744,000 homeless in United States
- Thread starter Dupontster
- Start date
Dupontster
Would THIS face lie?
Pete said:
I thought the same thing...Especially slackers..
Disco Stu
Shut Up Little Man!!!!
most "slackers" end up mooching off friends. like staying on their couch, or in the basement until they "finally land a job".
most people on the street have some form of mental illness. it may be fear of strangers, crippling depression or whatever, that's half the battle there.
unfortunately not everyone can be led to help or be persuaded to continue with it. even if it would save their life.
most people on the street have some form of mental illness. it may be fear of strangers, crippling depression or whatever, that's half the battle there.
unfortunately not everyone can be led to help or be persuaded to continue with it. even if it would save their life.
Dupontster said:
I spent about five years wasting my time trying to help homeless people. I now realize that the best way to help them is to help the shelters designed to help them. I took them into my home and they robbed me. I provided shelter and found them taking drugs and drinking. I helped them find jobs and they quit or didn't show up one day. I gave them rides to places and they wouldn't bother to go inside. And some just had this "thing" about living indoors as though a home was the same thing as a prison or a cage. I recall dropping off an older woman up in Manchester NH - I drove all the way from the Boston 'burbs - because she just wanted to hang out in the park at night - in the wintertime.
After beating my head against the wall for years, someone finally talked some sense into me - they told me, look, there are shelters and professionals who dedicate all their time to helping these guys - and they're mostly male. A great deal of them are what we used to call hobos - bums. They like living on bare subsistence so that they can drink and otherwise have no bills or responsibilities.
They simply wore me out, and that's hard to do most times. I realized that the only way to deal with the problem is to support shelters that OFFER assistance - and the rest is up to them. You can't compel these guys to do what they don't want to do.
duzzey1a said:
Those I don't find fault with. We did help out a guy who wanted to fix his life but suffered from mild schizophrenia. Even with medication, he had almost no job skills and lived in a shelter without transportation.
But when we gave him rides, he was always clean wearing one of two white shirts that he ironed every morning before work. He lived in the shelter at night, and didn't use it as just a place to sleep (which WAS true of a teenaged kid we knew who slept there but made just enough money to get a bite to eat and go drinking with his new found buddies). His room was stark - he had almost no possessions, which is just as well, because even in a shelter you can't keep stuff from getting stolen. This was many years ago, so I don't know whatever happened to him, but his employer told us he was a good worker.
I know that there are legitimate needs out there, but the programs are being deluged with bums looking for handouts and are taking advantage.
closetrebel
New Member
what's the deal with california, the most liberal state in the union? they have the highest number of homeless at 170,270! that is unbelievable!
and i will throw in unexpected catastrophic medical costs (beyond what the insurance will pay) has been a factor in the financial demise of some people. not a lot. before i started working for a non-profit, i worked in medical billing for 13 years.
but that's a whole other oprah...
and i will throw in unexpected catastrophic medical costs (beyond what the insurance will pay) has been a factor in the financial demise of some people. not a lot. before i started working for a non-profit, i worked in medical billing for 13 years.
but that's a whole other oprah...
itsbob
I bowl overhand
Bums tend to congregate where the Bennies are most plentiful.. You take away the benefits and your homeless and bum problem almost goes away overnight.closetrebel said:
As far as medical bills making someone homeless, I have a hard time believing that. You are going to get medical help no matter what. If you owe a hospital $100,000 dollars they aren't going to expect payment overnight, nor are they going to expect monthly payments that will cost you your house, your car and your job. I've never had a doctor say, "You need this surgery, but we checked your credit report.. sorry about your luck." Nor have I ever heard "Your life depends on this surgery, but you already owe the hospital $5,000."
Christy
b*tch rocket
itsbob said:
Oh believe it. Unfortunately, the hardships come to families with jobs and homes. I've known a few people who have been forced to sell their homes due to medical expenses that aren't fully covered under their insurance policies. They've lost everything they've worked years to build. Whereas, if they were welfare recipients, all medical would have been paid. Every last penny of it.
So, it is possible and not that uncommon to wind up homeless due to medical expenses.
itsbob
I bowl overhand
The better welfare benefits, the food stamps.. medical.. Better funded homeless shelters, less stingent laws concerning homeless people.. etc.. etc.. and of course last but not least, where people are more apt to put money into their little cans so they can buy their bottle of MD2020..elaine said: