Obviously the guy you ejected wanted help or he wouldn't have been there in the first place. I am not just being circular or coy. I am trying to get you to realize what you are painting is very idealistic. Maybe in some places some of these studies paint the homeless as innocent victims of losing a job and being evicted, but in my experience, a lot of them are evicted because they elect not to pay their rent because that would mean less money for alcohol, drugs, or whatever. Abused women bounce back in with their abuser in a few days or a week because they are playing mind games themselves. Prostitutes will try to use the shelter as their free brothel/hotel room for paying customers. Dealers on the down low because someone is out to get them will keep dealing out of the shelter and use it as a hide out. Far more often than not, the reason they end up in a shelter is because they have something going on in their lives that have caused their families and friends to wash their hands of them.
Again, not my thread, not my pics! Too right I have comfort ... today. But I started with very little, and could easily have ended up homeless had I been happy to do nothing about my situation. Or had I taken up drugs/alcoholism/gambling. Or had I been a horrible friend/family member. Or any one of the number of things people do to make then keep themselves homeless. And also yes, shaming is exactly what I'm doing. Because being homeless in our insanely rich countries is shameful. It says you're a lazy idiot, with an entitlement complex.
I lived in my car for 4 or 5 months after college. I had some money saved, so wasn't 'stuck' homeless, but I was able to experience 'the life'. Every single homeless person I aquainted with fit one of three categories- those that enjoyed being homeless (a tiny minority), those that didnt want to be self sufficient, and those that were insane. I know thats not entirely representative of the whole, but I travelled quite a bit through the south and southwest, and it was the same everywhere. I believe the vast majority of the homeless fit in those two categories. I feel much sympathy for the insane, though, tbh, I cant imagine they would be happier locked up and medicated. On the street, they may be destitute, but they are as free as they can be. Some could likely be helped... but I know many of them are doomed to their insanity barring some drastic advances in psychiatry. As an aside, of the two groups, these are the ones most often collecting cans or other recycleables to trade for cash, as opposed to harrassing folks for handouts. Theres gotta be some type of work these folks could get paid a bit more money for. The ones unwilling to be responsible for their own well-being, while likely victims of unstable, unsupportive or unstructured (or too structured) upbringings, are still choosing their fate. I dont understand the mindset that one feels entitled to be provided for while enjoying life while others labor for them, but thats what many of the younger homeless want. Maybe its just another type of insanity... but I don't feel as much sympathy for them. They're capable, just unwilling.
I am not 100% sure this kid even needs help TBH. SOmething about it doesn't seem quite kosher. No back packs or bags, clean feet, taking off their shoes and rolling up their socks inside, to sleep all night in that grass in a black hoodie with no more grass than has accumulated.....I am not sure this kid is homeless
Maybe the economic landscape has changed a bit since you went to college. I'm not doubting your observations, but how many people have gone out there and taken a close look at the situation now, within the last 5 years? Homelessness usually has multiple contributing causes. I'm not saying all these people are the most responsible, or have it all together. But in a different economic landscape they might not have wound up on the streets. The harder it is to find affordable housing, the less availability of job opportunities for younger people there is, it's going to push a lot more people who were living on the edge into homelessness. It might be partly their fault, and partly the fault of their circumstances, in many cases. It's not just all one or the other.
You need to also decide what is "homeless". I have been critical of the studies that exaggerate the homeless stats for veterans by including people living with relatives, etc who actually have a roof over their head. They aren't the owners or person paying the bills so they are called "homeless"
Thats fair. Perhaps more of the homeless today are simply victims of a poor economy. And its harder to get out of homelessness once in it- not puting a physical address on a job application severely reduces your chances of getting hired, as does not having recent employment history. I should note that I amend my previous statement to- most of the homeless START OUT that way due to either laziness or mental illness. But they are stuck there because of how hard it is to get hired while homeless. I wasn't even broke and I had a college education, transportation, the means to look 'clean and professional' and I still had a bitch of a time finding a job. I was actually on my way home to move back in with my folks when a job basically landed in my lap by sheer luck. But I doubt the dynamics I experienced have changed drastically in a decade. Maybe not as many are victims of their own laziness, but I'd wager the majority still start out homeless because they're either unwilling to work or mentally ill.
Having spent decades working with the homeless, outside of the large number of those with severe mental health issues, no amount of money could help them. You spend enough time on the street and your forget that you're a human being with a purpose. Communal living and self reliance is the best way to lift them out.
Be a productive member of society, don't steal ****, don't kill people, and mow your lawn. Such a fascist dictatorship
My older brother was an addict who literally ended up in a tent down by the river. My mother bent over backwards until he hawked her set of leaded crystal glasses with platinum bands-a wedding gift from my grandfather, for $50. The platinum alone was worth more than $10,000. ****er even drank my whole Last Man's Club bottle. Just because you deserve to be there doesn't mean you deserve to stay there.
