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Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#41

Post by spost »

bergerlawn wrote: post #38
runarberg wrote: post #27

I was homeless (living in a bus) with my girlfriend in San Francisco two years ago for 6 months and finding showers and shaving was one of the more difficult of necessities. There was a homeless facility in our neighbourhood (the Mission) that offered showers on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I usually went once a week. There was also girls only facility that my girlfriend used on Wednesday. Theoretically We could have take…

You hippies are worst , seriously. If you were homeless why did you not contact any other your relatives . Then you keep girlfriend on top of that ? No home but want can't live without fad of gf ?

The best part of this reply is that you posted it after his thorough and perfectly reasonable explanation of his circumstances.

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#42

Post by jwilliams »

DAddYE wrote: post #35
jwilliams wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's worth reading this article: http://www.thebolditalic.com/articles/3758-why-is-there-so-m... Homeless people were using the BART escalators as restrooms at night... causing them to break down. The solution? Multi-million dollar covers to stop people getting down there at night – not a considerably smaller sum for public restrooms. This speaks to the psychology. There is still a population in SF that believes home…

I think this is a simplification of the problem. I don't think (yes I'm one that thinks most are by choice) is a problem can be solved easily if not at all. The current solution is put a "Twitter" in a bad area and construct new buildings around. So far seems is working. I can say that people here are the most friendly ever seen so far (I'm european and I traveled a lot Europe, can't say about others places in the us…

Not sure I follow. You're calling this a simplification, but your synopsis isn't that much more complex.

Plus, you think that most are by choice. However, you also point out lack of support for mental issues. I personally find this a contradiction – if you've got serious mental issues and no support, then the ability to choose is basically void.

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#43

Post by car »

I really admire these charitable and heroic efforts to help. But I can't help thinking, that the problem of homelessness should be attacked via it's root cause, which is a society does not care for the poor or sick, in a very Darwinian 'survival of the fittest' kind of way.

The obvious solution is to collect more taxes, and to help those in need, be it due to poverty or mental health issues. That would mean paying for housing and providing free healthcare.

So, if you really want to help, consider the idea of a more social state, and be willing to pay higher taxes.

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#44

Post by diziet »

DAddYE wrote: post #33
lpsz wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for sharing. Would you be willing to share more of your story: how did you become homeless in SF, and how did you eventually change the situation? Are you in the tech industry? In my (probably limited) view, SF homeless are primarily the folks around Tenderloin that seem unfortunately abandoned by the society. As I'm sure many of us would like to help the overall situation (even if it's by donating to the r…

In my (probably limited) view, SF homeless are primarily the folks around Tenderloin that seem unfortunately abandoned by the society. Couldn't be more wrong IMHO. I lived in the tenderloin for a year, most if not all are by choice. I had also the opportunity to talk with few (the friendly and not too crazy one) and they wouldn't take back a "normal" life. I'm not saying that for ALL is the same, but from my experien…

So your assessment is that 98% of the homeless have drug/alcohol problems or are homeless by 'choice' ?

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#45

Post by spiritplumber »

runarberg wrote: post #27

I was homeless (living in a bus) with my girlfriend in San Francisco two years ago for 6 months and finding showers and shaving was one of the more difficult of necessities. There was a homeless facility in our neighbourhood (the Mission) that offered showers on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I usually went once a week. There was also girls only facility that my girlfriend used on Wednesday. Theoretically We could have take…

I've offered showers to homeless people where I live, but had to discontinue that after I had my bathroom wrecked by one.

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#46

Post by spiritplumber »

runarberg wrote: post #27

I was homeless (living in a bus) with my girlfriend in San Francisco two years ago for 6 months and finding showers and shaving was one of the more difficult of necessities. There was a homeless facility in our neighbourhood (the Mission) that offered showers on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I usually went once a week. There was also girls only facility that my girlfriend used on Wednesday. Theoretically We could have take…

I've offered showers to homeless people where I live, but had to discontinue that after I had my bathroom wrecked by one.

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#47

Post by nl »

defen wrote: post #26
ChuckMcM wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Public restrooms have a long history of challenges. Some cities take those challenges on, and some don't. Things that I've noted as challenges (unordered) are; gang tagging/claiming, people sleeping in them, cleaning them, equipment damage, supplies (toilet paper, hand drying), and water wastage. I wonder sometimes if squat toilets are a better solution for public restrooms with a varied population. Given they are pr…

Americans are probably too fat on average for squat toilets to be a feasible solution.

Not homeless Americans (though that's just an impression - IU'm not aware of statistics).

Also, I think squat toilets might actually work well for fat people anyway.

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#48

Post by cpeterso »

ZanyProgrammer wrote: post #22
jwilliams wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's worth reading this article: http://www.thebolditalic.com/articles/3758-why-is-there-so-m... Homeless people were using the BART escalators as restrooms at night... causing them to break down. The solution? Multi-million dollar covers to stop people getting down there at night – not a considerably smaller sum for public restrooms. This speaks to the psychology. There is still a population in SF that believes home…

Just gate off the street entrances to the BART stations along Market Street and in the Mission. Problem solved. I would really (ideally) like the urban BART stations to have restrooms, but unless the authorities are going to make sure they are clean, safe and sanitary, that's not going to work.

The restrooms in the downtown SF BART stations were open to the public before 9/11. They were closed and never reopened.

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#49

Post by trevyn »

runarberg wrote: post #27

I was homeless (living in a bus) with my girlfriend in San Francisco two years ago for 6 months and finding showers and shaving was one of the more difficult of necessities. There was a homeless facility in our neighbourhood (the Mission) that offered showers on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I usually went once a week. There was also girls only facility that my girlfriend used on Wednesday. Theoretically We could have take…

I thought this was why they invented 24 Hour Fitness? $35/mo for all the showers you can take.

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#50

Post by yardie »

jwilliams wrote: post #42
DAddYE wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is a simplification of the problem. I don't think (yes I'm one that thinks most are by choice) is a problem can be solved easily if not at all. The current solution is put a "Twitter" in a bad area and construct new buildings around. So far seems is working. I can say that people here are the most friendly ever seen so far (I'm european and I traveled a lot Europe, can't say about others places in the us…

Not sure I follow. You're calling this a simplification, but your synopsis isn't that much more complex. Plus, you think that most are by choice. However, you also point out lack of support for mental issues. I personally find this a contradiction – if you've got serious mental issues and no support, then the ability to choose is basically void.

See, they choose to be homeless in San Francisco. They could have chosen to be homeless elsewhere.
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