The Beginning Homeless (insurance, school, university)

[coldPlay]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

I used to think "there but for the grace of God", but no longer. I have what it takes to pull myself up by my bootstraps. I also have bootstraps. These people don't know what bootstraps are.

....

well, keep living. You might learn something. Your response was pretty insensitive and lacking experience. You might just become the next victim. I know about what I speak of because I was once like you. I thought they all made bad decisions. I made all the good ones. I sacrificed, chose to buy a home less than what I qualified for, nearly paid it off, played by all the corporate rules. But unfortunate events actually happened to me, of all people. I was the most safe corporate soldier around, fearful of making any wrong turns. I even argued that many homeless want to live out by the river away from the stresses that I lived with daily. "They wouldn't last a week in my shoes" I said.

I got to learn how wrong I was. I do hope you will see without having to experience it.

[MaggieZ]

Those are very wise words, coldplay...and only a person who lived through it can say them..

[andyadhi01]

Another family becoming homeless.... We will have seniors living on streets because our techie overlords wont stop unless they eliminate everyone out of SF who are not like their own.

Protesters fight eviction of longtime S.F. family - SFGate

I thought cities make zoning laws to prevent businesses ruin neighborhoods. SF wont allow big stores but its okay to invite big tech business and ruin the social fabric of the city.

[nullgeo]

Most importantly, Leo wanted me to know that he wasn't miserable before McConlogue came along. Patrick, to him, was not a knight in shining armor, but rather a person who looked beyond the stereotype of homelessness and offered him a chance. He had never thought about coding, he admitted; he didn't even know what it was until a month ago, but "it's really hard to convince people that you are not a bad person, or a drug addict or a crazy. How are you gonna do that when you are homeless, and that's how the homeless are depicted? It's not always a negative thing but people don't know that."

"My life had good moments before this whole thing," Leo told me. "And all I think is now maybe learning how to do something new will give me more opportunities to have more good moments."

NYC Homeless Man Learns To Code And Builds App In Four Weeks - Careers Articles

[18Montclair]

So about an hour ago, I was pumping gas near Kaiser on Macarthur Bl and Piedmont Av and this person asked me for money and at first I brushed him off but then when he turned to walk away I recognized him as one of my high school classmates. We weren't really friends but I remembered him.

Sobering. I wondered about how easily that could have been me were it not for life choices and different circumstances.

[Radio Flyer]

I read my hometown newspaper online. A few years ago, I read a story about a homeless guy that died behind the local mall. The man was an alcoholic, but he was well-liked by the merchants because he was comical and very friendly.

The story went on to say that a few days had gone by and no one had seen him. They became worried and one of the merchants found him frozen to death behind the mall.

My heart sank when I read his name. I knew him. He was a year younger than me and lived down the road when we were kids.

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by mayorhaggar

People in the Bay Area pay attention solely to the tech industry and to nothing else. It's a really provincial and short-sighted attitude. Yeah there's a lot of money in it and a lot of people have jobs in it but the vast majority of people in the Bay Area don't work in tech, but they're being forced to compete in the same real estate market as the techie kids. Rents are going way up but so are homelessness and crime.

Oh cut the nonsense, a good portion of people who work for tech companies are not techies, we have regular paying jobs and struggle like everyone else. Tech companies take good care of their employees, which is good considering how fast they often go under. A shame that people hate on those who choose to advance and better themselves. Especially considering those who make money provide for services of those who can't or won't work an honest job.

[coldPlay]

Originally Posted by NorCal Dude

Oh cut the nonsense, a good portion of people who work for tech companies are not techies, we have regular paying jobs and struggle like everyone else. Tech companies take good care of their employees, which is good considering how fast they often go under. A shame that people hate on those who choose to advance and better themselves. Especially considering those who make money provide for services of those who can't or won't work an honest job.

I hope you're not missing the point. YOu said it in your post. The tech companies do very well indeed, but they and all of you "techies" who have done all the right things CAN go under overnight. It doesn't matter if you followed all the "rules" put out by the corporation. You should worry that on any given friday, you could be without a job.

[PrincessoftheCape]

A lot of people are choosing to be homeless these days. Some folks will argue that nobody "chooses" to be homeless, but that's an outright lie, especially with so many kids in their 20s today deciding to leave college (or to never go in the first place) and simply hit the streets (as opposed to getting jobs). There have been numerous articles about this phenomenon over the last couple of years, but the long and short of it is that, as the middle class is squeezed, it becomes harder and harder to maintain a foothold in it. Some kids and young adults look at that growing cliff and simply say 'to hell with this.'

[daepro]

Does anyone have any information about the culture of homelessness regarding young mostly Caucasian people with dreads who have pitbull type dogs who use rope as leashes. They all seem to wear flannel clothing and boots. Generally they can be seen asking for change around Haight or other areas.
I have seen them all around the country. Wonder about who they really are.