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The reality if you’re working class in America; we’re all one really bad day and a few less people caring about us from being homeless.
Homelessness is not only living on the street either. There are lots of housing insecurities. Some people may move back in with family but the location isn’t safe or welcoming.
I’ve seen many young mothers face this exact situation, often even when that same family pressured her to carry the pregnancy to term.
Forced Homelessness is the policy of many Governments and the DOJ in the United States as a means of punishing those they are after without any due process. Your ability to work or even have ID can be taken from you if they choose to do it. Your money can be taken. Your bank accounts can be frozen.
City, State and Federal Governments have been creating these zones where large numbers of homeless and poor people are forced into with a kind of virtual redlining. Usually, these are downtown areas in major cities, and then the system creates the ability to target them with systemic drug usage, even to the point of the government supplying pipes and needles for people to use. They are given just enough food to stay alive while forced into this position. No employers are going to hire anyone and it isn’t like it used to be where someone can just walk into a factory and make enough money in cash to live for a week.
In many ways it is a public execution system that just operates very slowly and you’ll only occasionally notice the dead body— which even are often not recorded as a death correctly, and it’s nothing you will see in the obituary sections of your newspapers. Imagine a system that lets tons of your former neighbors die slowly on the street while everyone walks by inside their little tech bubbles of safety, confident in the belief that it could never be them.
At some point, it’s really about your view of a human life versus your value of money. At some point along the way, it was decided that the amount of money someone has at that point in time determines their value as a person to even keep existing, or to have basic rights…
If Governments wanted to solve the problem, they could find a building to put people in, they could force drug rehab on some, others probably should be in jail. The ones willing and able to work should be given the opportunity, with a path out of the state imposed public execution systems, and back to a life where they are capable of taking care of themselves.
“When one individual inflicts bodily injury upon another such that death results, we call the deed manslaughter; when the assailant knew in advance that the injury would be fatal, we call his deed murder. But when society places hundreds of proletarians in such a position that they inevitably meet a too early and an unnatural death, one which is quite as much a death by violence as that by the sword or bullet; when it deprives thousands of the necessaries of life, places them under conditions in which they cannot live – forces them, through the strong arm of the law, to remain in such conditions until that death ensues which is the inevitable consequence – knows that these thousands of victims must perish, and yet permits these conditions to remain, its deed is murder just as surely as the deed of the single individual; disguised, malicious murder, murder against which none can defend himself, which does not seem what it is, because no man sees the murderer, because the death of the victim seems a natural one, since the offence is more one of omission than of commission. But murder it remains.”
Well said!
In addition to the appalling foster care kid stats for homeless, around 13% of homeless are veterans (obviously some qualify as both). Funny how support for the military dries up once they get discharged.
Then we have the complete lack of any kind of assistance for the mentally ill.
We shouldn’t even pretend that we are civilized. We treat our fellow humans so barbarically.
I’m gonna need a source on that second claim cause it doesn’t sound right
I think the second guy had it backwards.
Wikipedia (If you don’t like it, use it’s sources):
Nearly half of foster children in the US become homeless when they reach the age of 18
That’s still really bad though
That’s honestly worse.
Backwards as in “less than half” vs “more than half”.
Yeah that’s just the telephone chain effect (or whatever they call it).
1: Source says 45%
2: Guy reads source and says “nearly half”
3: Chap listens to Guy and says “half”
4: Dude listens to Chap and says “more than half”
5: Uni-Grad hears Dude and says “a significant amount of”
6: Media hears Uni-Grad and says “almost all”Backwards as in half of foster kids, not half of homeless people.
Ahh right. I didn’t notice that part.
Guess I should have read the image as carefully as your text.
between 2 and 3 there is a step that goes from “nearly half” to “roughly half” and that is what makes that jump easier you would also likely see that between 3 and 4.
however 2-4 are not needed because 45% is by most metrics a “significant amount”
Never had a bad view of homeless people, even as a child, you gotta lack empathy to be in the position where you are adult and realise that they’re not bad.
It’s the people who pretend to be homeless and collect money that are the real scum and ruin it for the actual homeless
This right here is my biggest fear for my daughter.
She’s lazy. She’s unfocused. She’s isolated.
She is one of the greatest artists I have ever encountered in my life. Bad shit seems to come with that. I am afraid that the world will never know it because she isolates almost completely.
