Why are homeless people homeless?

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Wow I’ve never seen so many banned members in one thread! Well, I once knew a homeless guy who chose to live on the streets rather than move back to Florida to live with his family rent free and be taken care of. He had mental issues
 
There are many reasons that people are homeless.

However, people are NOT homeless due to poor character, bad morals, or lack of ethics as some might claim.
 
Phil_Marinus said:
Anyone and everyone could become homeless… sometimes through stupidity ,
sometimes through plain bad luck… it’s not the fall that matters,
but rather how you get back up… and the lessons learnt,
and the admission of your own shortcomings…
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Clueless reply. You obviously know nothing about the economics of homelessness, let alone the stress. Get a brain, the fall does matter because some people don’t recover or it takes years to do so. Sometimes very lives are lost in homelessness and the individual doesn’t even get a chance to “get back up,” and learn just how they whole thing was their own fault.
 
I live with my mother and have a part-time job, technically, I earn more than my mother and I pay my keep but I am often scared that there will come a time when my mother isn’t around anymore and I’ll have to face life on my own and be unable to deal with it and my biggest fear, is becoming homeless!

Anyone who is homeless, I don’t think they want to be homeless so it’s a bit of a silly question to ask!
Perhaps they’re running away from something. I’ve read stories about people being thrown out of their houses for being Catholic on this forum, that means they were homeless, even if they managed to sort it out quickly and find support, some people are truly alone and they have no place to go!
 
There are two types of homeless persons from my experience. There are the homeless who live in shelters and those who are unsheltered. I won’t mention those who have lost their homes and now live with a relative or friend. Of the two types I mentioned, I know the most about the unsheltered homeless.

The unsheltered homeless live under bridges, empty or condemned buildings if they can sneak in, on street grates, in doorways, in camps in wooded areas, etc.

Why don’t they go to available shelters? There are a number of reasons. Perhaps the most common reason is addiction. Shelters generally will not admit persons addicted to alcohol or drugs, unless the individuals agree to a detox program. Many individuals simply prefer their addiction to a roof over their heads and three squares a day.

Another reason is that some homeless individuals have had bad experiences in shelters. They have been beat up, they have been robbed, or they have gotten lice from shelter beds.

The last type unsheltered homeless individual whom I have encountered is the person who has a strong sense of independence. They would rather sleep under a bridge than be given the charity of shelter. I knew one such individual, Charlie Noodles they called him. He sometimes gave talks at a nearby university about the plight of the homeless. Charlie slept under a bridge with several other men-- rarely was there a woman there-- he had a bank account, and he did have a friend with a home that he could stop by from time to time. But basically he lived under a bridge.

There was also a fellow I ran into once, a Russian or Ukrainian immigrant, I can’t remember which, who pushed a shopping cart containing everything he owned through the city. He would sleep wherever he could find a safe place to lay his head, maybe with other homeless people in a camp, or maybe in a secluded spot in a wooded area. When I ran into this man, I think his name was Otto, but it’s been a long time, I felt the need to offer him money. This was against my rules for dealing with unsheltered homeless individuals, because their is so much addiction that money generally goes immediately to a bottle of whiskey, a case of beer, or crack cocaine or other drug. But after not too long a period of conversation, I had a sense about this person’s character. I offered him twenty dollars. I never would have guessed it, but he refused to take the money. As I recall, he did take some of the canned food I had to offer.

Now it is getting very cold in the DC area. I will be thinking about these people. Police have chased them away from the bridges, so they have it even worse than before. Many will find refuge and heat laying on steam grates along side streets. They are always in danger of being run over by cars, especially when it snows and streets are not well marked. Some will find comfort in drugs or alcohol, and some of these will fall asleep in frigid weather and die in their sleep. Something you can do is to join efforts to get blankets and warm clothing to these people. Some can be persuaded to enter temporary shelters during dangerous weather conditions, which will take them on a short term basis despite their addictions. It really does become a life or death situation out there during these cold spells. Please keep them in your prayers.
 
displaced1 said:
Clueless reply. You obviously know nothing about the economics of homelessness, let alone the stress. Get a brain, the fall does matter because some people don’t recover or it takes years to do so. Sometimes very lives are lost in homelessness and the individual doesn’t even get a chance to “get back up,” and learn just how they whole thing was their own fault.
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Interesting response… Yes I was there… Depression, on the street.
… 12 years later I’m back in the living , was a real struggle,but I’m back…
 
