Post: #1

I went out for a walk this Saturday at Martin Place the day before the Chinese New Year. And I saw quite about 10+ homeless men there.

The majority of them receiving food from a St John Charity Truck. And I found an old man sitting down with a smell of alcohol from his lips. I sat down and talked to him. And found out that he served in the army then had to leave to take care of his sick grandmother. And somehow he ended up homeless.

Now that he is old he although experienced in jobs he is unable to find any jobs. The only thing he seems to hope for is to visit his daughter in Perth. I don't know if this guy is telling the truth or a fraud.

But if true how do we help homeless men like him? I certainly thought of methods that could be done connecting men with employers looking for employees which can certainly done with younger male homeless which I see bedding down at the street on my way back to the train station. And for the old men they certainly seem in a dilemma since their age prevents their hiring.

And subsisting on welfare and generosity doesn't seem a way to get them back on their feet since they stay dependent.

All I could do is sit down and talk to them maybe a few coins I give them but I cannot do much else.

What do you guys think? What are ways of helping the truly deserving homeless men ordinary men thrust into such situations because of a devastating family court system. Or just plain unlucky.

How can especially elderly homeless be given ability to stand on their 2 feet again?

Post: #2

(02-07-2016 08:49 AM)infowarrior1 Wrote:  I went out for a walk this Saturday at Martin Place the day before the Chinese New Year. And I saw quite about 10+ homeless men there.

The majority of them receiving food from a St John Charity Truck. And I found an old man sitting down with a smell of alcohol from his lips. I sat down and talked to him. And found out that he served in the army then had to leave to take care of his sick grandmother. And somehow he ended up homeless.

Now that he is old he although experienced in jobs he is unable to find any jobs. The only thing he seems to hope for is to visit his daughter in Perth. I don't know if this guy is telling the truth or a fraud.

But if true how do we help homeless men like him? I certainly thought of methods that could be done connecting men with employers looking for employees which can certainly done with younger male homeless which I see bedding down at the street on my way back to the train station. And for the old men they certainly seem in a dilemma since their age prevents their hiring.

And subsisting on welfare and generosity doesn't seem a way to get them back on their feet since they stay dependent.

All I could do is sit down and talk to them maybe a few coins I give them but I cannot do much else.

What do you guys think? What are ways of helping the truly deserving homeless men ordinary men thrust into such situations because of a devastating family court system. Or just plain unlucky.

How can especially elderly homeless be given ability to stand on their 2 feet again?

I had this same dilemma for years and I ultimately realised that they have to help themselves. Unless you're willing to be a central part of their lives a donation can't help the mental trauma/emotional reasons they have chosen [or been forced into] homelessness in the first place.

Post: #3

Many homeless chose this way of life. Because of drug or alcohol abuse, private problems that they try to run away or they just don't fit in the rules of the society. Many also reject help. Even more when they live for years or even decades this way of life, its hard to change.

Post: #4

I don't see how people can be homeless unless they spend their welfare cheque on only drugs and booze.

I had one friend that was homeless cause he had to leave home at 14. He lived on the streets until he got welfare at 16.

Post: #5

Many homeless also have psychiatric problems, often in conjunction with substance abuse. Helping homeless people should always be a simultaneous multi-pronged approach with solutions for psychiatric problems, substance abuse problems, socio-economic problems all while doing something about shelter and food.

Take care

Post: #6

I pay taxes. If the government spends them on bs instead of helping the homeless, not my problem.

If a homeless person asks for a dollar, I won't give it to him, but I will add this dollar to the tip to a waiter or a delivery guy.

Post: #7

Am I the only one who thinks the city has to ban them in public places? and give them one way ticket to somewhere?

There is a beautiful library in downtown. They spent millions to build it and it's infested with homeless people. There are parks filled with homeless people and it scares the tourist away and make America look bad from foreigner's view.

I am 100% sure average person will get offended by my comment. Guess what happens when homeless person sleeps near their house.

Post: #8

Hauling homeless people of to somewhere else is not a solution and disregards the complexity of the problem. A couple of years back, the government here picked up homeless people before a large international festival. They were placed in a ward in the psychiatric hospital. Years later they still don't know what to do with them, and they still live in the psychiatric hospital.

