When I first arrived on Care2 I saw a lot more people concerned with the plight of the Homeless.

Now I`m seeing.....not much.

Have people given up? Believe you me, I realize it is hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel. To even see a glimmer of hope. Things do seem to be getting worse not better.

So is that it then? Just throw up our hands and walk away?

Care2 is the largest online community in the world, bar none.

Since we are here already, lets work together, share knowledge and effort to do what we can. We may not even know yet what we are capable of doing until we try.

One thing is for sure, whoever or whatever is in charge of aiding the Homeless are not getting the job done. The Homeless are still suffering bigtime. If the primary needs were being alleviated there would be no need for our concern but they are not.

Come, let us do what we can to stop this unnecessary suffering.

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I'm still with you on the subject.  It is getting worse daily as people cannot afford to pay the ridiculous rents. I live in what used to be a quaint little valley composed of orange, lemon, apricot, and avocado ranches. Everyone knew everyone.  About six years ago that all changed, the ranchers sold out, the Yuppies and wealthly have moved in.  Old trademarks such as the 50-year old OH-HI FROSTIE  where teenagers have been going afteer school for generations is one of many to be torn down to build exclusive condos for miliionaires with a few ver high priced shops.  Kids graduating from high school cannot continue to live here as their parents and   gr andparents did. My very small apartment costs $992 per month and is old. It used to be $300 just a few years ago SOOOO>>>there are homeless people that I personally know and it tears me apart. Some are living in their cars with their kids and trying t hold down a job.   Needless to say I live in Southern California  AKA Mexafornia.  The local Mexicans use to pick the orchard s but now they too, are unemployed and were born here.  The jobs go to illegals that accept lower wages ...the employers are just at fault but nothing is done about it and the prices of everything here is going up.  Our downtown  Arcade has become a small Rode o Drive as the movie stars and rich and wealthy move in and then complain about the homeless and the wildlife!!!!I've bee here for 25 years and it has changed so much in lessd than 8  years I want to cry. Yesterday, Vern, a man who graduated from high school here, was homeless and just died of pneumoia LAST NIGHT> It's close and personal to me and it really hurts...I could be next!!!

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Donna,

Since, I come from a place were there is a good program (NH, I am not bragging, there seems to be more complicated problems in other states).  I have been trying to do some research.  I am in DC and there is so many people homeless.  Every corner I take someone is asking for change.  Thanksgiving churches had free turkey dinner ONLY for the Homeless.  DC is having meeting on what to do and do have some good ideas.  But I need to know what problems are out there in order to fix them or make them aware to everyone.  I have been busy that is why I have not posted. 

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I am so sorry for not posting Donna, but I have slowly been trying to get things packed up here to move from Florida to Tennessee in February.  I have to start way early, as I am disabled now & am in so much pain all the time.  I am all by myself & it's not easy.  My son lives up there now, so he will only be able to take off work long enough to come & load up the truck & take my stuff up there, while I stay down here long enough to clean the apartment up.  Please bare with me.  I wish I had help here, but I don't........

Susan             

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Aas an employee of an non-profit committed to affordable housing for homeless households as well as low income households, I witness  many who don't make it in permanent housing and end up in the emergency services system again. 

I would ask people to do 2 things:

1)Work at your local and state level for funding for supportive services aimed at homeless households.  These services should include case management for the individual or family, direct service support (i.e. money for job training and education)  and life skills training (how to navigate our capitalistic society such as dealing with banks etc).

2)  If you can teach a life skill to a group and this can be parenting classes, nutrious cooking on a small budget, poetry classes for children or adults - almost anything life enhancing, find an organization serving the homeless through housing and volunteer to lead a class or to lend support.

Peace!

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Thomas while a nice gesture as a society I don't think we have done "enough" until ALL people have food,clean water and a roof over there heads.

And Donna I have no excuse I am sorry,I have been wrapped up in everyday life but that shouldn't interfere this isn't a problem that can afford to wait.Other then volunteering free time and writing congressman and those below them...I am at a loss here in Las Vegas,every month they tear down affordable housing..To build more high rises..I fear a epidemic..I am honestly at a loss of choices .All I can do is fight harder and pray more...

Peace,
Ashley Denney

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Hello Donna,

I'm uncertain if my community has given up, as I'm not involved as much anymore.  Although, the given reason is to be loss of funding.  Perhaps it's a transisiton of some kind of social change, that is not being fully disclosed to the public?  Gosh, it seems like government is going through a phase of to add a middle man and privatize everything nowadays!

Hello Thomas S,

Be mindful, for in my experience in having grown up in New York, some panhandlers are not poor, sort of.  Because that is how they make a living.  And some whole families were found to have made alot of money doing it!

Hello Thomas S,

Yes indeed.  Perhaps you can share with me, the best way to help one in such circumstance, as an individual, with the pittance of pennies that I might could put in their hands nowadays.  As it seems panhandlers get chased off alot, because people are afraid when they see this reality.  As well as those who infiltrated their meager existance, by posing and making it a profession.

