And all you folk are sitting in your mother's basement sucking on a joint. By the writing here it seems none of you have ever been homeless, how fortunate for you. I had been homeless, I never in my life used drugs or even smoked for that matter, nor have I spent any time in jail, nor lived a life that needed to be. I spent 4 years living on the desert and hauling water in to my camp and doing odd jobs to feed my family, but I did not make enough to rent a home till I finally got a good job, but openings for work are not always easy to find, timing is everything. People that finance the rioting are the problem, they need to be dealt with first. People with drug problems wouldn't have those problems if drugs were not available, but regular users that can afford them keep the supply chain open, there is money to be made. There is a load of paying nonhomeless dopers that make a giant contribution to the problem. But you probably have no objection to that. I have known many homeless like my self who are not druggies or bad people or even mentally ill, they just can't afford housing. I know one guy that has a storage locker for his stuff, he can't live in it but at least it is secure. He is a sign spinner and not a lazy one either. He would get a regular job but most jobs require living in a residence, but those places that take in homeless do not have any security or privacy, and they don't allow you to stay very long. What I know works is what we called in the old days is a "Christian House" Similiar to a commune but more diciplined. The problem is finding a house that is adequate that the neighbors will not object to. Churches have tried but the neighbors shut it down before they got started. That is the kind of people we have in our communities.
So you're saying you don't want a berth on the Hotel California? I lived in my truck for a year after fleeing the house I was renting in because my roommate turned dangerously abusive towards me. Was going to college at the time, waiting tables graveyard shift in a truck stop, showering in the trucker bathrooms after every shift. Didn't do drugs so obviously I wouldn't have taken up the offer to live the remainder of my days on a free drug and booze cruise line but there are plenty of trackmarked nodders down at the tracks in the nearest city that would probably be the first ones on deck. As such I reserve the right to be insensitive and make jokes about methods of dealing with them.
I've been homeless before as well , and I'll tell you from experience,,you cant get enough heat off of a candle to stay warm in the winter. And you're right ,, not all are that way because drugs and alcohol,, but many are. And that being said , its sometimes easy for some of us to forget about that.
I used to work at an army surplus store in the downtown area of my hometown, which was ground zero for homeless in my city. It is within walking distance of the river, train tracks, and greyhound bus station. In my experience, most of the homeless are homeless due to mental issues. They can't keep a job due to mental issues, they tend to "treat" their illness with drugs and alcohol, and commit "petty crimes" to pay for the drugs and alcohol. Most are harmless, but can be very aggressive when panhandling. They smell awful and I've told more than a few to leave the store due to the smell turning away customers.
As a wingnut, I think about large cargo planes and opening the loading door and doing a steep climb to empty useless cargo into the ocean. I guess I'm kind of cold-blooded.
It's not that we lack compassion. Like ditch witch and a few others, I too have been there. Lived in a camper on the back of my pickup truck, down to peanut butter and bread. Then I remembered the case of applesauce I had stashed. It was like finding buried treasure. I worked minimum wage jobs through Manpower. Later, I had a bunch of rental properties in SE Texas. Remember all the people standing on corners holding signs "Will work for food"? I always had work that needed to be done, and being a fairly bright guy, it didn't take more than a dozen times of being told "I can't go work for you now, I've got someone coming to pick me up in a few minutes", for me to figure out that the sign is a lie and they don't want to work. I had a young lady who worked for me in a different business, she had an alcoholic homeless friend living in the woods. She asked if I could help him out, because winter was coming. I had an empty apartment, not fancy, OK neighborhood, rent was $125 a month, this as about 35 years ago. I told her OK, I would let 2 of them stay there, I would cover the utilities, and all they had to do was mow the yard once a week, and keep all the trash picked up. One week later, they asked to be taken back to the woods. And it broke her heart. There are plenty of mentally and physically handicapped people who are productive members of society, and I don't have much patience for someone crapping on the sidewalks and making no effort to better their situation.
I’ve adopted one or two folks down and out. Certainly not the ones who take a dump on the sidewalk or shoot heroin. Now the mentally ill get a break from me always but......I don’t believe for a second most are mentally ill. Most are addicts yes. That will make anyone mentally ill.
