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I Used to Be Homeless

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Re: I Used to Be Homeless

#121

Post by twblalock »

canhascodez wrote: post #61
megaman8 wrote: post #48

To live in, In SF. your choices are a 1.5 million dollar condo or a 50$ dollar tent. Seriously people, we need to allow for more choices than that. I'm sure builders and entrepreneurs would line up around the block to build solutions that are cheaper and more cost effective, but you first have to make it legal (get rid of the mountains of regulations and zoning headaches that make this problem so insurmountable), wit…

No, anarchy is not a solution to over-regulation. If it were, then we would not have regulations. Markets are not a solution for all problems: market failures are quite real, and no, they are not all caused by government.

> Markets are not a solution for all problems: market failures are quite real, and no, they are not all caused by government.

This particular market failure is definitely caused by government.

Re: I Used to Be Homeless

#122

Post by Kalium »

tarboreus wrote: post #41
wjossey wrote: post #25

I live in Central LA (near LACMA / La Brea Tar Pits), and share my neighborhood with dozens of homeless. Most of the homeless in my area are what I would deem "regulars", as they tend to sleep / hang out in the same spots day in and day out. I can't tell you how they landed in the situation they are in, but I can safely say that 9/10 appear (and I'm not a doctor, so I can't obviously say for certain) to have at minim…

I'd read a little about the problems caused by involuntary commitment. Even a novel like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or Maria, or the Wrongs of Woman or Woman on the Edge of Time might give you a different perspective. I understand where you're coming from, but making it possible for people to get others committed against their will has historically not worked out.

You're absolutely right.

At the same time, it's worth considering that giving people the freedom to die in the gutter does not seem to be working out as well as might be hoped. So perhaps alternatives might be worth contemplating.

Re: I Used to Be Homeless

#123

Post by ska »

selectodude wrote: post #91
ska wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The author may just have meant that he was rejected from such jobs due to being honest about his education when asked, which is a fairly common practice.

No it's not. I left off 80 percent of my resume when I needed to apply to jobs that were "below" me. Its what you do.

It absolutely is a common practice that people be turned down for jobs because those hiring think they are "overqualified" for various reasons. Something you are obviously aware of by trimming your resume; you were being strategic.

Whether or not the OP was strategic about this I have no idea. Sometimes people are turned down just because they give the impression of being overqualified, or because omitting that experience leaves too many gaps.

Re: I Used to Be Homeless

#124

Post by ska »

nradov wrote: post #84
ska wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The author may just have meant that he was rejected from such jobs due to being honest about his education when asked, which is a fairly common practice.

There's nothing dishonest about omitting irrelevant qualifications and experience from a job application.

Sure. But if you are asked directly you may not feel comfortable lying about it.

Re: I Used to Be Homeless

#125

Post by sgrove »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #112
jki275 wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

50 square meters would be very large for a 1 bedroom in Tokyo. My 3 bedroom two hours outside Tokyo was 85m^2 and cost around 2500/month.

Ya, they would be much smaller. Rents in Tokyo appear cheap, until you look at them on a square meter basis.

This is an interesting contrast though - similarly in Paris, apartments can get much smaller than SF. The difference is, in SF, you simply don’t have the choice.

Re: I Used to Be Homeless

#126

Post by nyghtly »

deckar01 wrote: post #70

> I was overqualified for most minimum wage jobs. The author lost me here. I have taken jobs way below my expectations to make ends meet. I got startlingly close to not making rent, but I took a job that barely got me by and rode it out until I was able to move to a company that understood the value of my experience.

A minimum wage job may have allowed you to make rent, but it isn't a reliable path out of homelessness. If you're homeless, not only do you have to find a cheap apartment, but you also need to be able to put down three months rent (first, last, security) all at once. Could you have made rent that month if it cost 3x as much? Could you have made rent if you had to leave work early to check into a shelter everyday by 3pm?