JamesCaruso’s post is very good and insightful. I encourage folks to read it in its entirety above.
JamesCaruso said:
There are two types of homeless persons from my experience. There are the homeless who live in shelters and those who are unsheltered. I won’t mention those who have lost their homes and now live with a relative or friend.
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And this is one way that the issue of homelessness gets “masked” when it comes to numbers because those who wind up couch-surfing are seldom included in homeless counts. The same can be true for people living in cars.
JamesCaruso said:
Another reason is that some homeless individuals have had bad experiences in shelters. They have been beat up, they have been robbed, or they have gotten lice from shelter beds.
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Right. Other reasons are people are afraid of being sexually abused. Sometimes the homeless are elderly who are afraid of all of these things.

Another reasons some homeless don’t use shelters is that there’s just no more room. Shelters in some areas are filled and have been for some time. As JC said above, let’s keep them in our prayers.
 
Robert_Sock said:
My psychiatrist says my fears are irrational.
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Alot of people are one paycheck away from being homeless, so I dont think its irrational at all, it can and does happen to alot of different people, from lawyers down to mechanics and ex-military persons. It is scary to think about, Ive had my fears about this too, but thankfully I still have a decent job…but that can change at any time.
 
Phil_Marinus said:
Interesting response… Yes I was there… Depression, on the street.
… 12 years later I’m back in the living , was a real struggle,but I’m back…
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Did you do it all on your own, with no help from anyone whatsoever?
 
Lochias said:
Did you do it all on your own, with no help from anyone whatsoever?
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Of course I had help… I have tried my best to shut my past behind me…
For obvious reasons… It is so easy to feel the way I did, for this reason I try not to think about it… It’s a bit like putting a drum over your head so someone can beat the drum…
If you don’t put your head back in the drum,it won’t get beat…
 
Phil_Marinus said:
Of course I had help… I have tried my best to shut my past behind me…
For obvious reasons… It is so easy to feel the way I did, for this reason I try not to think about it… It’s a bit like putting a drum over your head so someone can beat the drum…
If you don’t put your head back in the drum,it won’t get beat…
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Without that help, you would have been stuck.

Therefore, telling others that they “just need to pull themselves up, have strength of character”, and all of the other nonsense out there is rendered logically void before you even finished the sentence.
 
ManOnFire said:
All anyone needs to do is beg for a job, then ask the boss 5 times every day “What can I do better? What can I do better?” Then go and do it exactly as the boss wishes. Bosses love people like this. It’s so refreshing. Bosses can’t find enough people like this.
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But sometimes the boss is likely to say, “I can’t do your job for you.” 😉
 
I also want to mention that many people simply cannot get a job, nearly all jobs today, even to work at a gas station, do background checks on people, and if someone had a criminal record but wanted to start a clean slate, it is impossible for them to do this in todays world, they are continually punished for that crime, but not thru the justice system, they found a method to make sure people continue suffering even after their debt to society has been paid.

This is ridiculous IMO.background checks have really ruined alot of peoples lives, and for what reason? Once a person completes their sentence, their debt to society has been paid in full, it is wrong to continue to punish them.

I think alot of companies need to stop doing these checks, Im not referring to bank jobs, or other such positions, but for these checks to be done for gas station jobs, fast food joints, etc. that is going beyond what is needed.

I have a possession of alcohol by a minor on my record, it resulted from a time when i was 19 yrs old and was caught with beer in a car one with my friends, this charge is STILL on my record, even though I am 39 yrs old!!! When my employer did my background check, they actually laughed about this, and asked why this was still on my record…I dont know why it is, but Ive been told this will be on there for my entire life, If this is true, then that is definitely wrong, after 15-20 yrs, anything on a persons record should come off, especially if they have not done anything else since.
 
mikekle said:
I also want to mention that many people simply cannot get a job, nearly all jobs today, even to work at a gas station, do background checks on people, and if someone had a criminal record but wanted to start a clean slate, it is impossible for them to do this in todays world, they are continually punished for that crime, but not thru the justice system, they found a method to make sure people continue suffering even after their debt to society has been paid.

This is ridiculous IMO.background checks have really ruined alot of peoples lives, and for what reason? Once a person completes their sentence, their debt to society has been paid in full, it is wrong to continue to punish them.

I think alot of companies need to stop doing these checks, Im not referring to bank jobs, or other such positions, but for these checks to be done for gas station jobs, fast food joints, etc. that is going beyond what is needed.

