are homeless people always to blame for their situation?

Question

some how no one ever blames the system

Answer 1

No. Just think about it. You have a job, make minimum wage, doing your best. Then your car breaks down, it's you only way to work, no public transporation....no car, you lose your job, so you use your rent money to fix the car, with the thought that you will "catch up", but you don't and then lose your place. Now to get back in, you need first, last and deposit....it's hard to live and save that kind of money. That is just one scenario, there are many more.

Answer 2

I think, in this country, you can usually find ways to blame the homeless for their situation if you wanted to. They are people who have gotten extremely discouraged about one thing or another. They have lost aim and purpose in their lives which would CAUSE the homelessness and then homelessness would feed the condition. It is a mental problem. Not to say they are retarded. I come across them in a downtown park where I take walks. They come across as regular people.

You notice that I started out saying, "in this country." I don't see how, even if you want to, you could find ways to blame people in such situations in many 3rd world counties such as Ethiopia. Maybe they could change the stance of Necrophiliac as that is more than one person but a billion or two.

Answer 3

I work with the homeless and hard to house, but because this answer is so far down the list, I doubt anyone will read my answer.
The homeless are rarely to blame for their situation. The fact is that if you think about it, most of us are one paycheck away from homelessness.
Government social policy creates and maintains poverty, as does the health care system that fails to meet the needs of those with mental illness and concurrent diagnoses. The health care system also forces people onto the street when they face huge medical bills they cannot afford. Big business plays a part with the destruction of the middle class, forcing hard working people to live in their cars for example because their income is not enough to pay for a roof over their head. In fact, the destruction of the middle class has only served to increase poverty.
The lust for property plays a part with cheap introductory mortgages that end up in forclosures on renewal.
A discriminatory community approach to the homeless and building affordable housing in other than run down areas (the not in my back yard syndrome) maintains homelessness.
Our apathy of their situation makes it more difficult to change what's happening.
If we all took a moment to understand that the guy sleeping on the street or in his car is someone's son, brother, etc., and that face could be ours. It's not a stretch to understand that we have not done well providing social justice and housing for those who found themselves--for whatever reason--without a home. So, if anyone out there thinks that poverty and homelessness is not their problem or their issue, think again.
People are not disposable objects. For a country that espouses Christian principals, it is always amazing that we do not remember what "the least of these" means and how we ought to treat them.
Maybe it's hard to understand how someone can become addicted to drugs or alcohol and end up on the street. It's probably even harder to have sympathy for these or the people with mental illness who have no tools to deal with their situation and no resource programs to support them. It may be easy for some to think if someone loses their home they must deserve it somehow.
And to reiterate: Most of us are one paycheck away from homelessness and poverty. That should give you enough reason to at least empathize and maybe see what you, as an individual, can do to lobby for change to social and health care policy and fight the exportation of jobs to other countries or the depression of wages by hiring policies. People die on the streets. It's not a vacation from responsibility.

Answer 4

I was talking about this just the other day, not only homeless but also people who can't work and get state aid. I think it is mostly education, at least in my area. So many people can't find a job because they are ignorant, from poor education as a child or poor upbringing. It really isn't their fault sometimes. Others have medical issues that are not being addressed such as personality disorders... I think there are a lot of diff situations and the state can only help those who really want the help.

Answer 5

No, some homeless people have no other choice but to live on the street. Some homeless people didn't have loving parents and got abused and that was their way out or just weren't mentally able to work and didn't get help from the govt. etc

Answer 6

A lot of homeless people are to blame because of a drug or alcohol problem, that's why I was homeless. But there are a lot of homeless people that are mentally ill and the system is not doing enough for them.

Answer 7

It depends on the person.. Some have lost everything because of debt, others have lost everything because of drugs or alcohol.

Blame the system.. For what? There are many opportunities an individual has by going to a homeless shelther, applying for SSI, or even asking for food stamps and going on welfare.

Answer 8

some homeless people choose to be homeless because they have been that way for years.they have been living that way for years so it is natural for them to be on the street.some of them get a mail box at the post office to get a check from the system and still won't get an apartment to live in.they take the money to buy booze and drugs.i have seen them sleeping in the middle of winter on benches in alleys covered with cardboard and newspaper to keep them warm.i have also seen some that will do anything to get what they want there are shelters that they can go to in the winter but they choose not to stay at the shelter.but there are some that will accept the help from the system and will go to the shelters for the help.some are out their because of the family kicking them out because of something stupid ,getting pregnant and too scared to tell there parents other because they get into trouble with the law and there parents don't want to help them instead they kick them out in the cold

Answer 9

I don't think its always their fault. I do blame the government in some cases. A lot of homeless people are Vietnam Vets believe it or not. & that just shows that they were not taken care of when they came back home and they eventually ended up on the streets. So sad

Answer 10

Because, as with Domestic Violence etc etc etc, it's always the cheaper/easier option to blame the victim than look at the bigger picture.


Just lazy politicians

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PS

TO the Teenage little Coward who sent me an abusive e-mail - I just want to be there when the Kama runs over your Dogma. I did't put up with that from my abusive Ex much less from a snotty nosed little Juvanile. If you are ever homeless I hope you remember that little rant you sent me.

AND while on the topic. I hope you wouldn't speak to your mother that way - caues I'm betting she's as old as I am.

Your comments have been reported.

.

Answer 11

In most cases Yes, I have been homeless before and I had no one to blame for it but myself.

However some of the chronically homeless are either crippled or mentally ill and should be put in permanent homes.

I don't feel sorry for druggies who are homeless though, that is not a disability.