How many destitute people do you know personally?

Question

I mean seriously poor. No food. No clothes. Homeless. No job.

No means of getting any of these things. No charity will help them. No good Samaritan will take pity on them. No (existing) government program will give them anything. They have no recourse but to live in squalor.

Timothy, you are being melodramatic. I said DESTITUTE. 3rd world county poor. No food or clothes. You interest rate going up on a house you OWN does not make you destitute.

Delgados- God Bless You for helping them! That is what America is all about! Picking up a stumbling family member and helping them on their way.

OMG timothy, stfu. If you still have a job you have means of procuring other shelter for yourself. No one ever died of a forclosure. They were the ones who were stupid enough to buy more home than they could afford, and it bit them in the @ss. Sometimes we have to pay for our mistakes.

Mary jo- I know alot of those people too. People who are on every government handout possible and still "can't" pay their rent, buy school supplies, or clothes for their children, but mysteriously always find enough to buy cigarettes, go out and drink, go to the races, go on vacations, have 3 cell phones, and a 4-wheeler. Weird huh?

Don't make me get Michael Moore to sit on you.

Answer 1

I know of none. There is no reason for anyone to be homeless in America unless that is what they choose to be. Yes, it may be hard to believe but there have always been "bums", always been "hobos", always been some sort of "free spirits" who enjoy being jobless and travel around by freight train or hitch hiking. There are also some people who just make one bad decision after another without learning from thier errors. There are mental patients who should be instituionalized but are, instead, left to fend for themselves.
Of course there are always the substance abusers/addicts who are still in denial and refuse to accept rehab.

As long as we remain a free society, there will always be people who choose life at the bottom rung. They are free to do so. There are countless local, state and federal programs that offer assistance as well as private charities. But no one can force them to avail themselves of these services nor force them to choose to improve their lives.

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Answer 2

I know quite a few. I take food to a family under a bridge on a regular basis. I have some cousins that I just bought a trailer for, they were homeless for quite some time. Starved quite a bit, many of cold nights no government assistance (kind of hard to get with no car or mailing address.)


It's very sad, hard to get hired when you have no mailing address, or decent clothing. These people require a lot of help to get out of their situation.

Also 16 million people live on 5000 dollars or less a year, half than the normal poverty line (equal to 3rd world countries.) That number grew by 26% from 2000-2005 during a time of economic expansion. (Also larger than any other segment of the population.)

Edit: Thats the thing, a lot of the people I have seen in this situation aren't drug addicts, or lazy bums. They have been **** on by society because of the ignorance of homeless people. Goverment assistance for the homeless and people who have nothing is extremely hard to get. You must have a mailing address for most of it, and not only that, we help less people with welfare than we ever have (in the history of the country), its not exactly easy to get on. Most people are ignorant to the deep poverty issues of America. Someone in deep poverty spends all their time trying to survive, its a SINKHOLE. Many people in this situation are so ashamed they hide, and the only ones that stand out are the druggies and bums. Hence the negative and ignorant stigma about a class many people know nothing about.

Chew on that, your ignorance perpetuates the problem.

Answer 3

None personally, but even if they don't quite meet your criteria, they do exist. Some will take handouts, and even those who would take donations off the street have a hard time because the majority in the circumstances are substance abusers. Giving money to them would just be enabling them in their self destruction.

Answer 4

HOW DARE YOU !!!!!! !! !... You sit all hi and mydee in your ivory tower. I know many people who are starving and had to eat their own shoes. People who had to eat their own houses and are now homeless. Will these people need to eat or sell their kids before the President will care ???? HOW DARE YOU !!!!! Venezuela is a great country and you owe them an apology.

Answer 5

More and more! They are losing their homes to foreclosure at such a high rate.

Duhhhh.... when you lose your home to foreclosure you are HOMELESS, you don't get to keep your home.....


lol!

People lose jobs AND homes, especially in this Bush foreclosure society.

Is that the proper discourse for YA! answers or are you ASKING to be reported?

Answer 6

none. but i know lots of poor people.
they are poor because they choose to be poor.
too lazy to work

Answer 7

NONE.