As inferred by the previous reply youâll note the window is open on the driverâs side.
Some homeless live in the rough by choice. Take them out of that situation and they will go right back. In the last major effort here, one third of the homeless were able to permanently leave that category, one third were able to leave that category but require continued assistance, and one third went back to living in the rough.
I expect many of those who choose to be homeless make that choice b/c the alternative requires them to be subject to various behavioral rules. They prefer their personal freedoms, even if it means living under the freeway. Thatâs part of what makes it such a difficult problem to solve. And whoâs to say they arenât making the correct choice.
I admit I am not all up on the homeless way of life. Had a neighbor, a renter, no electric, no water, gave him an extension cord for electric and hooked him up with water through a hose bib after shutting off the water main valve to the house. After 3 months they got evicted. Went to visit them and they were happy living in a tent in a a place that was pretty much free reign. Brought food and beer occasionally for a cookout with the other people there. We all had a nice time. Campfire hot dogs tents and beer. He was a religious guy had a center in town for a bit, ended up getting a facility for 1$ for his mission to help others. Still do an occasional donation. I think there were about 20 people camped out in the place.
Theyâre outlaws but not necessarily criminals, which is, I think, a very American sort. A lot of people moved here because theyâre outlaws.
A friend lives outside. His sister asked me to help. I offered to buy him a home in any of the different communities in which he had shown interest (no one would rent to him); heâs never taken me up on my offers.
Thatâs why itâs not a problem. We used to treat gay people as though they had a problem.
Years ago All things considered profiled people who live outside year-round in Minneapolis. The reporter asked one of them how he could live this way; he pointed to an office building, asked, âHow can they live that way?â
Iâm for policies that support people doing what they want that results in them doing more of what we want them to do. Some cities set aside a block on which the homeless can live, provide bathrooms, make counseling available. Minneapolis and Seattle have converted old hotels into SROs for the homeless, allow them to drink, but not inside. The receptionist keeps their bottles in their mail slots.
Here in NH and CA where the economy is good have many homeless WORKING people because they canât afford the rents. CA is the worse. I hired a guy last year before Covid from CA. Rents are high here, but nothing compared to CA right now (housing and rental shortage). He took a $100,000 reduction in pay moving here so he could afford a 3 bedroom apt for himself and family. Think about that.
Iâm not trying to start anything politicalâŠbut our homeless people in NH and MA are people who arenât highly educated and the only jobs available to them are minimum wage jobs. There are married couples with no kids who canât afford an apartment even when both are working 40+ hours a week on minimum wage jobs. Some people I know have kids who are married and they still need to help them out financially. Pay has not kept up with inflation.
35 years ago with a starting salary out of college of $30k/yr for a software engineer you could easily buy a house on that salary. Today with a starting salary of $90k/yr for a software engineer youâd struggle to be able to buy a house. Only people I know who can afford it are where the parents help them out.
Careful, thatâs a very convenient way to rationalize the situation. Iâm betting the vast majority of homeless folks would much prefer a home.
He did say âmanyâ rather than all or even most.
I imagine most homeless people would want a home. But many of them donât (or canât) do what they need to do in order to get a home. Like work a full time job or get off drugs. Some canât do those things without assistance. Some wonât do those things if they have assistance. And then there are all types of homeless folks in between.
The undeniable reality is that mental illness plays a role in a great many homeless situations.
One of my favorite charities is a homeless shelter but one that works to straighten the clientâs life out again. I get regular reports. I wonât guess on the actual percentage but a very large percentage involves a life on drugs leading to losing jobs, crime, being expelled by family, and under the bridge as a last resort.
I have been fighting against the drug issue since at least 1968 when it was being pushed on my generation, and as it started to dominate society. And now these same people think it should be legal. So my dots to be connected include who is making money? Who benefits? And I do believe it includes a number of people we consider leaders in our society. Lots of money in the business and lots of money seemingly picking up the pieces.
+1
The Rescue Mission of Trenton is a charity which I heartily supportâunlike the Salvation Army, which no longer gets any of my money. In addition to this 4-star charity getting my cash donations, they are one of the few remaining groups that will come to your home to remove unwanted furniture. That furniture helps formerly-homeless people to establish a decently-furnished apartment. And, their drivers are consistently courteousâunlike the inner-city thugs that the Salvation Army has sent to my home.