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Supernova, I would LOVE to be able to agree with you on every point. Unfortunately, I cannot. Many of the people on the street lack the motivation to try working/living again. I would like to say that a kind heart and some money can save someone.... but I don't honestly believe that.
I am one of the more Liberal people I know, so don't think I am trying to be cold hearted. I am a very intuitive person, and have studied the mind to the extent of madness myself! You simply cannot help people that don't want to help themselves.
I do agree that there are a select few that can get back on their feet. Usually the women and children are on the street because of an abusive relationship, and the mother unfortunately has nowhere to go. Again, that is a system flaw, but there are some resources to help those women out.
It would benefit EVERYONE if citizens wrote to their congress about the homeless epidemic. I don't have much faith in our government to do anything substantial about this problem, and I HATE that that has become our reality.
I always help out the homeless when I can. Just yesterday, my husband was carrying a box of leftover pizza back to our car and gave the box to a man on the street.
I agree with affordable housing. IT IS available thru gov. programs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by YoAdrian
I don't think homelessness has as much to do with affordable housing as with mental illness and/or substance abuse.
However;there are a whole lot of people who just do not know of them. Or if they do; just do not know how to get started; So the next time you all see a homeless person besides the $2-3.00 or hand full of change you give them... maybe you could also offer them this address: anystate.gov Example: Oregon.gov /substance abuse??? Most of their worries consist of their next meal and a safe place to sleep. I know; I take care of handicapped and slow people. Also, I am handicapped. It can be brutal!!! If you can fight the mean streets... & stay the course: there IS HELP! Also; THERE ARE ADVOCACY'S.
The nationwide problem with homelessness is NOT a citizen problem, it is a GOVERNMENT problem. Over 75% of our homeless are mentally ill (a stat from my local mental health office). Our Government has failed these people, and their FAMILY'S last resort is to let them sleep on the streets.
I know this problem first had.
Here's our story...
My brother has mental illness. At the age of 20 he attempted suicide, and failed (thank god). He has been diagnosed with Bi Polar disorder and possibly a form of schizophrenia. He was put on medication, which my brother will not take because he says it "alters his mind." Because he refuses to take meds for his mental illness he self medicates with drugs. He has been taking Heroine for some time now, and as of late he is smoking Meth as well. We have tried and tried to get him to go to rehab. BUT.. in our country no citizen can legally be held against their free will for more than 3 days. If he choses to leave rehab, we cannot force him to go, unless he is deemed a threat to his or our lives. So, unless you are Lindsay Lohan and can afford to pop into a $30,000 rehab facility, there is little to no help for my brother. He is on disability and his psychiatrist has stated he is not stable enough to function normally in society. He cannot hold a job, and what money he does get goes to self medicating. My poor mother has let him live with her for 12 years since his diagnosis, and it has been VERY hard on her. She has had death threats from drug dealers, druggies coming in and out of her home, and people stealing from her. She finally couldn't handle the stress of housing my brother and now he is left to fend for himself. Inevitably, he will end up homeless, simply because he does not want to help himself. There are no Government run programs that we can turn to.... believe me, i've tried. So don't blame the citizens OR the homeless, blame the GOVERNMENT! This is a nationwide epidemic, and all the government wants to do with these people is throw them in jail!
So the next time you see a homeless person on the street, give them a smile, and maybe a bite to eat, but money will only feed addictions. The majority of these people cannot hold a job, or be financially accountable. BUT... they are NO less of a human than you or I.
Thank you.
So, I should be forced (via taxes that are forcibly taken from me by government) to pay for taking care of your brother because his family [you and others] refuse to take care of him? Sorry, but that's a pretty crappy deal there.
"We can't do anything about this family problem anymore, let's give up and dump the problem on society -- at least we can forget about the problem [him] then!"
This isn't a government failure, it's a family failure.
Supernova, I would LOVE to be able to agree with you on every point. Unfortunately, I cannot. Many of the people on the street lack the motivation to try working/living again. I would like to say that a kind heart and some money can save someone.... but I don't honestly believe that.
I am one of the more Liberal people I know, so don't think I am trying to be cold hearted. I am a very intuitive person, and have studied the mind to the extent of madness myself! You simply cannot help people that don't want to help themselves.
I do agree that there are a select few that can get back on their feet. Usually the women and children are on the street because of an abusive relationship, and the mother unfortunately has nowhere to go. Again, that is a system flaw, but there are some resources to help those women out.
It would benefit EVERYONE if citizens wrote to their congress about the homeless epidemic. I don't have much faith in our government to do anything substantial about this problem, and I HATE that that has become our reality.
I always help out the homeless when I can. Just yesterday, my husband was carrying a box of leftover pizza back to our car and gave the box to a man on the street.
You're 100% correct throughout this post. The people who are homeless as a result of their own addictions do not deserve society's help. At some point we have to let Darwin work.
Now, women and children who are out on their own as a result of child abuse is a different story. If we had stiffer punishments for spousal/child abuse, this problem might occur less frequently.
