What should we do about the homeless?

[vern_humphrey]

Good question. Here in Our Town, we had a university professor who, at about age 50, walked out on his wife and job to live on the streets, where he stayed until he died. A lady with well off family here did the same. Despite pleas from her daughter to live with her, she stayed on the streets until her death. So, if some people simply doesn’t want homes, what are the rest of us supposed to do about it or do with them or do for them?

I suggest first of all, identify them. Who are they? Where are they usually found?

Next, learn about them – what problems do they have? Alcoholism, drugs, mental disease?

Third, assess them – can they be “helped” in the sense of changing their behavior for the better? Are they a danger to others? Will they accept or reject help?

Finally, help them – and for some of them, it may just be a matter of checking on them, seeing they have food, providing a warm coat, a blanket, and so on. That may be all they will accept.

Now this approach means we must know them and treat them as individuals. We must offer help they are willing to accept. And in some cases, we must understand they will never come off the streets, and the best we can do is keep them a bit safer and more comfortable.

 

[quiet52]

My area has seen a huge jump in the number of homeless people the last few years. Catholic Charities does its best to house them, or find housing, as does a local shelter. One of the posters asked about what to do about the “incorrigibles.” There are rules, for the safety of everyone involved – usually addressing drugs and alcohol abuse, and violence. The homeless are usually given three chances, before they’re dropped from the lists permanently. Many of these “incorrigibles” have taken over beaches, parks, and other areas the public can no longer use now for recreational purposes.

Remember that not all homeless adults are unemployed. They have blankets and socks, and even the means to feed themselves and their families (barbeque style, which isn’t comfortable). They just can’t afford housing.

There is no one solution, because the causes of homelessness are myriad and the problems are complex. The help any of us can offer is limited, but we must do what we can – even if it’s just a couple of quarter pounders or some socks.

 

[Al_Masetti]

At a major public facility, there used to be large numbers of homeless. They caused public nuisances. Harrassed passers-by.

So the owner of the facility set up a variety of outreach facilities … showers, food, counseling, clothing. Help in getting back on their feet. Or, if they were mentally ill, to get a diagnosis and get some serious help. About a block away.

If the homeless declined to use those outreach facilities, then they had to leave and congregate somewhere else.

It was interesting to watch. A uniformed member of the social welfare team and a police officer would gently visit with each homeless person and after a while the homeless person would move off. Either to get cleaned up or to drift off somewhere else.

Very effective.

 

[empacae]

emp here…

okay… so i should be working right now, but thought i’d take time out to write to you all about this. you see i was homeless a couple of times in my life. right now i live in my own apartment, and love it. i don’t have a fulltime job at the moment, but i do volunteer whenever i can (sometimes fulltime hours) at a drop in/shelter. what i’ve observed that poverty is caused by mental health issues, sometime brain chemistry, sometimes drug and alcohol addictions. whatever it is, i agree with a previous poster about teaching them life skills. some of the people i’ve met are so intelligent it will scare you. some of them are so low functioning, they really need our help, just to feed them, clean them, shelter them, no amount of education can help them. and yes even i have some mental health issues, but fortunately for me, not severe. i still have people in my life that love me, and i love them. a strong social support network is key too. but then most of my friends think i’m crazy anyway just for my love for the Lord (going to Mass, praying the Rosary, usual Catholic stuff). writing this now, i can see the faces that grace the shelter everyday. poor broken people, lost hope, if ever they had it. Post Traumatic Disorder Syndrom, Bipolar, Schitzophrenia, Consumer Survivors, and it goes on and on. poor sods. i think mental health is key here. better treatment, more effective, and of course time. it’s either we do that or as i used to joke back in my cynical days…

we round up all the homeless people. give them baths, and a nice comfy bed with fresh sheets. give them a nice meal, and a slow morophine drip.

both of these solve the homeless problem. one is cost effective and efficient. but one of these won’t stop the continuation of homelessness. as mentioned in a previous post, yes there are some people who leave good lives and families to live on the streets. this isn’t a choice. it’s an emotional or mental breakdown.

i wish i had the answer. i wish anybody did. anyhow, gotta get back at it.

the peace of Our Lord be with you all.