Homeless, not Helpless

[tskeeter]

Found an interesting quote in a AP article about the homeless availing themselves of the services in the Portland, OR "Occupy" camp.

"The city wasn't giving us what we needed," said Joseph Gordon, 31, who trekked from Cincinnati two months ago and noted that there is nearly always enough food but never enough shelter. "You can't feed your problem away. It took this camp to show people how it really is."

What I find interesting is that this man has the where-with-all to travel 2,350 miles, from Cincinnati to Portland, but is unable to provide food and shelter for himself. To top it off, his view is that it is the city of Portland's obligation to provide him with food and shelter that meet his expectations.

Think the homeless who have joined the "Occupy" camps are harmless? AP reports that Portland "Occupy" protesters find themselves dealing with "fights, drunken arguments, and the display of the occasional knife." by their homeless brethren. Iraq war veteran and "Occupy" protester, Micaiah Dutt is quoted as saying "I served four tours in Iraq, and I felt more safe there at times than here.", after helping to subdue a homeless man who was menacing a crowd of spectators with a scissors. In another report, writers discussed the theft of an expensive laptop computer and a fund of approximately $2,500 that was to be used to purchase food for the group. Protest leaders across the country are now trying to distinguish between homeless who are there strictly for the amenities, such as food, medical, wellness, and library tents, and those who are committed to their movement. I guess that protest leaders find themselves trying to deal with a microcosm of the issues faced by community leaders across the country. Trying to distinguish the users and abusers from those that programs were intended to assist.

[thyme4change]

"The city wasn't giving us what we needed," said Joseph Gordon, 31

God damn it - why is it the city's responsibility to give you housing?

You "need" a job.

[Shirina]

You "need" a job.

Then hire him.

Problem solved.

[thyme4change]

He didn't apply for the job. He was too busy wondering why the city won't just give him everything he ever desired.

[Deleted]

Oct 25, 2011 17:31:42 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

He didn't apply for the job. He was too busy wondering why the city won't just give him everything he ever desired.

Entitled much?

[Shirina]

A lot of homeless people really aren't employable, though, which is what I was driving at with my original post. A fair number of them are simply off their rocker for one reason or another.

[thyme4change]

I do agree that many homeless function totally differently than society functions, and therefore will never be able to comply with norms. Unfortunately, there are plenty of people in the gray area that could pull themselves together, but instead use their energy to track down all the best free stuff, and just suck the blood of society.

[Deleted]

Oct 25, 2011 17:40:38 GMT -5 Shirina said:

A lot of homeless people really aren't employable, though, which is what I was driving at with my original post. A fair number of them are simply off their rocker for one reason or another.

There are a lot of mentally ill people on the street. That is a sad statement on society.

[thyme4change]

Yes - but giving them free housing and no treatment is probably not the best use of funds. While it may be upfront more expensive to treat them, it might save us dollars elsewhere down the line. Just building a whole bunch of government funded shelters so they all can hang out together all day and all night isn't the answer.

[Deleted]

Oct 25, 2011 17:47:12 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Yes - but giving them free housing and no treatment is probably not the best use of funds. While it may be upfront more expensive to treat them, it might save us dollars elsewhere down the line. Just building a whole bunch of government funded shelters so they all can hang out together all day and all night isn't the answer.

I agree, ill people need more than just shelter.
Homeless has become a lifstyle, a choice for many.
Personally I can't afford to live downtown, yet these people seem to think it is their god given right to not only live in the middle of a metropolous but to be paid to do so. Its bizarre.

[Deleted]

Oct 25, 2011 17:45:05 GMT -5 @joey said:

Oct 25, 2011 17:40:38 GMT -5 Shirina said:

A lot of homeless people really aren't employable, though, which is what I was driving at with my original post. A fair number of them are simply off their rocker for one reason or another.

There are a lot of mentally ill people on the street. That is a sad statement on society.

When the mental health institutions closed down (I think it was the 80's) basically all those people got 'mainstreamed' from there on out.
We really need institutions & the ability to involuntarily commit the mentally ill BEFORE they hurt themselves or others. The current laws are woefully inadequate in this area. You can't protect yourself or anyone else from a mentally ill person if it is likely they will do harm, they have to do the harm first to prove they are a danger. And then most often they are charged and incarcerated for the criminal stuff & still never get the mental health treatment they need.

In my state, even though you are responsible for your children and their actions, once they turn 14 you cannot put them into mental health or drug rehab programs involuntarily. I can't tell you how frustrating this is. A 15 year old hooked on drugs is not going voluntarily, and you can do nothing with them until they are arrested 7-8 times for criminal actions and THEN the court will think about forcing them into treatment. These policies are a crime against children & families IMHO.