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Thread: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

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    Banned Melonie's Avatar
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    Default here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    ... pass local ordinances which prevent 'do-gooders' from feeding them !



    (snip)"Then there are the signs.

    DO NOT LIE OR OTHERWISE BE IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION ON A PARK BENCH ... DO NOT SLEEP OR REMAIN IN ANY BUSHES, SHRUBS OR FOLIAGE ... per city code sec. 18A.09 (a) and (o).

    Visit the park's restrooms, and you'll find this sign on the wall above the hand dryers:

    BATHING AND/OR SHAVING IN RESTROOM IS PROHIBITED ... per city code 18A.09 (p) ... LAUNDERING CLOTHES IN LAKE EOLA PARK IS NOT PERMITTED.

    Since joggers and dog walkers tend not to snooze in flower beds, and because employees at the glittering office towers around Lake Eola don't scrub laundry in park sinks, it's clear, says Monique Vargas, at whom the notices are targeted.

    "They're talking to us, to the homeless," says Vargas, 28, who says she has lived on the streets, in parks or under overpasses, since age 16. "It's a way of saying, 'Your kind isn't wanted in our city.'"

    Orlando, population 200,000, works hard to conjure the image of a true-life Pleasantville: a safe, welcoming place where visitors can soak up year-round sunshine and devour choreographed experiences at palm-ringed theme parks. But its spotless sidewalks, sparkling lakes and twinkling skyline belie a real city with real maladies - most notably, a surging homeless population that authorities are struggling to control.

    After a law that banned panhandling was struck down by the courts, the city tried to discourage aggressive beggars by obliging them to carry ID cards, and later by confining them to 3-by-15-foot "panhandling zones" painted in blue on sidewalks downtown.

    Despite these laws, the number of people living on the streets of the Orlando metro area swelled, from roughly 5,000 in 1999 to an estimated 8,500 today, dwarfing the city's shelter capacity for 2,000 people.

    So in July, the city commission tried a "supply-side" approach: It passed an ordinance regulating the feeding of large groups of people in Orlando's downtown parks.

    Those who wished to feed more than 25 hungry individuals at parks within a 2-mile radius of City Hall could do so, but only if they obtained a "Large Group Feeding Permit" from the parks department - and no one would be granted more than two feeding permits a year.

    No exceptions.

    For the first time anyone in Orlando could remember, not only would panhandlers find themselves in the crosshairs of the law, but so would those trying to help them."(snip)

    (snip)"Indeed, a week before Orlando's ordinance took effect, Las Vegas criminalized giving food to even a single transient in a city park.

    In August, the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit challenging the Las Vegas ban, saying it violated constitutional protections of free speech, right to assembly and right to practice one's religion. A federal court in Nevada has prohibited the city from enforcing the ordinance until a final ruling is issued.

    Advocates for the homeless feared it wouldn't be long before other cities passed similar laws. As it happens, they were right.

    Already, the cities of Dallas, Fort Myers, Fla., Gainesville, Fla., Wilmington, N.C., Atlanta, and Santa Monica, Calif., have laws restricting or outright prohibiting the feeding of the homeless. In Fairfax County, Va., homemade meals and meals made in church kitchens may not be distributed to the homeless unless first approved by the county.

    Other cities, including Miami, are considering similar anti-feeding measures.

    "We've seen cities going beyond punishing homeless people to punishing those trying to help them, even though it's clear that not enough resources are being dedicated to helping the homeless or the hungry," said Maria Foscarinis, executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, NLCHP, a non-profit in Washington, D.C.

    A 2006 report on 67 cities by her group and the National Coalition for the Homeless, a nonpartisan, non-profit network, found an 18 percent increase since 2002 in laws prohibiting aggressive panhandling; a 12 percent jump in laws outlawing "passive" begging; a 14 percent rise in laws defining sitting or lying in public places as criminal acts.

    Says Michael Stoops, the coalition's executive director in Washington, D.C.: "The idea is to drive the visible homeless out of downtown America, so that cities can attract developers, big money."

    What's wrong with attracting investment?