Her mother died from breast cancer when she was 13. I have been so unkind to my body and I’m afraid I won’t be here long enough to help her the way she might end up needing it.
She has her step dad who has remained a big part of her life since her mom passed away. He’s a great man and she and her mother were very lucky that he’s the one she found. She can’t get along with any of her mom’s family. I believe that my wife would always look out for her, but I wish they’d get closer. Her mom made that hard by saying only days before she died, “If you replace me with that woman I will spend eternity rolling in my grave.”
I have survived in this world because of my mother and my uncle. Without them I would have been homeless over and over again. I wish she would get closer with her mom’s family. I can’t make her stay with them though. Her aunt takes her to school if she misses the bus, so maybe she’ll look out for her.
It keeps me awake at night more than anything else.
Has ADHD ever been ruled out? Cause being treated, this immensely increases the chances of a healthy and successfull adulthood…
We’ve been trying to get a diagnosis for a few years. Everyone seems to agree she has it, but they’re scared to medicate her because of my issues with addiction I guess.
We’re pushing the issue next week actually.
A someone who became middle aged with it (ADHD), not knowing what it really was or how it was affecting me, it is worth the effort.
They didn’t really prepare me for how much being medicated would change my life. Not that it cures everything, but I had to deal with a profound sense of loss for a few weeks after getting setup.
I found it really hard when I started to remember all of the missed opportunities and experiences that this condition had taken from me over the years. If ADHD is the cause or a factor, she will thank you later.
I wish my parents had got me help. The poor things couldn’t help themselves though.
I waited too late with my daughter really, but we had a lot going on for a long time. Her mom lost her mind and totally threw everything in the wind and then got diagnosed with cancer and suffered horribly before dying.
I’m hoping I can get her turned around now.
My doctor won’t treat me (I definitely have adhd)because I’ve been on suboxone for a decade and they’re afraid I’ll abuse it I guess. I could go somewhere else but starting over on this is a nightmare. He says if I tested positive he’d have to put me in rehab.
When I began I had to dose in front of a doctor every morning. That went on for several months, then I went once a week. That went on for several more months, then once every two. Several more months of that and finally once a month.
On top of that, I had to go to group three times a week and one group with an actual psychologist once a month.
I’d love to be able to use my brain. It has taken me over an hour to type this comment haha. I keep forgetting and then coming back by accident when I look at my phone.
I’m sorry you are going through that.
I didn’t think the meds for adhd were addictive to people who have it?
My limited understanding is that whereas they would make a non-divergent person “high”, they make me more calm, collected and able to sort my thoughts. Just like Caffine and sugar often makes me sleepy. It’s kinda opposite.
My Dr. Told me that if I had ADHD, I would know pretty quickly when I took my first, very small, dose because if I didn’t have the condition, I would feel like I suddenly had too much energy, or like my body was vibrating.
The only thing I noticed first was that I could recall what I had to do later that day, which would not be the case otherwise.
It’s still a worry in the world of recovery.
I know this about myself for sure. I used to do coke once a year. I’d buy a weekend supply and have a ball. Can’t do that today because of fentanyl.
Anyway. I was the only person in my group that could do a bunch of coke and sleep like a baby. I’d sit up and play shooters with more focus than I’d ever had and then I’d go to bed and get up and do it again the next day.
Probably related.
That certainly sounds like it. There is basically just a big ole list of indicators of having it and if you tick enough boxes, then welcome aboard.
On the bright side. I’ve also noticed that other neuro-divergent people seem to be my favourite to hang around with. Something about being halfway through describing a thought and the other person already gets it makes me happy.
That happens. I dated someone who worked in a group home for foster kids and they try to set a kid up with some place to live, like an AFC home after they turn 18, but sometimes they don’t have any options and get dropped off at a homeless shelter.
When I see things like this it makes me so proud of my parents. They are the few people I know who do foster care because they care. They have actual love for every kid that ever walked through their doors. They have had so far 3 kids that moved back home at one point or another and for all 3 of them the only question They ever asked was “how soon do you want to move in?”
At the same time stuff like this hurts me because I always thought unconditional love was the standard growing up. The knowledge that most people didn’t / don’t have that is so sad.
Anyway on a side note I am going to call my folks and tell them how great they are.
