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Groups of Homeless People

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Re: Groups of Homeless People

#11

Post by DSingularity »

dbcurtis wrote: post #6
_ikuh wrote: post #2

I was pretty with it until 4 and 5. The premise that certain groups of people without housing "can't survive without the kind of assistance that money can't buy" is condescending and elitist at best.

No, there are a huge number of people that are on the edge w.r.t. mental health. Not quite capable of handling activities of daily living and/or their own finances. Or not 100% of the time, and that fraction of the time that they can't, their money evaporates, and/or relationships evaporate. The crisis in mental health care in the US is shameful. It is true that in the bad-old-days people were over institutionalized.…

Yeah man it’s serious. Someone asked me to help an individual recently and I’m struggling to figure out how to help. He is a programmer who suffers from schizophrenia. His hallucinations got out of control until he lost his job, his life, and his kids. Social workers pretty much forced the one person in his life who cares for him (his wife) to have him removed by the police. Now he hates her. Then he proceeded to miss his hearing so he was arrested. Now he is thrown in jail. I feel guilty but I don’t know how to handle this.

Re: Groups of Homeless People

#12

Post by taneq »

_ikuh wrote: post #2

I was pretty with it until 4 and 5. The premise that certain groups of people without housing "can't survive without the kind of assistance that money can't buy" is condescending and elitist at best.

By pretending that everyone has equal faculties like this, you're denying the lifelong daily challenges of a huge group of people.

Re: Groups of Homeless People

#14

Post by bellerose »

I’m surprised people can even act like they care. We had one generation awhile back made it so affordable housing existed for the young and where banks were alright with mortgages being done. That very same generation that could obtain a home in their 20s without requiring a degree. Now runs the show where the young are being pressured into obtaining a degree and fill small rentals that continue to rise in cost. People should be able to have a place they truly consider their own. Mental health depends on it. People just don’t care.

Re: Groups of Homeless People

#16

Post by dbcurtis »

DSingularity wrote: post #11
dbcurtis wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, there are a huge number of people that are on the edge w.r.t. mental health. Not quite capable of handling activities of daily living and/or their own finances. Or not 100% of the time, and that fraction of the time that they can't, their money evaporates, and/or relationships evaporate. The crisis in mental health care in the US is shameful. It is true that in the bad-old-days people were over institutionalized.…

Yeah man it’s serious. Someone asked me to help an individual recently and I’m struggling to figure out how to help. He is a programmer who suffers from schizophrenia. His hallucinations got out of control until he lost his job, his life, and his kids. Social workers pretty much forced the one person in his life who cares for him (his wife) to have him removed by the police. Now he hates her. Then he proceeded to mis…

I feel for you. Lacking appropriate training, it is hard for us to actually help, even though we care. The first thing to remember is that whatever you say or do will be processed through the lens of his reality. He will try to fit it into the framework of his world. The eventual fit may be very skewed. It is difficult to know how to be helpful in that situation. Sorry I don’t have more for you.

Re: Groups of Homeless People

#17

Post by jijji »

changing the zoning laws is really hard when you have people in the hotel industry spending huge amounts to not only keep it the way it is, but make it even more restrictive. Cities are fining airbnb, using code enforcement to put huge leins on property owners who try to accommodate low income housing in neighborhoods... 20 yeas ago most places didnt even have a "code enforcement".. its a racket. all it does is raise rent higher

Re: Groups of Homeless People

#19

Post by marcus_holmes »

I experienced homelessness for a while in my 20's (back in the 90's, for reference). And yes, there were a group of people who were homeless and did not want to change. They would complain to everyone who could give them cash or assistance about how horrible their life was, and how they were victims of circumstance, but to other homeless people they were quite honest about their intentions to stay on the streets.

I never experienced people abusing me or stealing my stuff, but they were definitely difficult to be around. "ruiners" is a great name for them.

I moved on, getting some casual construction labouring work that allowed me to get the deposit for a rental property together (90's remember, not sure that would be possible today). And a friend let me housesit her place for a couple of weeks, which really helped.

I'm not saying we shouldn't help the homeless... I got a helping hand up from a construction contractor who didn't have to help me, and I'm grateful for it. But maybe don't be surprised if earnest attempts to help the situation aren't received well.

Re: Groups of Homeless People

#20

Post by joe_the_user »

I am unclear what sort of research went into these categories. They seem effectively anecdotal and subjective - there's no statistics or studies being quoted that I can see.

Sure, something like "informal sociology" is something that I think everyone does and I don't think that's a bad thing by itself. Such "studies" become more problematic if they are presented in the form of science, especially in situations like homelessness where average people's vague impressions of the homeless can go into homeless policy - ie, where shelters should be, etc.

I mean, my also anecdotal impression is that a lot of people move between some or all of the categories that are listed. That movement involves getting or not-getting sleeps or medication, random walks between doing well and not doing well, the rise and fall of relationships, etc.

But altogether, if any actual policy is being made, the best thing is making a study what percentage of people will benefit.

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