Tampa homeless 'sidelined' by Republican convention pomp (BBC)
By Daniel Nasaw
BBC News, Tampa
Security in Tampa, Florida, surrounding the Republican National Convention has created hassles for everyone who lives and works in the city.
And for the city's large homeless population, the convention presents a major disruption in an already tenuous existence.
With its ordinarily fair weather and capacious convention and hotel facilities - not to mention Florida's prized 29 electoral votes, out of 270 needed to win the White House - Tampa presented an attractive option for Republican Party convention planners.
But the city also has the highest rate of homelessness in America, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
About half those people told surveyors they became homeless for financial reasons - including the area's high unemployment and real estate prices. Only 7% cited drugs or alcohol.
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more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19418900
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