Would $1 Dollar, per week, out of everyone's paycheck, help America's Homeless?

Question

For Example: Every major American city would set up an account for the Homelss fund, then, depending on the region & city, & economic status, would take .25 cents to no more than $1 out of everyone's paycheck in the city. The funds would then be put into the account to buy food, medicine, clinics, set up shelter for them to use until they get back on their feet.
Taxes? This is not considered a tax, & the IRS will be forbidden to touch the funds. And there will be restrictions, you simply have to be down & out (Welfare famlies will not be allowed to get the help, as they are already getting our taxes.)
Seroius answers only, remember you or someone in your Family could be homeless tomorrow. And the government isn't going to help you.
Other countries help their homeless, We all should stop ignoring the problem, like I did for many years, & do something.

Answer 1

Sorry, won't work. San Francisco tried something similar.
For my town of 9227 population, we have a workforce of 5340.
This is $277680, or a monthly check of $1157 for our appx 20 homeless. I am only including the ones living in the streets or changing homes every few nights, not the ones staying with family/friends on a stable basis.
If you were getting $1157 monthly for being homeless, would you really change? How many more would become homeless for the check? And what a justified howl the workers would raise.
Throwing more money on a problem never works. Look at the state of education in public schools. Substidizes for homeless already exist from our taxes, Section 8 and HUD; not including private charities.

Answer 2

There are many causes of homelessness, and while I do agree that getting the homeless off the street and into secure jobs is the ideal situation, that's not going to happen by magic, or by rhetoric calling the homeless lazy.
Many homeless are that way because they had a job and they lost it, or were evicted by their landlords. Do a little reading on the subject or talk to volunteers at homeless shelters - or heaven forbid, get your own hands dirty and volunteer yourself!
The world is an imperfect place and injustice occurs even to good people. Yes, there are people who will take advantage of any welfare system. There are people, and businesses, who take advantage of the tax system, and yet I don't hear anybody here complaining about how that's a problem, even though it is just as unfair.
Unless you all truly pulled yourselves up by your own bootstraps from the ghetto, I doubt you can say that everything you have, you earned for yourself. The social class into which you were born has a lot to do with where you end up in life. And if we don't look out for each other, what's the point of having any community at all?
I'd happily contribute a dollar per paycheck for a cause like this - as long as all the money did in fact go towards valid efforts that actually produced the intended results.
Unfortunately, because of bureacracy and human greed, as well as the impossibility of eradicating all causes of a problem like homelessness, I doubt this would happen. The US would have to go socialist... I don't see that happening any time soon.

Answer 3

Interesting idea. Too bad that the majority of answerers are against the heart of it. This is because Americans are very much against Involuntary redistribution of wealth or income. They think their money is a result of hard work alone.

Work may be a part of it, but they don't realize that they were just plain lucky to be born in the US, and not in Africa. And even in the US, it's much better to be born in certain places and certain households with certain parents rather than others. That's luck, not hard work. Equal opportunity on this planet is a myth and a lie.

They also don't realize that if the homeless are supported, then only the voluntary homeless would remain, and they would no longer have a rationale to beg or sleep on the streets anymore. And we would no longer bear responsibility.

If the "donated" funds were sufficient, it might be theoretically feasible. Personally, I think middle-income families can afford $1/week, but upper-middle/upper class families should be requested to contribute $5-10/week.

However, the homeless are still a small % of struggling working, low-income individuals/households.

In my opinion, the main priority is involuntary working poverty. As it was said once, "With great power (wealth, in this case), comes great responsibility." The wealthy, corporations, and the government have the main responsibility in supporting the poor, because they have the most power to help. NOT lower/middle income individual Americans who are also just getting by. This is why the homeless fund idea will not be the fastest or most popular way to alleviate homelessness and poverty. Many Americans already feel pressured enough as it is.

Exxon Mobil made a $36 billion profit last year - I'm sure they worked REALLY hard for that. Just 1 company's 1 year profit, would be enough to lift everyone in the US out of poverty in terms of net worth. This is not to mention the $400 billion the US government spends on the military EVERY YEAR (not including Iraq, VA, etc.). Obviously, they are not investing taxpayer money very well if most of the world hates us now due to our numerous military adventures.

