Why don't the majority of people care about the homeless?

gabers

I think most of us care about the idea of the homeless. Most of the homeless have a variety of serious mental issues and couldn't hold a steady job if they wanted to. I think the system definitely fails them. That being said, some are flat out disgusting. I was doing some work in the field last week at a run down strip center. Always fun. Anyway, there were several drums that had been placed in an alley contained contaminated soil that was awaiting disposal. I went in the alley to count the drums and noticed a large pile of apparent human shit in between some of them. Turns out a homeless dude regularly relieves himself in this back alley, with all sorts of public restrooms in the area. It's like the basic elements of humanity just aren't there. Then, later on, I see the nasty fucker go to his spot and drop trou. I was traumatized. After he wandered back out, I asked the guy if he realizes there are public restrooms in the area that he could use and he just kind of gives me this 1000 yard stare and walks on. Unreal.

fuck

HailHailVitalogy wrote:

Because I live in a town where majority are homeless, and when they receive money some how it is spent on beer, vodka, or ciggs

Don't just give them money though. I never simply GIVE money to homeless people, I buy them food myself then give them the food. Can't buy beer with those.

_

EvilMerlin wrote:

I've always had a dream since I was a little kid that I'd help as many homeless people as I can. And that within my radial reach of help, I'd cure every homeless person and hope that it would pass on to all areas.

Everyone looks at me like I'm crazy when they ask me what I'm passionate about and I talk about this.

When I was a little kid I had this elaborate plan(for an eight year old) To make a self contained homeless shelter that can run itself by the homeless.

I've actually had two meetings with people before, project developers, and I basically get laughed out of their office. Not because the plan wouldn't work, but because it won't bring them millions. Which I understand, but some people just don't really care anymore.

It's really hard letting go of dreams, especially one that I've held onto for so long. Sometimes it's the only thing keeping me going...my mind trying to figure out a way. Any way, to get things done.

Sometimes I think I just care about too much with too many different things. I guess I kind of think that could be a case because it's killing me mentally and emotionally and draining any chance at allowing myself to be happy.

I used to have the same idea when I was a kid! Unfortunately, my studies have taken me in a somewhat different direction with my life. But I hope to start volunteering with our local Healthcare for the Homeless sometime this year if I can. I tried serving food at a homeless shelter for awhile, but they serve at 5 PM and I get off work at 6 PM so I ended up abandondoning that idea. I'm sorry to say that all I do now for the homeless are randomly give them money, food, or hugs. Or I buy the occassional homeless guy a drink.

I used to feel like I didn't want to give homeless people money for fear that they'd just spend it on alcohol. Then I started thinking: 1. Who am I to judge? 2. If I were homeless, I could probably use a drink!

I remember this one time I went downtown to the annual Fall Crawl, where swarms of people turn out to listen to bands and get drunk. Some of the stages are set up outside, which means the homeless people get to listen to the music. This one time I was dancing with this homeless guy, and when the band ended I wanted to go into the nearby bar and have a drink. I knew this was probably not an option for the guy, and that struck me as terribly unfair. Not only can he not afford to have a drink, but he'd probably get kicked out of most bars he tried to go into. I, on the other hand, as a young woman, can (or could at that time) usually go downtown with no money, go to a bar, and not only would I not get harrassed, but people would buy me drinks! And this only because of the way I looked - not because I'm in any way a better person than this homeless man. Not to mention all the alcoholics with jobs - or at least showers - who go to bars all the time and get served and respected. Who are any of us to say that just because a person is homeless s/he doesn't deserve a drink like the rest of us? So I brought this guy into the bar with me (they tried to kick him out, but I said he was my guest and I was buying) and we sat and had a few drinks and a nice conversation. A couple of his homeless friends joined us. Turns out they knew my grandparents! Anyway, I ended up losing a friend over that experience, which was really sad. But my point is this: Homeless people deserve just as much respect, love, and maybe even drinks as the rest of us. None of us know for sure that we won't some day be in the same position.

EvilMerlin, I commend your compassion and ability to feel concern for issues & people outside the scope of your own life. You are an inspiration and I hope you succeed in fullfilling your dream! (Have you tried meeting with your local homeless services to see what wisdom and/or collaboration they have to offer?)

