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 Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 1:01 pm
I live in Denver, Colorado. On every other corner there's a pan handler begging for money with his little cardboard sign reading, "Need Money for Food." I've also lived in Chicago, Illinois, and it's almost the same way.
I would really like to know who we blame for this situation? Homelessness is everywhere in our cities.
Is it the system? Many claim that a majority of homeless individuals have mental disorders that prevent them from working. However, wouldn't that qualify them for disability benefits. Do we not have the money in these United States, the richest country in the world to take care of our own?
Is it the people? I've spoken to many of my own peers and they claim they're just lazy and don't want to get a job. How do we then clean up these streets? And clear these corners of lazy individuals who don't want to do anything with their lives?
Is it a little bit of both? And how are we to know who really need help and who doesn't?
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:31 pm
If I were to decide where to put federal funding, I would scrap most welfare programs.
Why? I believe the real problem behind it is lack of education. I would take all that money spent in the cycle of welfare, and stick it into helping people overcome challenges - by learning and getting new skills.
It's the old "Give a man a fish..." policy. I think it works.
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Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:02 pm
Joscerelle I live in Denver, Colorado. On every other corner there's a pan handler begging for money with his little cardboard sign reading, "Need Money for Food." I've also lived in Chicago, Illinois, and it's almost the same way. I would really like to know who we blame for this situation? Homelessness is everywhere in our cities. Is it the system? Many claim that a majority of homeless individuals have mental disorders that prevent them from working. However, wouldn't that qualify them for disability benefits. Do we not have the money in these United States, the richest country in the world to take care of our own? Is it the people? I've spoken to many of my own peers and they claim their just lazy and don't want to get a job. How do we then clean up these streets? And clear these corners of lazy individuals who don't want to do anything with their lives? Is it a little bit of both? And how are we to know who really need help and who don't? You have it right, Josc. There are many reasons for homelessness. I'm near downtown ft worth and the problem is just about in your face over here. Some people don't want to be tied down..yes, but they are actually a minority in Ft Worth. I can't speak to your area because I don't know. Here in Ft Worth 1) there's a race divide and the majority are African American. 2) many are disabled, vets or otherwise. 3) many are mentally ill. 4) many are "temporary homeless. Despite all the myths about the lazy, shiftless, bums a good deal of homeless are ordinary folk that have fallen on hard times. They recently had a main provider die and their meagre income wasn't enough or they are runaways from abusive relationships, etc. The "temporary homeless" are the ones that luckily excape the pitfalls of depression; a very real malady that saps the will to better one's condition. Often they eventually find friends to take them in, etc. It's massively complicated. As complicated as life
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Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 10:37 am
Troiya Joscerelle I live in Denver, Colorado. On every other corner there's a pan handler begging for money with his little cardboard sign reading, "Need Money for Food." I've also lived in Chicago, Illinois, and it's almost the same way. I would really like to know who we blame for this situation? Homelessness is everywhere in our cities. Is it the system? Many claim that a majority of homeless individuals have mental disorders that prevent them from working. However, wouldn't that qualify them for disability benefits. Do we not have the money in these United States, the richest country in the world to take care of our own? Is it the people? I've spoken to many of my own peers and they claim their just lazy and don't want to get a job. How do we then clean up these streets? And clear these corners of lazy individuals who don't want to do anything with their lives? Is it a little bit of both? And how are we to know who really need help and who don't? You have it right, Josc. There are many reasons for homelessness. I'm near downtown ft worth and the problem is just about in your face over here. Some people don't want to be tied down..yes, but they are actually a minority in Ft Worth. I can't speak to your area because I don't know. Here in Ft Worth 1) there's a race divide and the majority are African American. 2) many are disabled, vets or otherwise. 3) many are mentally ill. 4) many are "temporary homeless. Despite all the myths about the lazy, shiftless, bums a good deal of homeless are ordinary folk that have fallen on hard times. They recently had a main provider die and their meagre income wasn't enough or they are runaways from abusive relationships, etc. The "temporary homeless" are the ones that luckily excape the pitfalls of depression; a very real malady that saps the will to better one's condition. Often they eventually find friends to take them in, etc. It's massively complicated. As complicated as life You know, you're right. I completely forgot about those who are temperately homeless. While writing this original post I went and did some research on a government site. Luckily, there are government organizations that can help these poor people that have fallen down on their luck. Those that are homeless because of domestic violence have places to go, and veterans have their very own organization that tries to help. I think, ultimately it falls on the individual to help themselves out.
