Do You Ever Give Money To Panhandlers

[BOBS DAD]

In my experience, I have known kids who ran away and were homeless for a short while. This could be completely different in other cities, but in almost any big city in Cali, there are tons of homeless shelters. They feed them, clothe them, set them up for job interviews, etc.. and not in ratty clothing, in nice clothing!

I think it's just as sad to think of homeless people as hopeless as it is to think of them as lazy.

I know from personal experience with really close friends, that there IS a system to fall back on in this country (in most areas). It isn't perfect. But much of the time the fact is, it's easier to sit around and ask for money than it is to get up and get clothing & food, become free of drugs, and add to society. I really feel for people who are briefly in a bad time in their lives, and I understand that. But to actually LIVE for an extended period of time on the street, means something to me. It means this person either needs mental help, or is doing drugs/alcohol, because shelters do not tolerate druggies and won't hand out money.

bc...
you speak from "your experience" which is certainly valuable. But you should also consider that at the tender age of 18, your experience is often somewhat limited. And yes, society often reaches out and makes a greater effort to turn around the lives of our young people who have gone astray. It only makes sense... for many reasons. First off, they haven't strayed too far from beaten path for too long to be considered "a lost cause". Secondly, it is in society's interest to correct a rightable wrong, given that a lifelong investment in social welfare and perhaps incarceration (jail) is far more expensive than wayward youth programs and job training.

But a middle aged man/woman, or a family displaced, dysfunctional and uneducated is another matter! And yes... oftentimes they "are mentally impaired as well" - this only makes matters worse and even less appealing to the established existing programs. I used to wish that "somebody" would take care of these people. I mean GOD, they are just difficult to even "see" let alone interact with. Then I grew older and saw more of life and realized "I am 'somebody'".

[K9soul]

The deinstitutionalization acts (I think in the 70s?) put a lot of mentally disabled and ill people onto the streets, the government would no longer pay for their uptake as long as they didn't seem an outright danger to society. My brain is a bit foggy but I remember my psych professor in college talking a lot about this, and how it ended up that a lot of the homeless that live in the streets and continue to do so for so long are often mentally ill and disabled. Of course not all, there is no blanket statement that can be said one way or the other in my opinion, but shelters and services often have limits on how long a person can use them, so mentally disabled are kinda SOL unless they are considered bad enough or dangerous enough to be in a mental ward..

Just a something to consider. My great uncle received a head wound in WWII and had been somewhat mentally disabled since then. If he hadn't had his mother around to house and take care of him he may have been one of those out on the streets.

Just one perspective on it: http://www.interactivist.net/housing...ization_1.html

[AbbyMom]

The deinstitutionalization acts (I think in the 70s?) put a lot of mentally disabled and ill people onto the streets, the government would no longer pay for their uptake as long as they didn't seem an outright danger to society.

Exactly right! My college friend was working for the State of Ohio during the Reagon administration with the institutions for the mentally disabled when the funds were cut. She transferred to another job, but those in the institutions...well they went out on the streets. Hundreds of them.

Most of them were schizophrenic and needed daily medications to cope. Without a support mechanism, they wouldn't take their meds.

Unless their families were willing to take on this daily burden, their mental illness overcame them ...most of them became homeless quickly and were reduced to panhandling.

These people are not runaways. They will never be able to hold a job.

I think they deserve our compassion. You may decide to withhold your change, but think...

...there but for the grace of God go I.

You don't have to be religious to understand that part of the difference between any Pet Talker and a panhandler is not necessarily under anyone's control. One does not choose to be mentally ill nor can one choose a caring family.

~