_

EvilMerlin wrote:

Really? Ask them for a dollar? Why not help yourself and create an altenative fuel source? I mean, because it's easy to help yourself with no support structure around you, right?

Excellent point!

3inputchick

http://www.greystonbakery.com/

You will love this place....
I work in a very large NYC homeless shelter- we refer folks all the time. The social mission is amazing- it makes complete sense. It's such an easy idea.

EvilMerlin

scb wrote:

I used to have the same idea when I was a kid! Unfortunately, my studies have taken me in a somewhat different direction with my life. But I hope to start volunteering with our local Healthcare for the Homeless sometime this year if I can. I tried serving food at a homeless shelter for awhile, but they serve at 5 PM and I get off work at 6 PM so I ended up abandondoning that idea. I'm sorry to say that all I do now for the homeless are randomly give them money, food, or hugs. Or I buy the occassional homeless guy a drink.

I used to feel like I didn't want to give homeless people money for fear that they'd just spend it on alcohol. Then I started thinking: 1. Who am I to judge? 2. If I were homeless, I could probably use a drink!

I remember this one time I went downtown to the annual Fall Crawl, where swarms of people turn out to listen to bands and get drunk. Some of the stages are set up outside, which means the homeless people get to listen to the music. This one time I was dancing with this homeless guy, and when the band ended I wanted to go into the nearby bar and have a drink. I knew this was probably not an option for the guy, and that struck me as terribly unfair. Not only can he not afford to have a drink, but he'd probably get kicked out of most bars he tried to go into. I, on the other hand, as a young woman, can (or could at that time) usually go downtown with no money, go to a bar, and not only would I not get harrassed, but people would buy me drinks! And this only because of the way I looked - not because I'm in any way a better person than this homeless man. Not to mention all the alcoholics with jobs - or at least showers - who go to bars all the time and get served and respected. Who are any of us to say that just because a person is homeless s/he doesn't deserve a drink like the rest of us? So I brought this guy into the bar with me (they tried to kick him out, but I said he was my guest and I was buying) and we sat and had a few drinks and a nice conversation. A couple of his homeless friends joined us. Turns out they knew my grandparents! Anyway, I ended up losing a friend over that experience, which was really sad. But my point is this: Homeless people deserve just as much respect, love, and maybe even drinks as the rest of us. None of us know for sure that we won't some day be in the same position.

EvilMerlin, I commend your compassion and ability to feel concern for issues & people outside the scope of your own life. You are an inspiration and I hope you succeed in fullfilling your dream! (Have you tried meeting with your local homeless services to see what wisdom and/or collaboration they have to offer?)

I have, and I've sat down with a few coordinators before with my cousin, and they're interested, but again, it's just trying to find funding/time to get it started. I'm in the same boat as you. I don't have as much time as I'd like to actually sit down and help, so when I'm on my free time I'll gladly buy someone a drink, or some food, or sit down and chat.

I loved your story, thanks for sharing, and yes, it's a small world. Like the person that knew your grandparents, I once met a guy in Frisco that grew up in the neighborhood I grew up in Southern California. And he asked me what it was like since he was about twice my age. And we just sat there and shared memories. It was just a great talk that was great for myself, and it seemed like it was for him because someone just let him get his thoughts out.

Thanks for your kind words, as I only hope to one day become an inspiration because of my actions and not my thoughts.

EvilMerlin

3inputchick wrote:

http://www.greystonbakery.com/

You will love this place....
I work in a very large NYC homeless shelter- we refer folks all the time. The social mission is amazing- it makes complete sense. It's such an easy idea.

I'm going to New York in September. I'm stopping by for sure. Thanks for that.

PearlJamaholic

honestly i use to care. when i was younger i almost felt i had to give these people something to help. but after a few years of that crap, when im walking and they come up and ask for money i just try my best to ignore them and think 'jump in front of a bus.'

and they always have these lame stories why they need money. i need money for bus fare, or i need new batteries for the bus ride home so im not bored. load of crap. if they said im a lazy person with a drug problem can i have some change to make the day easier, i might actually do it. but dont lie to me and think im retarded.

i dont owe these people anything. thats how i feel.