Take care

Post: #9

I fear it is a question with no single nor universal answer.
The cases,causes and consequences of homelesness are as varied as are the homeless people -or indeed any person- themselves.

My own experiences have seen me at first in homeless shelters and eventually moving around and staying under bridges,in railroad tracks,highway hideouts,squats,abandoned shelters,forests,mountaintops,cars,construction zones,hippie camps,ocassional friendly temporary roofs and so on.

The people in these environments are as varied and roughly classifiable as the fauna of any other particular environment.

In the shelters I found mostly people who gave the impression of having in some way given up on life,either from intoxicants,traumatic experiences or pyschological causes.
Others were people who found themselves unable to re-enter society in proper terms as they lacked the capacity,education and/or will to forge or re-forge their own path.
Yet others were trying to get their shit together.

The roads were no different:
Many of the younger ones is true were simply thrill seekers,trying to re-enact silly fantasies read in books or in biographies of this or that other role model.
Others of course came from broken families,I could never shake of the feeling I was trudging through neverland and scores of Peter Pan´s "lost children",myself not being an exception.

This environment being so close in one way to that of wild-life is one that brings up to the surface many of the darker aspects of people's Id.
The horrors those idiots who claim to be social activists fantasize about paled in comparision to the gritty and often plain ugliness that manifests:
From sharing needles to a complete disregard of common sense safety measures to plain outright violence and abuse of body and mind,often self inflicted.

A blood wrenching hypnotic song of decadence,fear and wrath,and yet,in the very core of such darkclouds one can see a kernel of light.
Mind you I 've seldom,if ever,seen any of these seeds develop and bloom in my own time amongst them ,but they did strike me as having the potential.

I also met people who had been in ,survived and eventually developed outside of it to become something else. Sometimes integrated into the greater social scheme,sometimes removed.


Damn,I ve ranted too much.
Still,In whatever objectivity I can muster I will say it is hard to put the so called homeless people in one satsifying category as definition in this case slips dangerously into a seemingly endless chiasm of misinterpretation.


Addendum:
The "help" therefore you can provide varies as much as as the people themselves.
I've begged more times than I'd like to remember and many a time I 've used part of the alms to get booze,though to mine own eyes then and there at least I was one to not abuse charity and always attempted to make as good and practical a use of "help" or good will I've received as I could.
In the end it is a matter of personal decision to choose what path we will follow or what spot we stay in,no matter how much hostility or generosity we receive from our pairs

Post: #10

Great reply. No wonder you already have 6 reps with only 22 posts.

Post: #11

There is no reason for any adult in Australia to be homeless. The government sufficiently supports you if you are struggling for basic food, water, and shelter. The only people still homeless are the underage ( kicked out of home or run away), addicts and mentally ill. The underage can be helped sometimes, but are usually trapped by their insecurity and laws surrounding them being a child, such as not being able to work, not allowed to live out of home if they aren't being physcially abused, etc. The addicts can only be helped if they try to help themselves. And the mentally ill, well, good luck with that.

Post: #12

(02-07-2016 08:49 AM)infowarrior1 Wrote:  All I could do is sit down and talk to them maybe a few coins I give them but I cannot do much else.

You actually did the best thing you could possibly do.

You treated them like human beings.

As others have said before, it is a complicated problem, and there is no one simple solution. What happened to you was that they engaged your social conscience, and this what a community is made of at its most fundamental level, looking outside your own concerns, noticing the people around you, and asking yourself what, if anything you should do.

Unlike members in Australia, and I think in the U.K., where no one has to be homeless except by choice, in the U.S., unless you are crazy or over 65, there is no real safety net for homeless men except for less than 200 dollars of food benefits. There is some assistance for veterans, but the way the system is designed, the bureaucracy tends to frustrate and alienate, making veterans get mad, whereupon they can be treated as unstable or unappreciative, and the Veteran's Administration can say to itself, well, we tried, and they wouldn't accept our services.