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Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 3:10 pm
Joscerelle Troiya Joscerelle I live in Denver, Colorado. On every other corner there's a pan handler begging for money with his little cardboard sign reading, "Need Money for Food." I've also lived in Chicago, Illinois, and it's almost the same way. I would really like to know who we blame for this situation? Homelessness is everywhere in our cities. Is it the system? Many claim that a majority of homeless individuals have mental disorders that prevent them from working. However, wouldn't that qualify them for disability benefits. Do we not have the money in these United States, the richest country in the world to take care of our own? Is it the people? I've spoken to many of my own peers and they claim their just lazy and don't want to get a job. How do we then clean up these streets? And clear these corners of lazy individuals who don't want to do anything with their lives? Is it a little bit of both? And how are we to know who really need help and who don't? You have it right, Josc. There are many reasons for homelessness. I'm near downtown ft worth and the problem is just about in your face over here. Some people don't want to be tied down..yes, but they are actually a minority in Ft Worth. I can't speak to your area because I don't know. Here in Ft Worth 1) there's a race divide and the majority are African American. 2) many are disabled, vets or otherwise. 3) many are mentally ill. 4) many are "temporary homeless. Despite all the myths about the lazy, shiftless, bums a good deal of homeless are ordinary folk that have fallen on hard times. They recently had a main provider die and their meagre income wasn't enough or they are runaways from abusive relationships, etc. The "temporary homeless" are the ones that luckily excape the pitfalls of depression; a very real malady that saps the will to better one's condition. Often they eventually find friends to take them in, etc. It's massively complicated. As complicated as life You know, you're right. I completely forgot about those who are temperately homeless. While writing this original post I went and did some research on a government site. Luckily, there are government organizations that can help these poor people that have fallen down on their luck. Those that are homeless because of domestic violence have places to go, and veterans have their very own organization that tries to help. I think, ultimately it falls on the individual to help themselves out. I can't dissagree. At the same time, however, I think we as citizens should always be thinking up and creating safety nets for peopel should they fall. It's incredibly difficult to "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" if people keep trying to take your boots away. I like the idea of government sponsored work programs.. liek what they had in the 30's- 50's (the WPA). They would not pay much but the gov could set up dorms and a strict set of rules for the homeless to follow. The incentives to find "real work" would be built in but in the meantime they are productive doing something and they are OFF the streets. Good for crime prevention, good for the community, and good for them. Some countries in Europe have working programs like this. They aren't getting something for nothing as in welfare. They are earning it. I am not opinionated ninja lol
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Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 3:23 pm
I can't really say much about this, (besides the typos I've been spotting in the first post...) though I do know my state tried to do something.. I think it was they gave the homless one free cup of beer. If it wasn't then they gave them a little money but in the end they would use it for beer...
-sigh-... I need to read more on this topic.
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Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 3:31 pm
Chaotic Souls I can't really say much about this, (besides the typos I've been spotting in the first post...) though I do know my state tried to do something.. I think it was they gave the homless one free cup of beer. If it wasn't then they gave them a little money but in the end they would use it for beer... -sigh-... I need to read more on this topic. The hard thing about trying to help the homeless has been the "dependency factor." If you help them by just -giving- them stuff then they will take that handout and they will most often stop trying to help themselves. Personally I think this isn't an argument in favor of refusing to help them at all. I think we need, should, and ought to help them as a moral duty, but we need to do it in ways that lets them help themselves as much as possible. We can do it. It just takes the willingness to try and the willingness to come up with creative solutions. smile
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Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 4:13 pm
To be completely honest I see no point in trying to blame someone or something. It is a waste of time and won't help any of the current situations.
The only thing I can see the blame being used for is finding the original culprit. Unfortunately when you deal with such things as homlessness there are a multitude of reasons and causes.
The best we can do is try to improve it.
Although trying to come up with a program/plan that is actually effective and inforcing it will be rather difficult.
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 10:22 am
I don't know if we really need to blame anyone. It's no one person or group's fault. A lot of the homeless people you see day after day on the street are mentally ill or drug addicts. We used to have huge state asylums to house these people. Now we don't. There used to also be something called the "Poorhouse". In my hometown, it was called the County Home. Now it is a work-release jail.
I will have to do some research now about poorhouses and insane asylums. I wonder why we don't have them anymore? Or maybe we do, but I just don't know about it?
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 10:22 am
I don't live in America, I have no idea how your system works, but I can tell you a bit of ours.
I live in the Netherlands, a small country in the west of Europe.
Our country is just like America a demoracy, everyone is free to say it's owne will, and I think a lot of people love it here.
Though, we are a small country, soft drugs are legal here, you can have about 3 grams with you, and 5 grams at home, and 2 plants of weed...I'm not totally sure about those numbers, but something like that it is!
And well, people who are addicted to drugs need money, there are a lot ways to get money. You can just take a job, but you can also steal, or worse....
Anyway, a lot people who do drugs don't have enough money left to pay their house bill, so they become homeless.
