Something to consider...

[GypsmJim]

I donate regularly to the Salvation Army and St. Jude's Childrens Hospital. The SA helps the poor and homeless. There ARE places to go for the truly needy.

 

[Beemerguy53]

As others have noted, homelessness is a difficult issue. In the Baltimore area, many or most of the homeless have drug, alcohol, or mental health issues, and are not simply 'down on their luck'. For that reason, I do not give money to beggars on street corners, but I do contribute to legitimate charities that help people. Two of my favorites in my area are the Maryland Food Bank, and the Helping Up Mission.

Maryland Food Bank - A Hunger Relief Non-Profit | Donate Now

Helping Up Mission – Recovery for Addiction & Homelessness

(As an aside, since we're in the season of giving...for many years, I have told my family and friends that I am fortunate enough to have everything I need, and to be able to afford what I want. For that reason, I've requested that they use the money they would spend on me to make charitable donations instead.)

 

[Beemerguy53]

No one can be helped until they want to help themselves.

Very true. Sometime ago, I was stopped at a traffic light in downtown Baltimore, one block from the aforementioned Helping Up Mission. A young man was walking up and down the row of stopped cars, asking drivers for money. I put my window down and suggested he walk over to the Mission, which never turns anyone away. He brushed me off, and I realized he was intoxicated...the money he was begging for was going to feed only his addiction.

 

[Jim R]

I think we should bring back anti-vagrancy laws. No public camping within city/town limits. Use our taxes to build dormitories providing beds, showers, food and security personnel to house homeless outside city limits. If you can't prove you have a place to stay, off you go.

Provide work options for the able bodied. Use our taxes to provide supervised mental health facilities.

What we are doing now, providing free food and allowing public camping by the homeless, believing we are protecting/allowing individual freedom, is destroying our cities. Societies, communities, neighborhoods, too, have a right to protection, a right to freedom (as in going about one's business safely in a pleasant environment).

What we're doing now isn't working, and more of the same won't either.

My wife and I joined the Salvation Army after I retired. I had just turned 55 and we thought we could make a difference.
I ran and organized a very large meals program. My wife ran the clothing bank and was the Red Kettle chairman. We put in over 2000 hours a years for almost 4 years.
In all the time we worked there and all the people we met we only ever seen one person really turn his life around. What the SA does and most other charities do is just enable people to do nothing. It does not work.
The best explanation you can fine on this subject is in a book called, " Bridges Out of Poverty: Strategies for Professional and Communities".

What "Onomea" says is true and it is never going to work. Of all the things you hear about that will help how many people have they returned to society that are truly contributing members of society?

We had an older officer down at the Salvation Army Post we served at that would say "You can't get rid of a parasite by feeding it more blood".

 

[Rustyt1953]

Even the smallest donation can help at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.

The "widow's mite".

 

[Tom S.]

We give to the Salvation Army. From what we understand they have a very good record of using donations to help the needy instead of paying high salaries to managers. Larry

"Sally" is my favorite charity as well. An acquaintance was stationed in Europe when his mother passed away. The army gave him leave but he didn't have money for airfare. He went to Red Cross who offered him a loan - at exorbitant interest rates. A buddy told him to go to the Salvation Army and they gave him the money outright, no loan, no strings attached. I've been donating cash and goods to them for decades.

 

[GypsmJim]

There are many good charities and some that are really bad. One in particular (I won't mention the name) was promoted by my company and we were basically told we had to contribute. Looking them up we found that only a pittance went to people, with the bulk going to administrative (i.e., the bosses that ran the organization.)

The Salvation Army has one of the highest percentages of money that actually goes to those in need.

Pass it along....

 

[tops]

Of all the things you hear about that will help how many people have they returned to society that are truly contributing members of society?

A preacher told me one time his church gave to many people in need but he didn't think they actually helped anybody.

We had an older officer down at the Salvation Army Post we served at that would say "You can't get rid of a parasite by feeding it more blood".

A manager in a county welfare agency told me that there are plenty of people that will let you help them all you want too.

My wife and I hope that what we give will actually help somebody instead of just enabling them. Larry

I don't know why part of my post is in a rectangle. It is supposed to be a quote and reply and another quote and reply. Maybe this edit will clear it up.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

I like to quote the New Jersey judge who told a welfare queen who appeared before him-as a plaintiff-that she was using her children as "meal tickets." On another board a Canadian member noted that in the Dominion the so-called "distressed" families always have money for beer and weed and the kids have to be enrolled in school nutrition programs.

 

[old bear]

We on the forum are a very diverse group in many ways but I believe at the core we are all good folks. If you don't already, and I would imagine many do, please take a minute to consider the less fortunate. Even the smallest donation can help at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.

Thank you sir, you and others like you are what the holiday season should be about, offering" A hand up to those who need it a hand out to no one."

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I was maintenance foreman for 4 years at a Non-profit that "Housed the Homeless". We had 1600 units. Far less than 1% were grateful. In my time there we had exactly 1 recover and become a self-sufficient! I really felt we're a huge enabler! Nobody was interested in getting things corrected, because it was their meal ticket!

My brother and I owned apartment complexes and a management company. 100% of our company's charitable contributions went to the Salvation Army. Personally, I charitably operate through my church. For 12 years the churches of our county operated a shelter for families. There were rule's and curfews. You were free to not obey the rules, but if that happened you weren't free to stay! Time frame was limited to 3 weeks. Education for kids and job hunting for adults were requirements! Every night, the evening meal was provided by families of the participating churches. These clients were fellowshipped with, prayed over, fed and loved on. The success rate ran 65 to 85 percent!