Therefore, most of the slack is taken up by Christian charities. (There may be Jewish, Muslim, or Atheist homeless shelters out there, but I have not run across them.)

As has already been alluded to in this thread, some are homeless by choice, and don't really need help. I have been down on my luck in my life, and never panhandled. I always felt that it was bad for the soul, as a grown man, to stand around all day with your hand out, expecting other people to take care of you. It is learned helplessness. It hurts you in two ways:

The blow to your ego is the first way. Also to be rejected, ignored, and sometimes lectured and ridiculed all day long. This can't be good for the psyche.

In most places in the U.S. you can at least get food, sometimes shelter. If you are a bit resourceful you can find and take or make your own shelter, although safe, it is not.

The city I live in is full of homeless people, the main reason being that it is very tolerant of the homeless, has a lot of services, and word gets around.

I am going to oversimplify here for the sake of brevity, and divide the homeless into two groups:


1. Those who are down on their luck, disabled, mentally ill, basically anyone who is stuck in a bad situation, would like to get out of it, and deserves help if anyone would like to give it.

2. The hard cases. I think of these guys as basically extremely unambitious criminals. They will panhandle, collect cans, steal when it is opportune, intimidate, but without much energy.

So if you see some homeless people, and your conscience or intuition gets to you, don't feel bad about it or like you are a sucker. This is what Judeo Christianity is all about.

The problem is screening out whether you are helping out someone who deserves help or not.

That is why I think what infowarrior1 did was the perfect thing to do. He went over to them and talked to them like human beings.

Remember that homeless people are used to being treated either like they don't exist, or like they are scum, or like they are dangerous. (So remind any females you know, if they are going to lock your car doors when they see a homeless man, do it when he is far away, not when she rolls up on him. He is feeling bad enough and doesn't need her passive aggressive insults.)

So the best thing to do is to talk to him like you would talk to any guy you struck up a conversation on the street. Not a conversation about his homelessness, or an overly familiar conversation about what dicks the cops are. Assume nothing and just pass the time of day. They don't get much of this, and the ones with any heart will appreciate it.

(As in many other potential white knighting situations, completely ignore homeless women. There are plenty of services for them and white knights and white ladies take them off the street constantly, and give them stuff constantly. If a woman is panhandling she is a serious nightmare, and you don't even want to give her any of your time or energy. It will backfire.)

A true down and outer will feel embarrassed about his situation, and embarrassed to ask for anything, will appreciate being spoken to like a human being.

On the other hand, the dyed in the wool scumbag or hobo will immediately treat your friendliness as weakness and pressure you for something, often becoming quite hostile if it isn't given to him right away. This completes the screening process, say have a nice day in a sincere not snarky way and walking away. Screening complete. No spare change for you.

Sometimes a true down and outer will ask for stuff too, but they won't constantly press the issue or get abusive, and they won't berate you if all you offer them at the time is a little human contact. This is a simple way to separate the wheat from the chaff.

It is funny. One day I was sitting at the Starbucks in near the local university on graduation day, and I saw a young homeless guy trying to sell, of all things, a vacuum cleaner to any and every person he could who walked by. Well, this was a special day for all the students and their families, and they were all excited and dressed well, and here was this guy, this dick of the century, interrupting conversations, blocking people on the sidewalk, getting angry and frustrated that no one wanted to buy the idiot consumer good he somehow felt would be of use on graduation day.

Basically all he was doing was walking around making what was supposed to be a special day unpleasantly confrontational, and I thought, if you were an anthropologist, or a a biologist from another planet, watching this scene, you would have been tempted to assume that this guy was the alpha male of the group.

He was focused completely on his goals, and expected the others to drop what they were doing and serve his interests, stomping from group to group, interruping and being unpleasant if he thought it would help his cause.

But of course he wasn't the alpha. He was an embarrassment and a nuisance, and also the perfect example of the sort of homeless person you definitely don't want to help. He was basically an uncalibrated omega, who thought he was the alpha, and by encouraging him, he would only get worse.

There are a lot of these sorts of homeless around too, the aggressively unambitious, and believe me, they don't need any help. They in fact feel entitled and superior to you.

