Phoenix Homeless Problem not as bad as other big cities (Scottsdale: neighborhoods, low cost)

[kell490]

Some things that could be done to get homeless back on their feet is to offer a shower, and a place to cleanup so they can get jobs. Shelters are packed and from what I have heard is anything that isn't attached to your body will be stolen.

I know someone right now sleeping in a car he doesn't use drugs he has a heart condition can't work in most jobs that require lot of physical activity. DES all they do is hand him a debit card send him on his way with $20 a month. They don't even offer a place to shower and assist in finding a job for him. If his car breaks down, he be on the streets.

If Arizona wants to do something about the homeless, they need to fix all these things, or it will just get lot worse as housing here is getting to be as expensive as California.

[mborner]

If the homelessness in Phoenix is anything like SF, drugs and homelessness go hand in hand. Unfortunately (fortunately?) Homeless shelters have a hard and fast rule; No Drugs, period! That is what keeps most homeless folks on the street.

[john3232]

Originally Posted by mborner

If the homelessness in Phoenix is anything like SF, drugs and homelessness go hand in hand. Unfortunately (fortunately?) Homeless shelters have a hard and fast rule; No Drugs, period! That is what keeps most homeless folks on the street.

Regarding Tempe and SF...
https://www.city-data.com/forum/63111520-post73.html


Interesting. Only five people accepted help. (6:08 mark)
How a homeless encampment grew on a Phoenix private lot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzPC-C2ERIQ

[Ex New Yorker]

Originally Posted by mborner

If the homelessness in Phoenix is anything like SF, drugs and homelessness go hand in hand. Unfortunately (fortunately?) Homeless shelters have a hard and fast rule; No Drugs, period! That is what keeps most homeless folks on the street.

I guess it's either quit using drugs and try and get your life back together or continue to use drugs and live a life of despair? Why would a homeless shelter want to help people that are not willing to help themselves? When instead they could be helping people that are? They probably only have so much room so they can pick and choose who they'll accept.

There really is no excuse for using drugs, becoming an alcoholic and smoking. They all cost a lot of money that could be better spent on the necessities of life. Homeless people that are addicted to any or all of those three have no sympathy from me. It's a conscientious decision that they made to indulge in that crap. Why should society have to pay for those poor decisions? All three have contributed to higher health care costs as well including insurance. Using drugs, alcohol and smoking certainly will not solve their problems. Personal responsibility will.

What I really can't stand is seeing beggar's on the street looking for a handout with a cigarette dangling out of their mouths. What in God's name are these people thinking?

[john3232]

Originally Posted by Ex New Yorker

I guess it's either quit using drugs and try and get your life back together or continue to use drugs and live a life of despair? Why would a homeless shelter want to help people that are not willing to help themselves? When instead they could be helping people that are? They probably only have so much room so they can pick and choose who they'll accept.

There really is no excuse for using drugs, becoming an alcoholic and smoking. They all cost a lot of money that could be better spent on the necessities of life. Homeless people that are addicted to any or all of those three have no sympathy from me. It's a conscientious decision that they made to indulge in that crap. Why should society have to pay for those poor decisions? All three have contributed to higher health care costs as well including insurance. Using drugs, alcohol and smoking certainly will not solve their problems. Personal responsibility will.

What I really can't stand is seeing beggar's on the street looking for a handout with a cigarette dangling out of their mouths. What in God's name are these people thinking?

Or the young man standing near a freeeway entrance holding a sign saying willing to work. I tell the guy I've got a yard which needs to be cleared. Help me and I'll pay $15 an hour. No was his answer.

Now, I've been down on my luck in the past and I am willing to give someone a second chance. I hired a former meth addict in recovery for several landscaping projects. No problems until the morning he didn't show up. I called his cell phone but no answer. Never heard from him again.

[Ex New Yorker]

Originally Posted by john3232

Or the young man standing near a freeeway entrance holding a sign saying willing to work. I tell the guy I've got a yard which needs to be cleared. Help me and I'll pay $15 an hour. No was his answer.

Now, I've been down on my luck in the past and I am willing to give someone a second chance. I hired a former meth addict in recovery for several landscaping projects. No problems until the morning he didn't show up. I called his cell phone but no answer. Never heard from him again.

Yeah me too when my wife and I both lost our jobs when the company we worked for packed up and moved down south. But we always lived within our means and never bought anything that we couldn't afford to pay for. Our biggest expense was our mortgage. Fortunately for us when the company moved our house was all paid for and we had no debt. We had about two years advance notice of the move. We had the opportunity to work a lot of overtime during those two years and basically lived like paupers during that time. We also received severance pay. All told it was just enough to start our own home based business in the same field that we were in. Even then it was tough getting accounts but we managed to just get by. Paying for property taxes, our own health insurance and New York's astronomical cost of living took up the lion's share of our income so we sold our home, packed up and moved to Arizona and we're now living the good life.

When I see panhandlers, I just ignore them altogether. You never know who you're giving a handout to or who you are hiring. I certainly do not want to give our hard earned money to pay for someone's addiction(s). Or you could be hiring someone who later on plans on breaking into your home to feed their addiction(s).

I guess the way I see it is if an individual is not a substance abuser, never lived beyond their means and has a good work ethic they'll be able to find a way to make a living without having to live on the street. At least where we are there are Help Wanted signs all over the place. We have friends that work in the local supermarket. They told us that they can't find people that are willing to work and when they do they end up quitting within a coupla' weeks, one individual only lasted a day. What get's me is that sometimes the panhandler's are hanging out right near those Help Wanted signs. If they can stand there all day with their hands out I'm sure that they could at least stock shelves?

[YAZ]

Pull up maps and check out the aerial view of Old Station Subs. A block away from the Human Services Campus. You can see the huge homeless encampment.

[Sno0909]

Originally Posted by kell490

Some things that could be done to get homeless back on their feet is to offer a shower, and a place to cleanup so they can get jobs. Shelters are packed and from what I have heard is anything that isn't attached to your body will be stolen.

I know someone right now sleeping in a car he doesn't use drugs he has a heart condition can't work in most jobs that require lot of physical activity. DES all they do is hand him a debit card send him on his way with $20 a month. They don't even offer a place to shower and assist in finding a job for him. If his car breaks down, he be on the streets.

If Arizona wants to do something about the homeless, they need to fix all these things, or it will just get lot worse as housing here is getting to be as expensive as California.

Sorry but that shower is not going to help someone with a serious drug addiction. I'm sorry to say, but that is the real foundation of the homeless problem in our country. Sure, "some" people fall on hard times, etc, etc, etc - but let's be realistic here and see the problem for what it is. If you are an able-bodied person, there is literally no excuse for you to be on the street.

[Ex New Yorker]

Originally Posted by Sno0909

Sorry but that shower is not going to help someone with a serious drug addiction. I'm sorry to say, but that is the real foundation of the homeless problem in our country. Sure, "some" people fall on hard times, etc, etc, etc - but let's be realistic here and see the problem for what it is. If you are an able-bodied person, there is literally no excuse for you to be on the street.

[pbenjamin]

For what it's worth, Old Station Subs is not in downtown Phoenix, nearby, but not in.