    Nothing, Stoops says - unless it comes at the expense of decency. "It's a sorry state of affairs when you can feed the squirrels, the doves and pigeons at Lake Eola, but not a hungry guy down on his luck.""(snip)


    It sounds like America is slowly but surely headed towards the 'Le Zone' approach used by France ... force all of the 'unproductive' people in a particular city into their own dedicated outlying suburb, barricade that suburb legally and sometimes physically to keep its residents from coming into the main part of the city, and let them fight amongst / prey on each other ...

    ~
    Last edited by Melonie; 02-04-2007 at 10:40 AM.

  2. #2
    Yekhefah
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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Damn, and I thought *I* was a hardass. I can be pretty draconian but I still feed the homeless once in awhile. There are so many of them in my neighborhood! I know several of them by name. Many of them are nuts, but they're not bad people, and most of them really can't help being homeless because they've got mental problems and no one to take care of them. A lot of them are Vietnam vets. There's this one guy who stands on the corner sometimes at night and screams about "incoming Charlie."

    Not wanting them to pee in the flowers, that's one thing. But giving them something to eat? Sheesh.

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    God/dess Deogol's Avatar
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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Yea - it's a bit over bearing. But it isn't like we don't live in a police state right? All these regulations are just fine when they don't EFFECT US.

    This is an example to the REAL disintegration of the United States that is going on around us. Even in the short years I have been alive - well, maybe not to short - I have seen this country change in ways that are remarkably short sighted and detrimental to the average person.

    There are to many band aid solutions and "rough em up" resolutions that just aren't going to work. In other words, instead of figuring out how to make economics work where some of these people can make a buck - even part time in a mail room someplace lugging boxes - treating the mentally anguished - or even investing in more soup kitchens/sleeping spots ... they use totalitarian tactics and harassment.

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    Banned Melonie's Avatar
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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Yea - it's a bit over bearing. But it isn't like we don't live in a police state right? All these regulations are just fine when they don't EFFECT US.

    ^^^ careful there, that's the 'will of the majority' that you're arguing against ! In this case, it's the will of the majority of taxpaying city residents who own the stone walls that are being pissed on and who finance the park's maintenance - and who want the homeless to live far, far away ! These are the same people who don't want smoking in their public buildings, and who don't want convenience stores on their block !

    All that will be necessary to 'relocate' the homeless is to 'criminalize' homelessness in public places, in the same way that all that was necessary to 'relocate' smoking was to 'criminalize' smoking in public places, or in the same way that all that was necessary to relocate businesses out of upscale residential neighborhoods was to 'criminalize' such private property use i.e. zoning laws. The park bench and public feeding ordinances effectively do that in the same was as the no-smoking ordinances or the zoning ordinances ! However, unlike smokers who own their homes or businesses who can buy properly zoned property, the homeless don't have the financial resources to escape their newly 'criminalized' status.


    Maybe this sort of thinking is behind this recently declassified US Army document ...

    AR 210–35

    Civilian Inmate Labor Program

    This rapid action revision dated 14 January 2005--

    o Assigns responsibilities to Headquarters, Installation Management Agency

    o Makes administrative and editorial changes (throughout).

    This new regulation dated 9 December 1997

    o Provides Army policy and guidance for establishing civilian inmate labor

    programs and civilian prison camps on Army installations.

    o Discusses sources of Federal and State civilian inmate labor.

    from


    there's also the issue of FEMA's recently constructed 'relocation camps' ...


    Hey, who knows, before this is over America may solve it's foreign dependence on oil problem, by putting all of the forcibly relocated 'criminal' homeless people to work raising and harvesting sugar cane / beets on newly created farm land adjacent to their 'relocation camp'.

    ~
    Last edited by Melonie; 02-04-2007 at 02:47 PM.

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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Quote Originally Posted by Melonie View Post
    ...
    AR 210–35

    Civilian Inmate Labor Program...
    I don't know about elsewhere, but in L.A. the ACLU can always help them renounce their U.S. citizenship and go to Mexico. Then they can walk back into the U.S., where they will then have more rights than they did as U.S. citizens.

