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Every day I drive to work and back and I see homeless people with signs saying "please feed me" "will work" "traveling" "lost everything need help".
These people look like they have been homeless all of their lives. I always think, how did that person end up in that position? They have the same brain as me the same DNA as me (to an extent because they are human). They are literally the same as me and as capable of learning (unless they have brain damage or something). Since graduating I quickly realized college taught me nothing and employers are not impressed by a degree... It is in fact useless..
Has anyone ever tried to help a homeless person become successful by training them in a profession?
I know one homeless person who became that way due to overuse of drugs when he was in high school - fried his brain!
Then many homeless people have substance abuse problems. Alcohol or drugs has PRIORITY over anything else (including food) so far as their money goes. Thus if they have the money, they will choose to use it to buy drugs instead of paying the rent. ( = homelessness!)
From time to time, legitimate people do show up at homeless shelters who REALLY do want to work, but have had bad luck, etc. Those people stand out from the alcoholics and druggies - they ask for and receive help - eventually they get back on their feet.
Well, in 1981-82, I did become homeless. I'd had the most perfect childhood, but after my parent's divorce and my Mom's subsequent nervous breakdown which totally revealed her schizophrenia it all changed. My older siblings married to get out of the house and left me with my 4 year old sister. Mom had never worked and had been trying to support herself and 4 kids on $500 month child support. I remember hiding in the trailer(after losing the home my father built) because we couldn't pay the $125 month rent on a gross trailer. That covered lot rent and water. We ended up with no electricity, water or food in what at the time was the worst heatwave in Houston. My Mom and little sister moved to our storage unit(eventually lost all that stuff). If it weren't for the neighboring people in what some today might call "trailer park trash" community, I would not have eaten.
Sure, I tried pot and alcohol but at the time it kept me from killing myself. Graduated high school, went on to own 2 very successful retail businesses, had a mill in cash by age 30. I treat everyone as if they've had the same life as me. Most situations are created by mental illness. It wasn't acknowledged back in the 80s and family turned their backs on those that didn't just "suck it up and deal with it". Weakness was not acceptable. Mental illness was not an excuse and it was considered a weakness.
Many people believed in me because I always believed in myself. I was NOT my circumstances and I'd had both sides of the coin and wanted the good side back. And after no contact with my Mom after 13 years and multiple involuntary commitments to mental hospitals, she now lives with me and is on medication and is the original "Donna Reed" mom I grew up with. Only residuals are I feel like I'm just taking care of someone and that my Mom died when I was a kid. My little sister, however, has reconnected with her after no contact from age 4 through 31.
In a round about way, helping people is not a bad thing. Being used by someone exploiting a bad situation is. I think a lot of people holding up signs use it as an out. If you want to help, ask around junior/high schools. Teachers see and know a lot about home life going wrong for good young people. Some of the most needing people are clean, polite and maybe just really skinny....and for goodness sakes, not a social experiment.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Yes, actually, I was in graduate school and part of my Master work was counseling the homeless. There are those that have had misfortune or bad luck and are trying to manage, some of whom even have jobs but not enough savings for first and last month rent. A good example is the homeless camp living on church grounds in our area. They have been background checked and drugs are not allowed.
Most that I ran into fall into the two following categories:
1. Mentally ill, cannot afford or refuse to take their medication and therefore unable to hold a job.
2. Prefer to be homeless and live off of panhandling. It's easy work, and some are making $200+ a day, tax free cash.
They have the same brain as me the same DNA as me (to an extent because they are human). They are literally the same as me and as capable of learning (unless they have brain damage or something)
This makes absolutely no sense. You are probably right about not learning much in college.
Most that I ran into fall into the two following categories:
1. Mentally ill, cannot afford or refuse to take their medication and therefore unable to hold a job.
2. Prefer to be homeless and live off of panhandling. It's easy work, and some are making $200+ a day, tax free cash.
I agree. I live in Seattle (as do you, Hemlock) and I cannot believe how many homeless people we have. Even in the burbs. It's awful. I saw 2 women accosted by a homeless man just this past week, about a 1/2 mile from my home. They looked terrified. Since when is allowing psychotic and unmedicated mentally ill people to roam around aimlessly a good idea??? I have never seen the sheer number of homeless people I have seen here. It makes it scary to go out sometimes, not knowing who you will run into and what their mental state is.
Very few homeless people (IMHO) are simply down on their luck. The ones that are tend to recover quickly and bounce back.
I know one homeless person who became that way due to overuse of drugs when he was in high school - fried his brain!
Then many homeless people have substance abuse problems. Alcohol or drugs has PRIORITY over anything else (including food) so far as their money goes. Thus if they have the money, they will choose to use it to buy drugs instead of paying the rent. ( = homelessness!)
From time to time, legitimate people do show up at homeless shelters who REALLY do want to work, but have had bad luck, etc. Those people stand out from the alcoholics and druggies - they ask for and receive help - eventually they get back on their feet.
I was homeless for about six months. i got county help after that. But i met a lot of differrent people. The ones who used drugs and booze didn't come to the shelter, but i avoided them where they did gather. I lost my house. But I took advantage of the help which was out there. I spent a few nights in a 24 hour coffee shop anyway.
Most people who go homeless are not within a year, many within six months. Those who choose not to participate in the options which might help do make that a choice. Or they have substance problems. Or they have mental illness and get lost in oveburdened systems and forgotten.
And some just like the freedom of having no responsibility, and know how to take advamtage pf the various shelters and food, but can come and go as they choose. They may well not be either ill or using, just made a different choice.
Substance abuse can be a quick trip to living on the streets, and a hard one to escape, but hardly the only reason.
Ive been homeless for no other reason than very low paying jobs and hard times.
Eventually I got better paying jobs and did better.
I'm retired now.
Never did drugs or booze, just not greedy, or motivated to climb some corporate ladder.
I don't fault any one wanting to make a better life for them selves and their families , my priorities are different.
Never took unemployment or aid but had the help of friends that were much better off, whom knew me.
I saw Lots of miracles and special help God given, and am eternally grateful .
I have helped others as well along the way ,it's what you do.
I've met profesional pan handlers and I'll buy them lunch but no money.
The bible indicates having entertained angels unawares, I have met a few."I think"
I see life as a test , not just to pass and relax , but to make it a life style.
I wait for God to show me,whom and what to do for people, I trust His perspective, in the tapestry of life.
Every day I drive to work and back and I see homeless people with signs saying "please feed me" "will work" "traveling" "lost everything need help".
These people look like they have been homeless all of their lives. I always think, how did that person end up in that position? They have the same brain as me the same DNA as me (to an extent because they are human). They are literally the same as me and as capable of learning (unless they have brain damage or something). Since graduating I quickly realized college taught me nothing and employers are not impressed by a degree... It is in fact useless..
Has anyone ever tried to help a homeless person become successful by training them in a profession?
A lot of homeless people have childhood physical & sexual abuse in their backgrounds. This is often compounded by parental drug/alochol abuse as well. No one seems to know how to repair that kind of trauma.
I wonder how many people are just one rent payment away from being homeless?
North Dakota is currently having it's first real experiences with Homeless people. The cause being unable to afford housing. or no housing available, no matter how much income one has.
Being homeless is not a disease. It is an economic condition with many causes, mental illness and/our substance abuse being just part of the picture.
I think we like to say it is caused by the individuals actions as most of us do not want to face the reality of how close to being homeless we all are.
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