Every child & human being in the US has the right to basic minimum food, shelter, clothing, health care, and education. When I mean basics, I really mean basics, so that only those truly in need would use them. Basic enough to survive, but not enough to get fat on. (Excluding health care and education.)

And since all rights are inherently rights and do not require payment, I believe these basics should be free for EVERYBODY (don't shoot me). Obviously, the wealthy (or anybody else) could choose to forego them, because they can afford it. The funding of these basics wouldn't even require raising taxes; only redirecting SOME money from war to peace. I'd say $200 billion would probably be enough. That would still leave $200 billion over for "defense". That would still leave us spending more than 4x the next biggest spender, China.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_budget_of_the_United_States

But unfortunately, many Americans will still try to justify and defend this outrageous discrepancy.

Answer 4

Well, now we know what your favorite charity is.Unfortunately some one else would have a different charity For instance crippled children, disabled vets, birth defects,Cancer cure, free medical care etc.etc. Pretty soon the taxes would double and then you'd find that some of the homeless would voluntarily go back to the streets and instead of crippled children, they would be replaced by hungry children and on and on. It;s all well and good to want everyone to be happy and healthy but the real world is not that way. In your own life ,have you had some disappointment that you would have liked to have everyone chip in to fix? Of course, we all have, but it didn't happen.
The government and the people can only do so much.
I don't want to belittle your project and I understand your concern
If you have some project that you can make a difference in, by all means pursue it but understand that my project may be different.

Answer 5

First of all, all levels of government and private organizations do already spend billions on the homeless, so it's ignorant and disingenuous to claim that they currently do nothing.

Meanwhile the primary reason that there ARE homeless people is that they have mental problems causing them to be homeless, and do-gooders and courts have ensured we can't just cart them off to the nut house. Other countries just cart them off to the nut house without worrying about their "rights" in order to keep the streets pretty. It's not a money problem, it's a legal problem.

BTW your idea is stupid. It the government takes a dollar out of my paycheck it is a tax -- you can't just say it's "not a tax", that's nonsense.

Since you want cities to be responsible for the homeless, then you should expect cities to collect and administer taxes for local programs -- not expect some massive federalized boondoggle that is somehow free of federal oversight and waste.

Answer 6

NO

The government already takes $2.3 trillion from the American people. If that amount of money can't solve problems, what makes anyone think anymore money will?

If someone in my family were homeless, I would help them. I would not get the government to reach into someone else's pocket in order to help them.
.

Answer 7

No. SOme are there, because they're hiding. i got Yelled at by a man because I won't give him a dollar. He yelled at me because he can't work because if he did his wife would take part of his paycheck for child support. Have you seen the signs that homeless carries. Will work for beer. Do you think it's a joke? SOme of them has addiction and refuse to go to places that might even preach the sins of their ways. Believe it or not, some of them do it as a lifestyle choice. In LA, they camp out in the parks and in "islands" in the LA river. They are in the most cool, since they do it too avoid society while still being near it.

Answer 8

Definitely not. If you like the idea, then move to a socialist country. The only way to end homelessness is through education and working hard. That is what this country needs! We also need to rely less on welfare programs. Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

Answer 9

One cent from everyone's paycheck would. The thing is, homeless can get a job. I would rather not pay even one cent out of all my paychecks to support someone who won't support themselves. "What if they can't work" etc. That's BS. You can at least work at McDonald's. If someone's disabled and can't work, they already collect disability. Personally I think it's their family's responsbility to take care of them if that's the case, not the rest of the world's. Anyway, to answer the question yes, one dollar from everyone's paycheck would help. If I were ever in a position to vote for or against that, I'd vote against it. I work my *** off for my money and if someone is too lazy to do the same it's not my responsiblity to support them.

And to answer your statement, no one in my family will ever be homeless, nor will I. It's called work ethic. If one of my friend's ever became homeless I'd tell him to get his lazy *** to job services and find a job.

Other countries also have leaders who slaughter citizens daily because they speak against that country. Does that mean it's right? Should we start doing that and stop ignoring those who voice their opinion? I'm sorry but just because it's been done/is being done by other places doesn't mean it's right. That just increases the money taken by the government that we, the hard-working citizens of this country make, and gives it to those who think they're above working.