    Okay, enough of the sarcasm. I truly find this notion of "civilian inmate labor" very distasteful. Yes, they're homeless, but that sounds an awful lot like slavery to me. Of course, we use slave labor from our current prison system now(e.g., paying the inmates $0.25/hour, or less, for their work - and I'm thinking primarily of incarceration for non-violent crimes here, such as a small amount of marijuana for personal use).

    Of course, the federal & state governments will point to some prior court decision that claims this isn't slavery But just because a professional prevaricator(i.e., a politician) makes such a claim, it doesn't mean the claim is true. It really doesn't matter to me anymore. Their semantic contortions don't count for sh/t with me now, anymore than those of a CEO of a major corporation. And I'm close to losing what little shreds of faith I have left in "leaders" from the fields of education and religion as well.

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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    I wish they would do this in Austin. They sure do love the homeless here. Panhandlers at EVERY intersection. I'm a weeping liberal, but they get on my nerves! Most of them have the "I Need a Beer" sign too.

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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Quote Originally Posted by Katrine View Post
    I wish they would do this in Austin. They sure do love the homeless here. Panhandlers at EVERY intersection. I'm a weeping liberal, but they get on my nerves! Most of them have the "I Need a Beer" sign too.

    I never saw an " I need a beer" sign until I went to see the red sox this past season. Sorry, everyone, I gave him $5 for his honesty The bums around my parts lie their asses off on their signs.

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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    I don't mind the Austin homeless -- having experience with the California homeless (bay area.)

    The Austin homeless at least stay away from your car, ie. no squweegy men or windshield rubbers or headlight polishers.

    They tend to mumble to themselves but don't sit there peering through your windows waving at you until you finally roll it down (OK - there have been some black ladies who have taken to doing that lately but I think they are from New Orleans. If there is ever a time to have a confederate flag to wave around...)

    And when walking along they don't follow you around for five minutes demanding a dollar finishing off the non-transaction by cursing you. (See the movie "Falling Down" for a "clean polite" California pan handler compared to what the reality is.)

    Hell - some of em even make an honest buck by selling key chains, roses, and water.

    So all in all, Austin homeless are pretty darn well mannered compared to what I have experienced in other parts of the country.

    Hell, I dare say strippers are more obnoxious hustlers than the bums are!

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    Banned Melonie's Avatar
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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Hell, I dare say strippers are more obnoxious hustlers than the bums are!
    freedom of choice again ! Strippers wouldn't have to hustle so hard if they were allowed to sell lap dances to ever car stopping at a traffic light ! And panhandlers would hustle like madmen if they were all herded into a single building and only allowed to hit on people who voluntarily walked in the front door !

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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Quote Originally Posted by Deogol View Post
    I don't mind the Austin homeless -- having experience with the California homeless (bay area.)

    And when walking along they don't follow you around for five minutes demanding a dollar finishing off the non-transaction by cursing you....
    The only time I've encountered super aggressive panhandlers was while on vacation in San Francisco. And on a day it was pouring rain at that. The guy cursed at me when I didn't go over to give him a dollar, as though I'm going to do that when he was yelling asking for the dollar while I was about 200 feet away from him. I just wanted to get back to my hotel as quickly as I could at the time after a long day of sightseeing.

    I work in Burbank now, and I've not encountered any aggressive homeless, but they'd be in trouble with the police here in less than a second if they tried to do the same thing as the San Francisco panhandlers. I'm not sure what the laws are here about this, but they're probably very different from those on the books in San Francisco.

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    Yekhefah
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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    The homeless in Hollywood are inordinately polite. I couldn't believe the difference between the polite homeless guys here and the obnoxious, potentially violent ones in Memphis and New York. The ones in New Orleans are beyond frightening - one of them mugged me at knifepoint when I was 15. But the ones here in Hollywood keep to themselves. Sometimes they'll ask for money but if you say, "Sorry, no," they'll just tell you to have a nice day. Like I said, many of them are veterans and just can't take care of themselves.

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    TheSexKitten
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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Hwat sucks bigtime is that the main cause of homelessness is actually untreated mental illness or some other sort of disability. My uncle, when he was 22, rallied a bunch of students and bums to sleep in sleepingbags and tent on the campus of Iowa State University, and this year he got involved in the opening of a free psychiatric clinic.