I live in a small village, we don't have anyone around here who is homeless, but when I go to Eindhoven, a big town near here, that is the most dangerous town in the Netherlands.
I don't exually think it is the most dangerous town, I mean, in Eindhoven there might be 7 people robbed at one day, but in Amsterdam there are 5 people killed at one day, they just proved that Eindhoven is the most dangeroes town becouse there is happening more in Eindhoven....
Anyway, there are lot of homeless people in Eindhoven, becouse there are a lot drug addicted people in Eindhoven....
I think that the most people around here are homeless not becouse they ar lazy, but becouse they are addicted to drugs, and just are kicked out of their house, or couldn't pay their bill any more.
Ofcourse we hava also just lazy people around here, but I think the biggest problem is the drugs, and not becouse people are lazy.
That's how it is in th Netherlands, I think America is diffrent in almost everything, I mean, isn't it true that drugs are verry verry illegal over there?
We in the Netherlands think that it has no use to say no to drugs, becouse people are somethimes verry much like kids, somthimes they do just te opposite of what you tell them to do, so that's why it's legal here to have a little bit of soft drugs.
Anyway, I hope you learnt something of my story 3nodding
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 10:33 am
miriampje I don't live in America, I have no idea how your system works, but I can tell you a bit of ours.
I live in the Netherlands, a small country in the west of Europe.
Our country is just like America a demoracy, everyone is free to say it's owne will, and I think a lot of people love it here.
Though, we are a small country, soft drugs are legal here, you can have about 3 grams with you, and 5 grams at home, and 2 plants of weed...I'm not totally sure about those numbers, but something like that it is!
And well, people who are addicted to drugs need money, there are a lot ways to get money. You can just take a job, but you can also steal, or worse....
Anyway, a lot people who do drugs don't have enough money left to pay their house bill, so they become homeless.
I live in a small village, we don't have anyone around here who is homeless, but when I go to Eindhoven, a big town near here, that is the most dangerous town in the Netherlands.
I don't exually think it is the most dangerous town, I mean, in Eindhoven there might be 7 people robbed at one day, but in Amsterdam there are 5 people killed at one day, they just proved that Eindhoven is the most dangeroes town becouse there is happening more in Eindhoven....
Anyway, there are lot of homeless people in Eindhoven, becouse there are a lot drug addicted people in Eindhoven....
I think that the most people around here are homeless not becouse they ar lazy, but becouse they are addicted to drugs, and just are kicked out of their house, or couldn't pay their bill any more.
Ofcourse we hava also just lazy people around here, but I think the biggest problem is the drugs, and not becouse people are lazy.
That's how it is in th Netherlands, I think America is diffrent in almost everything, I mean, isn't it true that drugs are verry verry illegal over there?
We in the Netherlands think that it has no use to say no to drugs, becouse people are somethimes verry much like kids, somthimes they do just te opposite of what you tell them to do, so that's why it's legal here to have a little bit of soft drugs.
Anyway, I hope you learnt something of my story 3nodding Drugs are quite illegal here. Depending on what you have and how much you have of it depends on how much trouble you get into. My boyfriend was a dealer when he was 20 years old. He was caught with a lot of weed in his car and was sent to prison for two years. Luckly, he wasn't charged with dealing or it would have been a lot longer. He's not a bad guy. He just fell into the wrong crowd when he was younger. Well, he's 27 now and is an upstanding citizen of the United States. He works everyday and volunteers at the Red Cross.
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Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 10:48 am
I'm currently volunteering in a community food bank and do you want to know that horrible thing? Homelessness is more often than not a choice. People choose it for their own reasons that so many others don't care to understand. It usually has some connection to
a)Drugs and how much easier it is to get them and harder to find you if you have them
b)Undergroud activity (same reasons as above)
c) It could be because they're used to it and feel more comfortable sleeping outside rather than in a house.
Most homeless people if they don't apply to any of the above have some kind of mental or physical disability that prevents tham from working a suitable job and they don't get enough money from their disability to live a suitable lifestyle because they can't work.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 9:13 am
You cant just blame the whole thing on one person or thing. There are many different situations. It could be because of getting laid off, or he got in to hardcore drugs like crack, ex.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 9:29 am
Alot of times people choose to be homeless. It's a life decision and whether or not you agree with them or would do it yourself, it's how they want to live.
For those few homeless people who did not choose to live that way, they are most likely in a terrible situation of losing a job or an addict.
As for who to blame for that, there really isn't anyone except an unstable ecomony
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 1:40 pm
As someone said earlier we can't settle the blame on one person or idea. Many of us end up homeless from a disaster or loss of a job. Blaming someone for a problem this big can't be done. Plus, who are you going to blame?
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