What does a person in need, a homeless person or family, or a distressed family look like?

Question

I posted this question because of the terrible misconceptions that people have been showing in many of the posts I have read. There are so many families and people falling on hard times that you never know who will be homeless next no matter their what their walk in life may be. May we forever challenge our biases and misconceptions and may it lead us to a more compassionate future.

Answer 1

they look exactly like everyone else. only those who are either trying to gain off of it or are really badly hit by poverty will actually tell you about it or panhandle for money. otherwise, they usually want that to remain a hidden part of their life.

Answer 2

Like a serial killer...what do you think they look like? They look just like everyone else. They're people you know? Not objects or things...they're not aliens. They're human beings.

Just because someone doesn't have a roof over their head doesn't mean they're going to look all grangy and filthy. Some live in their cars, pay for monthly gym memberships so they shower daily, or they go into public bathrooms and clean up, they go to laundy mats and wash their clothes.

Just because someone's homeless doesn't mean they are anything unlike you, myself or anyone else!

Sure, there are those who just don't take any pride in their appearance, those that don't care that you know they're homeless, and then there are those who are doing everything in their power to help thei situation...sometimes life is just harsh and unfair and people get tough breaks and things happen. They'll do whatever they can to maintain an image of regularity. Homelessness affects more families than you'll ever know, not all of them are completely broke, but with living costs what they are... hell, down here the average price of a 1 bedroom apartment is $1040!/month. If you make $1000 a month you can'tt very well make that move. That money's going to go toward food, gas, medcine (if need be etc...) It's a hard cycle to break...but that doesn't make them any different inside or out than even the most fortunate of individuals.

Answer 3

Some of the answers on this question are down right rude. Rodney has been close to this situation himself. He is far too old to be talked to in the way one GENTLEMAN spoke, to be polite. His IQ is that of a genus and yet there have been times when he couldn’t find a decent job. Anyone and everyone can fall into the category of being homeless or darn close to it. If you have any empathy you can tell in most people by the look in their eyes. Only a very few of them are in that condition because they are too lazy or want to live like that. When we lived in California we use to get a bag of change on the weekends and go for walks, giving out change to as many as we could and at that time Rodney was working at a very low paying job and we had a hard time making ends meet ourselves but he still had compassion and sympathy for those with nothing. We’ve always felt we were lucky just to be healthy and to have each other on those cold hungry nights, and had faith that we would get through this and be better people because of it. I don’t think it’s necessary for people to get so personal and rude when they answer a question.

Answer 4

well a person in need is harder to spot than the rest, but i can for sure tell you what a homeless person looks like, he is usually a man or woman in some really dirty clothes and his/her house consists of either nothing or a freeway underpass, he is begging for money or looking for pop bottles, he is cursing at you if you don't leave him a tip at the light, i know it is hard for you to understand, but these people are humans too, they are just a little more lazy than me and you, plus they are not as handsome as you and i, to be quite honest with you rodney, i looked at your avitar and you are quite stunning if you don't mind me saying so, you are quite the handsome gentleman, cough cough, only kidding, you look like some meat loaf i heaved up previous to this conversation, but with some sweet hair, do you mind if i refer to you as red Herring?? i would appreciate it if you would let me call you that, oh yeah, back to the question, a family in distress looks like any other normal family except one small, sometimes minute detail, they are usually trying to choke the living christ out of one another, or using kitchen utensils to try a little at-home-surgery, if you catch my drift, but the lesson learned here today, rodney, is that if you don't understand something, don't ask questions about it, instead simply ignore it, just completely block it out, hell, if it doesn't involve you peosonally, why even get into it, right, and if it does have something to do with you, say maybe you have a disfunctional family, which from your picture it sure looks like a possibility, then maybe you should still refrain from asking too many questions, instead maybe you should make the first thrusting motion with the fork at the dinner table because your mom will ground you even if you don't throw a punch, so you might as well land a couple of mean hooks in your brother's meat sack that he refers to as his face, so i hope i have answered all of your questions accordingly, actually who am i kidding, i know i have hit the nail on the head with my answers, am i correct or what??

Answer 5

Its not hard everyone is in need of something or another. As far as homeless you see them everyday you just don't know it same for a distressed family unless they are holding a big sign over there head you would never know that they we're homeless or distressed.

Answer 6

are you for real?
you can detect a homeless person, usually by the they look. But a person in need or distressed family, could be your nieghbor. IF NOT, probably the first person you look at the next time you go to the grocery store.

Answer 7

They have many faces. Some look obviously homeless. Some look the same as everyone else and you really would not know if they are in need or distressed.

Answer 8

They are the people who look sad, not smiling usually. They usually are the people who look at food, something tasty someone is eating with longing, while they eat bread. They may not look shabby, dirty or different at all because they try to cover it up because they are ashamed. They may not have the nicest clothes or brand names, but they are clean, neat people. Some on the other hand that are down on luck forever, will look dirty, and look at people with money and food with hatred in their eyes. It's just a sad situation.

Answer 9

A person who is asking for help to do something creative with thier life. They have hit a point where they realize they need to change behavior to progress. You can't help someone who won't help themselves. You can't help someone that isn't looking for a change in thier life. Otherwise you are "giving" them something to continue the destructive behavior, or pattern they are in. Distructive behavior can be alot of things, even abuse. If you have a distressed family it is over a behavior. Fighting, money problems, drug/alcohol abuse. Whatever it is has to stop. I think that the answer is someone who is obviously UNHAPPY. Being unhappy is an outward sign/behavior of being in need, or distressed.

Answer 10

There many looks such as outright shabiness or lack of regular bathing to displaced anger and outbreaks of anti-social behavior.
Mental illness and illness from poor diet and stress are other signals.
Some can be helped and some cannot. Those that can, will benefit from proper attention. Those that cannot will pass into the dust-bin of history.

Answer 11

Like Rodney Crater.