So I am gonna reiterate that I thought the OP did the right thing. If your gut tells you to help someone out, why have a single rule for the situation. Feel it out. Talk to the person.


Help them out if it feels right to you. If you get an ok vibe from the guy, kick him down a little cash. Don't over extend yourself because a lot of the scammers put on a good act.

Being charitable isn't being beta, it is being righteous. Just don't get pulled in by a scammer because it just emboldens them and all of society suffers, but don't refrain from helping out a down and outer for fear of being a sucker.

If you aren't sure what do do, just leave them alone, and if they address you as you walk by say "how's it going," in a sincere voice and keep walking.

And for sure don't ask for things from them. I see a lot of this in my town. Young kids, who want to feel part of street culture, trying to get cigarettes or lights from homeless dudes.

Don't think that is the move. Help them or not. Talk to them, or not. At least don't try to get free shit from them.

That's about all you can do.

Post: #13

^ I agree, I think the best help route for someone want to help a homeless person is to step back from 'how to I help this homeless person group" to..how do I help this one bum I know that lives under a bridge.

You get a human interaction out of it, and you can also be discerning in your efforts. When I was a college student, my liver couldn't handle partying every designated night, so on weekends I'd be up really early and walking downtown to get shit done on saturday while normal people slept in. There were a couple of homeless guys down there that I'd say hi to, after a while they would recognize me, and I them. I'd give the nod of recognition to the really crazy ones and chat about the weather to the more coherent dudes. I don't think I'd ever given them more than a dollar or stopped and gave them a cigarette while I had one..but it was amazing when I would be back downtown when it was busy, or with friends or a girl and some bum would jump up from his doorway and be like "DOC HOWARD! How's it going!" Most of them wouldn't even ask for money or cigarettes, they were just pumped to say hi. I would love the looks on my friends faces when they would say "uh, you KNOW? that guy?" were priceless. Contrast that to the panhandlers I've given money to that didn't even acknowledge it, or the 2 or 3 that said "thats it?!"

Helping homeless people, in my opinion, is like helping anyone. Be discerning. Some people will really appreciate it and some won't.

If you really want to get into it, volunteer with an existing charity, they are the experts and you'll get a feel for how it all works and what groups you should and should not donate to.

Post: #14

(02-07-2016 08:49 AM)infowarrior1 Wrote:  I went out for a walk this Saturday at Martin Place the day before the Chinese New Year. And I saw quite about 10+ homeless men there.

The majority of them receiving food from a St John Charity Truck. And I found an old man sitting down with a smell of alcohol from his lips. I sat down and talked to him. And found out that he served in the army then had to leave to take care of his sick grandmother. And somehow he ended up homeless.

Now that he is old he although experienced in jobs he is unable to find any jobs. The only thing he seems to hope for is to visit his daughter in Perth. I don't know if this guy is telling the truth or a fraud.

But if true how do we help homeless men like him? I certainly thought of methods that could be done connecting men with employers looking for employees which can certainly done with younger male homeless which I see bedding down at the street on my way back to the train station. And for the old men they certainly seem in a dilemma since their age prevents their hiring.

And subsisting on welfare and generosity doesn't seem a way to get them back on their feet since they stay dependent.

All I could do is sit down and talk to them maybe a few coins I give them but I cannot do much else.

What do you guys think? What are ways of helping the truly deserving homeless men ordinary men thrust into such situations because of a devastating family court system. Or just plain unlucky.

How can especially elderly homeless be given ability to stand on their 2 feet again?

These men unfortunately have spiralled into drug abuse, mental illness or both.

In Australia, if they wanted a roof over their head they can get one. If they want food for money the government provides it.

The sad situation is though, they are aloof. They get their fortnightly payment and get drunk or they have it stolen off of them. They are not in control of their faculties and they need serious attention.

The most you can do is find the man's family. Sometimes they will be looking for him, sometimes they will be uninterested because he has done it too many times.

Giving them money is giving them a means of abuse. Buy them consumable canned food like spam, pineapples etc. Buy them hot food as well, but the non perishables are most sustainable over longer periods and something like Spam for example, as shitty a food that it is, is packed with calories and sodium. These guys lifestyles often see them dip into hypotension and eating something salty will keep their blood pressure ok.

