When I see all the homeless people in parks and with signs . I go cold now.how about you?

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then give them the help, not handouts. At least try to. Some may accept but others won’t.
 
I think everyone agrees on that in theory. The problem is making sure we’re offering help that meets people where they’re at. It’s too easy to see people as rejecting help because the help isn’t well thought out.
 
Organizations are far better equipped than individuals to handle this issue.
The best way to help In the long run is to make sure the organizations are properly prepared, and to make sure they can connect to those in need.
 
By organizations, I mean charitable, non-governmental agencies. The government’s direct involvement should be minimal, unless a criminal act is taking place. All such agencies, regardless of specific religious or political affiliations, should receive equal status from the government with respect to tax codes, etc…
 
Mike1w said:
Organizations are far better equipped than individuals to handle this issue.
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I kind of agree with you. In the UK, most night shelters will only take in people referred to them by the council. If they are referred, then they come with funding. Night shelters generally take someone in for a period of about 3 - 6 months. In that time they try and address the problems of work, health, addictions and a more permanent home.
Mike1w said:
The best way to help In the long run is to make sure the organizations are properly prepared
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Our local night shelter took in a 120 homeless people a couple of years ago, they were able to find solutions for 85% of them. Sadly they had to turn away just over 400 that year. The problem seems to be on the increase.
 
Yes and no. I appreciate what organizations do. At the same time I have concerns that they must of necessity deploy one size fits all solutions. I know I’ve had issues before that came very close to being bad where there were problems with my needs not fitting the models of any local assistance organization. A lot of it was what people call the donut hole issue, where someone makes too much for assistance but not enough to meet their needs.

Much of it for me also was that I was essentially in a domestic violence situation, but one that didn’t meet the funding requirements for the domestic violence organizations.
 
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If we can’t find or make a group for a given type of individual, we should ask a similar group to either take them in or refer to another organization.
 
That can be a good way for people to end up in a circle of referrals.
 
I never claimed the system was or is perfect. I simply believe that private not-for-profit organizations are the closest to optimal for the task.
 
I don’t think they’re optimal for everything, simply because the setup typically restricts in who they can help. It just turns into a second layer of government for poor people.
 
I’m out. This seems to be sliding towards a defense of or advocacy for government controlled liberal progress at the expense of freedom and prosperity for the non-homeless.
 
twf said:
Our Lord commands us to love and care for the poor. It is a central mandate of the Church and one She has always taken very seriously.
Of course, how we go about caring for the poor is a matter of debate and prudential judgment.
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Excellent point. Helping those is need is not an option.

However, you are not required to give cash to every person who approaches you, especially if you suspect they might be a scam artist trying to con you for drug or alcohol money or they are aggressive and intimidating. There is one old guy who I know drinks too much but he is a nice guy that I run into from time to time that I might toss a few bucks to (last time I saw him I bought him some food). He is actually supposedly a talented musician, but he is just too fond of the sauce.
 
Eric_Hyom said:
Anyone who has a mortgage or pays rent, is only about three months away from being made homeless. It only takes an accident, being made redundant, or a break down in a relationship so you can’t afford the payments on your own.

Everyone who has been made homeless has a story, it takes time to get to know them and their story. When you get to know them, then you can find ways to help and make a difference.
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Very true for so many of us! And getting a good paying job is not easy at all. It takes months often. You go to a bunch of interviews before you finally get picked. It really is a terrible experience.
 
Mike1w said:
I’m out. This seems to be sliding towards a defense of or advocacy for government controlled liberal progress at the expense of freedom and prosperity for the non-homeless.
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Sometimes we need government to protect the general welfare. Corporations won’t. Charities can work in the short term but in the long term, a systematic program is needed. Before Social Security and Medicare, the elderly were often the most impoverished demographic. And the modern form of means tested welfare is highly inferior to a social insurance model where everyone pays in and everyone is entitled to benefits if they become disabled, unemployed, or whatever.

