Homeless Population?

[Xiphos]

Someone asked me if there seem to be more homeless people now with the bad economy than before.

In my experience, the chronically homeless often have mental illness and some other pathology, often alcoholism. They usually choose their homelessness out of paranoia or some other anti-social outlook. Or they blow every dime they get on alcohol and have no other interest. I don't see families with children living in the woods in transient camps, it's always been the paranoid alcoholics...

The families or other hard working people who fall upon hard times and lose their homes usually enter programs that retrain them, help them find jobs, and get back up on their feet again.

I think a more accurate gauge of the problem with the economy (rather than how many people live in the woods) would be based upon how strained private/religious, and public assistance programs are with moving people through the system and getting them back to independence. Is it a lack of private charity (people's incomes are stretched and they can't donate) or are they moving more people through? Or both?

But anyway, do you find that you are dealing with more homelessness recently during the bad economy?

[Jenna]

I think a more accurate gauge of the problem with the economy (rather than how many people live in the woods) would be based upon how strained private/religious, and public assistance programs are with moving people through the system and getting them back to independence. Is it a lack of private charity (people's incomes are stretched and they can't donate) or are they moving more people through? Or both?

Or insufficient funding for public assistance programs.....

[Xiphos]

Or insufficient funding for public assistance programs.....

I'm all for shutting off the government's public tit.

Let the charities take care of it.

[jmur5074]

No, we're not seeing more.


And I absolutely agree with your assessment.

[pgg]

The ONLY ones I've ever seen on the public assistance dole are ones that blow their money on dope and alcohol. They have no desire to change and DEMAND that society and gov't provide for them. I'm all for cutting out 100% of gov't assistance. If they can't make it then too bad. Set up a contract with a crematorium.

[jmur5074]

The ONLY ones I've ever seen on the public assistance dole are ones that blow their money on dope and alcohol. They have no desire to change and DEMAND that society and gov't provide for them. I'm all for cutting out 100% of gov't assistance. If they can't make it then too bad. Set up a contract with a crematorium.

Eh, I'm all for cutting govt programs but not 100%.



Social Security, medical programs for the elderly and children, WIC, etc are good programs for the elderly and children and I'd support them.

Housing subsidies/public housing, and any welfare programs where people get free money for doing nothing need to go though. MN's EBT cards can be used on anything. I frequently see people in gas stations buying candy, pop, cigs and chew, alcohol, etc with their EBT cards. I've also heard through the media of people using them on tattoos.

[MacLean]

Or insufficient funding for public assistance programs.....

Cut it off. Problem solved.

Private and religious charity helps far more "homeless" people than does any government program.

Save the government safety net for those people who are temporarily down and out, rather the the alcoholic street bum.

Seattle has always been a "homeless" mecca, so I can't say I am seeing more of them than usual.

[SPD]

I've noticed no change in homeless population because of the economy at all.

As far as social programs, I'm all for allowing people without jobs to have government money, as long as they earn it by filling potholes 8 hours a day every day. Roads have to be built and repaired. People need money. Seems like a good match.

[Five-0]

Or insufficient funding for public assistance programs.....

Benjamin Franklin on poverty
I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.