Hello Falcon S,

The good news is that I know of what appears to be at least 2 families, in dire circumstances of the nature you describe, who are given shelter by those who own property outright, offering them very low rent.  Do you know if there is a state or federal program that benefits, and encourages them to do this for another?

An excerpt from the book I just bought:

“The World is Flat” by Thomas L. Friedman

Chapter six

The Untouchables

So if the flattening of the world is largely (but not entirely) unstoppable, and holds out the potential to be as beneficial to American society as a whole as past market evolutions have been, how does an individual get the best out of it? What do we tell our kids?

Snip

I don’t care to have that conversation with my girls, so my advice to them in this flat world is very brief and very blunt: “Girls, when I was growing up, my parents used to say to me, ‘Tom, finish your dinner - people in China and India are starving.’ My advice to you is: Girls, finish your homework - people in China and India are starving for your jobs.”

Snip

If you can’t be special - and only a few people can be - you want to be specialized, so that your work cannot be outsourced. This applies to all sorts of knowledge workers - from specialized lawyers, accountants, and brain surgeons, to cutting-edge computer architects and software engineers, to advanced machine tool and robot operators. These are skills that are always in high demand and are not fungible. (“Fungible” is an important word to remember. As Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani likes to say, in a flat world there is “fungible and no fungible work.” Work that can be easily digitized and transferred to lower-wage locations is fungible. Work that cannot be digitized or easily substituted is no fungible. Michael Jordan’s jump shot is not fungible. A bypass surgeon’s technique is no fungible. A television assembly-line worker’s job is now fungible. Basic accounting and tax preparation are now fungible.)

snip

Since I have joined this group I have seen a lot of good ideas here that should help the homeless and completely eliminate the problems of homelessness.  But, the main problem is getting homeless individuals spiritually grounded first before they get a job and another place to stay.  Otherwise all efforts to do so become a waste of time and a revolving door of frustration for all.

The key question is "How does one do that for each individual on the streets?".  Answer: Upgrade your spiritual lives in such a way that you become intuitive enough (or spiritually gifted) to know how to proceed on an individual level.  When you find the path that works for you consistently you will have the superior advantage over everybody else who just uses the conventional methods regardless of their affiliation.

To be continued..........................

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Replying To: People Given Up On Helping Homeless?  Part 2

Unfortunately all good intentions have been corrupted these days by religious, legalistic, 'politically correct', and post 9/11 paranoia (easy to get caught in that trap).  Usually the instigators from these groups will be (sad to say) immediate family members so it becomes necessary to distance yourself from them and if necessary terminate the relationships permanently.  Once you get rid of opposition then success becomes easier to achieve for yourself and those you reach out to.

Once the homeless person has been spiritually grounded then he or she will need a network of good quality relationships to connect with as soon as possible.  Otherwise, the 'lone(ly) (st)ranger' could become a loose cannon or a cult leader with perverted and destructive intentions (e.g. Adolf Hitler).

When these areas have been achieved then you can introduce whatever programs you have available in your area.  The worst thing to do is ship someone off to another city and have nothing to do with them......that, of course, is an act of abandoning the homeless person or passing the buck to someone else (this often happens in economically biased communities).

To be continued.........................

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I am at a loss to understand why you think a Homeless person is any more likely to be defined as a "loose cannon", "cult leader" or a "Hitler".

That is stereotyping in the worst degree.

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I'm with Donna on this one.....I seriously doubt that all homeless people need to be "spiritually grounded" before they get back on their feet.  You make them kinda sound like mental cases who won't be able to function in society again if they don't find some spirituality. While spirituality may help and be needed for some people, otherse might just need a helping hand to get started again, without all that spiritual stuff.  Not having spirituality isn't going to turn everyone into a Hitler-personality.

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I tend to agree with Kevin.  I interpret that "spirituality" doesn't necessarily mean "religious," or having "found God," rather that it refers to a positive sense of being and wholeness.

There are many reasons as to why a person becomes displaced.  In this day, however, there is no reason for a person to be shelterless.  Shelters provide food, clothing and basic needs to the homeless population. Most provide rehabilitative and vocational counseling.  A person (otherwise healthy adult) who chooses to live on the street (in one's car, in a tent under a highway, etc.) is choosing to be homeless.

Just as a drug addict or a battered spouse won't seek help until he or she is ready, a homeless person won't seek shelter until he or she has decided to return to the mainstream of life, and become a part of society again. This doesn't mean "finding God," but it does mean that one must decide for one's self to follow rules and obey laws.

I have not given up on helping the homeless. I do what I can throughout the year, to support local shelters and foodbanks. I've employed people who live in a local shelter. I volunteer my time and resources when I can.  As far as helping the shelterless, yes, I will buy a cup of hot coffee for a person on the street once in a while; however, this population is not condusive to positive change and will not seek shelter or permanent help on their own.

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Shelters are NOT the answer.

