Number of people living chronically homeless in Allegheny County hits 12-year high (campers, food)

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Reggiezz

Most are drug addicts who are alienated from their families and choose to live on the street to keep using drugs. Buy them bus tickets to the west coast where they'll be happier.

Correct. As a registered Democrat I am tiring of fellow Democrats becoming more and more bleeding-heart in nature. As someone who formerly loved and was nearly engaged to an addict I can say that only an addict and an addict themselves can take charge of their own recovery by investing their own time, willpower, and effort into it. You can't "force" people to get clean. My ex's family spent thousands on forced rehab to no avail.

"People are sufferrrrinnggggg". Um. Ok. How is that my problem? There are TONS of job openings right now. My office has been so sorely understaffed throughout the pandemic that we have now all "quiet quit" at my office and just toss in the bare minimum to keep our jobs at this point. Employers can't find workers, yet we're being told "times are tough"? My neighborhood is OVERRUN with litter and illegal dumping. I pick up pound after pound after pound of trash weekly, and still Brighton Road, California Avenue, Marshall Avenue, Woodland Avenue, Shadeland Avenue, etc. look like a landfill just days after I clean them. "People litter because they're mad at the worllldddd. People are sufferrrringggg. People need to be able to express their anger through litterrrinnggg." My (largely stoner) white liberal/progressive friends on Facebook are really starting to annoy me with their mental gymnastics to justify the ongoing decline of this once-proud city.

[Reggiezz]

There was some ahole with a sign standing in the middle of lanes on the Parkway East yesterday. Traffic was inching along there and there he is with his poor me sign with addict written all over his face. Whoever is giving him money, please stop.

Just get near downtown, and there it is.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Reggiezz

There was some ahole with a sign standing in the middle of lanes on the Parkway East yesterday. Traffic was inching along there and there he is with his poor me sign with addict written all over his face. Whoever is giving him money, please stop.

Just get near downtown, and there it is.

Meh. The cardboard sign people don't bother me. They generally aren't aggressive. They just stand idly. I've been to cities where the homeless population will knock on car windows or follow you down the block if you're on foot.

I'm just tiring of my more progressive/liberal Democratic friends acting like I'm somehow responsible for their plight when the majority of them are enduring self-inflicted substance abuse issues.

[svband76]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Meh. The cardboard sign people don't bother me. They generally aren't aggressive. They just stand idly. I've been to cities where the homeless population will knock on car windows or follow you down the block if you're on foot.

Yes but these people are the ones pooping and peeing in broad daylight, making it extremely unhealthy to live in the city, go to work, etc. They're killing small business, property values, downtown tourism in general. It's an embarrassment, not safe and our mayor is doing zilch. All hot air and no action. Insane.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Correct. As a registered Democrat I am tiring of fellow Democrats becoming more and more bleeding-heart in nature. As someone who formerly loved and was nearly engaged to an addict I can say that only an addict and an addict themselves can take charge of their own recovery by investing their own time, willpower, and effort into it. You can't "force" people to get clean. My ex's family spent thousands on forced rehab to no avail.

I don't really think - outside of the political class and a few social service agencies - there's really a strong political force arguing to let homeless people encamp in the streets indefinitely. Like, I don't know anyone who argues for this at all, and I'm absolutely within left-wing circles. There might be somewhat of an indifference - an idea that the problem can't be solved with the resources on hand - but that's about it.

Not local, but I remember a few months back when the mayor of NYC argued to bring back involuntary commitment for the mentally ill homeless. The New York Times and the like panned it, and braced for the backlash, but people across the political spectrum in New York - even left-wingers - said it was a great idea.

[moreofless]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Correct. As a registered Democrat I am tiring of fellow Democrats becoming more and more bleeding-heart in nature. As someone who formerly loved and was nearly engaged to an addict I can say that only an addict and an addict themselves can take charge of their own recovery by investing their own time, willpower, and effort into it. You can't "force" people to get clean. My ex's family spent thousands on forced rehab to no avail.

"People are sufferrrrinnggggg". Um. Ok. How is that my problem? There are TONS of job openings right now. My office has been so sorely understaffed throughout the pandemic that we have now all "quiet quit" at my office and just toss in the bare minimum to keep our jobs at this point. Employers can't find workers, yet we're being told "times are tough"? My neighborhood is OVERRUN with litter and illegal dumping. I pick up pound after pound after pound of trash weekly, and still Brighton Road, California Avenue, Marshall Avenue, Woodland Avenue, Shadeland Avenue, etc. look like a landfill just days after I clean them. "People litter because they're mad at the worllldddd. People are sufferrrringggg. People need to be able to express their anger through litterrrinnggg." My (largely stoner) white liberal/progressive friends on Facebook are really starting to annoy me with their mental gymnastics to justify the ongoing decline of this once-proud city.

Here I am as a republican voter responding to a registered democrat posting a republican viewpoint. Many of the people being described here are not the homeless but panhandlers. They are different from the true homeless. The true homeless have fallen out of society farther than any other group. They need some help but that help must have as a goal to bring them back into society. To all the people that say there are plenty of jobs, ask yourself who will hire someone who cannot take a shower before going to work.

For those that do not feel anything for the homeless population, just walk around downtown. What you see in some parts of downtown does not creating a welcoming environment for people to visit the city. For that reason alone, the problem needs to be addressed.

Homelessness is a critical problem. Our government must find a way to divert the funds necessary to address it in a meaningful way. There are plenty of things the government spends money on that are less important than this.

[svband76]

Giving them Narcan, food and tents isn't helping either. It's really a drug problem.

[moreofless]

Originally Posted by svband76

Giving them Narcan, food and tents isn't helping either. It's really a drug problem.

That is a oversimplification of the situation.

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by moreofless

That is a oversimplification of the situation.

I agree fully. With age and wisdom I've come to realize that drugs are the end result of some peoples trauma. I work in social services and am blown away at peoples life story.

I had a mother addicted to heroin. The addiction came after the federal governments restricted certain pain medication associated with the opioid epidemic. This young lady had Sickle Cell Anemia. The periodic and sometimes prolonged "crisis" is painful. Her medication was cut and this led to opioid addiction. You have to put things into context.

[svband76]

Originally Posted by wpipkins2

I agree fully. With age and wisdom I've come to realize that drugs are the end result of some peoples trauma. I work in social services and am blown away at peoples life story.

I had a mother addicted to heroin. The addiction came after the federal governments restricted certain pain medication associated with the opioid epidemic. This young lady had Sickle Cell Anemia. The periodic and sometimes prolonged "crisis" is painful. Her medication was cut and this led to opioid addiction. You have to put things into context.

Sorry about that. Glad to have you back though.