    Hopefully the clinic will actually have a positive effect, and if it does, hopefully other cities will follow suit.

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    God/dess Mr Hyde's Avatar
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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    There are four categories of homeless people...

    1-Mentally ill...ie, those who have mental problems and have been sort of bounced around the system and can't hold a job, etc. This category may hold some drug and alcohol abusers
    2-Physically disabled-Those who have severe physical handicaps that prevent them from working and who don't have a family network to help them out
    3-Truly destitute-Those who, through little to no fault of their own, find themselves without a place to live
    4-Homeless by choice-Those who are mentally and physically healthy but who choose not to work or choose not to work enough to afford a place to live. This category may hold some drug and alcohol abusers as well.


    I have NO evidence to back this up, but I would be willing to bet that a large majority of the homeless fall into the 4th category, and honestly, I don't really feel sorry for them.

    I don't think we have a homeless problem, I think the homeless have a lazy problem.

    If you are physically handicapped, or mentally fucked up, or you simply lost your job and house and are living in your car, then yeah, I think you need some help and sympathy. If you're a bum who just wants to not work and beg for spare change, then as far as I'm concerned, you're a drain on society. Get a job and a life.

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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Sometimes the mentally ill are not so obvious. I mean, the lady who was having a nice conversation with her invisible friend is obvious - but someone who is experiencing a severe bout with depression is not so obvious.

    I do think there are a lot of lazy didn't go to school stayed home playing nintendo smoking dope types out there.

    Another group you missed though -- the victims. As in - living on the street is better than getting butt fucked by daddy in the middle of the night or beat up by mommy dearest. Then once out on the street - where to go from there when the government and it's agencies will do it's best to return you to the tragedy.

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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    ^^^ you've also left out a fast-growing 'new' group of homeless ... those that have gone bankrupt under the new Chapter 13 rules who choose not to work and not to have 'assets' in order to avoid having to turn over essentially every dollar that they earn above the 'poverty' level to former creditors - 'destitute by choice' ?

    I do think there are a lot of lazy didn't go to school stayed home playing nintendo smoking dope types out there.
    yup, a lot of high school age Americans of 5-10 years ago miscalculated badly on the future availability of jobs with meaningful paychecks.

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    aussiepunkshocker
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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Cos being homeless is such a great lifestyle choice!
    I doubt though that the majority of people choose to be homeless. It may be reasurring to think this way but being homeless is not a pretty life. The level of violence and sexual assult is high. Theft of belongings by others (the few basic items people do have) is also a problem as is staying healthy and clean. All the basics those of us with homes take for granted are difficult for people to find who live on the streets. (bathrooms, water, regular meals, regular and proper sleep...)
    Sleeping rough absolutly sucks arse, especially in winter when its impossible to get warm alone or without alcohol or pills let alone comfortable. Finding somewhere to sleep safely is hard. Most people dont feel safe oon the streets alone at night. I imagine not having that choice and having to decide which spot seems to be the safest place wouldnt be fun. The safest places are also the places where people are most likely to be picked up by the police so its a catch 22. There is a certain amount of safety in numbers if a homeless person can find a group of homeless people to be friends with, but within those groups people have mental and alcohol problems etc so there is always the uncertanty that someone will flip out and go crazy - and they do fairly regularly from what ive seen, plus it takes time to be accepted by the group anyway.
    I have a bit of background with the subject, with the exception of just a few people anyone who chooses to be homeless would have to be mad!



    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Hyde View Post
    There are four categories of homeless people...

    1-Mentally ill...ie, those who have mental problems and have been sort of bounced around the system and can't hold a job, etc. This category may hold some drug and alcohol abusers
    2-Physically disabled-Those who have severe physical handicaps that prevent them from working and who don't have a family network to help them out
    3-Truly destitute-Those who, through little to no fault of their own, find themselves without a place to live
    4-Homeless by choice-Those who are mentally and physically healthy but who choose not to work or choose not to work enough to afford a place to live. This category may hold some drug and alcohol abusers as well.