 
Dark Light, May God bless you and thank you for sharing your experience. It sounds like you are one of the lucky few that was able to overcome the typical obstacles stacked against most homeless people. Some of the men in the camp I tended to did work, and just like you said, their hours did not fit in with the local shelters hours. The shelters all said that they must be settled in by dark, but heck, it would be dark around 4:30 PM here in the winter time. When some of them were not getting picked up for work until mid day there was no way to make it into a shelter by time they were dropped back off at the camp. On top of that they were getting paid extremely low wages since they were “off the books” and more or less getting paid with just enough money to buy a case of beer or cheap liquor. Then they would be intoxicated for the next two or three days and unable to work and the cycle would start all over again.

To me it seemed like the homeless I dealt with were stereotyped by the shelters and by other charity groups that would come feed them. I took a more personal approach, I would spend time sitting with them and getting to know them individually. It was a dangerous place to be due to the drifters passing through, but the regulars would always watch my back.

They did not want to be preached at, but they sure responded to just being loved for who they were. They knew they were sinners and they knew God. They just seemed to accept their conditions and to them just being able to get a motel room every now and then was just enough to make them feel normal, but of course they would always end up back at the camp.

Thanks again for your insight, and may the Lord bless you today.
 
I was lucky in the sense that I always managed to stay just above homelessness. There was a time when I would have been except for a friend who had a spare room. There was another where I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to find an apartment in time to get out safely - but I did end up finding something. But I’ve been close enough to take a good look at the resources.
 
Canvas said:
Sometimes we need government to protect the general welfare. Corporations won’t. Charities can work in the short term but in the long term, a systematic program is needed. Before Social Security and Medicare, the elderly were often the most impoverished demographic. And the modern form of means tested welfare is highly inferior to a social insurance model where everyone pays in and everyone is entitled to benefits if they become disabled, unemployed, or whatever.
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People like @Mike1w think everyone can be a self-starter and the government shouldn’t get involved in anything save military and building projects.

Here is the reality: We pool our resources to make a government to do what the individual can not. To administrate. When trouble brews guess who has the resources? The power to change the course of society?

People can whine that government getting involved is a bane but you the people make it a bane when you coke or pepsi your elections. When you vote for an idea instead of the best most compassionate person for the job.

Back on topic:
@Canvas idk where you are located on this big earth but I’m grateful to live in Canada. Not because I’m financially loyal to Canada but because Canada has a big enough stick to whap Americans if they get too handsy.

I like to think we have the best of EU socialism and American independence. Its not always perfect but it works.
 
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And yet, from my perspective, Social Security is taking money from my pocket when I could invest it myself and make a way better return than what the government will manage with it, thereby removing the need for government assistance later in life. Social Security draws me closer to poverty, not farther away from it.

It’s usefulness also assumes I’ll see a single cent of my social security money back in my pocket, which I highly doubt. Either they’re going to run out of money before I hit retirement age, or they’re going to transition to a means-based return. As a person of pretty good means, that means I’m never going to see a cent of it.
 
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ProdglArchitect said:
And yet, from my perspective, Social Security is taking money from my pocket when I could invest it myself and make a way better return than what the government will manage with it, thereby removing the need for government assistance later in life.
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I am sure you are an excellent investor if you feel secure about this issue, but most people are not that talented with their retirement resources. It’s more like “Set it and forget it” for many folks.

With all due respect, privatizing Social Security was a big political issue in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Then the 2008 Great Recession happened and that idea went by the wayside. If people had been allowed to invest their Social Security taxes, the US would be facing a major elder crisis. So many Baby Boomers have lost money in the market over their lifetimes. The first time they were hit hard was 1987. Then the Tech bubble popped in 1999-2000, followed by the 9/11 terrorist attack that shook markets and slowed recovery.

When I had my little one in Spring 2001, my LDR nurse told me that she and her husband lost over 200K in the tech downturn.

While the market rebounded and real estate was phenomenal by 2006, 2007 showed a slow-down, and 2008 was a collapse of the banks and real estate. Uncle Sam had to bail-out many companies. If SS had been privatized, people would have minimal or no retirement benefits today. The economic downturns over the past 30 years have hit pensions hard as well. Retirees watched in misery as the courts allowed their hard-earned pensions be reduced to a pittance in some cases. Today, GenX can’t count on pensions and they took 401k and IRA losses as well, while Millenials and Gen Z see the word “pension” as a colloquial term.

I think we should let the govt keep the SS tax in Trust. It should be compounding some type of interest and offer a modicum of financial security to elders and the disabled in case there is another economic downturn.
 
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