Make sure they have jackets, blankets. A jacket isn't expensive in Australia, you can get a decent one from Kmart for $20.

Buy them cigarettes if you're feeling generous.

But yeah, unfortunately not much you can do other than make sure they are comfortable. Chances are they on a slow march to death.

Post: #15

If I feel like the guy is okay, I will give him money. If they spend it on booze, so be it. At least they will feel better for that day. Forcing them to accept food is okay, but in a way it is like a nanny state approach, feeling you know what is better for them than they do, and can be insulting. You are weighing what is good for someone against letting them decide what is good for them, and there is no answer that is always right.

Post: #16

I've known a few homeless people fairly well. They were criminal drug fiend sociopath fuckups, going from streets to jail to psych wards and back. I only associated with them because back then I was up to no good and they were "trained to go." These particular individuals would be pointless to try and help.

Funny enough two of these dudes, despite being homeless, had the tightest game I've seen. They would often bang girls out and hustle them for money and shelter.

Like above person said, they need to help themselves first and foremost.

These days when I'm drunk (I'm a happy drunk) I'll put a buck or some change in the cup, beyond that I avoid.

Post: #17

(02-08-2016 01:43 PM)Dr. Howard Wrote:  ^ I agree, I think the best help route for someone want to help a homeless person is to step back from 'how to I help this homeless person group" to..how do I help this one bum I know that lives under a bridge.

You get a human interaction out of it, and you can also be discerning in your efforts. When I was a college student, my liver couldn't handle partying every designated night, so on weekends I'd be up really early and walking downtown to get shit done on saturday while normal people slept in. There were a couple of homeless guys down there that I'd say hi to, after a while they would recognize me, and I them. I'd give the nod of recognition to the really crazy ones and chat about the weather to the more coherent dudes. I don't think I'd ever given them more than a dollar or stopped and gave them a cigarette while I had one..but it was amazing when I would be back downtown when it was busy, or with friends or a girl and some bum would jump up from his doorway and be like "DOC HOWARD! How's it going!" Most of them wouldn't even ask for money or cigarettes, they were just pumped to say hi. I would love the looks on my friends faces when they would say "uh, you KNOW? that guy?" were priceless. Contrast that to the panhandlers I've given money to that didn't even acknowledge it, or the 2 or 3 that said "thats it?!"

Helping homeless people, in my opinion, is like helping anyone. Be discerning. Some people will really appreciate it and some won't.

If you really want to get into it, volunteer with an existing charity, they are the experts and you'll get a feel for how it all works and what groups you should and should not donate to.

From talking to a homeless man. I found out that one of the "Beggars" is a professional. He has a "territory" where he parasites off people who drop coin. I hold such men in contempt and their actions publicized so that people will know not to feed them or give them money.

Such men deserve to starve and even die of starvation.

Post: #18

(02-08-2016 02:27 PM)CodyB Wrote:  

(02-07-2016 08:49 AM)infowarrior1 Wrote:  I went out for a walk this Saturday at Martin Place the day before the Chinese New Year. And I saw quite about 10+ homeless men there.

The majority of them receiving food from a St John Charity Truck. And I found an old man sitting down with a smell of alcohol from his lips. I sat down and talked to him. And found out that he served in the army then had to leave to take care of his sick grandmother. And somehow he ended up homeless.

Now that he is old he although experienced in jobs he is unable to find any jobs. The only thing he seems to hope for is to visit his daughter in Perth. I don't know if this guy is telling the truth or a fraud.

But if true how do we help homeless men like him? I certainly thought of methods that could be done connecting men with employers looking for employees which can certainly done with younger male homeless which I see bedding down at the street on my way back to the train station. And for the old men they certainly seem in a dilemma since their age prevents their hiring.

And subsisting on welfare and generosity doesn't seem a way to get them back on their feet since they stay dependent.

All I could do is sit down and talk to them maybe a few coins I give them but I cannot do much else.

