Homelessness

[Templar Mikeel]

I live in an area where homelessness is very uncommon. A person could only see one homeless person a year in my town. Maybe that's why it hurts me so bad. These evening I went to our local grocery store (Safeway, it's all we have!) and by the doors was this homeless man and his dog. The man sat there in the bitter cold with his dog, hugging it and kissing it on the head. That almost broke my heart right there. Seeing a fellow human being reduced to so little. And that means a lot coming from me, considering how little emotion I show or feel. It turned out that the man had a girlfriend. This poor guy had to support himself, his dog, and his girlfriend. I couldn't think of anything to do at the moment. I had five bucks in my wallet, but I don't know what good it would have done. Some people would say that they would just go buy beer, some people would say that every bit helps. I'll probably feel bad about not giving to him later. Most of you guys probably see this a lot, so maybe you're used to it. Whatever. It just hurt me deeply to see the man and his dog like that. What do you all have to say?

[Lord Commander Erus]

When I see that type of thing.. It drives me to sorrow quicker than anything.

It's engrained in me to help people though. I've been with my mom a few times and this has happened outside a restaurant or grocery store. Even if it's just dollar menu, I always ask them if they need food, and buy them something to drink and eat. In a country such as ours, the fact that something exists is absolutely ludicrous. If I could, i'd give them every stitch of clothing and money I had. But as it stands, I doubt many would take it. So I give them what they will take, make sure they eat at least something, and tyr to watch for them if i'm ever in that area again.

I don't know how I would have done with a homeless guy and hsi dog though.. I'm a big animal lover.

[Warmaster Romulas]

well every month (for almost ayear now) my wife and i take food to the shelter
its not much but we give what we can
usually a case or 2 of canned goods
i grew up in the prjects in NYC so ive seen lots of homeless people
it is heart breaking to see how they live
but what can you do really?
most are there because of economic conditions
some are there because of their inability to cope with society
just give what you can
not to make yourself feel better
but to do something for your neighbor
if you ever decide to give someone cash for food
its not your fault if they buy alchohol or drugs
its a choice that they make
but dont let that keep you from giving
because you might not give to the one that actually needs a meal that day

just a thought

[Brother Warchild]

Its really hard to tell who's in need and who's just being needy.I never give cash i only offer drink/food/etc.When i had my construction company i frequently offered a days work for food and cash but was always turned down,its more profitable to panhandle.Know adays my wife and I usually donate to a family around my area around christmas and Thanksgiving etc.And always donate to the battered womans shelter's.
It really is a shame this goes on and the addicts make it reallly bad for the real needy.

[hairyyahoo]

Originally Posted by Brother Warchild

Its really hard to tell who's in need and who's just being needy.

it's very much a case of this in the city i live in. you really can't tell who's genuinely homless and who's just scrounging for a couple of extra coins. like, the other day i had some guy selling me a sob story about how he'd broken his leg and just got out of prison and how he had a kid to support, so he asks me for some change and then asks for £5. i tell him i can only spare £1 and he spits on me and storms off!

it saddens me to say that because of things like this i tend to just tell everyone who asks me for money to go away, and i walk past beggers on the street without even thinking twice about them. it shames me to the core to feel like this but i know that there are so many people out there that will just take advantage of me if they can, so i get a bit callous and unfeeling towards the whole thing in response.

[TheKiller333]

*Sighs*
I've been homeless. And I don't just mean being kicked out of my home homeless. I mean, my mum and I have been out there.
It was only 2 days before we found a shelter but.. man.. It is possibly the worst experience in my entire life (I've had many.)
We always try and give money to shelters, but this is a hard thing to do when your extremely low on it.

[r4wr89]

oh wow, that is really just.. wow man. you've really been through it.

my dad always takes people who are begging for money [i live in a pretty big city, so there's no shortage of needy people] to a restaurant and just asks them what they want. if they say no, i don't want food then my dad will just say okay, i can't give you anything then. sadly, it's true, some of the homeless people beg for money to get a fix, and obviously my dad doesn't want to support that because of the damage drugs do to you, not just physically.

if asked for money by someone, i think simply giving food is better...

still though, it's really heart warming to see my online community discussing such a topic.
-ant

[Celestial Guardian]

I've been around the country and seen this all over. While it doesn't tend to phase you too much in another city, it always hits you in the gut when it's in your home town.