Re: I Used to Be Homeless

#127

Post by canhascodez »

twblalock wrote: post #121
canhascodez wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, anarchy is not a solution to over-regulation. If it were, then we would not have regulations. Markets are not a solution for all problems: market failures are quite real, and no, they are not all caused by government.

> Markets are not a solution for all problems: market failures are quite real, and no, they are not all caused by government. This particular market failure is definitely caused by government.

Homelessness never existed before government regulations?

Re: I Used to Be Homeless

#128

Post by seanmcdirmid »

sgrove wrote: post #125
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ya, they would be much smaller. Rents in Tokyo appear cheap, until you look at them on a square meter basis.

This is an interesting contrast though - similarly in Paris, apartments can get much smaller than SF. The difference is, in SF, you simply don’t have the choice.

A lot of that has to do with American building and rental codes.

Re: I Used to Be Homeless

#129

Post by jl2718 »

I was homeless in Silicon Valley many years ago. There were a lot of ‘us’. We stayed hidden in the woods, bathed often, and dressed impeccably in public. Some had jobs. Some were grad students. Several couples. There were no drugs, alcohol, beggars, or thieves out there. $5/day was enough. It was hard physically, but very spiritual, financially free, and altogether one of the best times of my life. Today it’s too dangerous. There are way too many criminals and addicts on the street. There’s nothing worse for a good person who has fallen on hard times than a policy that is lenient on crimes, drug use, public consumption, and public nuisance of the homeless. You can walk away and lock the door. They can’t. Just imagine yourself out there being victimized by bad people only because rich people feel guilty for them. For them. The one that just mugged you for their next high, or worse. Guilt for them. Good luck, kid.

Re: I Used to Be Homeless

#130

Post by ryanmercer »

selectodude wrote: post #97
ryanmercer wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>You observe this and the conclusion you make is that, 'many of the 'homeless' people are absolutely not homeless and simply know they can make much easier money off of people coming/going from bars and restaurants.' The homeless population in Indianapolis congregates around the homeless shelters, not around businesses where police will tell them to keep it moving. As such most people here never witness the real home…

Criminalizing homelessness doesn't end homelessness.

They aren't 'criminalizing homeless'. They're making it illegal to set up at busy intersections walking up and down cars "hey spare some change, spare some change" and from harassing people (I mean HARASSING) people downtown when they enter/leave businesses.

The common ploy downtown, since the smoking ban took effect, was to find groups of smokers "hey can I bum a cigarette" or "hey can I get a light". If you engage them, with a yes or a no, they then starting asking if you have any money or try to sell you cheap plush toys.

I am all for solving the homeless problem, I was profoundly impacted after going to San Francisco and seeing people literally sleeping on sidewalks. It's a huge problem and unfortunate HOWEVER people absolutely abuse the charity of others this is why cities like Indianapolis have passed laws about panhandling.

My whole damn point in this thread is the author is accusing people of 'judging homeless', my point is MANY people have never experienced proper homelessness, they've experienced con artists and addicts that BELLIGERENTLY attempt to extract money out of people. When your experience is primarily with those types, you get jaded reeeeeeallllll quick.

This article reads like

'I was homeless once and that makes me better than you, listen up while I judge you because some people judge homeless people'.

June 24th 2018, at 33 years of age, is the first time I have ever seen someone sleeping on a sidewalk or the street. In San Francisco. The first time I've ever seen someone living in a tent or improvised tarp and cardboard tent, was on June 24th 2018 at 33 years of age in San Francisco.

While I have seen actual homeless people here in Indy, it was never in a tent/tarp/lean to on a sidewalk or street, never someone's camp in an alley, it was seeing people milling about outside of a homeless shelter when they are made to leave until night and never once while in that area was I ever hit up for money. I have however been hit up, and driven by people with signs, countless times in other areas by people that looked absolutely nothing like the men outside of the Wheeler mission or the individuals I saw in San Francisco. Unless they pan handlers just abruptly became homeless, the simple state of their shoes and the cleanliness of their clothes and person screamed they were running a con unlike the legitimate homeless people I have encountered.

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