Affordable housing IS the answer.

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I didn't mean to offend!  I was homeless about 15 years ago.  I was in an abusive household. there were alot of factors. My child was 7 at the time. I hadn't worked outside of my home in 7 years, as it was and still is, my conviction that I was going to be a full-time mother. Turning to relatives and friends was a futile effort for many reasons; too many to go into. I eventually wound up in a safe place, and with determination I was able to turn things around for myself while holding onto my ideals about parenting.

Five years ago I was able to move into my own place - small, modest, but my own.  It was and is a struggle to keep my independence and dignity, there are A LOT of beaurocratic and political boulders out there, but there are also resources and yes, affordable housing, available to those who have the determination to plow through the paperwork, have door after door shut in their face, etc.

I'm not saying it is easy; it is NOT!!! And it is certainly NOT my intent to put anyone down. I still struggle to keep my home, while devoting time to change the system to make it easier for those who are homeless to return to a level of well-being, in order to maintain and improve their living situations.

Carol

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Donna,

I am NOT judging!!! I'm saying that people who are homeless need to help themselves to find a way.  There IS affordable housing.  People who are looking for handouts would not survive very long if someone just came by and GAVE OUT places to live.  Shelters provide stepping stones for those who find themselves in a transition, for whatever reason. From there one can decide to remain homeless or get on the right track to better their situation.  Resources are out there and affordable housing is out there.

Carol

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Replying To: People Given Up On Helping Homeless?  Part 3

These days, society wants the homeless person to become '$piritually grounded' (note carefully the spelling) so that they treat them like a fast buck business transaction.  Institutions, regardless of their affiliation, would rather get them religiouSly grounded, or legali$tically grounded, or some form of financial Stability in order to get money from them.  I stand firm on my solutions because at this time I am homeless for the third time.  The first 2 times I wasn't spiritually grounded I was religiously fragmented and trying to get stabilized everybody else's way.  The first time was 20 years ago.  The second time was 15 years ago.  This time I am pioneering a new way through a gemstone-based lifestyle (which is disturbing to the mainstream folks out there).

Based on Donna's response regarding shelters.  You're right they are not the answer because these days they have become 'JailS for the Poor' and making it illegal to live outside of them is politically stupid and oppressive.

As Dr. Wayne Dyer mentioned in his book 'The Sky Is the Limit'. If a rule is immoral it must be challenged and disobeyed.  The key is to do so in such a way that still gives one individual freedom wherever they are.  Since I am at the Grapevine Public Library I have to conclude at this time.

To be continued...........

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You said,

Based on Donna's response regarding shelters.  You're right they are not the answer because these days they have become 'JailS for the Poor' and making it illegal to live outside of them is politically stupid and oppressive.

I couldn't have put it better myself.

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Donna..... you mentioned earlier that I was stereotyping homeless people.  This, of course, isn't true because of key words that I will highlight in that paragraph:

Once the homeless person has been spiritually grounded then he or she will need a network of good quality relationships to connect with as soon as possible.  Otherwise, the 'lone(ly) (st)ranger' could become a loose cannon or a cult leader with perverted and destructive intentions (e.g. Adolf Hitler).

In other words, without a network of good quality relationships this could happen.  As you can now see it doesn't mean that it will.  Otherwise, the destructive chaos would be far above the levels of our understanding.

Tracy.......I still stand firm on the belief that all homeless people need to be spiritually grounded first before they make a rebound or comeback because there is a possibility that some people are at ground zero because of psychic sabotage from somebody else they know or crossed paths with.  As a result they are spiritually fragmented and we need to be able to discern this before proceeding to assist.

Harmony......In your case what is your definition of being "spiritually grounded".  Since I am living a gemstone-based lifestyle I would say that everyone needs to get 'stoned' in a drug-free way.  It's more cost effective too.  In other words 'different strokes for different folks' out there.  My way of doing things is not for everybody.

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 Feed, clothe and house the Homeless first. Then you can think about the needs of the spirit.

It is interesting to me how you assume the Homeless are in need of spirituality due to their Homelessness. Surely those who prey upon the Homeless, those who physically attack them or those who start nonprofits to make money off them, are in much greater need of spirituality.

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OK, now I'll address your post(s). Those who are down and out and practical for survival in the case of needing to keep warm may seem like their spirit "is dead" but it may only need warming up after their body is made warm, after their bellys are full and after their heads have a secure roof over them.

Handouts nor spirituality, though necessary, do not begin to address the long range needs of the Homeless. They help day to day but massive social programs have to be instituted of which they can avail themselves. No amount of spiritual awareness is going to change the fact that they are Homeless and still need to survive on a day to day basis.

I see this "need for spirituality" just one more way to blame the Homeless for their plight. Governments who neglect the needs of citizens are in dire need of spirituality as are fellow citizens who blame these victims of Homelessness.

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You have inspired me to start a thread on

Myths About The Homeless

http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.html?gpp=6669&pst=677404&archival=

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