July 11, 2019
I don’t understand why there are homeless people in rich countries. Maybe these people are indeed extremely impoverished or, without meaning to be rude or insensitive, maybe its their choice to live this way.
I hate to see humans living in this dire condition. I want to believe that these homeless people still have a choice most especially for citizens in this land of equal opportunities. Maybe it’s not as easy as I think it is, but there is always a choice that is presented to us. We all have value. It is up to us to recognize our potential to give ourselves our true worth. We want to be an asset to this world and not a liability.
We want to contribute to our community to offset the blessings we take. We want to enjoy autonomy. Being able to feed ourselves and care for our family without the need to beg from other people.
There’s more to life than sitting there and waiting for someone to take pity on you. drop a coin, a bill or write a check. Stand-up. Rise!
Early morning in Harvard Square
OMB,
There are many reasons why they become homeless. Some of them are mentally sick. they like to live on the street. Some have problems with their landlords and were evicted. Some lost their jobs or lost in the stockmarket, they cannot afford a place to stay. Some are rich, infact a woman has owned plenty of apartments in upstate of New York, but prefers to live on the street. Some is a matter of choice, like of being dependent to the help of the State and City, free food, free shelter, free pantry, they are like parasites, why work when they can get free food and shelter being on welfare.
Hi Dee, You are correct. Each has a different circumstance. Some have become so unfortunate that they end up living in the streets. Some are sick and have no one to turn to. There are many who choose to stay that way although they are still strong and able.
Homelessness is not always a choice. There are people who may have been evicted and not able to find a place to live. Taxes are also very high in some places. Sometimes people lose everything they have at the same time (job, savings, home), and then have no where else to go. Sometimes women flee abusive situations and are unable to find a safe place to live. Some people have mental health issues and cannot support themselves. Did you also know that unless you have an address, it is really difficult to find a job? And then you really can’t move anywhere until you have money to move there. While there are some people who are homeless by choice (chronic homelessness), there are people who are temporarily homeless and are trying to find their footing. Don’t be so judgemental.
Hi, Thank you for sharing your views. There are almost 600,000 homeless people in America and I understand that there could be 600,000 different reasons why they ended up homeless. Each has his own story to tell. You are right, some are mentally ill, lost jobs, sick, no friends or relatives to temporarily house them, etc. Seeing them around, observing them, I still believe that a good number are not exercising their right to choose a more decent life. I spoke to one guy I gave a dollar to in Union Square, he said he has a brother in Utah and his mother is still alive and living in their family home in Ohio but he doesn’t want to live with her because she’s old and grumpy. It sounded to me as more of a choice and not of a circumstance. One black guy who has a fantastic singing voice told me he was a member of a band in New Orleans but when he got divorced from his childhood sweetheart, he became depressed and decided to move to California. He’s been living in the streets for over 15 years. When I told him “why don’t you go back to New Orleans and live with your daughter instead of being homeless here?” He said “Nawww, I don’t want to see my wife and her new husband. I’ll stay here”.
It’s a “Catch-22” You need an address to find a job but you need money to rent an apartment (for security deposit, etc). How can you get a job when you don’t have an address? How can you rent an apartment when you don’t have a job?
Hi, That is correct, it’s a chicken and egg situation. There must be a way out of that situation. Like what I’ve said in my post a few years ago, poverty is a multi-dimensional problem that needs a multi-dimensional approach. To minimize homelessness, it should be a common task between the government agencies— housing and healthcare, with the help of non-profit organizations, the community, and the homeless persons.