Defending the Truth

Now I wonder about this article. I use to work in a homeless shelter, so I do know well that so many folks that can get help, do, but they live in a cycle of habitual homelessness for squandering the resources that are time and again given to them.

Still this news article bears some thought and perhaps a healthy dialog here to consider the plight of the homeless AND the facade of politics. And I do not believe that security is threatened so much by homeless folk as otherwise.
The Link

OD

While I don't agree with segregation of the homeless, I agree with the spirit of what; the City; is trying to accomplish.

An identical situation happened in Jacksonville during it's Superbowl it held a few years back. One defunct closed school was opened to 'serve' the local homeless, removed from the direct area of festivities and celebration areas downtown.

It gives local advocates the chance to be able to points that can be reused in the future, that weren't in the past. It gives local residents more mediafed knowledge of the problems in their community. I hate to say as well that it gives more available to the homeless at the time...that otherwise they wouldn't have.

In the days, weeks, and months after...it's up to the city to choose to continue to use the asset areas regularly.
One man's security excuse is another man's tool in tomorrow's argument.

Just my take. Cool board!

John C, I do see your point. I was on staff some years ago at a homeless shelter. I believe for a shelter, it had very strict rules that are not typical of the ones available to the homeless in larger cities.

The client could stay up to 30 days and if they were making progress, they could get an extension to stay additional time. But once they were out, they could not return for at least 60 days.

Some did cycle through every 60 days.

There are a number of people that cannot be helped out of the homeless lifestyle, only helped as they stay in it.

And there is a huge difference between situational poverty and generational poverty, and how those differences generate different goals for those who are in either group.

I think the article I posted seemed to me, at least, to be telling of a way that the city did not want the harsh reality of homelessness to intrude on the projection of being a pristine community. I do understand the need for security, however, it might be me in a state of naivety, but I don't see the homeless as a threat.

And I do believe that if there can be a momentary thrust to help all the homeless in a community, it might well mean that there could be a more sustained assistance too.

OD

It would, as John stated, bring more local awareness. And in the end it's the local population that in the long term must somehow deal with the issue.
As for a 'one size fits all' solution - I'm fairly certain that's not the case. Ultimately, there will always be homeless - which in past generations were referred to as hobos or gypsies. To some, it's a way of life.

When Steve Goldsmith was mayor of Indianapolis, he rounded up the homeless and put them on Greyhound buses with tickets to Vegas.

Here is what I am puzzled about. We talk about the homeless, when we have a welfare state for the rich here in the United States. I hear of people talking about the homeless or welfare mothers, but why isn't I don't hear about people talking about welfare for the rich that makes them richer and everybody else in America poorer? And why is it that with the subjegation of labor, that people expect others to accept jobs where all they are treated as replaceable spare parts rather than hard working human beings? I see the homeless more as a symptom of class warfare being waged by the wealthy few here in this country. The Congress and the presidency do not represent America, they represent the corporations because they are essientially bought and paid for by the corporations. Not only are the homeless a symptom of the class warfare that is being waged by the rich on the poor, but so is the fact that America has the highest prison population in the world and is one of the biggest contributors to global warming. The rich get richer and we here on the forum pay the price of the warfare they are waging against us.

OhDear. I am also working in the Human Service profession,
and I do paralegal work for a law firm that runs a Service
agency for the Homeless here in Detroit.
I also hold two degrees in the Human Service and the Human
Rights professional field.

Here in Detroit most homeless cases isn't because the client
choosen to be homeless, but since our former Govenor closed
down all the mental health hosptials the mentally does not
have a place to go, and many become clients here at the 24
hour walk-in center.

However, Here in Detroit for the Superbowl, and the World
series. The City tryed to violate the homeless people's who
lived in the streets rights by locking them up in jail to prevent
them from panhandling and begging, and I was one that was
on the battlefield to help the homeless by protecting their
rights.

This went on for a whole week (both events), but the protest
was so greatly supported by many different Community groups
and organizations until the City received a court order telling
them don't do that again.

Homeless is caused by un-employement, people losing their
homes (foreclosers), and a number of other unwanted crisis.
Since you created the subject matter. What did YOU do to
help the situation?

In closing, I am not the kind of person who will sign on to a
thread, and post anything to make myself look impressive.
Any thread that I submit a post on one can bet that I do
have experience, and can talki about anything under the sun.
The media is always good at twisting news around without
giving the true facts about a situation.

These City,County agencies do give a damn about these
people who is in need, but during their election campaign
they will lie their a*** off to win the votes, and once the
election is over and they won...back to the same ol bs we
go.