The HOMELESS Problem.

[ScottA]

This reminds me of the saying:

“If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”​

And yet, while some of that applies with dealing with the increase numbers of homeless--that is not the answer. If you give a man a fish or give him a free house and food and healthcare, etc., etc., you haven't really fixed anything. And if you teach a man to do those things for himself...you may get a little further in helping the problem--but that really doesn't fix the problem either.

That does not properly identify the problem.

No...the problem is--homelessness is the collateral damage of advancements in technology. That's right. By raising the bar of technology, society has created gaps for the less technologically inclined to fall through.

Who do I mean by the "less technologically inclined?" If I wanted to be funny...I would say-- anyone with a flip phone. But it's not at all funny. There are any number of possible victims:

• Victims of any kind--which is hugh...which results in emotional or economical shortcomings.
• The elderly.
• The sick.
• The crippled.
• The mentally disturbed.
• The list goes on and on...

My own 95 year old mother would be homeless if not dead, if my siblings and I did not fill in those technological gaps. I mean, my father provided for her financially--but that is not the problem. It is simply a bridge too far for her to operate a smart phone, a computer, even a smart TV. We literally have to make any and all technical calls for her. Even the "if this, press 1, etc." are just another wall she cannot scale. And she is healthy--and that is not the problem either. The problem is, she needs help to fill in the gaps that technology has created. But we are her support group. Many people don't have anyone to help--and that is the problem. But again, those gaps cannot be filled by government programs--that's just more red tape, more bars that are too high. And welfare doesn't fix the problem--in fact, for every person it may help, it just enables the problem to continue for another. That enabled group just become junkies and addicts. Like I said, money is not the problem...and that's all free stuff is.

I mentioned health. There is a homeless guy in our town that starts out every morning walking one way for half the day, and then turns around and walks back for the rest of the day. I'll bet he is more healthy than most of us! But I would also bet that somewhere in his past, he just got left in the dust of technology, and now the bar is too high and getting worse all the time.

That's the problem.

I recommend getting back to basics, back to what is most important. I mean, the homeless live pretty basic--not because they choose to...but because things continue to get further and further out of reach on every level.

If you work in any field where technology has advanced, you might be able to really help. Not with bigger and better everything every year--that just adds to the problem. No, but consider what gaps exist--"find a need and fill it"...as they say in business. And consider what gaps should never be created. Think about what you are doing--you are part of the problem. For instance, the stupidest gap ever, which may very well be where things all got started, was/is those guide books "For Dummies!" --I mean, they identified the problem and the gap...and just called anyone who fell short of the curve, a dummy!

So...homeless people are dummies?! Right! Great intelligent technological advancement!

Now fix it.

 

[Pearl]

We have a brilliant charity helping the homeless in the UK including in my hometown.
Emmaus Bolton - Homelessness Charity

 

[Raccoon1010]

Most of the homeless in my area are mentally insane. The system fails them. Teaching to fish doesn't apply.

 

[Raccoon1010]

https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/defaul...s-prevalence-characteristics-homelessness.pdf
Mental Illness & Substance Use
On a given night in January 2010iv:
• 26.2% of all sheltered persons who were homeless had a severe mental illness
• 34.7% of all sheltered adults who were homeless had chronic substance use issues

 

[Pearl]

Most of the homeless in my area are mentally insane. The system fails them. Teaching to fish doesn't apply.

To be given a place in the Emmaus scheme, where they give you somewhere to live and a wage while teaching you skills, people have to be off drugs and alcohol. I have spoken to a woman about it and told her how to apply but I don't think she did as some choose their addictions over a new start.

 

[Enoch111]

No...the problem is--homelessness is the collateral damage of advancements in technology.

This may be only a part of the problem. There are many other factors which have contributed to the problem of homeless people living on city streets in developed countries. The primary problem is that governments at all level do not wish to tackle this problem seriously enough so that there are no city streets with homeless people at all.

There are many solutions, but if no one wants to resolve a problem, it does not matter how many solutions there are. Even though there have been rapid advancements in technology, certain jobs still need to be done by human effort and human labor. And that will not change. But there is no point in outlawing homelessness unless there has been a proper plan to engage all those who are on the streets without homes.

Another critical factor is that mental institutions have been abolished for absolutely no reason other than political correctness. As a result many people who are mentally unstable or incompetent are out on the streets when they should be under the care of medical personnel.

Then there is drug distribution and drug abuse on the streets which also needs to be addressed. The War on Drugs has failed because it was never executed properly. It would have to begin by totally sealing off the southern border of the USA and going after the top people in drug trafficking. Once again there is no will to tackle the real and tough issues.

 

[Raccoon1010]

To be given a place in the Emmaus scheme, where they give you somewhere to live and a wage while teaching you skills, people have to be off drugs and alcohol. I have spoken to a woman about it and told her how to apply but I don't think she did as some choose their addictions over a new start.