    I have NO evidence to back this up, but I would be willing to bet that a large majority of the homeless fall into the 4th category, and honestly, I don't really feel sorry for them.

    I don't think we have a homeless problem, I think the homeless have a lazy problem.

    If you are physically handicapped, or mentally fucked up, or you simply lost your job and house and are living in your car, then yeah, I think you need some help and sympathy. If you're a bum who just wants to not work and beg for spare change, then as far as I'm concerned, you're a drain on society. Get a job and a life.

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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Here is something you can prepare and it could mean so much:



    At least not all Christians are hokey fuck wads.

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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Quote Originally Posted by aussiepunkshocker View Post
    Cos being homeless is such a great lifestyle choice! <snip>

    I have a bit of background with the subject, with the exception of just a few people anyone who chooses to be homeless would have to be mad!

    Well I can't say at all for what it is like for the homelessnes in Australia. Here; in some circles, strangely enough it is embraced as cool. It may be a west coast thing (California, Oregon, Washington) but there are huge numbers of homeless kids, runaways that join together in tribes. A documentary was done recently on the Street kids in Portland OR,. Paris may elaborate for you if she wishes on the street kids there in the Burnsid district.

    Their not mentally ill, any disabilities they gotafter they chose the homeless lifestyle, for them this mad lifestyle is freedom. Not my definition of freedom. These kids like to come and go as they please, use drugs, sit all day and play music for money, and more, etc, etc.

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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    ^^^ it's an East Coast thing too ! Hearsay has it that, besides the 'coolness' factor, loss of social welfare program eligibility requirements often serves to push children who have reached the age of 18 out of their 'home' if they are not still in high school, so that the remaining social welfare benefits can be shared among mom and younger brothers & sisters. Once they have officially left 'home', the 18+ year olds are then entitled to file for social welfare benefits on their own.

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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Quote Originally Posted by aussiepunkshocker View Post
    Cos being homeless is such a great lifestyle choice!
    I doubt though that the majority of people choose to be homeless. It may be reasurring to think this way but being homeless is not a pretty life. The level of violence and sexual assult is high....
    I have a bit of background with the subject, with the exception of just a few people anyone who chooses to be homeless would have to be mad!
    In the states, there are TONS of people who just choose not work. They'd rather live on the streets and scrounge by. Is it a great life? No, but believe it or not, there are TONS of people who choose to live homelessly, and there is a large network to help them (soup kitchens, shelters, etc). In fact, in the US, if you WANT to work, there are TONS of places that you can go that will help you get a start off of the streets. However, many homeless simply don't want to have to live a structured, normal life, have a boss, etc. They'd rather just live their life as they'd like to and if that means homelessness, then that's what they do.

    And those people, IMO, deserve no help nor do they deserve to be able to ugly up public parks and sleep on benches.

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    TheSexKitten
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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Hyde View Post
    And those people, IMO, deserve no help nor do they deserve to be able to ugly up public parks and sleep on benches.
    Hmm, you can't possibly mean that. You're ignoring the fact that there are a huge number of homeless people who do have a serious disability or poor life circumstances! In fact, I almost ended up living out of my car when I was 16. If I didn't have a car, would I not deserve to sleep on a bench until I found a place to stay? Just one aspect.

  22. #22
    aussiepunkshocker
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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Yeah, I have an idea of what youre talking about, I was mostly referring to homeless adults. Teenagers do all sorts of strange things because they think its 'cool" and then they become adults and things are different...
    I would love to see that documentary though it sounds interesting. Mind you about 20 years ago I used to know alot of the homless kids / people here and all sorts of tv shows were made about them showing them in different lights, sometimes correctly, sometimes way off track.
    The groups of kids I knew here were made up of mostly kids who had no homes or had to leave home because their home life was so awful - really awful. There were some in the group who thought it was a cool lifestyle choice, I dont recall any of them lasting too long at living on the streets though, most went back to their homes after a few days. And of course there are people who choose to squat as a lifestyle choice, but thats a whole different ball game IMO since sqatters often live pretty "normal" lives. Of all the truely homless people I knew back then of which there were many, I can say that 6 are definatly alive and a further 5 possibly alive still though no-one knows for sure. Its definatly not a good lifestyle. I heard some of the worst life stories ever when I knew that group. However I met some of the best people ever too. Homeless kids any in this country generally are on the streets because their home life is extremely abusive.