What do you guys think? What are ways of helping the truly deserving homeless men ordinary men thrust into such situations because of a devastating family court system. Or just plain unlucky.

How can especially elderly homeless be given ability to stand on their 2 feet again?

These men unfortunately have spiralled into drug abuse, mental illness or both.

In Australia, if they wanted a roof over their head they can get one. If they want food for money the government provides it.

The sad situation is though, they are aloof. They get their fortnightly payment and get drunk or they have it stolen off of them. They are not in control of their faculties and they need serious attention.

The most you can do is find the man's family. Sometimes they will be looking for him, sometimes they will be uninterested because he has done it too many times.

Giving them money is giving them a means of abuse. Buy them consumable canned food like spam, pineapples etc. Buy them hot food as well, but the non perishables are most sustainable over longer periods and something like Spam for example, as shitty a food that it is, is packed with calories and sodium. These guys lifestyles often see them dip into hypotension and eating something salty will keep their blood pressure ok.

Make sure they have jackets, blankets. A jacket isn't expensive in Australia, you can get a decent one from Kmart for $20.

Buy them cigarettes if you're feeling generous.

But yeah, unfortunately not much you can do other than make sure they are comfortable. Chances are they on a slow march to death.

Thanks for the advice. For the Young guys that are genuinely unfortunate they should be employable by employers that are desperate for workers. A way of connecting them to each other optimally should be found.

Post: #19

delete

Post: #20

(02-08-2016 02:27 PM)CodyB Wrote:  

(02-07-2016 08:49 AM)infowarrior1 Wrote:  I went out for a walk this Saturday at Martin Place the day before the Chinese New Year. And I saw quite about 10+ homeless men there.

The majority of them receiving food from a St John Charity Truck. And I found an old man sitting down with a smell of alcohol from his lips. I sat down and talked to him. And found out that he served in the army then had to leave to take care of his sick grandmother. And somehow he ended up homeless.

Now that he is old he although experienced in jobs he is unable to find any jobs. The only thing he seems to hope for is to visit his daughter in Perth. I don't know if this guy is telling the truth or a fraud.

But if true how do we help homeless men like him? I certainly thought of methods that could be done connecting men with employers looking for employees which can certainly done with younger male homeless which I see bedding down at the street on my way back to the train station. And for the old men they certainly seem in a dilemma since their age prevents their hiring.

And subsisting on welfare and generosity doesn't seem a way to get them back on their feet since they stay dependent.

All I could do is sit down and talk to them maybe a few coins I give them but I cannot do much else.

What do you guys think? What are ways of helping the truly deserving homeless men ordinary men thrust into such situations because of a devastating family court system. Or just plain unlucky.

How can especially elderly homeless be given ability to stand on their 2 feet again?

These men unfortunately have spiralled into drug abuse, mental illness or both.

In Australia, if they wanted a roof over their head they can get one. If they want food for money the government provides it.

The sad situation is though, they are aloof. They get their fortnightly payment and get drunk or they have it stolen off of them. They are not in control of their faculties and they need serious attention.

The most you can do is find the man's family. Sometimes they will be looking for him, sometimes they will be uninterested because he has done it too many times.

Giving them money is giving them a means of abuse. Buy them consumable canned food like spam, pineapples etc. Buy them hot food as well, but the non perishables are most sustainable over longer periods and something like Spam for example, as shitty a food that it is, is packed with calories and sodium. These guys lifestyles often see them dip into hypotension and eating something salty will keep their blood pressure ok.

Make sure they have jackets, blankets. A jacket isn't expensive in Australia, you can get a decent one from Kmart for $20.

Buy them cigarettes if you're feeling generous.

But yeah, unfortunately not much you can do other than make sure they are comfortable. Chances are they on a slow march to death.

The guy I talked to seems only to drink alcohol as a holdover from his days in the army. So he seems decent enough. Guys like him I want to help.

Post: #21

(02-08-2016 01:43 PM)Dr. Howard Wrote:  ^ I agree, I think the best help route for someone want to help a homeless person is to step back from 'how to I help this homeless person group" to..how do I help this one bum I know that lives under a bridge.

