Politicizing Homelessness Benefits No One
Although conservatives are more actively involved than liberals in serving the needs of the homeless, whenever liberals get the spot-light for their work with the homeless, conservatives slam the liberals, condemning their efforts, and bash the homeless as well.
I refer you to this post: http://wytammic.wordpress.com/2007/06/21/tenn-candidates-go-homeless-for-night/
To this I commented:
You Wrote: “I believe there are ministries and other organizations out there who actually do help the homeless by training them with skills to get a job and showing them ways to manage finances.”
If you actually took a “plunge” not for a night but for a week or more, and presented youself as homeless to any number of homeless service providers, you would learn first hand that your statement isn’t true. That is one of the great things about plunges. Another is that once you do get back into your nice comfy bed, you appreciate it a great deal more. And then you might consider how much a homeless person would like have all that you have. And then you might begin to see that no person, unless he was suffering a great deal, would ever give up such luxury. And then, you may actually have some empathy for the homeless.
As for laziness, 50% of all homeless people work at least 20 hours a week at a real job. Besides, fulfilling all the requirements of obtaining shelter and food from homeless service providers is quite a chore in itself. As well as trying to combat the weather elements when you can’t find shelter. The strain of homeless life is very real as proved by the much higher mortality rate for homeless people as compared to non-homeless people.
I remember my first days being homeless. Becoming homeless was the scariest thing I have ever experienced.
5 Comments
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
-
Homeless News- Programs for homeless here get federal financial boost - Pittsburgh Post Gazette December 25, 2009
- Prince William Homeless for a Night - NTDTV December 24, 2009
- LAPD to hand out 10000 pairs of shoes - Los Angeles Times December 25, 2009
- Cardinal O'Malley serves lunch, boosts spirits at shelter - Boston Globe December 24, 2009
- $28.7M targeted to aid homeless? - New Haven Register (subscription) December 25, 2009
- Donor gives homeless campers a room for a week - Colorado Springs Gazette December 24, 2009
- Jimmy Wayne To Walk For Homelessness - RTT News December 23, 2009
- It's holiday time for homeless mothers and children, too - Palm Beach Post December 24, 2009
- BODY FOUND: The body of a homeless man is found in a tent along the Des Moines ... - WHO-TV December 24, 2009
- Dozens gather to remember homeless who have died - Rockford Register Star December 23, 2009
- Homeless Blogging
- Obama Administration Awards Over $22 Million in Homeless Grants ...WASHINGTON, DC - December 23, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — The Obama Administration today announced that the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is renewing grant funding needed to keep 159 local homeless assistance ...HUD
- The Rambler: Understanding the Plight of the HomelessBy Kimberly Jackson Hunger and Homelessness Pledge: “We pledge to go forward with a renewed mindfulness that we are blessed to have a room to go back to, that we are fortunate to have a bed to lie in, that...Allison Cepis
- Disability.gov: Disability.gov Housing Update: An Ounce of ...This report by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty reviews state level prevention efforts, including an overview of how their programs work, funding sources and their capacity relative to need, and their impact.Diana Z.
- Bond Announces More Than $23 Million in Federal Funds for Missouri ...vWASHINGTON, DC - December 24, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) — US Senator Kit Bond today announced that the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will release more than $23 million in federal grant funds to local Missouri ...Missouri RealEstateRama
- Orange County awarded $11 million HUD grant to help the homeless ...“Orange County is being recognized by the federal government for our regional approach to help move families and individuals out of homelessness and into self-sufficiency,” stated Karen Roper, Director of OC Community Services. ...Admin
- Rep. Israel Joins with Veterans Leaders to Announce Historic ...Steve Israel (D – Huntington) joined the directors of two homeless veterans organizations on Long Island – Frank Amalfitano, President of the United Veterans Beacon House and Gregory Curran, Northport VAMC's Homeless Veterans ...New York RealEstateRama
- Where God Lives (John 1:14, Colossians 2:12)Do you see how this relates to the theme of God's homelessness? In Jesus, God has moved back into this God-forsaken world. He has not left it abandoned. Instead, he has come in his very flesh so that God himself is present with us in ...Darryl
- KHOODEELAAR! calling for a truthful parliament in the UK ...Likewise, what difference does it make to the causing of homelessness when 'Crisis' the 'charity' stages its own version of helping the homeless at a strategically targeted location in Canary Wharf? In none of the series of seasonal, ...AADHIKARonline London UK
- Team Goliath's NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS « Dr. Jim BeatyDebi Mae Starnes has served as Mayor Franklin's advisor on homelessness for many years now. CAP has my “The HAG Delivers Again” on their computers. I'm thrilled. Look at that if you want to see the Czar dance not unlike Salome at the ...drjimbeaty
- WMNF 88.5 FM Community Radio, TampaAs the sun set on the makeshift community today, over a hundred people congregated to remember more than a dozen people who died as a result of homelessness in Pinellas County. Father Joe Diaz read the evening's homily. ...WMNF
- Obama Administration Awards Over $22 Million in Homeless Grants ...