I’m grateful for my parents as well.
No one should judge homeless people. It’s easy to judge being in a privileged position, but without having experienced bad shit yourself you should just shut the fuck up. Maybe help the less privileged, otherwise you will be judged by my.
I don’t think people judge them specifically, around me are a lot of scammers, making it very difficult to know who needs “help”
Yeah, there’s that too. A decade or more ago, our local paper ran an expose on the scammers, but they kept it reasonably constructive, giving equal space to strategies for identifying those in actual need.
For my teens, I kept it simple
- someone actively soliciting you in a high traffic area is likely a scammer
- someone sitting quietly, trying to “shrink” away from attention, whether they have their hand out or not, is more likely in need
That shouldn’t be a reason to ensure more money to go to the ultra rich while making the lives of the poor even more miserable.
But you can’t tell if they really need help. Look up the fake violin beggars. It’s very similar, panhandle all day, then go home.
What does that have to do with ultra rich?
Who said we’re making their lives more miserable?
The western world is heading towards the right, destroying social structures in governments. Increasing taxes for the poor, grocery costs, rent and house prices, stripping health care and education systems. While at the same time we ensure the ultra rich get more power and money and can continue not paying any taxes.
But your argument is also wrong. Just because you can’t tell who really needs help you don’t help anyone? Just because a car can have an accident you don’t drive at all? Do you think the street violin players are rich? In my city there’s an east European gang dropping off beggers at certain spots, forcing them to beg. It’s very clear who’s part of this organization and who’s a local homeless person. I always give our local homeless money or food. I volunteer at a venue where the homeless can get free coffee or tea and twice a week a free meal. I vote left, I live in a left city and I speak out for social structures and against nazis. Friends who are struggling financially I financially support, like my past holiday to Cambodia, 2 of my friends and I payed for the entire holiday of one of our friend so he could join us. Every bit helps, even the smaller ones.
I’m struggling in life as well, just not financially (PTSD). I get support from friends and the government. It helps me to live from day to day. There are people judging me, telling me “just have a different mindset”. These are people who never had a struggle in their life. They are completely lost when they ever hit an obstacle in life, but until then they don’t care about others who struggle and they judge them for “not making different choices” etc. “Why don’t you get a job and buy a house”, while this homeless person lives in a constant psychosis and can’t do anything else then play air guitar on the streets. Or because this guy won boxing championships back in the days which got him extreme brain damage, ending his career and putting him on the streets drowning him in alcohol and drugs. These are our most famous homeless persons, who have died in the past 3 years. But everyone has their own story and reasons for why they ended up in the fucked up position no one wants to be in. Even the beggers who are forced to work for this criminal organization. I feel sorry for them, I just don’t know how to help them because everything goes to the criminals who control them and keep their passports.
Just because you can’t tell who really needs help you don’t help anyone?
Please direct me to where I said this.
So people should give up their money to anyone who asks? I’m far from rich, I work hard for the little I have. I’m not giving it away just because someone asks. Charity begins at home. Of course I’d like to help more, there are a lot of things I wish were different, but I’m not compromising my life, financial safety, risking it for a stranger who I know nothing about. I’ve got people that depend and rely on me.
I’ve bought food for those that needed it, walked him right to the counter of a local taco place and let him order whatever he wanted. I’ve given away a duffle bag full of shit I just bought, specifically for a guy standing outside CVS in cold weather. I give away tools and equipment to neighbors that could make their life a little easier, but handing over cash to someone you don’t know that could be a scam? Why not just send your money to Indian call centers?
My mom died when I was 20 and the old man sold the house and took off with anything of value while I was just out of electrical engineering and there was a big economic downturn in the early 90s … I crashed on people’s couches in crack house neighborhoods and sometimes slept under bridges or highway overpasses… Had no car - no job and lucked into a job at Sears selling PC’s back when windows 3.11 was king. I earned enough to buy a bike and bike my way to work from wherever I was crashing and bought a damned pink barbie backpack from a tag sale for 2 bucks so I could bring my suit jacket and tie required in those days and I took a damned ribbing until I could get a better situation. People that have a fallback are lucky as hell and should consider themselves so.