I will usually go and get someone some food if they ask for money. I've never given money unless I could see the actual need for it.

Case in point: My dad and I were in Houston and a guy walks up to our job site. He asks for a little work to buy food with. We give him a day job for 8 hours and the guy works his butt off for us. My dad asks if he lives aound in thea rea bcause we are coming back for about 3 weeks on the job. He tells us the address of where he's staying. It sounded a little familiar to me. That's because it was the adress of our motel. He was sleeping there in a car. One night we heard some yelling in the lot. It was the manager telling him to leave before he called the cops. recgnising him my dad went down to talk to him to find out what was goin on. The manager told him he was trying to keep the homeless guy from sleeping in the lot. So, once I saw that the guy was indeed down and out I went to the motel office and rented another room. While the arguement was still raging and my dad got involved by the time I came up and handed the guy a room key. Everyone shut up and looked at me. The manager was dumbfounded. I told the guy to go to his motel room and I'd get him for work in the morning. The manager dropped the issue and went back inside. My dad looked at me and smiled. For me that was a great moment. My dad didnm't say a whole lot about his feeling when he was alive, but that smile told me how proud he was. The guy that I got the room for worked for us and rented a place to stay from my dad in Huntsville where he got his life back togather aftera a really bad run. Today he has a good job and helps those that are going through tough times. When you ask him why, he'll tell you, "because someone was kind to me once."

I applaud you for helping another, I know it's hard to know who's real and who's making a quick buck, but in the end always put yourself in their shoes. You never know how you're going to end up.

[DeAd_cOmMaNdO]

luckily homelessness is almost non-existent out here, but we have some pretty bad slums in a 500 year old city that can get pretty bad after dark.

so its enlightening, if youll pardon the exprssion, to read about what other think about such a horrible thing.

[kenshin620]

wow, its so amazing that you guys live in these types of situations. There aren't many homeless people where I live but my sis goes on some church things and goes to south Dallas where is just as bad as being homeless (hell, I remember the time when the people from Hurrican Katrina came into Texas) and you got to say its a humbling experience. My dad says "that is probably the only time in a year where they get a hot meal". I haven't seen many myself (most are in the city areas) but it just kind of make you stop and think while your heart is sinking to your stomach.

[masterofweirdness]

To a degree... I can relate to Yahoo... I live in a city (hell... a subcontinent!) where poverty is HUGE problem... in Dhaka, food is WAY to expesnive... to rent a TINY apartment it costs WAY to much... etc... but many beggars out there are part of "beggar guilds" and are faking it... they own cell phones, have vans pick them up, etc. At the same time there are the guys/girls who honestly do need help, both groups will make up stories about how terrible their lives are, etc.

Of course... this is when I can go off and start talking about relationships (as in, forming them... and no i don't mean romantic ones.) but well... I won't.

All I'll say is well... theres not much to say... poverty is a problem that, in my mind, will never be completely solved... the only thing we can do is keep trying...

[themandalorian]

Well have you heard of san francisco? Lol homeless people on every street, berkley is even worse.

Never ever ever give them money though, only food. That way they can't buy any more drugs or alcohol

[TheKiller333]

Originally Posted by masterofweirdness

All I'll say is well... theres not much to say... poverty is a problem that, in my mind, will never be completely solved... the only thing we can do is keep trying...

And so we do ;-;
I think poverty can be solved, but governments are too damn pathetic to spend money on helping the people in their own country. And the money they supposedly send to Third World countries? Bullcrap. We've raised millions, maybe even a billion in support for the Third World and has it got any better? No. Not in my eyes.

