The Homeless

KristinaB said:
We were almost faced with being homeless, but we cashed in all of our retirement plans and by the skin of our teeth and with lots of overdue bills following us, we managed to move in with MIL. We have paid off most of the bills and are finally beginning to get back onto our feet. Ours was due to the fact that I lost my job and hubby's hours were cut and he was facing a lay-off. I lost my job after we moved from Central to Eastern Missouri.

While I don't have much to help the homeless right now, I do buy gift certificates to McDonald's and Burger King and give out a certificate here and there. We also keep a flat of water in my car and I will hand out bottles of water to them as well. I do not hand over any cash as a lot of them here in town are just out for the beer or such that they can get. There was one lady who was standing on the street corner with a sign. Her hubby was killed in a gang shooting and she was 8 months pregnant. She had no family here and had not eaten for 2 days. The apartment was in her hubby's name and the rents had not been paid and she was evicted. With her permission, I called the local shelter and she was picked up by police and taken there. She has since delivered a healthy baby girl and was given transportation back to NY to her family.
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You can take pride in the fact that you are doing more than most people do.:wave:
 
jillio said:
From what I've seen of your coping skills, you would probably be the first to turn to the bottle if you found yourself facing homelessness.:cool2:
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Super Mod killed my last post, so I'll try again.
Facing homelessness you would be the first to turn to drugs.
 
rolling7 said:
Super Mod killed my last post, so I'll try again.
Facing homelessness you would be the first to turn to drugs.
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Don't think so. I have coping skills. And I know how to learn from my mistakes. Obviously, you haven't grasped that one yet.:cool2:

Now, do you have any useful suggestions on working with the homeless for Txgolfer, or are you just in here to troll?
 
TXgolfer said:
What can we do as individuals to help the homeless? It is a issue I have been working on for the past month and will be one area of focus for my new non-profit venture. Looking for creative ideas that any of you might have.

I will post some of the things I have been working on later in the thread.
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Funny that you mention this. A co-worker suddenly became homeless about 2 weeks ago. His mother passed away last June, and he had been staying with his mother's best friend. She assured him he would always be welcome there. Then her biological daughter got into some sort of personal problems and needed to move back home, so she booted him out.

He is 22, no relatives. He was living in his car. Everything he owned was in his car (including his mother's ashes).

He lives in my basement apartment now. Temporarily until he can get back on his feet. Sometimes, doing the right thing is easy.
 
Steinhauer said:
Funny that you mention this. A co-worker suddenly became homeless about 2 weeks ago. His mother passed away last June, and he had been staying with his mother's best friend. She assured him he would always be welcome there. Then her biological daughter got into some sort of personal problems and needed to move back home, so she booted him out.

He is 22, no relatives. He was living in his car. Everything he owned was in his car (including his mother's ashes).

He lives in my basement apartment now. Temporarily until he can get back on his feet. Sometimes, doing the right thing is easy.
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that's pretty cool. And it reminds me of a thought I had earlier. Homelessness is similar to cancer in that it is much easier to treat if you catch it early.
 
TXgolfer said:
that's pretty cool. And it reminds me of a thought I had earlier. Homelessness is similar to cancer in that it is much easier to treat if you catch it early.
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He is a good guy too - just a victim of circumstances beyond his control. He has to make a few adjustments ... i.e. I can't hear him so well and my deaf roommates can't hear him at all.

He is our token "hearie" ;) LOL

He really, and I mean, genuinely, misses his mom. He was truly lost - I hope I can help him find his way.

For all those out there reading this - kiss your mom today and let her know you appreciate her.
 
