Homelessness and Vagrancy (Atlanta, Kennesaw: condo, how much, house)

[equinox63]

How much of an issue (or nuisance/eyesore) is homelessness and vagrancy in intown communities such as SE and NE Atlanta, NW Atlanta (below midtown), and SW Atlanta? Do you find it a problem for families with children to see "Joe the Bum" occasionally walking up and down the street?

[blondandfun]

I find it disturbing that there are extremely wealthy people who live in town, like ansley, and not a single one of them makes an effort to get a bum off the streets.

The same bum that I see everyday for the past 2 years on the same street.

[reet4587]

Originally Posted by blondandfun

I find it disturbing that there are extremely wealthy people who live in town, like ansley, and not a single one of them makes an effort to get a bum off the streets.

The same bum that I see everyday for the past 2 years on the same street.

I live near Ansley Park off of Peachtree. We actually do have a significant problem with vagrants that has grown in the past couple of years. For instance, we love the quaint little Pershing Point park near my condo, but it's gotten to where there's a scary-looking homeless person or two camped out on a bench in that park most days so we avoid it now. What is it I should do to "get a bum off the streets," as you say?

As far as the other intown communities, I actually don't notice that many vagrants in the areas outside the main Peachtree corridor where there is plenty of sidewalk traffic for panhandlers to hit up. There are some exceptions, such as the Little Five Points shopping district. We lived in Virginia Highland for years and I saw vagrants there only infrequently.

[green_mariner]

The city of Atlanta isn't the only place you can find homeless people and vagrancy. Once in a while you will have homeless people near Kennesaw State University.

[plessthanpointohfive]

There's usually an "urban camper" under the bridges that go over the little streams in Candler Park. One of those guys is the one who sexually assaulted a woman in 2005. She was jogging through the park pretty late at night when he snatched her. He was quickly caught.

There's always homeless people hanging out in Finley Plaza in L5P and they sometimes wander into the neighborhoods. They're usually harmless. Sometimes they ask for a glass of water if they see you gardening, etc, in your front yard.

[StPaulEastSider]

Originally Posted by equinox63

Do you find it a problem for families with children to see "Joe the Bum" occasionally walking up and down the street?

All urban areas have a presence of homeless persons, more so in some cities than in others.

Speaking as a parent, we often use the sightings of homeless persons as an opportunity to talk with our children about caring for the less fortunate in our society.

We have also, as a family, attended church services at church in our city, St. Paul, which has a huge outreach to the homeless of our city, AND we have volunteered at food drives and free hot meal lines as a family.

We try to impress upon our children the fact the homeless amongst us are also God's children and in serving them we are serving the Lord. We also want our children to see the homeless as individuas - people who were once children and no doubt previously lived in a home with a family. But through a series of hardships, often the result of addictions, mental illness, no support from family and friends, and -yes - poor choices, many poor choices - these people have ended up living on the streets in a constant state of "survival".

Our family is not wealthy, but compared to a homeless individual or family, I think our children better appreciate what they do have.

As D.L. Moody once said, "But for the grace of God, there go I."

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I am wondering what the OP's intent was in posting this question in the first place? What kind of responses were you looking to get?

[JPD]

Originally Posted by StPaulEastSider

++++++

I am wondering what the OP's intent was in posting this question in the first place? What kind of responses were you looking to get?

The way it reads to me is that they're looking for an intown place to live without many bums/homeless/vagrants.

I used to live in SW Atlanta and there were bums around. In some neighborhoods it can be misleading, though. The main guy on my street who would probably be assumed to be a bum by anyone who didn't know him was just an unemployed (and unemployable) perma-drunk who lived with his elderly mom.

[StPaulEastSider]

Originally Posted by JPD

The way it reads to me is that they're looking for an intown place to live without many bums/homeless/vagrants.

And bums/homeless/vagrants don't know how to use public transportation? In Moscow Homeless/Stray DOGS use the subway system to go into the city during the day, to forage for food, and then at night board the subways again to return to the suburbs. If dogs can figure out how to use public transportation to move about a city, then I somehow think homeless PEOPLE can figure out how to do the same thing - LOL!

Wild dogs that commute from suburbs to scavenge in city | The Sun |News

[JPD]

Originally Posted by StPaulEastSider

And bums/homeless/vagrants don't know how to use public transportation? In Moscow Homeless/Stray DOGS use the subway system to go into the city during the day, to forage for food, and then at night board the subways again to return to the suburbs. If dogs can figure out how to use public transportation to move about a city, then I somehow think homeless PEOPLE can figure out how to do the same thing - LOL!

Wild dogs that commute from suburbs to scavenge in city | The Sun |News

The OP never even mentioned public transportation. Thanks for the cute dog story, though. That was adorable.

[floyd242]

Originally Posted by blondandfun

I find it disturbing that there are extremely wealthy people who live in town, like ansley, and not a single one of them makes an effort to get a bum off the streets.

The same bum that I see everyday for the past 2 years on the same street.

Have you ever tried to get a bum off the street? It's not exactly easy.

I got to know a homeless guy that hung around my old neighborhood and it turns out he was a painter. I set him up with some equipment and let him repaint the inside of my house. I let him stay in the back room for a couple of months while I wasn't living in the house and I got him a job with some friends helping them paint. As soon as he got some money he started buying crack with it, finally I had to kick him out and when I was cleaning the room I found crack pipes and cut out pictures of boys in underwear from catalogues. It was a total shock to me... I hung out with him and he seemed pretty normal.

I never saw him again luckily.

I stayed friendly with the homeless in that neighborhood and still helped them out occasionally. I believe this is can be both bad and good though. The good is they actually keep an eye on your place and have helped/warned me about a few things. The bad is once they know you'll help them they can be pretty annoying. An easy way to curb this is to only give them food/clothing/stuff not money. Occasionally I would drive them to a shelter and pay their way in for a couple days if they want.

edit: I'm open to suggestions on better ways to help, this was just my experience/solutions. I'm by no means rich however.