People who want him to succeed will have to network and help him along the way. One high-profile story such as this may change his future forever.