We have a couple alcoholics here that choose to stay drunk. The mentals usually aren't here long. There is a lady that walks by crying all the time that is homeless, she told me she has depression bad.

 

[ScottA]

This may be only a part of the problem. There are many other factors which have contributed to the problem of homeless people living on city streets in developed countries. The primary problem is that governments at all level do not wish to tackle this problem seriously enough so that there are no city streets with homeless people at all.

There are many solutions, but if no one wants to resolve a problem, it does not matter how many solutions there are. Even though there have been rapid advancements in technology, certain jobs still need to be done by human effort and human labor. And that will not change. But there is no point in outlawing homelessness unless there has been a proper plan to engage all those who are on the streets without homes.

Another critical factor is that mental institutions have been abolished for absolutely no reason other than political correctness. As a result many people who are mentally unstable or incompetent are out on the streets when they should be under the care of medical personnel.

Then there is drug distribution and drug abuse on the streets which also needs to be addressed. The War on Drugs has failed because it was never executed properly. It would have to begin by totally sealing off the southern border of the USA and going after the top people in drug trafficking. Once again there is no will to tackle the real and tough issues.

Yeah, it is obvious to me that people in government simply don't have the answer--for first not properly identifying the problem, and then just throwing money at it.

 

[ScottA]

We have a brilliant charity helping the homeless in the UK including in my hometown.
Emmaus Bolton - Homelessness Charity

Thanks, I'll check it out.

 

[ScottA]

https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/defaul...s-prevalence-characteristics-homelessness.pdf
Mental Illness & Substance Use
On a given night in January 2010iv:
• 26.2% of all sheltered persons who were homeless had a severe mental illness
• 34.7% of all sheltered adults who were homeless had chronic substance use issues

Thanks for the numbers. Looks like my explanation only accounts for 73.8% ;)

I see the substance abuse issue as a symptom rather than a cause.

 

[ScottA]

To be given a place in the Emmaus scheme, where they give you somewhere to live and a wage while teaching you skills, people have to be off drugs and alcohol. I have spoken to a woman about it and told her how to apply but I don't think she did as some choose their addictions over a new start.

Yeah, the flashcard response of most homeless people is not to participate. They are dropouts--some not by their own choice, but some for sure.

I don't think it is enough give them stuff and try to teach them. I think they need to be shown how to make choices that improve their existence. For some, I am sure it would need to be so basic, that yes, you would also have to first feed, cloth, and house them. But it those needs are ever the focus, it's simply reduced to charity--which again, doesn't fix the root of the problem. Unfortunately.

 

[Raccoon1010]

Thanks for the numbers. Looks like my explanation only accounts for 73.8% ;)

I see the substance abuse issue as a symptom rather than a cause.

Those are the numbers for those they helped, so a little off. You're right, homeless people use drugs and alcohol for comfort, it makes it easier.

 

[Nancy]

This reminds me of the saying:

“If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”​

Now fix it.

Ain't gonna happen unfortunately. Jesus did say we would always have the poor with us, Mark 14:7
Totally agree about technology! Yes, VERY many fall through the cracks I find myself saying more so, "how do those poor older folks do it" when I too am a "technophobe" to a point, that wont last long as the bible also states that in the end days, "Knowledge shall increase..." this comes across as technology to me now a days.

"a bridge too far " You should write a book about this subject, lol.

God will bless those that honor their parents, and I know for many that is a very hard thing...old wounds run deep.

As Devin mentioned that some of the homeless around him are also mentally sick, same as those around me, and I do know several personally and the others I have seen around my neighborhood. Most of them are alcoholics, drug users and of course, mentally ill, Drinking or using drugs for long enough wears away the gray matter, the cells in our brains which could be tied directly to some of their mental issues. I know some that cannot read or even follow simple directions. There is one who I pay a few dollars to to take one of my dogs for walks....he is in his 30's and is not fully mentally developed...but has no problem when I send him back out as he comes back too soon...no concept of time or how to even read a clock. He looks like he is a normal kid, till one starts to engage him, lol...we all love him. He fortunately is not homeless, his mother dresses him well and takes basic care of him.

"So...homeless people are dummies?! Right! Great intelligent technological advancement!"
"Now fix it."

 

[Taken]

This may be only a part of the problem. There are many other factors which have contributed to the problem of homeless people living on city streets in developed countries. The primary problem is that governments at all level do not wish to tackle this problem seriously enough so that there are no city streets with homeless people at all.

In many respects the Govt IS the problem for the homeless. Believing the Govt would have a true interest in tackling the problem would be akin to believing they would tackle themselves.

 

[Nancy]

In many respects the Govt IS the problem for the homeless. Believing the Govt would have a true interest in tackling the problem would be akin to believing they would tackle themselves.