Any system that "helps" homeless/needy supports a system that promotes laziness. What happens when you support it so much that people stop working? What happens when people decide they don't have to work any more because they'll be taken care of by their neighbor who does work? If that becomes the law, then the mentallity will also change. Workers will be hard to find. People ALREADY ride the system; Tax evasion, living off government funds, false disability collections, etc. The economy will collapse, and everyone who rightfully earned their money will be paying everyone else's bills. This might sound dramatic but think about it. What happens when you try to support someone who doesn't want to support themselves? People stop trying when they find that 40% of their paycheck was taken from them and given to those who don't work. "40% is outrageous, it will never happen!" It happens already. Do some research on the issue and you will find that the more someone makes, the more they are taxed. The tax brackets that are supposidly there to save us also bite us in the *** by giving lawmakers a way to legally tax more than they are supposed to, without our consent/vote.

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For those who posted below me:
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You can try to tell me I am fortunate for not being born into poverty or poor conditions. How in the HELL do you know that? Do you have a magic wand that you wave over your computer monitor, and when you do it shows you where everyone on the internet was born and what they were born into? Until you KNOW me, your accusations of my upbringing are not only false, but foolish on your part.

I can tell you right now being evicted from your landlord or losing a job happens, but it DOESN'T creep up on you. If you don't pay your rent/party every night/get complaint after complaint from neighbors, you'll be evicted. If you get fired, you're doing a poor job. Once again, one is responsible for their life. You can blame the world for your misfortunes, cry and whine about it in your cardboard box, and where does it get you? Exactly.

I am confident that I've had a harder life than you who criticize me for not knowing what it's like to have a hard life. I don't know how you were brought up, or how hard your life has been, but I know mine has been an UTTER STRUGGLE and I'm still not on the street in a box. I took charge of my life, did everything I had to in order to stay off the street, keep food on the table, and keep clothes on my back.

Stop trying to say that everyone could benefit from taking money from one man's check to pay for another man's LACK of check. Bull ****. The people who could benefit from that are the people who refuse to take responsibility and better themselves.

I brought up the issue of living off of welfare, maybe in your ignorance you missed it? Re-read it. I didn't blatently say welfare, but if you have a comprehension level of 3rd grade+ you will be able to find it. I ridiculed everyone who rides the system. Please, next time, BEFORE you post a false reply, read what you're replying to.

"BTW your idea is stupid. It the government takes a dollar out of my paycheck it is a tax -- you can't just say it's "not a tax", that's nonsense. " -- I 100% agree. Government taking money from you, IS, TAX. REGARDLESS of how you look at it. If it's not TAX, it's THEFT.

"hey also don't realize that if the homeless are supported, then only the voluntary homeless would remain, and they would no longer have a rationale to beg or sleep on the streets anymore. And we would no longer bear responsibility. " -- Could it be more clear? I don't give a flying **** if only voluntary homeless remain or not. Homeless are homeless, they're homeless by their own lack of will to take responsibility for themselves.

If someone is seriously UNABLE to work, they can collect disability, which is ALREADY a tax-funded check for them. They can also collect UNEMPLOYMENT, yet ANOTHER tax-funded check for them. Food stamps? Do I need to say where those come from? Please, get a grip on reality. The government HAS set up sufficient funds for situations such as getting fired unexpectedly. We don't need more bull **** because people have it in their heads that some people just are picked on, life chose them to be poor, and everyone in the world is out to get them. EVERYONE has the same oppurtunity. INCLUDING mentally challenge. Why? Equal opportunities. You CAN'T deny someone work because of a mental disability. The government HAS systems to prevent homelessness, it's just that the majority of the homeless don't have the will to utilize it.

"Every child & human being in the US has the right to basic minimum food, shelter, clothing, health care, and education. When I mean basics, I really mean basics, so that only those truly in need would use them. Basic enough to survive, but not enough to get fat on. (Excluding health care and education.) " -- So how does that tie into everyone else having to support them? Does that automatically mean we're all entitled to taking up the responsibilty for those who don't persue that food, shelter, clothing, health care, and education? Tell me why I should give a **** if someone I have never met in my life has those things when he hasn't taken the initiative to get it himself?

Answer 10

yes any little amount will help