    Quote Originally Posted by ArmySGT. View Post
    Well I can't say at all for what it is like for the homelessnes in Australia. Here; in some circles, strangely enough it is embraced as cool. It may be a west coast thing (California, Oregon, Washington) but there are huge numbers of homeless kids, runaways that join together in tribes. A documentary was done recently on the Street kids in Portland OR,. Paris may elaborate for you if she wishes on the street kids there in the Burnsid district.

    Their not mentally ill, any disabilities they gotafter they chose the homeless lifestyle, for them this mad lifestyle is freedom. Not my definition of freedom. These kids like to come and go as they please, use drugs, sit all day and play music for money, and more, etc, etc.

  23. #23
    aussiepunkshocker
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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Ok, I dont live in the US so... (-:
    We have programmes to which are set up to help get people off the streets. The fact is though that we dont have enough jobs in this country for everyone especially large groups of unskilled people. I would guess that most countries are the same. IMO homelessness can be a very difficult vicious cycle to get out of regardless of the reason people got in to it. The bigger the city, the harder it is.

    I would not begrudge anyone a bit of space in a park or on a bench, just keep it tidy! Ive even put up homeless people for a few nights and let them take a shower or have a decent meal or two. Theyre still human!

    I also do know a couple of people who are beggars but not totally homeless. In all honesty without meaning to be mean I look at them and wonder what the hell else they could do in means of work and the answer is that probably no-one is going to employ them for anything - really! On top of that their self esteem is so low after being rejected so many times begging is just easier. This will sound strange, but in one case anyway I think it does give him a bit of a sense of purpose each day too because he helps out others less fortunate with what he makes or gets given and he looks out for various other people including a very tiny homeless old lady who doesnt beg at all. I think at least he does that, its not like hes getting the money and living the high life.
    Of course there are plenty of scammers here too. I am picky with who I give money to because through my begger friends I know roughly how much money can be made etc. I also know how to pick out the genuinely homeless people, I know what desperate looks like.



    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Hyde View Post
    In the states, there are TONS of people who just choose not work. They'd rather live on the streets and scrounge by. Is it a great life? No, but believe it or not, there are TONS of people who choose to live homelessly, and there is a large network to help them (soup kitchens, shelters, etc). In fact, in the US, if you WANT to work, there are TONS of places that you can go that will help you get a start off of the streets. However, many homeless simply don't want to have to live a structured, normal life, have a boss, etc. They'd rather just live their life as they'd like to and if that means homelessness, then that's what they do.

    And those people, IMO, deserve no help nor do they deserve to be able to ugly up public parks and sleep on benches.

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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Hyde View Post
    There are four categories of homeless people...

    1-Mentally ill...ie, those who have mental problems and have been sort of bounced around the system and can't hold a job, etc. This category may hold some drug and alcohol abusers
    2-Physically disabled-Those who have severe physical handicaps that prevent them from working and who don't have a family network to help them out
    3-Truly destitute-Those who, through little to no fault of their own, find themselves without a place to live
    4-Homeless by choice-Those who are mentally and physically healthy but who choose not to work or choose not to work enough to afford a place to live. This category may hold some drug and alcohol abusers as well.
    Might be hard to distinguish sometimes between categories 1, 3, and 4.

    There is another category you fail to mention - children. In 2003, children under the age of 18 accounted for 39% of the homeless population;42% of these children were under the age of five

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    Default Re: here's one effective way to address the growing 'homeless' problem ...

    Quote Originally Posted by TheSexKitten View Post
    Hmm, you can't possibly mean that. You're ignoring the fact that there are a huge number of homeless people who do have a serious disability or poor life circumstances! In fact, I almost ended up living out of my car when I was 16. If I didn't have a car, would I not deserve to sleep on a bench until I found a place to stay? Just one aspect.
    You are ignoring the fact that he is not talking about every homeless person.

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