I have to interview 20 homeless people for a college class. What would you ask?

Question

These men and women will be compensated for their participating. The questions I'm going to ask are:
What were your childhood dreams?
What was the pivotal point that got you where you are?
What can be done so today's child that has your childhood dreams, doesn't end up homeless?
How did you get to this point?
Does your family know that you are homeless?
Can your family help?
What's keeping you on the street?
Do you have any health issues?
Do you believe in God?
Have you turned down any help?
How do your family/friends communicate with you?
Who was your hero as a child?
Were your parents married?
What would it take for you to no longer be homeless?
If there is one, what is the best part about being homeless?
Do you have any children?
Have you ever held a "homeless" sign while you actually were living in a place that most of us would consider a home?
How far do you travel to be at this corner?
What's the worst & best things that have happened to you while homeless?

Answer 1

Are you receiving public assistance today and if so, what exactly?

Are you actively looking for work?

What is preventing you from gainful employment?

Do you have a desire to re-enter the normal working society?

What work skills do you possess?

Have you taken illegal drugs and if so, what and when?

Have you been ever been arrested and if so, when, and for what?

Do you think or know if you have a mental illness? If so, what exactly?

Do you have children since becoming homeless?

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Please thumbs up and/or vote best answer. Pretty Please ;-)

Answer 2

Interview With A Homeless Person

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
I have to interview 20 homeless people for a college class. What would you ask?
These men and women will be compensated for their participating. The questions I'm going to ask are:
What were your childhood dreams?
What was the pivotal point that got you where you are?
What can be done so today's child that has your childhood dreams, doesn't end up homeless?
How...

Answer 4

Your list of questions leads me to believe you are respectful and sincere. As a person who interviews people for a living, I know these traits go a long way towards a meaningful encounter. The trick of a great interview is not so much the questions asked, but the process of building the kind of trust where everyone gets to be surprised by what is said. To interview well is to serve us both.

After years of interviewing people, the best thing I have learned is to treat each subject with the same attitude I would bring to an interview with the Buddha himself, which is to say I make myself as teachable and as humble as I know how.

I would start with the assumption that homeless people are living a fully valid life and drop the idea that they are just waiting till they can return to a life that I think of as good.

It's often easiest to begin with what I call "little kid questions." How do you find food? What's the coolest thing you have with you? If you go through trash cans, what are you looking for? What's the yuckiest thing you ever found? Do you ever get scared? About half of your questions are of this type, and asked in the right way, even your question about the faking the homeless sign would be perfectly valid here. You'd be astonished what you can ask another person if your heart is innocent and teachable.

Anything that demonstrates a true lack of knowledge in comparison to their expertise will start the interview off on the right footing. For example, the phrase "homeless" may not be the description the subject uses to describe their housing condition - I'd ask about this. I would probably enlist the first couple people I spoke with to help me figure out what questions to ask in the next interviews, and even who would be interesting to talk to.

As we progressed, I might try learning about the social aspects of homelessness. Who are the people you trust? Why? Who do you avoid? I might ask about what I would need to know and learn if I were ever to find myself homeless (you never know what will happen in life).

Only after I have a pretty good understanding of what their life is like and quite a bit of trust has been established would I attempt to ask historical/personal or philosophical questions. Because historical/personal questions might be uncomfortable in this interview, I'd probably weave them into the philosophical ones. For example, "How should children be treated?" might be followed up with questions about how they were treated and the effect of that.

It's important to stay in a place of being honored by the opportunity to hear them out and to watch yourself for "listening fatigue." When I find myself trailing behind, or getting bored or distracted this is the sign to draw the interview to a close. Be mindful here because the most interesting and important stuff that is going to be said is typically said as the subject senses the interview is nearly over - it's as if something has been holding back until it realizes there is not much time left. With some subjects, the most interesting material has come from lingering here at the end, re-opening and re-closing several times until all that needs to be said is complete.

Good Luck and Namaste

Answer 5

~if you had a chance to change something in this world today what would it be?

~how do you survive on the streets?

~how do you make money to live(eat,wash,sleep)?

~would you help another homeless person if they needed the help?

~if god was here right now,what would you say?

~does the government help homeless people like yourself enough to satisfy you?

~what advantage is there into being homeless?

~what disadvantage is their into being homeless?

~if you had been just giving 100,000 dollars what would you do with it,honestly?

~do you have family/friends that help you?

~who is your hero in life?

~do you love yourself and who you have become?

~when you see another homeless person on the street ,what do you think of them?

~have you ever panhandled for money?

~do you feel sorry for yourself?

~is this the worst position you have ever been in?

~how long have you been homeless?

need more just ask,i'm sure i can come up with more.

Answer 6

Hmm, I have had a few conversations with homeless people on the train, some of them actually have pretty good advice, about how not to end up like them ): I hate to see people suffer so much... makes me sad.

Answer 7

I would ask them if they would like to move to a country that doesn't abandon them to the scrap-heap of life.

Would they prefer to live in a country that helps them if they have mental issues, and while they're getting help do they need a free place to live and free food given to them by the government.

Answer 8

Ask them why they don't get a job.

This will probably get thumbs down, because expecting someone to get a job is really a radical thought.

Answer 9

Are you depressed?
Did you have good parents?

Answer 10

I would ask them,"How's business?"