You get a human interaction out of it, and you can also be discerning in your efforts. When I was a college student, my liver couldn't handle partying every designated night, so on weekends I'd be up really early and walking downtown to get shit done on saturday while normal people slept in. There were a couple of homeless guys down there that I'd say hi to, after a while they would recognize me, and I them. I'd give the nod of recognition to the really crazy ones and chat about the weather to the more coherent dudes. I don't think I'd ever given them more than a dollar or stopped and gave them a cigarette while I had one..but it was amazing when I would be back downtown when it was busy, or with friends or a girl and some bum would jump up from his doorway and be like "DOC HOWARD! How's it going!" Most of them wouldn't even ask for money or cigarettes, they were just pumped to say hi. I would love the looks on my friends faces when they would say "uh, you KNOW? that guy?" were priceless. Contrast that to the panhandlers I've given money to that didn't even acknowledge it, or the 2 or 3 that said "thats it?!"

Helping homeless people, in my opinion, is like helping anyone. Be discerning. Some people will really appreciate it and some won't.

If you really want to get into it, volunteer with an existing charity, they are the experts and you'll get a feel for how it all works and what groups you should and should not donate to.

Thanks for the comment. Its much appreciated. I will be sure to pick the homeless properly. Only those genuinely down on their luck and not outright scum that deserve their place

Post: #22

Europe face also the problem of criminal beggar gangs. Mostly gypsies that get recruited in Bulgaria or Romania. They use kids or even cripple people. Then they are send to beg on the streets. Sometimes they also work as burglars. We had a case where about 5 - 7 gypsies when into a building for retired people and knocked at every door to demand money. Personal I do not give money.
I've seen other that try to sell those homeless magazins to earn some extra money. Some time ago there was a report about rich people that had to live as a homeless person for a week. One of them made even friends with a homeless one but get robbed in the end. As said before, many have mental disorders, drug or alcohol addiction and do not fit into our "normal" life any more. Most important point, you can help a person only if this person wants help as well. Its a tragic to our society but no matter how "perfect" a society will be, there will be always people that do not fit in.

Post: #23

What I generally do is if I have a box of left over food from a restaurant I'll give it to a homeless person. Won't do anything more or anything less. We have plenty of resources where I'm at for them to get their life back on track. They just have to want to change their situation and take responsibility for their life. Most of them don't. It's the same with drug addicts, mentally ill, criminals, people in general. They don't want to do the required work to make a change for the better.

Post: #24

(02-08-2016 01:21 PM)debeguiled Wrote:  

(02-07-2016 08:49 AM)infowarrior1 Wrote:  All I could do is sit down and talk to them maybe a few coins I give them but I cannot do much else.

Unlike members in Australia, and I think in the U.K., where no one has to be homeless except by choice, in the U.S., unless you are crazy or over 65, there is no real safety net for homeless men except for less than 200 dollars of food benefits.

[...]

(As in many other potential white knighting situations, completely ignore homeless women. There are plenty of services for them and white knights and white ladies take them off the street constantly, and give them stuff constantly. If a woman is panhandling she is a serious nightmare, and you don't even want to give her any of your time or energy. It will backfire.

Having been to several Australian cities, one of the most noticeable things about them is the lack of homeless people. It was amazing and I wish American cities provided whatever services necessary to get homeless people off the street. I think it reflects poorly on the community and a lot of homeless people need to be institutionalized and/or place on lifetime assistance. There are some hard luck cases no doubt but many are simply broken people who can't help themselves.

That said, I'm curious about what you said about homeless women. I know women with kids can get services that men can't but what about older women (between their 40s and 60s) who don't have kids? Excluding white knights (which I do agree, there are tons of white knights), what specific services exist for older women with no dependents that men don't have access to?

From what I have gathered, they only have access to the 200/month food stamps deal and a few miscellaneous other things (in some states); nothing of which is gender specific. If that is not the case, I'd really like to know.

Post: #25

I do not know why it is discussed so little, but while there is a form of a glass ceiling of very elite men, far too often the social and media debates ignore the 'glass cellar' in the alleyways and under the bridges of society, a place of homeless insecure precariat where more men than women struggle.