Swan

EvilMerlin wrote:

Thanks for being a smart ass and looking too much into my wording.

Really, I mean you can just start off with a plan such as buying out an abandoned building in the slums, that had a hotel setting. That way everyone can get their own room, Then hire people to do maintenance, manage, cooks, servers, maid work, to work alongside with all the tenants to just give them the slighest of skill sets and work experience to build a resume to just get a simple job to start their way back into society. Just a baby step program.

Sure it'd take a while to sit down and plan out details and get some kind of budget figured out so you'd know how much funding you'd need, but I mean just a basic layout, you never hear of anything.

I'm sure if we spend billions on killing people, we could come up with the few millions to create a place to help people. Oh wait...why would anyone want to fund that.

no offense but that's a fantasy, no one in their right mind will fund that, the overhead would drive any company out of bussiness.

Collin

I always had the same dream, and still do.

An answer to your question by Ani DiFranco;

"i remember the first time i saw someone
lying on the cold street
i thought: i can't just walk past here
this can't just be true
but i learned by example
to just keep moving my feet
it's amazing the things that we all learn to do"

chime

Here we have The Big Issue magazine to help homeless people http://www.bigissue.com/ and I know it is in a few other countries ... and is just starting up in India.

I think it is a good way for people to help the homeless with both parties not having to feel like it's 'charity'

Thecure

i work with people living with HIV/AIDS that are homeless in Toronto and i hav eto tell you that the reason that i believe peopel don't care abotu the homeless is that people don't see it. not saying that they don't see homeless people but that they don't "see homeless people" here in Toronto abotu 18-20 years ago, our premiere (like your governor in the states) closed down some mental hospitals and kick everyone out whiel at the same time got out of government housing. hence creating a major problem. you still see people here that were at the closed hospital hanging otu around that area as that is teh only thing they know. there was a reprt abotu 7 years ago (that i wish i coudl find right now) that showed how much money teh government here in Canada waste and lose by having homeless people.

for example, i was working with a person who wa running for an elected post inteh governemnt and i told him that if you really wanted to change something he would tell people the truth and say that putting peopel in perm. housing it woudl be cheaper that having shelters open. he decided to do this and man was he blasted by teh other parties. peopel were saying that why shoudl their tax money go to people who didn't want to work. they never got the point that they woudl be saving money in teh long term as they will never close shleters.

as for people saying that they see homeless peopel spending money on alcohol and smokes there is a simple reason for that. they make you feel less hungary and when you don't know when your next meal will be that is very important.

good luck to the OP on your goal. i might not agree about openning more shelters but atleast you seem to care.

urbanhippie

EvilMerlin have you thought about maybe getting involved in a charity that already provides this kind of help?
There are many out there in the UK and I'm sure there'll be something near you. Maybe you can help from 'the inside' as it were.
Or maybe your local church has a volunteering scheme? From small acorns and all that....

Homeless people often need all sorts of support, detox, education, healthcare etc as well as a stable and supportive place to stay. There are all sorts of ways you could help in your spare time while waiting for your plans to come to fruition.

It's tempting to go for the 'grand plan' and it's a very commendable vocation to have, but just because you can't do it all NOW doesn't mean you can't make a very real difference today.

clark_kent

scb wrote:

Anyway, I ended up losing a friend over that experience, which was really sad.

huh? why? where was this friend for the rest of the story?

also, not to burst the sunny little bubble you seem to live in, but people aren't "respecting" you in the bar. the reason you can walk into any bar anywhere and get free drinks is becos you have breasts and the people buying hope that if they buy enough they will get to see them. respect has nothing to do with it.

i don't care about the homeless becos it's not a problem that can be solved. it's a neverending stream and for every building you build, others elsewhere will be getting kicked out of their apartments. 100% literacy, employment, home ownership, etc are utopian impossibilities. i dont have the energy for it. every now and again ill give some change becos i hate change and i dont give a damn what they use it for.

CityMouse

what do you mean by "project developers"?

chadwick

EvilMerlin wrote:

I've always had a dream since I was a little kid that I'd help as many homeless people as I can. And that within my radial reach of help, I'd cure every homeless person and hope that it would pass on to all areas.

