What should we do with homeless people?

Question

Should they be housed in shelters? Arrested? Given jobs? Education? Be forced to sober up? What do you think?

Answer 1

Now see this is a touchy subject for me because I was homeless for 7 months. Not every person that is homeless is uneducated, unemployed, or a drug dealer or drinker. I have graduated from high school, worked in the best jobs that there is in the place that I am from and still ended up homeless. At my age, 19, there are other alternatives for people that are my age and are in this situation. It is just a matter of whether or not they want to take advantage of that opportunity and make something of themselves. For people that are 16 to 24 that have dropped out of high school, homless or just plain old troubled kids there are training facilities all over the United States that will get them either their high school diploma or GED. They can also get training in some form of a trade. I am currently going to one of these facilities and it is the best decision that I have made so far in my life. They provide you with a place to stay, food to eat and training and the opportunity to change yourself around for the better. They will also help you get a good paying job and will follow up with you every month to make sure that you still have a job and how you are doing on your own.

Answer 2

The first thing we need to do is realize that many (not all) homeless people are homeless by choice. You can put them in public housing all you want and usually with the same result. . they are homeless again in a short time.

The thing about homelessness is that it is easy. Face it, you don't have to be responsible, you don;t have to pay bills, you don't have to constantly work to make a living. . .

Failure is a very easy thing to do. . you don't have to try. But to remain homeless, you have to work every day, pay bills and be responsible.

Homelessness is a mindset, take a determined person and make him homeless and he will find a way to get off the street, usually without help from the government. These are people who are problem solvers and will not succumb to the situation of being homeless for very long.

Granted, there is a lot of mental illness associated with homelessness. But this is largely an outgrowth of the mindset in the early 70's to stop "warehousing" the mentally ill in institutions. . So have those people really benefited? No, as far as the bureaucrats are concerned, out of sight out of mind, problem solved. . but the problem has not been solved, merely moved. . in this case moved out of institutions and onto the street.

We need to reevaluate those policies, and in some cases institutionalize some of those people. They just do not have the skills to manage day to day life.

There is a small percentage, who do need government help for a short time. . . help them, but realize who you can and cannot help. .

Hope this helps

Answer 3

It needs to be considered case-by-case. Those with mental defects or physical handicaps may not have the capacity to return to the workforce or even 'normal' society. They have little option but institutionalisation. However, this is expensive and is no guarantee of quality of life.
Those who can be 'sobered up' and put to good use should be given support and the chance to begin again, ONCE! Those who fall back into their old habits (that put them on the streets in the first place) will never learn. They must understand that they will be given support as long as they are willing to behave and try to fit into the general populace.
There are those who prefer the freedom of street life. They are a threat to society and dangerous minds. They refuse to obey the fundamental rules which create and maintain 'society'. They are selfish people who follow their own hedonistic whims to the detriment of others, even if they are not directly mugging, robbing or otherwise abusing people. That is a crime in my book. The threat of incarceration should be enough to deter them. Make vagrancy illegal worldwide and put them on a chain gang.

What price freedom?

Answer 4

You cant do anything. In Maryland they drive these people in a pick up truck real early in the morning and drop them off at busy intersections. I'm not sure what the deal is but I've seen it on my way to work. This other dude has the habit of picking on a wound so severly to cause pity and keeps his reserved corner on this one street.As soon as you hand them money they go straight for the booze and the few I've offered food have turned me down. One in particualr sold me a story about trying to get back to his mom after prison so I handed him 40 bucks for the cab and sure enough next month I went by he was still there. I think bumming has become their business. Being poor HAS to be a choice for people and we really cant do much to get them out of it.
Personal experience, I ended up homeless but within a year of living in the street, I managed to get 3 jobs, a car, go to school and keep one fulltime job and finally got my apartment the following year with my tax refund and now Im still studying for my biotechnology degree which is also where I work. Long story short, people want to stay where they are at.

Answer 5

Most homeless people have mental illness or drug addictions.
However, some are homeless due to job loss or low wages.

We need to help--IE: housing, jobs, medical care and doing so with dignity.
For those that do not want help--offering food, blankets, clothes and a place to get out of the cold is about all that can be done.

Answer 6

Education?

Answer 7

Require large businesses to maintain a few "sleeper units" on their property to house the homeless. They could have small dwellings outside every Walmart, factory, and mall.
This would keep the homeless off the street and give them a safe place to stay. The businesses could kind of adopt the people and make sure they get a case manager to help them get it together.

Answer 8

I know people who are homeless and not all of them are "bums". Alot of them actually, are people who had lives, but lost their jobs due to jobs going overseas, cutbacks and various other reasons. What should we do with them? Put the people who are perfectly able to work, but are to lazy to do so, off WELFARE so they have to go GET a job and use that money to help the homeless people who really need and want help. Put them in job training classes or Put them through college with Career Pathways or some other program and stop giving our money to those who truly don't deserve it.

Answer 9

Housed in shelters, rehabilitated, taught job skills and be placed on a work program. I mean, we do more for prisoners who have commited horrible crimes. They need a helping hand to get out of the rut and back on the road again.

Answer 10

If someone is homeless, it isn't always their fault, so don't condemn them, before you know what made them homeless in the first place. I personally know of two homeless people, who were made that way, through no fault of their own. Everyone deserves a chance to be rehabilitated . Very good question ..!! ..xx