"A house divided..."

 

[Nancy]

https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/defaul...s-prevalence-characteristics-homelessness.pdf
Mental Illness & Substance Use
On a given night in January 2010iv:
• 26.2% of all sheltered persons who were homeless had a severe mental illness
• 34.7% of all sheltered adults who were homeless had chronic substance use issues

Bingo! Def. a connection.

 

[Mugre Pinzon]

There was homelessness before the era of computers and cell phones, etc.

 

[Taken]

Bingo! Def. a connection.

Understand the Govt has it’s own jargon. Common words, Common understanding becomes senseless when jargon redefines common words and common understanding.
What you would call homeless, is likely far different than what the US Federal Code defines as homeless. According to the US Code, pretty much everyone in the US at some point could be “identified” as homeless. And stats are advantageous when they are used to “increase” taxation!
42 U.S. Code (SS) 11302 (a)

 

[michaelvpardo]

There's lots of reasons for homelessness, but the primary one is simply the value of real estate. All the wealthiest people on the planet buy as much "prime real estate" as they can afford to keep. The planet isn't getting any larger, and liveable or productive real estate never really depreciates in value. It's the safest long term investment and that's part of the reason that extremely wealthy people are so concerned about climate change.

The most valuable real estate has adequate fresh water supply or coastal access. If the sea level rises just 10 inches, billions of dollars in real estate ends up like Venice, Italy, and with oceanic storm conditions more severe than the Mediterranean, the shore line tends to get washed out to sea.

In the past, climate change forced people to relocate. That's why we have abandoned cities located all over the globe in what are now inhospitable locations. Now the wealthy don't walk away from equity and are always looking for more.

As a former resident of the New Jersey shore, I witnessed whole communities displaced from relatively inexpensive cottages by eminent domain law.

Some towns used the public trust to seize property at a fraction of real market value for real estate development into high end condominiums and commercial properties to increase their tax base, as well as the overall real estate value of property held by governing officials. The displaced families received payment for their property, but not enough to afford the condos built where their homes stood.

Wherever real estate taxes exist, your property only remains yours as long as you have the wealth to continue tax payments. I've known more than one family forced to relocate to less expensive townships because of ever increasing tax assessments on their homes.

If you loose your employment and your equity, it's nearly impossible to own another property on your native land. Rental properties go up in value with demand. Demand goes up with property loss, and rental costs go up with land value.

In the USA the problem is exacerbated by wealthy immigrants that come for prime real estate as investment or as retirement homes. The problem is not unique to our nation either.

Poor and undocumented immigrants add to the problem, not by buying up property, but by occupying available living space, and increasing the use of public resources like education, garbage collection, public utilities, etc., that necessitates further taxation of the local population. This also promotes further gentrification as you can only live where you can afford to live, unless you squat on someone else's property or live on the street.

God had an elegant solution for Israel. Israelites inherited familial land. If they had to sell it's use, it was to be only temporary until the year of jubilee and they always were to have the option of redeeming the land at a depreciated value based upon years given up to another temporary user.

However, the Hebrews weren't particularly faithful in observing these property laws and we even read about the abuses against widows and orphans by greedy men gathering up their inheritance through debt collections in the early first century.

The Lord said that we'd have the poor with us always and with the growing disparity between the extremely wealthy and the "working class", it's unlikely that homelessness will be fully addressed until Christ's return.

Advancing technology does increasingly eliminate the need for laborers and that's part of the reason for the new socialists proposals to provide universal wages. It's also why policy makers have been searching for ways to reduce the population since the 1960s. The agenda known as the great reset exists to maintain the wealth of the wealthy by shrinking the population to a manageable size of happy utopian servants to the ruling elite.

The totalitarian policies placed and enforced during the pandemic are only a sign of things to come under the illusion of democracy. I don't think it's been the work of God to reduce the birth rates worldwide over the last two years, and I find it more than coincidental that the covid virus is being tied to sexual impotence and infertility in the most recent studies, but then my thinking is somewhat influenced by conspiracy theories and popular fictions.

Before I was born again in Christ Jesus, I was already convinced that humanity's days were numbered by our own destructive behavior. After receiving the Lord, I gained understanding of the biblical reasons why the population was rushing headlong into destruction. The good news is that our rebellion doesn't go on forever, but culminates with the rise of the Antichrist, and his days are definitely numbered. The world will struggle to give birth, but the hope of the world will evaporate like a dream when our Lord returns to receive the kingdoms of this Earth, and soon, very soon indeed.

 

[Taken]

Bingo! Def. a connection.

There are plenty of people without homes. Yet, the people “living” in squalor, under a bridge, filthy, feculence, surely IMO, would not take long to cause an increase in mental delusions.