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You make a lot of fair and solid points that I've wrestled with as well. For the particular crisis they are in, they will pass on a hotel room, food, (maybe they don't have any bills at this point?) and there are no mental health/ SA programs that can keep people long enough to do any good. Maybe I'm wrong but you probably need the big bucks for long term stays. Medical insurance will not pay for long term stays anymore. Moot point there anyway. I'm going to throw this out to y'all and I can imagine the blow back. ( not from you) I wish we could have medical clinics run by SA experts who could administer medicinal does of the current drug in use and then try to meet the drug addicted person where they are. Because in the throes of needing a fix, they're pretty desperate and not open to much of anything but feeling better.....Believe when I say I do not have the answers but we better work together and find out a solution sooner rather than later.
Maintain it all ya want if that helps you feel better about your weird observations. Unless you have scientific data it's just your OPINION that there are more beggars here. And we all know how much OPINIONS are worth.
And who cares what the person's backstory is...if you're going to help, then help. If you're not, why bother engaging in conversation? I'll be straight forward, I generally do not give out cash to people begging. If I do give out cash (gift certificates, food, etc.) I just do it. I don't have the time to interview everyone I choose to help. There is no need for someone to come on C-D and talk about some questioning they did to make sure that a beggar is qualified enough for them to throw the person a buck.
For someone who posts in other forums about being close to being fired and quitting your job as a failure - you should have a little more compassion to people who are down on their luck. Or not...but no need to put it on social media to make yourself feel somehow "superior".
Thank you for reminding me to look at a posters history. It really can put things into perspective. Too many panhandlers, too much clear-cutting, and has a hard time in the workforce. It might be time for a little self-introspection/therapy.
Thank you for reminding me to look at a posters history. It really can put things into perspective. Too many panhandlers, too much clear-cutting, and has a hard time in the workforce. It might be time for a little self-introspection/therapy.
Good luck with that. Introspection largely died along with nuance and common sense in this country.
In the famous words of Sweet Brown, Ain't nobody got time for that.
The complexities of homelessness, or drug addiction, or mental illness are vast. Whether any panhandler is doing so by choice, is doing so because they are addicted to something and can't keep a job, or are mentally ill or because they have just fallen on hard times are not mine to wonder about or judge. I can't imagine most people would enjoy standing in the hot sun (or rain etc.) holding a sign and being subject to the judgement of any who pass by if they had other legitimate options available to them, I imagine it is pretty dehumanizing. If you feel led to give them something, then do it free and clear without care about what they do with the gift you are giving them. If you don't feel led, then look them in the eye and smile and find somewhere else to do something good in your world. But every human being deserves basic respect. Whether I get taken advantage of by giving to someone or not, since I realize not everyone is honest, if I get to the end of my life and know that I tried to love people well then I will be happy with my life.
And just FTR on my earlier post, when I say I noticed an uptick it did not mean there are more here than other places, where it's worse and there are more of them.
The worst I saw was in DT DC a couple years ago, re-routed off 95 by Waze to New Jersey Ave (I think) when trapped between other cars and panhandlers who were downright scary, and I am pretty conditioned to this here and in other countries. Thankfully we don't have that here.
As for how to help these people, I admit I don't have good answers.
See, OP, folks in the Triangle can be just as nasty and vicious as anywhere else.
Yes, it is amazing how many people on this board are telling me to get mental health help! So I put out some controversial ideas on a message board about a wide variety of topics and I am attacked and told I am crazy. OMG!
Other people are saying unless I can prove that there are more beggars in the medians here in the Triangle then I can't make an observation about it. What happened to a gut feeling? There would not be so many posts in response and so much discussion unless a large number of people here on City-Data noticed the huge number of beggars in the medians too.
Don't go to Haight-Ashbury then. Most numerous and aggressive "street kids" I have ever experienced in any city I have been to in the world, including third world countries.
Last time I was in SF (2010 for a HS "reunion") a street kid followed me for 6 blocks asking for a cigarette which I ignored him the entire time (was having a conversation with my friend while we walked).
Dude flat out wanted to fight when we turned around at Golden Gate park because I ignored him.
I haven't been there since the "1M dollar housing bubble pushed everyone out of their house" so I can imagine it's only worse there now.
That's one of those places that have a lot of what I refer to as "voluntary homeless." You see it in Asheville, New Orleans, too...Most panhandlers look like folks that have fallen on hard times as opposed to people that have intentionally aspired to be less.
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