Willy from invisible people on Vimeo.

As past contributors to the AWEARNESS blog have pointed out -- such as Jane Eggleton of the UK-based charitable organization Crisis, one of the reasons why homelessness has been so difficult to eradicate is that many of the homeless are "invisible" to the casual observer. Even in crowded urban areas, the number of homeless people living on the street is far outnumbered by the vulnerable and marginalized people moving from temporary accommodation to temporary accommodation after suffering a job loss or becoming a victim of a mortgage foreclosure.

Now, the "invisible people" have a voice on Twitter. Invisible People is an effort to bring greater awareness to the problem of homelessness using Twitter. The Twitter updates are from a companion website called Invisible People, which documents the challenges and issues faced by specific individuals who have become victims of homelessness. In the video clip above, Willy shares his story of homelessness in New York City.

Using a simple search term on Twitter -- such as #homelessness or #poverty -- it's possible to find an ever-expanding number of voices who are raising awareness about homelessness and poverty on the Internet.