I have a possession of alcohol by a minor on my record, it resulted from a time when i was 19 yrs old and was caught with beer in a car one with my friends, this charge is STILL on my record, even though I am 39 yrs old!!! When my employer did my background check, they actually laughed about this, and asked why this was still on my record…I dont know why it is, but Ive been told this will be on there for my entire life, If this is true, then that is definitely wrong, after 15-20 yrs, anything on a persons record should come off, especially if they have not done anything else since.
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I’m not a lawyer, but I’m pretty sure records can be expunged, especially for situations like yours. You ought to check into it if it’s a problem.
 
mikekle said:
I also want to mention that many people simply cannot get a job, nearly all jobs today, even to work at a gas station, do background checks on people, and if someone had a criminal record but wanted to start a clean slate, it is impossible for them to do this in todays world, they are continually punished for that crime, but not thru the justice system, they found a method to make sure people continue suffering even after their debt to society has been paid.

This is ridiculous IMO.background checks have really ruined alot of peoples lives, and for what reason? Once a person completes their sentence, their debt to society has been paid in full, it is wrong to continue to punish them.

I think alot of companies need to stop doing these checks, Im not referring to bank jobs, or other such positions, but for these checks to be done for gas station jobs, fast food joints, etc. that is going beyond what is needed.

I have a possession of alcohol by a minor on my record, it resulted from a time when i was 19 yrs old and was caught with beer in a car one with my friends, this charge is STILL on my record, even though I am 39 yrs old!!! When my employer did my background check, they actually laughed about this, and asked why this was still on my record…I dont know why it is, but Ive been told this will be on there for my entire life, If this is true, then that is definitely wrong, after 15-20 yrs, anything on a persons record should come off, especially if they have not done anything else since.
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I agree with everything you said. Once your debt to society has been paid, you should not be subject to a life sentence of punishment and instead given a chance to move beyond your past. As to your record, it’s really crazy. And to think, not to many years ago, 18 was the legal drinking age in many states. I think the path to get your record expunged varies by state. I believe the Governor of each state has the power, but it starts with with a process, I think at your county courthouse. Recommend starting there if you haven’t done so already. Good luck friend!
 
GaryM said:
I agree with everything you said. Once your debt to society has been paid, you should not be subject to a life sentence of punishment and instead given a chance to move beyond your past. As to your record, it’s really crazy. And to think, not to many years ago, 18 was the legal drinking age in many states. I think the path to get your record expunged varies by state. I believe the Governor of each state has the power, but it starts with with a process, I think at your county courthouse. Recommend starting there if you haven’t done so already. Good luck friend!
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Ive looked into getting it expunged, but its fairly expensive to file and requires a lawyer to get it done. My record has never hurt my chances of getting a job though and is really just a small inconvenience, its not even a misdemeanor, I believe it called a statutory offense (age related), most job applications Ive filled out only ask about felonies anyway.

I know this is not the case, but really it should come off automatically after so long, it should not be the persons responsibility to do this, the county/state should have the common sense to do this. imo.
 
Robert_Sock said:
I have a deep fear becoming homeless and I was wondering if it’s a reasonable possibility? Do devote Catholics ever become homeless?
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Sure, it is a reasonable possibility. Not everyone who is homeless is this way because of their own fault. Yes devout Catholics become homeless; some even take on this as a penance and an act of love to God.
 
Robert Sock:
I have a deep fear becoming homeless and I was wondering if it’s a reasonable possibility? Do devote Catholics ever become homeless?
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Credo in Deum:
Sure, it is a reasonable possibility. Not everyone who is homeless is this way because of their own fault. Yes devout Catholics become homeless; some even take on this as a penance and an act of love to God.
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And further, Jesus commands us not to worry about these things. We do anyway, but I think it points to our being weak in faith. Lord, please give us a faith that trusts totally in you, so that we will not be fearful of or worry about becoming homeless. You are not a God who is waiting to pull the carpet out from underneath us the first time we mess up. We will do our best to support ourselves according to our station in life, but we ultimately put our trust in you to provide for our needs, knowing that you care for us.

Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. For the life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment. Consider the ravens, that they sow not, neither reap; which have no store-chamber nor barn; and God feedeth them: of how much more value are ye than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit unto the measure of his life? If then ye are not able to do even that which is least, why are ye anxious concerning the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God doth so clothe the grass in the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven; how much more’shall he clothe you, O ye of little faith? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, and what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: but your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. Yet seek ye his kingdom, and these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom Luke 12 .
 
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