Was reading an article on Yahoo.com about a Master's student who lived as a homeless guy in a van in his college campus and thus was able to live debt free. He had essentially paid for the college parking, yet lived under the constant fear of being caught. I had wondered why because he was paying for the parking, and his tuition had a part to pay in the college infrastructure like the washrooms from the gym, or wifi from the library that he was using. I was pretty intrigued by the article and read few more articles/ blogs, which turned out to be an eyeopener.
1. Not all homeless guys are drug addicts. The homeless guy can be a guy with a day job who got evicted from his home for which he couldnt pay the mortgage. Or he can be any guy who lost his job and didnt have too many in savings.
The blogger who wrote from his experience said that its easier for women to move in with their parents, but not so much for the men. No no, no male ego popping up its ugly head - parents are more likely to open their arms to their daughters than to their sons. So atleast this % of homelessness was completely preventable had their been better friends/ parents or whatever. (A sidenote: I keep reading this: so and so did this good thing because he is a christian!! One does not need to be affiliated to any religion to be a good human.)
2. The same guy also mentions that many homeless are kids who ran away from their abusive homes. Kids, women, aged homeless and homeless with disabilities are more vulnerable to the homeless violence out there. Well basically this blogger ran away himself when he was 12. He has a blog titled something like "how to survive homelessness". He pointedly remarks that however abusive the home is you are safer home than running away.
Having read Oliver Twist, I am cynical about government / any institution having a place for run-away kids. But then having seen Slumdog Millionaire, if the kids are out, they are vulnerable to utmost violence - remember the scene in which they gouge out the guy's eyes so that he can beg better?
3. Is there any way we can help? That homeless blogger says he needs a secure place to sleep, and recommends low cost homeless hostels. He also requests other better-off people not to avert their eyes when they see a homeless someone. Just acknowledging that the problem exists in itself will help people. Not sure how, but I am guessing he was hinting at the Conservative Vs liberal view? The people I meet here in FL are conservatives, and they feel that people should work to feed themselves and not rely on food stamps.
Once I was just fasting for 1 day..still felt pretty run down at the end of it; I cant' even imagine how people stay alive eating half meals everyday. Sure, many homeless people out there may have that internal drive to work and to get out of their situation. But they also need food to fuel that drive. In a way, I feel food stamps are justified, provided they are not being misused. I am neither a conservative nor a liberal in the US sense, my observations are just based off the ration system in India.
I think the food that we pack as take home can be given to these guys (though my friends vehemently prevent me giving food to poor). I know there is afood helpline in India, where wedding parties and all can donate their leftover food. But unfortunately there is no such concept in the US. My friends who used to work part-time in restaurants had told me that at the end of the day the restaurants just dump everything in the garbage can. And that's how I saw a homeless man scouring garbage cans in Gainesville. Dumping things in garbage can is simply racoon-inducive if nothing else. If only there was some way by which all the restaurants in a city could contribute the food to poor :(
1. Not all homeless guys are drug addicts. The homeless guy can be a guy with a day job who got evicted from his home for which he couldnt pay the mortgage. Or he can be any guy who lost his job and didnt have too many in savings.
The blogger who wrote from his experience said that its easier for women to move in with their parents, but not so much for the men. No no, no male ego popping up its ugly head - parents are more likely to open their arms to their daughters than to their sons. So atleast this % of homelessness was completely preventable had their been better friends/ parents or whatever. (A sidenote: I keep reading this: so and so did this good thing because he is a christian!! One does not need to be affiliated to any religion to be a good human.)
2. The same guy also mentions that many homeless are kids who ran away from their abusive homes. Kids, women, aged homeless and homeless with disabilities are more vulnerable to the homeless violence out there. Well basically this blogger ran away himself when he was 12. He has a blog titled something like "how to survive homelessness". He pointedly remarks that however abusive the home is you are safer home than running away.
Having read Oliver Twist, I am cynical about government / any institution having a place for run-away kids. But then having seen Slumdog Millionaire, if the kids are out, they are vulnerable to utmost violence - remember the scene in which they gouge out the guy's eyes so that he can beg better?
3. Is there any way we can help? That homeless blogger says he needs a secure place to sleep, and recommends low cost homeless hostels. He also requests other better-off people not to avert their eyes when they see a homeless someone. Just acknowledging that the problem exists in itself will help people. Not sure how, but I am guessing he was hinting at the Conservative Vs liberal view? The people I meet here in FL are conservatives, and they feel that people should work to feed themselves and not rely on food stamps.
Once I was just fasting for 1 day..still felt pretty run down at the end of it; I cant' even imagine how people stay alive eating half meals everyday. Sure, many homeless people out there may have that internal drive to work and to get out of their situation. But they also need food to fuel that drive. In a way, I feel food stamps are justified, provided they are not being misused. I am neither a conservative nor a liberal in the US sense, my observations are just based off the ration system in India.
I think the food that we pack as take home can be given to these guys (though my friends vehemently prevent me giving food to poor). I know there is afood helpline in India, where wedding parties and all can donate their leftover food. But unfortunately there is no such concept in the US. My friends who used to work part-time in restaurants had told me that at the end of the day the restaurants just dump everything in the garbage can. And that's how I saw a homeless man scouring garbage cans in Gainesville. Dumping things in garbage can is simply racoon-inducive if nothing else. If only there was some way by which all the restaurants in a city could contribute the food to poor :(
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