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Late to this thread, But this is true. Long ago I did just this. Was not fun, And I had full time employment to boot. It was not enough to stay where i was then is all. I was on my own at 19 and have always been independent. Just had no family local to help out. I made due and pulled out of it.
No one should walk with the "Can't happen to me mentality" or criticize those who are suffering. Cause being humble comes real quick when your world collapses, believe me.
D. Scott
I lived in a trailer in a trailer park and was working 2 jobs. A trailer can be a dump or it can be perfectly liveable -- but living in a trailer does not mean you are homeless even though it's one of the definitions of homeless.
The exaggeration and misuse of these terms doesn't help in any way. A child living in a trailer is not homeless and it's stupid to define all children living in trailer parks as homeless. Living in a hotel or motel is not homeless either, in fact living in a hotel or motel usually requires more money than a cheap apartment but living in a cheap apartment doesn't define you as homeless -- unless the apartment is in your grandparents' name and then it does.
I knew about this strange definition of homeless because even though I have almost never seen a homeless child, I read how there are many thousands of homeless children here -- and then I found out that the children living in trailer parks are being counted as homeless as well as those children whose families are staying in homes they don't own because many are actually born to people who never left home and so stay with relatives, or they just crossed the border and are living with relatives until they get their own Section 8.
You would? Have you ever? We have homeless with all sorts of mental problems freezing to death every winter and you would rather see them under the bridge than in a mental institution, under medical care and medicated.
That's just crazy talk...
I'm fine with them being under the bridge if that's where they want to be --- they have a rescue mission but it has a few rules that some don't want to follow. I'm perfectly fine with having more rescue missions out there -- or in a state like California with so many liberals, I would wonder why every liberal doesn't invite 2 or 3 homeless individuals into his or her home and solve the problem of homelessness once and for all.
It doesn't get cold enough here very often for anyone to freeze to death but one night when temperatures were headed down, there were some homeless guys buying sleeping bags and small tents -- and they set them up right next to the rescue mission where they can go if it gets too cold -- but they can't use drugs or drink when they're in there so they'd rather not.
Well -- I'd probably do the same as them even it I wasn't planning to drink or use drugs. I'd rather be camped out in my own tent than be in one big room with a bunch of other people. Plus they don't allow dogs inside the homeless shelter and a number of them have dogs.
I'm fine with them being under the bridge if that's where they want to be --- they have a rescue mission but it has a few rules that some don't want to follow.
Do you realize that for people with mental problems and not medicated the issue of personal choice is rather moot?
Quote:
Originally Posted by malamute
I'm perfectly fine with having more rescue missions out there -- or in a state like California with so many liberals, I would wonder why every liberal doesn't invite 2 or 3 homeless individuals into his or her home and solve the problem of homelessness once and for all.
It doesn't get cold enough here very often for anyone to freeze to death but one night when temperatures were headed down, there were some homeless guys buying sleeping bags and small tents -- and they set them up right next to the rescue mission where they can go if it gets too cold -- but they can't use drugs or drink when they're in there so they'd rather not.
Well -- I'd probably do the same as them even it I wasn't planning to drink or use drugs. I'd rather be camped out in my own tent than be in one big room with a bunch of other people. Plus they don't allow dogs inside the homeless shelter and a number of them have dogs.
We were not talking about the shelters but all sorts of people with mental problems who were released into general population and end up on the street without mental care and medication they require.
I think it is impossible to deal with the problem of homelessness without dividing homeless into several groups like those with mental problems that need urgent medical care, those with substance abuse problems and simple drifters and homeless who became homeless due to ecomy being bad, loss of job etc etc.
You can't treat them all as one group and help them in the same way. The problem is that the longer people stay homeless the more difficult it is to bring them back. Its hard to get a job when you can't shower or don't have an address....
Do you realize that for people with mental problems and not medicated the issue of personal choice is rather moot?
We were not talking about the shelters but all sorts of people with mental problems who were released into general population and end up on the street without mental care and medication they require.
I think it is impossible to deal with the problem of homelessness without dividing homeless into several groups like those with mental problems that need urgent medical care, those with substance abuse problems and simple drifters and homeless who became homeless due to ecomy being bad, loss of job etc etc.
You can't treat them all as one group and help them in the same way. The problem is that the longer people stay homeless the more difficult it is to bring them back. Its hard to get a job when you can't shower or don't have an address....
True -- they really are not just one group. And there is some overlap between the groups. Many that abused drugs became mentally ill as a result or at least worsened their mental illness.
But I do believe that the homeless shelters can take care of many of the immedicate needs and if run right, can help rehab many and may assist them with employment.
We have more than one kind of shelter here -- the Salvation Army has them, there are the battered women's shelters where you probably could expect to find more children. There are shelters even for the illegals where they help them find loopholes around the laws and get them onto welfare handouts and in Section 8 housing.
True -- they really are not just one group. And there is some overlap between the groups. Many that abused drugs became mentally ill as a result or at least worsened their mental illness.
But I do believe that the homeless shelters can take care of many of the immedicate needs and if run right, can help rehab many and may assist them with employment.
We have more than one kind of shelter here -- the Salvation Army has them, there are the battered women's shelters where you probably could expect to find more children. There are shelters even for the illegals where they help them find loopholes around the laws and get them onto welfare handouts and in Section 8 housing.
From my experience as a volunteer shelters are overwhelmed and can't do much beyond providing a place to sleep.
The problem of homelessness, if we want to address it at all, has to be addressed in a new way, lumping all homeless together, as shelters do, is not a solution. Weed out those with mental problems that should be committed, weed out substance abusers who need appropriate medical approach and focus on homeless who want to be helped and struggling.
Don't let newly homeless slip into alcohol and drugs. They will be lost forever.
The real question is: do we want to help homeless or not?
Not yours or China's, but Canada's...Minimum wage is barely enough to put food on the table and a roof over your head, but that's what it takes to stave off homelessness.
Here is a good article on how many are homeless in the US, who they are, where they are and why they are homeless, the three main reasons being lack of affordable housing, poverty and unemployment. Facts and Figures: The Homeless . NOW on PBS
I have met a lot of homeless people. Very few are homeless because of this economy. They are homeless due to poor choices.
1. Single Dad, homeless, living in shelter with two kids. He blew his paycheck gambling. Got kicked out of apt. He had no money saved to live any place. He was a truck driver, lost his job for being late.
2. Veteran, got out of service with no skills. Never took any classes while in service, no college at all. Never saved money. Turned down several jobs that did not pay enough.
3. Woman, got cancer, lost her job. Now, this woman I felt bad for...she did not get UI. she was applying for SSDI...and that takes time.
So, one out of three...the other two..no pity party.
I was on my own at 19 maintaining an apartment with an 8.00 per hour job. Most of them are homeless due to issues they created themselves such as substance abuse....
I have met a lot of homeless people. Very few are homeless because of this economy. They are homeless due to poor choices.
1. Single Dad, homeless, living in shelter with two kids. He blew his paycheck gambling. Got kicked out of apt. He had no money saved to live any place. He was a truck driver, lost his job for being late.
2. Veteran, got out of service with no skills. Never took any classes while in service, no college at all. Never saved money. Turned down several jobs that did not pay enough.
3. Woman, got cancer, lost her job. Now, this woman I felt bad for...she did not get UI. she was applying for SSDI...and that takes time.
So, one out of three...the other two..no pity party.
Agreed!
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