How did homeless people become homeless?

Ray Cassick

Obviously you have not frequented the McDs around my house :)

Andy Brummer

I hope you were trying to be funny, but that is really in poor taste, even by my standards.

I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon

-- modified at 17:21 Wednesday 24th May, 2006

Andy Brummer

:laugh:

I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon

Wjousts

Of course you don't include other bills that come with a home, like heating, water and the need to buy food. Also how many landlords do you know who'd give an apartment to a homeless person without a large security deposit and a months rent up front. The need to scrap up an up front deposit is a significant barrier if you don't have a penny. But thanks for caring...

Christian Graus

addiction, mental illness, there are all sorts of reasons. Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++

Marc Clifton

espeir wrote:

12 hours/day for 6 days/week.

While possible, I honestly think that's asking a bit much of a person on a continuous basis. Where is the time work on elevating oneself out of that situation, like attending training classes, doing homework, etc.? On the 7th day? Well, like I said, possible but not likely for a long time. You're also not factoring in the time to get to the other job. And also, is McD's going to hire fulltime workers? Probably not. Then they have to pay health insurance, or a part of it. So what you're really talking about is 3 part time jobs. No health insurance, and frankly, public transportation (I'm assuming your hypothetical homeless person can't afford a car, insurance, gas, licensing, registration) isn't that cheap anymore.

espeir wrote:

That's $1728/month

That's BEFORE taxes. Marc Pensieve Some people believe what the bible says. Literally. At least [with Wikipedia] you have the chance to correct the wiki -- Jörgen Sigvardsson

Paul Conrad

Andy Brummer wrote:

that is really in poor taste

I agree, the post by Link2006 was pretty low.

Paul Conrad

Marc Clifton wrote:

health insurance

That is if the McJob even offers health insurance. Paul

Marc Clifton

Link2006 wrote:

How did homeless people become homeless?

By spending all their time surfing CP. ;P Marc Pensieve Some people believe what the bible says. Literally. At least [with Wikipedia] you have the chance to correct the wiki -- Jörgen Sigvardsson

Justin Cooke

Let's also remember that a large portion of the homeless people in the US are single moms and their children. It's pretty easy to get stuck without housing when the deadbeat father leaves a mom with kids to support. She then needs to work AND take care of the kids daily. This is impossible on a low income. I hope you realize that the minimum wage in this country (what can be earned at MacDonalds, WalMart, etc.) is NOT a living wage. Also, I know a large number of people were purged from mental institutions in the 80's and they had no real chance at finding stable work and housing. Many of these people were schizophrenic or had other very serious problems. It is very easy to lose one's home if you don't have the safety net that many of us take for granted and something bad happens to you (you are disbaled, you lose your job, your spouse leaves, ...) My father-in-law, for example, had a disabling stroke in Novemeber of last year. He could no longer work -- yet, his SocialSecurity disability payments only began this month. The only reason he didn't lose his housing is that his family members were able to make his payments. Many people aren't so lucky. -Justin

Ed K

In my previous job (police) nearly 50% of the homeless I ran into (and that was a lot!) that were not drunks, addicts or crazy were put there by the IRS. ed ~"Watch your thoughts; they become your words. Watch your words they become your actions. Watch your actions; they become your habits. Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." -Frank Outlaw.

Tad McClellan

I used to work in the public defenders office in San Francisco. That qualifies me as somewhat of an expert on the matter because lot's of our clients were homeless; that is until the got arrested. Then their home was provided for them by the taxpayers of the city and county of San Francisco. Having said that, I will tell you their are two main reasons for homelessness. This is of course subject to much debate but I think most people will agree to these two. 1) Drugs (including alcohol). People with an additiction will sell anything and everything to get drugs. Drugs also happens to be the root cause of about 75% of all crime if not more. Robbing a gas station for money to buy drugs or holding someone up for money to buy drugs is as much drug related as selling on the corner. I once had a client who had masters in physiology and somehow got hooked on crack. She lost all of her family and friends because she stole from them to get money to by crack. Eventually she ended up on the street and got busted. But not before prostituting herself for money to by drugs. 2) Mental sickness. Lot's of people on the street are their because their is not enough help for mentally ill due to budget cuts during the 80's that still remain in place today. They can't get medication or don't take it and eventually they commit some crime. Then they go to jail where their illness is diagnosed and medicated. They get released and the cycle starts over again. The main thing we who are not homeless must consider is whether to give loose change to homeless. Do not do this. Every one of those folks know where to get food and from which homeless shelter. If you give them money you are probably (not always) funding the nights bottle or pipe or something. If you give them something give them McDonalds gift certificates. Better yet, give money to the homeless shelter who will help them in the way they need to be helped. E=mc2 -> BOOM

