A question about the homeless?

Question

I just answered a question regarding the homeless. However, that question brought another question to mind. In my opinion, most of the homeless population in america is homeless by choice. If they can't find a job, surely there is shelters where they can go but they just choose not to. I didn't say ALL the homeless population is, but I've noticed most of the homeless are crack-addict beggars. What do you think about this issue? Are the homeless homeless by choice or by chance?

Answer 1

yh most of them are just doing it to feed there drug addiction but i cant help feel sorry for them and drop a few quid in when i walk by but thats just my plain idiocy

Answer 2

Shelters usually don't allow long term stays. Some are even overnight and will not allow the same person back in two nights in a row. Then they either have to hang out on the street or walk to another shelter usually too far away.

Answer 3

most of them are by choice. But life also hasnt given them much choice (they probably didnt come from a rich family!). But they will always be part of society and that is why society HAS to take care of them. (for the good of society as a whole ). I say this as a European. But I know American are much more individualists and probably think the beggars should help themselves. Different opinions, more is learned !

Answer 4

I think governments make it very easy to be homeless. So do people that give money to beggars. I'm all for charity, but if you make it easy for people to live on the street then that is what they will do.

There sure are a lot of crack addicts but I think that most of those people are mentally ill and if they had the proper care (hospital, institution, facility, half-way house, etc) they would be taking medication instead of self medicating themselves.

Then there are the scammers...ugghh able bodies and sane individuals begging at traffic lights and freeway ramps....gve me a break!! But I still see people giving them money....why I do not know.

Answer 5

When I was a teenager I was placed in a group home,......... at the age of 16 I left(It wasn't very well supervised and being on the street was actually "safer" for me),  I had heard many stories about head lice and bugs at the shelters and didn't want any part of it........  so I pan handled to eat, and slept in staircases...............

pps I live in Can.  .....maybe your country is different............

So both, I guess   I chose, but I didn't have much of a choice.................

PS    TO ANY SOCIAL WORKERS OUT THERE>>>>>    COULD YOU PLEASE WORK ON MAKING SURE  CO-ED GROUP HOMES ARE BANNED PLEASE>>>>>>>>>>  SERIOUSLY>>>  

PLEASE ! ! !

Answer 6

I grew up in houston. Houston is also called bumtown. If you go downtown, be prepared to meet the bums, there are probably over a thousand of them. In my experience none of them are nice people. As I watched them move about in downtown, they target women to give them money more often because they are sympathetic and also more easily scared. They make all kinds of outrageous claims about who they are or how they used to be veterans or rich and such. They always seem to have money for booze. It's not that these people can't pick themselves up if they try, it's that they won't, because they're scum.

Answer 7

I do not know.  I have heard they could go to shelters, but they do not like the rules (no alcohol allowed, etc.)

There is a good book on the homeless women called "Shadow Women", and most homeless women had some income.  I think they get some income coming in but they get tired of trying to improve their economic situation.

The author's last name was Barr?? Bahr??

Answer 8

choice and chance-----------both

Answer 9

Homeless by reason of mental illness.  Several decades ago most of these people would have been living as wards of the state in a mental instituition.  Then there was a big push to liberate these people from the "confines" of that institutionalism and set them free with "community-based" support.  That abysmal failure has forced thousands of mentally ill people to take to the streets.  There are exceptions but if you talk to most urban police officers they will confirm my assessment.

Answer 10

Try this on:  I am a 64 year old man who lives on my meager social Security income and the good actions of others.  I am college educated, speak three languages, served in the Military for 6 years and have never been convicted of a felony

  When I was 59 years old I had a heart attack.  five months later my employer, of 12 years fired me.  I was left with no health insurance.  No one would hire me because of a combination of my age and my health background.  Thus, in 3 years I used up my 401K and all my savings on my own health costs.  Without the charity of a friend who allows me to live in his home for a very modest rent, I would be homeless.

Now, are all homeless there by choice or because they are crack addicts or have become beggars?  Watch yourself my friend, sometimes the future is not within your grasp.

Answer 11

Most BUMS are lazy -- but there are many that are just down and out.

Answer 12

A lot of them are mental...like my mother. We've tried to help her, but she expects everyone to do everything for her and we just can't anymore. We've cut her loose, so now she's homeless.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...

Answer 13

I use to work as a case manager for homeless veterans and now I work in child protective services and deal with homeless families at times. In my opinion, the MAJORITY of the homeless population are homeless by choice because of susbtance abuse and/or mental illness.  THere is a minority that are homeless by chance.  The ones by chance stay homeless the least and it usually temporary.  

Beleive me.  Some of the homeless people like the freedom.  We did a round up of several hundred homeless veterans years ago.  WE provided dental, health and other phsyicals.  We also introduced them to this homeless program for homeless vets.  Well anyway.  There were like a hundred vets that were interested. As we started talking about the program that you have to be sober or medicated half walked out.  OUt of the 50, we told that they have to be actively looking for a job another half walked out.  We were down to 25.  We told them that there was curfew and chores had to be done twice a day.  We were left with 4 potential vets. We drug tested them, cuz they had to be clean, we had one vet that got into our program.  

True, but sad.