Everyone looks at me like I'm crazy when they ask me what I'm passionate about and I talk about this.

When I was a little kid I had this elaborate plan(for an eight year old) To make a self contained homeless shelter that can run itself by the homeless.

I've actually had two meetings with people before, project developers, and I basically get laughed out of their office. Not because the plan wouldn't work, but because it won't bring them millions. Which I understand, but some people just don't really care anymore.

It's really hard letting go of dreams, especially one that I've held onto for so long. Sometimes it's the only thing keeping me going...my mind trying to figure out a way. Any way, to get things done.

Sometimes I think I just care about too much with too many different things. I guess I kind of think that could be a case because it's killing me mentally and emotionally and draining any chance at allowing myself to be happy.

to answer your question as to why the majority of ppl
don't care about the homeless is easy to answer.

ppl don't give a fuck about much of anything unless they get instant
gratification. ppl in general are pretty decent i think but greedy and fulla shit.

alot of ppl make my skin crawl with how they treat others.
to many ppl do not give a fuck outside of their bullshit world.

i started something for myself this past christmas holiday.
i refused to eat for @ least oneday to see how it felt to go hungry
while most everyone was hogging down on more food
than most ppl will ever see in a lifetime.

_

clark_kent wrote:

huh? why? where was this friend for the rest of the story?

When I told my friend about the evening, he said I had put myself in a very dangerous situation and concluded that I must have some kind of death wish or lack of respect for myself. It's kind of complicated with him, which is why I didn't explain the whole story. He had a very paternalistic attitude toward me and thought that just the fact that I went downtown to bars was indicative of some kind of personal problem. Buying a homeless guy a drink was the last straw for him, and his accusations were the last straw for me.

clark_kent wrote:

also, not to burst the sunny little bubble you seem to live in, but people aren't "respecting" you in the bar. the reason you can walk into any bar anywhere and get free drinks is becos you have breasts and the people buying hope that if they buy enough they will get to see them. respect has nothing to do with it.

Wow, sunny little bubble, huh? Sounds like a nice place but, unfortunately, no, I don't live there. I'm very keenly aware of why (many) men buy (many) women drinks - but that's quite a diffferent subject for a different thread.

Although I don't believe I indicated that men bought me drinks out of respect, what I meant was that I was respected as a patron of the bar - allowed in, not harassed, treated like a respectable member of society, etc. - like everyone else who didn't appear to be homeless. Even if guys buying me drinks were just trying to get laid (which I don't condone), at least they didn't just disregard me as sub-human the minute I walked in.

(And for the record, it is possible for a man to respectfully buy a woman a drink in a bar.)

Kilgore_Trout

where i go to school there are TONS of homeless people... i was surprised since its not a real big city and basically in the middle of nowhere... not to mention theyre begging to college kids (nearly as poor as many homeless people)

anyway, what really gets me... i would ALWAYS try to help the homeless people that hung out by the laundry mat in my building... i would bring them extra food and stuff from my apartment... or clothes i had no need for... and its JUST like the south park episode about the homeless... its NEVER enough! and half the time they wouldnt even remember having talked to me the day before... granted thats probably all due to mental illness, but its hard to keep giving and giving and not feel like its making a difference... i would tell them how to get to the soup kitchen and then the very next day they would still be on the street using the same lie they had given me before... if they tell me they want money for food or liquor im more inclined to give because theyre honest...

its easy to say people arent doing enough to help the problem... but we cant just assume that the entire homeless population is doing as much as they possibly can to help their own situation... its not a problem i see any concrete solution to any time soon... unfortunately

_

Even if we were to assume that adults are homeless because they are lazy and don't want to get jobs, I wish we could all agree that something must urgently be done about the 1.35 million children who are homeless in the United States in any given year.

http://www.familyhomelessness.org/pdf/fact_children.pdf

KosmicJelli

Start a non for profit organization......
Write people letters...
Ask someone to donate space/old property...
Ask people to donate items/food...

All they can do is say NO.... move on... but out of all those people you will find someone to help, someone to keep you determined, someone whom will say "YES!!!" to your dream....

Anything and everything is possible...