[masterofweirdness]

Originally Posted by TheKiller333

And so we do ;-;
I think poverty can be solved, but governments are too damn pathetic to spend money on helping the people in their own country. And the money they supposedly send to Third World countries? Bullcrap. We've raised millions, maybe even a billion in support for the Third World and has it got any better? No. Not in my eyes.

this is because those 3rd world countries don't use the money properly. Bangladesh is home to millionaires (billionaires?) who litterally made most of there money from stealing from the poor... by taking money they were supposed to get.

Its not just governments... government is not the answer. People don't care, and if they do, they don't do enough. Neither do religious organizations (particularly islamic and christians, who are ordered to care for the poor by their religious texts... well... i really should say help... not care... but anyways).

[Celestial Guardian]

I believe what MoW is trying to say it that if we wait on others to fix the probelm, then the problem will never get fixed. Even if it's not in our lifetime, what we do and the decisions we make in our lives are what causes a change.

[Jericho199]

Originally Posted by themandalorian

Well have you heard of san francisco? Lol homeless people on every street, berkley is even worse.

Never ever ever give them money though, only food. That way they can't buy any more drugs or alcohol

I live in Monterey, and it's the same story here. You see a homeless guy with a cell phone, an mp3 player, and a carton of cigs and it's hard to buy what he's selling.

It's the same way in Atlanta. Hy wife worked for an advertising company that hired a lot of homeless people. The whole time she worked with these people, they were horrible. They came to work drunk or high, hardly did ANY work, stole stuff out of her car, and just had a "**** you" attitude. They got paid under the table and thus paid no taxes. They'd stay at homeless shelters where the only requirement was to not do drugs. They'd stay one night and get kicked out, then move onto the next one. Again, these people had cell phones, jewelry, cigarettes and whatever else. They live greedy lives off the generosity of other people.

I know this can't be said about all homeless, and situations are different in other countries, but when this is what you see every day you develop a different perspective on things. There will always be people who cheat the government and other people out of time and money, and that makes it that much harder for the good people who actually deserve help to get it.

[masterofweirdness]

Originally Posted by Jericho199

I know this can't be said about all homeless, and situations are different in other countries, but when this is what you see every day you develop a different perspective on things. There will always be people who cheat the government and other people out of time and money, and that makes it that much harder for the good people who actually deserve help to get it.

Different in other countries? I doubt it. A human is a human is a human.

Like I said... we have professional beggars in Bangladesh and India, people who beg because its easier work for the money they get than actually getting a job.

The only way I can see fixing this problem is only helping people you actually know personally, people you know will try to fix themselves. Sure, sometimes they'll mess up/rip you off/break your heart. That's the risk you take anyways... but then again... thats life I guess.

Of course, its my opinion that the vast majority of humanities problems can be solved by one word: relationship.

[Ion Raptor]

unfortunately around here it's known that some of the "Homeless people" are just normal people who stand out on a street and beg for a little extra cash during some free time......so you don't know if your really helping someone or just giving a guy money to go gas up his Mustang.

[BrainDeleted]

Heh. In Baltimore you can walk around the inner city and some of the ghettos and see people that look, and probably are, homeless shooting up some heroin. A ton of them are just bums that want some tax free money for little work.

But on the flip side, this one homeless man followed me and a few friends around for hours praying in several different languages (Some of which were gibberish). Turns out he was mentally retarded and his family didn't support or take care of him at all...Its just wrong...Plenty of other homeless people have mental handicaps too...I saw one guy just sitting around with his dog and waving to people happily and saying "Hi!"...not even asking for money (He wasn't high either). Society lets these people spiral down because they are completely unable to take care of themselves and weren't fortunate enough to have a family that could or cared.


I tihnk you guys should watch Lost in Woonsocket ...Its a pretty good documentary on this issue. Actually it's really good.

[lord marcus]

actually at the closest mall i go to, once or twice when we go i see a homeless person that me and my dad have had soaring words with. she's bow-legged (sorry if i spelled that wrong) and we see her walking down the highway when we pass by in our car. it pains me to see humanity sink to such a level as to not respect his fellow man.

usually i play this to get my mind off it all.

YouTube - bob marley - no woman no cry

anyways, after reading all this, i had an idea, how bout we do a little forum donation box and we send money to someone who can give it to a shelter or charity that is nearby?