- Homeless Tales
- “The Holidays” December 24, 2009I’m not a religious sort and I don’t subscribe to the “Christmas is Jesus and/or God’s birthday” malarkey (one and the same depending on who ya go to church with) perpetrated by a good many peeps. Frankly, Christmas has never been a very good time for me and I know I’m not alone. When I was [...]Steve
- Controversial Vicar–Go Get ‘em Father Tim December 22, 2009Vicar tells needy to go … shoplifting When Is It Ethical To Break The Law? [Wish I had all my old hard drives and such, I've covered this topic] Firstly, I suspect this vicar was being deliberately controversial and anti-corporation. He was very clear on what limits he felt should be followed by those desperate enough [...]MetisRebel
- National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day December 22, 2009Highlighting the number of hours of darkness that someone, who is living on the streets, must survive, December 21st which is the longest night of the year, was chosen for National Homeless Person’s Memorial Day. This is an event, which is observed in the United States. We are commemorating those, who have lost their lives [...]Rev Cynthia
- Dignity Village - More Than A Tent City December 14, 2009Shortly after moving to Portland, I began working within the city’s continuum of homeless services. While I had some experience with this in Philly, through street counts and staffing emergency shelters, my experience in Portland has been more entrenched. One misconception I held was that if someone was on the street, they were avoiding the shelter [...]Steve Bozzone
- Doctors and Fashion Errors December 9, 2009Get out your cheese to share cuz I am about to whine… Earlier in the week on Wednesday I broke out in a massive rash that kept increasing. I waited a few days for it to go away and so Friday I could go to see my regular Doc, who is a stand-up guy. Unfortunately, when [...]MetisRebel
- “The Holidays” December 24, 2009
- The Homeless Guy Podcast
- The Introduction November 27, 2009 thehomelessguy
-
-
The homeless community is the same as the homed one, sans homes. Does a Veteran of war need to learn new skills? Surely a construction worker or office worker out here in Long Beach, do need to learn a new language to secure a job. But the services are not providing Spanish language courses for the homeless. The manager that was downsized and outsourced that became homeless because $6.75 an hour would not a roof provide must need some new skills as well.The child that ran away from home due to abuse learns a lot of survival skills, but might need some technical ones.
Just read the other blog.
Don’t let insensitive comment unnerve you. Your life and person have great value.
Forgive them, for they know not what they do.
I get so fed up with those who insist on holding on to their prejudices and misconceptions about homelessness and homeless people! All it would take (often) to enlighten them is just such a plunge as happened recently.
All it took to plummet me into homelessness was an accident with a resulting life-long injury suffered while I was on the job. Minimum wage jobs, overly high rents, no health care system- all contribute to homelessness.
So many people carry on as if homelessness could never happen to them! Let me tell you- it can. Just read the news every day. Your house burns down, there’s a flood, a tornado, a landslide, an earthquake, a hurricane, a political upheaval such that you and your family must flee for your lives leaving everything behind..
the list of causes for homelessness is a long one.
What is not looked at, all too often, is the fact that, decade after decade, funds have been slashed for affordable housing. The social safety net becomes easier and easier to fall through.
When you see more and more families out on the streets, and more and more veterans.. SOMETHING IS WRONG.
Rather than blaming the homeless and criminalizing them, we need to really consider the causes.
Many homeless people will say all sorts of things they think you want to hear. And because the really don’t desire society’s respect or approval, or anything else, they don’t mind playing games with you. And, of course, there is a lot of things they will say in spite.
I’ve heard several homeless state the same kind of sentiment, all of whom never hesitated to take advantage of an honest housing option when it became available to them.
“The strain of homeless life is very real as proved by the much higher mortality rate for homeless people as compared to non-homeless people.”
How much of homelessness is a personal choice. I remember being shocked when I read the local paper one morning at work back in 2000. The cover story was about a group of homeless folks (about a dozen) living under a bridge in or near Wilmington, NC. Several homeless men they interviewed talked about how liberating their experience of becoming homeless had been. They talked about the folks who drove by every morning on their way to work as suckers and slaves to work. I tried to find the article in the papers archives but it is too old.