Street People in Fort Lauderdale Area (attorney, neighborhood, living)

[HotandHumid]

I used to try to help out the people here in the Fort Lauderdale area with a dollar here and there or some loose change when they would ask me for money but now I got my education.
The people we see in the streets of the Fort Lauderdale area are of the chronic homeless variety who refuse to follow the rules of the large multitude of agencies set up in this area to help them and would rather run the streets where they can drink and drug to their heart's content or until their money runs out rather than abide by some simple rules and curfew hours set down by the shelters that provide them places to sleep at night and help trying to find employment, permanent housing, proper medical care, and which provide meals, etc., for people living on the street.
There are agencies where the homeless can not only be housed while they work to get back on better financial footing, but where the homeless can pick up meals, bags of food, clothing, get free medical care including their prescriptions, along with free dental care. I even know of one agency that offers a gym for use by it's indigent clients.
If you see a physically disabled person living on the street, they are most likely receiving social security checks because of their disability and that's the same situation with street people who have been diagnosed as disabled because of chronic mental illness but who refuse to take the free medications offered to them to treat their mental illness because there could be adverse reactions when they mix their prescriptions with the illegal drugs and/or alcohol they are often addicted to.
Once I found out this information from several people I've met who used to be homeless but who used the help of local agencies to help them pull their lives together, I'd decided I'd give my pity to the street people who ask me for money and I'll let them know there are local agencies where they can go to get food, etc, but I won't give a handout anymore because I know that these people asking me for my change or a dollar have refused to fully accept the help that's being offered to them for free by both government and charitable organizations set up to help them better their lives just because they don't want to follow rules that every man, woman and child in our society has to accommodate themselves to in order to survive and make a life for themselves in.

[BNBR]

I never, ever give money to people on the streets. It's just enabling them. As you said, there is plenty of free help if they want it.

[BrowardNole]

I no longer give money. I keep energy bars and Powerade in my car, along with a few cheap umbrellas. I hand those out to people. Some refuse, some accept.

[AnnRyan]

I try to keep cereal bars in the car. And I've been surprised how many folks accept them. But I agree that probably handing people cash i not going to enable them to make the changes necessary to get off the streets. I also think we need to use a housing first approach... only worry about the addiction, medical issues, etc. after the housing problem i dealt with. And, before someone goes postal, studies have shown this approach is cheaper, what's expensive is multiple emergency room visits, etc.

[daytonadewd]

Couldn't agree more with the OP!!
Whenever I'm panhandled I always ask first WHERE they're from originally? Then if they'd had a drink, cigarette or drug in the past 48 hours?
I know if I give them $$ -- that WHERE they get it then becomes a "good" spot to panhandle.
That's why when I travel outside my city, I always give generously to panhandlers and tell them I'll be looking for them again next week!

[harry chickpea]

"If you see a physically disabled person living on the street, they are most likely receiving social security checks because of their disability and that's the same situation with street people who have been diagnosed as disabled because of chronic mental illness but who refuse to take the free medications offered to them to treat their mental illness because there could be adverse reactions when they mix their prescriptions with the illegal drugs and/or alcohol they are often addicted to. "

That, like much of your post, is a broad assumption. First, SS doesn't "do" checks, but in most cases demands a bank account for direct deposit. Second, SS disability is routinely denied and often takes an attorney getting involved to get it started. Third, a lot of people simply are not eligible for SS or disability - whether because of working for railroads, being a felon, having questionable documentation. Fourth, some drugs used for mental illness DO have serious side effects on their own, making compliance outside of institutional settings problematic. (I used to work in a state hospital and have seen this first-hand.)

If you don't want to help the homeless, fine. I have no problem with that. Please don't make excuses that are non-factual and will promote stereotypes that prevent them from getting help from others. Are there S-heads who are homeless? Of course, just like there are S-heads in the general population. That doesn't mean that entire group is bad.

[blueherons]

There are two homeless men living on my street/neighborhood of Colee Hammock/Las Olas.

I give both food AND money all the time.

I see them daily and I've never seen either of them drunk or stoned.