Tad McClellan

That's what they told you because you were a cop. The IRS by law cannot put someone on the street. E=mc2 -> BOOM

Tad McClellan

Very true but certainly not the majority of homeless. There are lot's of good shelters for single moms to help them get back on thier feet. E=mc2 -> BOOM

Lost User

Albert Einstein. wrote:

Mental sickness. Lot's of people on the street are their because their is not enough help for mentally ill due to budget cuts during the 80's that still remain in place today. They can't get medication or don't take it and eventually they commit some crime. Then they go to jail where their illness is diagnosed and medicated. They get released and the cycle starts over again.

Do you not have organisation in the USA similar to the UK Mind charity? Does the American Healthcare organisations have some kind of moral if not legal responsibilities in the field of mental ill-health?

code frog 0

I can tell you are awfully young and your parents didn't put the time in to training you they should have or you didn't listen. That's a polite rebuke. I'm not mad but you need to get out more and with an open mind. If you want to meet some incredible people (some of them absolutely brilliant), if you want to learn some incredible things about your country or your town. You will go down and talk with some of the homeless. You will walk one across the street and buy him lunch and then you will sit and talk with him for a few hours. You might even pray with him and for him in whatever religion you practice. It's the act of humanity and it's the act of love. You will *NEVER* get it if you do not give it. Yes, I've talked with them. Due to circumnstances beyond my control I and my family almost joined them (not quite literally) instead we lived with my wifes parents for a few months while Katie was in the hospital, I was unemployed and we had no options. Homeless people believe it or not are the seeds of this nation. How many people immigrate to the U.S. and start out homeless? You have so much to think about and appreciate. I promise you that there are homeless people who could not get the loan you just got, could not buy the car you drive and could not live as you live when they first started out. But as time grew and they stretched out their own hands and began the work of rebuilding their own lives they have quickly surpassed you and anything you can fathom.

If we all used the Plain English compiler every post in the lounge would be a programming question.:cool: Welcome to CP in your language. Post the unicode version in My CP Blog [ ^ ] now. People who don't understand how awesome Firefox is have never used CPhog. The act of using CPhog alone doesn't make Firefox cool. It opens your eyes to the possibilities and then you start looking for other things like CPhog and your eyes are suddenly open to all sorts of useful things all through Firefox. - (Self Quote)

Edbert P

How did that happen? They went bankrupt or what? Edbert Sydney, Australia

Christian Graus

That's a good point. I give change to homeless people in the US because US coins are useless, at home I have $20 in my pockets, in the US I have about 35 cents. However, you are right about where it ends up. I should buy some McDonalds gift certificates :-) In Australia we dumped all the mentally ill on the streets as well, I guess someone worked out they are not capable of standing up for themselves. Christian Graus - Microsoft MVP - C++

Tad McClellan

The federal funding for mental institutions was cut during the 80's. This caused a spike in homelessness and crime. Most of the care given for the mentally ill homeless is by charitable (mostly faith based) organizations. These, of course, cannot receive federal funds because of the faith nature of what they do. Much of this is (and this is boarding on soapbox I know) is because people in the US generally feel the government stinks at whatever it does and wants to control where thier taxes go (we also pay a fraction of what our good friends on the other side of the pond do in taxes). While there may be moral responsibilities, there are no legal responsabilities that I know of to help the mentally ill homeless. In fact it is extreamly difficult to get someone into a program if they don't want to. You have to prove that they are a danger to themselves or others. Unfortunantly the fastest way to treatment for many of these people is get arrested for something. The the taxpayers will pay for treatment. E=mc2 -> BOOM

Ed K

Well maybe you should get out there and let them know! Because when I asked they gave a very clear answer. IRS. ed ~"Watch your thoughts; they become your words. Watch your words they become your actions. Watch your actions; they become your habits. Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." -Frank Outlaw.