I know few but i don't see them anymore thank god but they were making up stories from where they really came from obviously booze is talking.. :roll:
 
Homeless

souggy said:
Some prefer the stress of finding a warm place to sleep and when their next meal will be over being binded to a contract of apartment-dwelling or home ownership. Apparently it's a different kind of stress.
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I have found that for some, being homeless is the only choice they are allowed to make for themselves. I know this sounds strange but some, mostly substance abuse or DV individuals get so frustrated by the goverment offices telling them the "requirements" to have a place to stay, even in a shelter, I was told this many times when I did counseling here in Md. It was expressed to me as "at least I get to say what I eat and where i go and sleep" even if it is dangerous..
they prefer it..."My last freedom" I was told...When I asked if they would not prefer a permenant place to stay..to my suprise I was told NO " why should I be put somewhere, then sit there and wait to die" I will admit most of these ppl had either a substance, violence or psychiatric issue. After years of trying to understand and doing what I could I finally understood..These ppl's lives are out of their control, for whatever reason. It is indeed their last freedom to make
a choice for themselves even if it is a "poor or bad choice" in our eyes. It Is THEIR CHOICE. I finally understand and know the only way to change this way of thinking is to catch the young men and woman, the kids, and show them their worth, give them something to be proud about. This country is allowing it's moral values to crumble because so many of us, won't even make eye contact with the homeless, or people in wheelchairs, or anyone we precieve as different from ourselves , they scare us. Great binLaden is dead. While we refuse to see the "dead" walking amoung us...Those ppl we step over. and we are going to have another generation soon, more violent, more demanding,
undisgnosed and self medicating with street drugs and alcohol...sorry I ran on but this is a topic that touches me deeply. Midnight..♥♥♥ :cool2:
 
Homelessness is very complicated. I like Jiro's comment about talking to homeless people. It's really important not de-humanize homeless people. Organizations should treat homeless people as "clients," not victims or merely aid recipients. Very often, a trauma leads to homelessness, like the loss of a loved one or the loss of all material resources (including the means to earn resources, i.e., a job). Most homeless people experience shame, which is a toxic emotion. These people need mental health care.

One thing is for sure, homelessness is on the rise and it's an important, urgent societal issue. With the economic crisis, more women and children are homeless. Children need stability and security for proper emotional development. If the problem is not solved, the ramifications for the next generation are huge.
 
It's true that most (if not all) homeless people that I encounter are drunks or drug addicts. However, don't you wonder if they represent only a small percentage of the homeless? I know that if I were homeless, I doubt I'd go around begging for money for 2 reasons: I'd find other ways (I DO have family and friends) and there are shelters 2) I know they would think I am a drug addict, so I most likely would get better success if I simply asked for food.

Wouldn't you think that those of the homeless who are desperate enough to interact with strangers (by begging for $$) are the drug addicts? Wouldn't that give the illusion that MOST homeless people are druggies?
 
Good point! One reason that the homeless are invisible is because the authorities dismantle "tent cities" and kick people out of places.
 
I always told myself that if I ever came into a large volume of money, I would contact wholesalers and start assembling "kits" that contain things like blankets, pillow, basic staples such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, towel, etc. Probably the most effective form of distribution would be via the shelters, which I could only hope that frees up funds for them to keep more beds open or add more. I could just be wishful here as I think this would have to be done on a large scale to make even a dent. Food for thought?
 
jillio said:
Wrong, wrong, wrong!

The fastest growing population of homeless people is families with children. Why? Job loss. Foreclosure. Eviction.
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This is also the fastest growing homeless population in Florida as well due to job loss and eviction etc...

Not all homeless people are scrubby looking drunks or druggies as people percieve.
 
Daredevel7 said:
It's true that most (if not all) homeless people that I encounter are drunks or drug addicts. However, don't you wonder if they represent only a small percentage of the homeless? I know that if I were homeless, I doubt I'd go around begging for money for 2 reasons: I'd find other ways (I DO have family and friends) and there are shelters 2) I know they would think I am a drug addict, so I most likely would get better success if I simply asked for food.

Wouldn't you think that those of the homeless who are desperate enough to interact with strangers (by begging for $$) are the drug addicts? Wouldn't that give the illusion that MOST homeless people are druggies?
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How do you know the homeless people you encounter are drunks or druggies?
 
AlleyCat said:
I always told myself that if I ever came into a large volume of money, I would contact wholesalers and start assembling "kits" that contain things like blankets, pillow, basic staples such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, towel, etc. Probably the most effective form of distribution would be via the shelters, which I could only hope that frees up funds for them to keep more beds open or add more. I could just be wishful here as I think this would have to be done on a large scale to make even a dent. Food for thought?
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It's a good idea. It takes just one person to get the ball rolling.
 
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