How can we help to decrease the numbers of homeless?

Question

We have what we call "social security net" or "welfare" to help those in need. We also have so many community services, non-profit services, Salvation Army programs or servives, low-income housing, emergency housing, etc.......but more and more people have claimed that they are homeless; they live in parks, on the streets, under the bridge, parking lots, etc. with tents, garbages, feces and waste etc. -- Why? How can we help them? How can we improve the looks of our streets and city?

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Answer 1

Do you ask out of compassion for them or because you don't like looking at them?

Many are mentally ill and thanks to the great fornicator, Ronald Reagan, have no place of refuge.

Answer 2

From what I understand, most people will need to WANT to work or do what they can to support themselves. People who are homeless arn't always honest, some of them live off whatever money they can get to buy drugs.
There are some organizations out there that actually help these people to find jobs, although times are tough now-a-days.
I live near the city of Detroit, and there have been many people out here looking for work that can't find it. I've also seen people that live under freeways to try to stay warm.
I know that some soup kitchens offer a place to stay and food for however long they need it, but they also help them to get back on their feet.
I never really encountered too many homeless people, but I know the job market out there isn't all that great right now.

My sister has a Masters Degree in social work and she is having a rough time finding a job in her field too.. so it's not just here in Detroit, she lives in the state of Washington.

Answer 3

In some states try RENT CONTROL!!!! I was homeless and where I lived the rent went up $100.00 every 6 months.When I went to the landlord tenant asso. They told me there was nothing they could do.I could not even save the money to move. My rent started out at $600.00 a month and ended up at $1200.00 a month.Welfare is a joke!!!! As a single person in my state I receive $205.00 a month.You tell me where I can live for that? And the shelters,heck you are better off in the street and safer!! SSI sends you through so much crud and denies you at every turn.Now go there if you are a junky and you can get all the funds you need for as long as you need.But I am not junky so i can not get it.I could go on but there is no need.It just goes to deaf ears anyway.

Answer 4

The way we can help them is to use our votes to implore our leaders to remove the barriers to employment, remove the barriers to good health care, mental and otherwise...

increase the minimum wage, have stricter legislation regarding child support payments to custodial parents...The bottom line is, those outside agencies are picking up the slack of what our governments SHOULD be doing...

The other bottom line is there is just not enough room in these shelters, houseing, etc for everyone...And it is not about improving the looks of our streets and city, it is about helping people less fortunate than ourselves...

We live in a society in North America of such excess, with money spent on 4 dollar morning coffees and other absolute frivolities, and we have lost sight on how we can help these people and just see them as an inconvenience.

There are all kinds of reasons that people find themselves homeless, some of the reasons are self created, some are not...

This is to say nothing of the "hidden homeless" who may be pumping your gas, serving your latte or checking your groceries...

There is a real housing issue in this country and there are lot of working poor who cannot find housing, let alone the need for good, quality housing and care for the mentally ill and disabled homeless.

This is not a cosmetic issue like your question implies, this is an societal issue on the deepest level to which there is no easy, one answer fix...

Answer 5

I have the same questions? I have started a non profit so that I can receive donations to hopefully in the very near future purchase a large building and or old motel/hotel so that I can house some of homeless families. If I could house them and give them guidance on how to get their lives back on try with work training and employer programs, perhaps we can decrease the number of homeless slowly but surely.

Answer 6

INCREASE mental health services for one, more than HALF the homeless are mentally ill. back in the 80's when our so called "great president, the great communicator" reagan cut mental health resources 75%....they opened the mental health state run hospitals, tunred the mentally ill out, with no meds, and no follow up care...... and bussed the mentally ill to other towns and dumped them. the prisons are full of the mentally ill, close to 70% of those in prison have a mental illness, part of the reson they are in prison is that they went off their meds....and while off meds committed crimes. why no meds? part of it is the mental illness it self, the other part is since reagan there is LITTLE MONEY!! only the sickest get help, and that usually AFTER they do something violent!!! that makes tons of sense huh??

next increase peoples ability to get an education, if you have an education you can make a living wage....without an education your chances of becoming homeless triple. you mentioned housing assistance....ha ha, it exists alright but where I live the waiting list is 3 years.....if you are totally disabled you MIGHT be able to get housing assistance in a year MAYBE. I got hurt 18 months ago, lost my job, and cannot work again without surgery.....so am not totally disabled. I am 18 months down on the list. I have no health insurance....so I went back to school at 45 years of age. my ONLY income is student loans and a pell grant. I live on less than $6,000.00 a year paying...for everything. rent, utilities, food, car insurance, gas the whole kit and caboodle. I am one step away from being homeless, or....foodless. it is almost december and I have YET to turn on my heater.....cause I cannot afford the gas bill. and you know....I know 5 people just like me. yet when we try to get assistance....3 years for housing. I am not toally disabled, just til surgery....but have to train for a job I can actually physically do, start to work, and get some insurance....then I will be ok.

sadly....I cannot even get more help from school, I am classified at "maximum need" yet, 6k a year is the MOST help I can get....and you know I got a 300 buck book subsidy this semester, and because I was awarded that subsidy they (financial aid at school) cut my loan down 600 bucks....so this semester rather than having 2k to live on for 4 months($500 a month)....I have $1400 bucks (now I live on a little over 300 a month lol) all over a subsidy meant to HELP ease my financial burden. I even tried to give it back so my loan would not go down....and school would not let me do that either!!!

you mentioned places like the salvation army, they are so over burdened....you go the first of the month to get assist for utilities, and by the 5th of the month they are out of money for the month. what then? every agency it is all the same story....too much need for the resources.

you wonder why people end up homeless.....what can you do to help? read what I have written and indentify the needs......look around you it is not hard to find a way to "help" thanks for listening.

Answer 7

The government COULD rezone certain empty unwanted commercial properties as "low rent residential' and allow the homeless a chance to own their units with sweat equity.

Same principle as habitat for humanity but this makes use of current dead malls, empty retail shopping centers, and former office complexes. Why not use what we already HAVE?

It might even revitalize a neighborhood and be trey chic in a few years.

Answer 8

in all reality there will allways be a ton of homeless people. most of these people are just the meek, most of them are just drunks who gambeled away all their money or spent it on booz or drugs. there is no way to solve the homeless p[roblem without giving them a house and a ton of money and free rehab and keeping a constant eye on them to make sure thye dont revert. i know it sounds outragous but the most effective way to help lower the homelessness problem is to kill them. im not trying to be an @sshole and be all rude about it but in reality euthinazation is the most effective way. sad but true.

Answer 9

Housing problem will continue to grow until we contain our population.So, the mntra is: control population. There will still be some shortage but not as alarming as it is now.

Answer 10

Teach our children well... don't let them walk out of school... teach them to finish what they start and to work hard>