It's good that you don't have much faith in government to do anything substantial about this problem, GOVERNMENT HAS ALWAYS BEEN INCOMPETENT -- EVERYWHERE, FOR ALL OF HISTORY! That is what eternally astounds me about liberals. Whenever they see a problem in society, they think of a way for government to "solve" it, despite government having solved virtually nothing. Those problems that government does solve, it ends up doing so at extreme inflated cost when charities and private organizations can do it more efficiently.
Yet people keep on wanting government "to do something". Millions of people are obviously too inept or unable to take care of themselves, they are willing to surrender over so much to the government first:
Paychecks - Taxes come out and THEN you get your money. You should get your money first.
Health care - who is best suited to take care of one's health? It's every individual!
Educating/raising children - why do so many parents hate their children so much that they send their children to "public" (government) schools and then after-school programs?
So, I should be forced (via taxes that are forcibly taken from me by government) to pay for taking care of your brother because his family [you and others] refuse to take care of him? Sorry, but that's a pretty crappy deal there.
"We can't do anything about this family problem anymore, let's give up and dump the problem on society -- at least we can forget about the problem [him] then!"
This isn't a government failure, it's a family failure.
No, that's incorrect. We must remember that our culture FAILS families thus creating an offspring of broken people whom struggle to maintain self sufficiency. There is only so much a family can do. The family is not a miracle worker but TOGETHER, we as a community are far more equipped to address the problem. There is strength is numbers and it takes a village to raise a child. That's the problem with our society, everyone only cares abut their own personal security and forget about their fellow neighbor. You will be taxed regardless so the better question to ask is whether you want your tax dollars to go towards wars, ammunitions, promoting corporate greed/slavery, building unnecessary road projects etc.... Or do you want to invest in life? The choice is simple. If I were you, I would be outraged that we care more about building lofts and displacing people than we care about the poor.
THAT'S SICK
However;there are a whole lot of people who just do not know of them. Or if they do; just do not know how to get started; So the next time you all see a homeless person besides the $2-3.00 or hand full of change you give them... maybe you could also offer them this address: anystate.gov Example: Oregon.gov /substance abuse??? Most of their worries consist of their next meal and a safe place to sleep. I know; I take care of handicapped and slow people. Also, I am handicapped. It can be brutal!!! If you can fight the mean streets... & stay the course: there IS HELP! Also; THERE ARE ADVOCACY'S.
Govmt. "Programs" are CRAP! They are all filled with politics and meant to disqualify as opposed to qualify people. Most are heavily underfunded and filled with enough bureaucracy to make you faint with sickness and disgust. Section 8 housing takes "YEARS" to get as the lists are endlessly long. The Govmt. spouts a bunch of political savvy PR but when things come down to it it's all smoke and mirrors. You have to QUALIFY for a system that tries to disqualify. Much like our Heathcare crisis in the U.S. The problems are REAL
"We can't do anything about this family problem anymore, let's give up and dump the problem on society -- at least we can forget about the problem [him] then!
This isn't a government failure, it's a family failure."
I think it's unfair to say that a person's mental illness and ensuing homelessness is a family's failure. Perhaps sometimes that is true, but having worked with families struggling with mental illness, I've observed that it's not often the case.
I've seen wonderful families who have been devastated by illnesses like schizophrenia or severe bipolar disorder. It takes more than a loving family to treat these severe biological disorders. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I don't think berating families as failures is it. Sure, some families are terrible and there are people who shouldn't breed, but such a gross over-generalization is offensive to those families who have tried everything in their power to heal their sick loved ones.
One of the reasons I had difficulties working in social work was that so much blame was placed on society with little promotion of personal responsibility. It infuriated me, even though I'm not a big fan of our society either. I don't think either extreme is fair. Yes, it's up to me to take care of my health, but when I have to choose between paying my rent or paying for my CAT scan, I'm at a loss. I'm a hardworking, educated individual who has struggled with legitimate health issues, often with no insurance simply because I couldn't afford it. Is that my fault?
Anyway, my rather longwinded point is that generalizations and simplifications of multi-causal and multi-layered problems do not solve anything and often only alienate or offend people. At best, they are unproductive.
A further point... I have a friend who has a congenital defect, something wrong with her knees. She has a degree and was successful as a mental health worker until her knees began to dislocate and deteriorate. She's a hardworking and kind person who would never look for a handout.
Due to countless surgeries and horrific pain, she has been unable to work. She reluctantly applied for disability in the State of Maine. It was eventually granted, but she was informed that she could not get health benefits for two years after qualifying. If she tells her previous employer (who is currently paying for her health insurance) that she has just been deemed legally disabled, they will be forced to drop her. She is forced to lie and hide her qualification as disabled for two years, after which point she'll be eligible for state-funded health insurance that will likely be subpar.
How is this her failure? Well, perhaps she shouldn't have been born, eh?
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I agree with affordable housing. IT IS available thru gov. programs.