Somehow the current board of directors has stolen this ministry and made it into a Homeless Flop House that no one escapes back to normal life! Almost all the original 12 churches have withdrawn support. Now that there are "no rule freebies" in that town the single homeless problem has skyrocketed! (Think feeding stray cats!)

A friend from another church is a retired school teacher. He found homeless teenagers sleeping in his barn. For 4 years he had 8 to 12 boys stay with him. Education (towards a GED) and part or full time jobs were a requirement. In all that time only 4 got into productive society. 2 went National Guard and 2 went regular Army or Marines! I contributed a couple hundred dollars a month in commercial food purchases. We got 4/24 success! Much better than any government program!

My expierance is People make difference. Government agencies make a mess!

Ivan

 

[NYlakesider]

I like to quote the New Jersey judge who told a welfare queen who appeared before him-as a plaintiff-that she was using her children as "meal tickets." On another board a Canadian member noted that in the Dominion the so-called "distressed" families always have money for beer and weed and the kids have to be enrolled in school nutrition programs.

Add to that I see many on the dole with rather large tats and piercings. (thats what you can see, a good bet there are lots that we cannot see, (thank goodness!)

 

[Tom S.]

I like to quote the New Jersey judge who told a welfare queen who appeared before him-as a plaintiff-that she was using her children as "meal tickets." On another board a Canadian member noted that in the Dominion the so-called "distressed" families always have money for beer and weed and the kids have to be enrolled in school nutrition programs.

Do you believe that if the school nutrition programs were stopped, the parents would give up their beer and/or weed to feed the kids? I think not.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Anyone who wants to understand "poverty", the welfare mentality, watch the video "Swipe Yo' EBT!" on YouTube.

 

[quikdraw67]

I think we should bring back anti-vagrancy laws. No public camping within city/town limits. Use our taxes to build dormitories providing beds, showers, food and security personnel to house homeless outside city limits. If you can't prove you have a place to stay, off you go.

Provide work options for the able bodied. Use our taxes to provide supervised mental health facilities.

What we are doing now, providing free food and allowing public camping by the homeless, believing we are protecting/allowing individual freedom, is destroying our cities. Societies, communities, neighborhoods, too, have a right to protection, a right to freedom (as in going about one's business safely in a pleasant environment).

What we're doing now isn't working, and more of the same won't either.

That makes sense.

Which means the government wouldn't touch it with a 10ft pole.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Just a though from the cheap seats...

 

[Farmer17]

My girlfriend and I went backpack camping in the Rocky Mountain National Forest and camped out at about 9000 feet in July. We paid $35 to get in the park, $30 for a camping permit, and some more bucks for environmental fees, etc. So it basically cost about as much as a hotel room to camp out. With my 25lb backpack we were able to sleep inside the tent on an air cushion in a comfortable bed, cooked hot food on a gas stove, drank filtered cold water from a stream, and sat in tiny chairs and talked and enjoyed the view. I feel like I could live pretty comfortably out of a backpack if I had food and an occasional hot shower and I think that's about all most homeless adults need until they don't want to be homeless anymore and get a job.

 

[The Last Standing Knight]

Homelessness is common in Houston. We have organized shelters and services, but many of the homeless prefer the unsupervised camps. An elderly lady volunteer trying to help was severely beaten by the people that she thought she was helping and hospitalized. That shut down a lot of the amateur volunteers trying to help. Camps tend to be in wooded areas near businesses and increase crime impacts the businesses, so the police end up chasing the homeless from camp to camp. Not sure if there is a solution.

"It's not illegal to be homeless"- police officer
"No. but it is illegal to harrass, threaten, assault, and try to pull open people's car doors at stop lights..."-me

Yes. I had that conversation a long while back.

No politician wants to deal with it. The justice system is already a mess. Police effectiveness in my book is questionable at this point...and there is no room to put all of them in jail.

Most of the time a homeless person is taken into custody then dropped off a mile or two down the street....and they always come right back.

In dealing with them over the years, I have found most were drugged/drunk, mental cases (I look for the psychhold wristbands), and even a few that WANTED to live on the streets. Only a VERY small number were legit "down on their luck" types.

I know this time of year is famous for charity and compassion....but such feelings have to be taken into account that many of the homeless I have encountered over the years will attack you at the drop of a hat with or without provocation and have no qualms about doing so knowing the system better than most judges. From my observation they target "soft targets".....the elderly and the very young for the most part.

I'm sorry, but my charity and compassion only go so far. In closing, I'll relate this one last case involving me:

(I'm eating tacos outside a local laundrymat)
Homeless man- "Can you give me a few bucks to get something to eat?"

(I hand him two of my tacos)

Homeless man- "What's that?"

Me- "You said you were hungry....here you go..."

Homeless man- "I can't buy a beer with tacos!" (he storms off cussing me out).

This kind of event is pretty standard around here.

 

[Onomea]

NYC's mayor has just decided on a policy to remove people who are mentally incapable of taking care of themselves, even if they are not an immediate danger to others, from the streets. The city plans to hospitalize them. This is a new policy and likely to be legally challenged.

New York City to Remove Mentally Ill People From Streets Against Their Will
NYC Will Hospitalize Mentally Ill People Involuntarily - The New York Times

This is a big step in the right direction.