Even worse a ward of the state loses ALL benifits permanently if they are convicted of any offense, guess how motivated social workers are to find an excuse? For anyone that’s never been through these systems when you spend a lot of time with a social worker, I’ve never been more clearly threatened more credibily by anyone my entire life. I told one that I needed help with child care and they said ‘‘you don’t want to tell ME that, if you’re having such a hard time watching your kids, maybe you need them removed by CPS, I can have an office over there before you get home if you’d like, or can you manage without talking to be about it?’’ Imagine being 18, right out of foster care, trying to get enployment or training through health and human services, and they know all they have to do is get you on any technicality and case closed. I know they’d get you a job with a van picking you up, and let police have a look at your ID and run it to find any lapse. Had a cop pull over a van with 8 people, never even talked to the driver, just demanded everyone in the van give over ID and, clearly targeting, went right for one guy and ‘‘found out’’ he had failed to report the job we all started that day to his case worker who set up the job assignment, and got him charged right there. The business we were hired by was furious, because apparently they’ve lost vital numbers of workers this way, and the social workers did this fairly regularly, also the amount of times they send you paperwork that gets to you on the 9th, and had to be turned in by the 8th was VERY precise and consistant. The welfare state isn’t about helping anyone, it’s about reducing the burden on the tax prayer by any means necessary. They do not care about getting you kicked out permanently. They want your case closed.
Sounds psychotic, which is also what I come to expect.
When you have decades of Republicans putting poison pills into every law and passing bills that create as much disfunction as possible this is the end result.
It’s because those orgs have been captured by their enemies, people that don’t want to help. They blame the people that need the services as being leeches, but they are the ones getting paid to fail at their jobs. They don’t want to see it succeed, they want it to fail so they can say how bad the system is.
Never looked down on any homeless people in my entire life & would like to keep it that way.
My sister though, holy crap
I’ve been a homeless teen, thankfully it was over a decade now though.
Shit sucked. I get angry when I hear people make excuses about how homeless people are just lazy or trying to rip you off somehow. Like stfu you have no idea what it’s like!
I’ve been homeless twice. Thankfully I had a car and I could live out of it temporarily while I found some family to save my ass while I got back on my feet.
If I hadn’t had family keep me from rock bottom it’s hard to say if I would have pulled out of those situations on my own.
Unfortunately for many people they have little to no empathy for homeless because they have been lied to or attacked by homeless and they then view all homeless that way.
I remember once in my teens I skateboarded over to a sandwich place to get lunch for myself and my brother. On the way there I passed a homeless guy with a sign asking for “anything”. I decided to get him a sandwich while I was there. Just a basic turkey sandwich or something as plain as I could think of. When I tried to give him the sandwich he threw it back at me and told me I should have just given him the money so he could get drunk.
That experience really tainted my view of the homeless from that day onwards. Then later in life I would have two different girlfriends get grabbed by homeless people over the years.
I have a buddy that lived downtown and the homeless people there were always breaking their windows and stealing their stuff. One of them set fire to the side of their house out of boredom. When the police came they just escorted him to the street and then left. He didn’t get tried for arson or anything. The cops don’t care. They have no system in place to deal with those people.
Its easy for people to have empathy for a group that they have never interacted with. Anyone who lives near homeless or regularly interacts with homeless people will tell you that not all of them are good people who just got abandoned by society. Some of them are evil bad people who have refused help or just don’t want it. Most of them need mental support.
It’s a very complicated issue and I dont think it has any easy or cheap solutions.
Same here on a few bad experiences trying to help
- a guy asked for money to get a meal combo from McDonalds. I bought him the meal combo, so he keyed my car for not giving him cash
- I suppose I can see this being taken the wrong way, but I tried emptying my pockets a few times, only for them to throw the counts on the ground. After that I started noticing homeless with coins on the ground around them
Realistically, it doesn’t matter anymore since I almost never have cash. They seem to know that world has gone too, as I’m rarely solicited anymore
Yeah I haven’t carried any cash for years and most of the time I offer to buy them food they decline. Once in awhile they take me up on the offer and are thankful but I am still always a little worried they are gonna throw it in my face after that experience I had as a kid.
It’s a shit situation all around.
Yeah, I try regathering my donations to a non-profit that helps but what little I can give is lost in the mess.
It seems like the best option
- they provide the most beds of any shelter
- most meals of any shelter
- help getting jobs
- and probably much more
As long as someone is willing to come in and gets there before it fills up ……
