toldailytopic: Homeless people: how should a society handle them?

[Angel4Truth]

Are there no workhouses? Are there no prisons?

Provide them food, shelter, education, and get them back on their feet.

What if they don't want your help? What then?

Believe it or not, there are many people who would rather live under a bridge than be under any authority at all or be told anything to do, including take a shower, or get in line for a meal.

 

[Psalmist]

toldailytopic: Homeless people: how should a society handle them?​

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I'm speaking of street people. The type who live under bridges and spend most of the day drunk.

Great question and clarification.

I think a person can help as best they can, using some wisdom as to helping the street people. Help as we can, and go our way, after all it does ease our conscience, right?

Are we enabling the street people when we help, and to the one we help it is not a hand up and out the street life but a continuance of the same thing day after day. We need to judge rightly when we help, when do help and it leaves our hands it is like when receive something from another person what we do with it is our and out of theirs.

Some would rather be in that venue of life and be left alone save for the bit of money or other stuff the get from others by a free hand. Their life is what it is and shuffle along the streets in the day and stay under bridges or huddle in door ways at night and for some they say that's okay, after all what's the worst than can happen, dying, for some that is a blessing.

I say help as we can, I think we can tell the advantage takers from the street people who are not advantage takers who have only known this way of life, maybe they are safer on the streets than at the mercy of those who only help for the sake of notoriety.

So, again I say, help as we can, it is ours to do or not to do, for even God is kind to us who could have been in the place.

Still it's a great question that is still on going.​

 

[This Charming Manc]

If people don't want help they don't get it, that is easy.

But that is different from saying 'all homeless people are free-loaders and its not Christian to help them' as some have suggested on here.

What if they don't want your help? What then?

Believe it or not, there are many people who would rather live under a bridge than be under any authority at all or be told anything to do, including take a shower, or get in line for a meal.

 

[Huckleberry]

I'm a little surprised at how many people are confusing "homeless" with "bum". From what I've seen most chronically homeless folks are addicts or mentally ill. Those that weren't didn't stay homeless for long.

I'm sure there are some that qualify as the "bums" that seem to be the focus here. In fact, that stands to reason. But I don't believe they make up even a large enough fraction of the homeless for the two to ever be confused.

Of course, I've been there. So maybe I'm assuming too much.

 

[Grosnick Marowbe]

Okay, fine. I didn't dispute that. I was taking issue with Inzl's dismissive attitude more than anything.



Then you're one of the few who puts your money where your mouth is.:thumb:



Well, again. See above. Writing off the needy or destitute as a free-loading rabble sticks in my craw, Wile. There's a heartlessness at work there at odds with the time of year.



Again, no issues with you so far. Plenty of people abuse charity. Others don't. When it comes to this subject I don't really care for blanket statements. The ones they sleep under are ratty enough...

Good post!!

 

[Arthur Brain]

Dereliction should be a crime. People should not be building shelters for derelicts. Jail is where they belong-or a dry dock if they really want to change.

A crime? What for exactly, not having somewhere to live? Does it even occur to you that plenty of those on the streets have been through dire circumstances leading to such along with inexperience, abuse, mental problems etc? You think they all just want to live in a box in the winter drinking meths or something?! Your ignorance is downright appalling.

Heck, I guess the rich man should not only have denied Lazarus the crumbs off his table, he should have had his butt tossed into the nearest clink as well.

Some of you lot are un bloody believeable. 'Christian charity'? What a joke.

lain:

 

[Grosnick Marowbe]

A crime? What for exactly, not having somewhere to live? Does it even occur to you that plenty of those on the streets have been through dire circumstances leading to such along with inexperience, abuse, mental problems etc? You think they all just want to live in a box in the winter drinking meths or something?! Your ignorance is downright appalling.

Heck, I guess the rich man should not only have denied Lazarus the crumbs off his table, he should have had his butt tossed into the nearest clink as well.

Some of you lot are un bloody believeable. 'Christian charity'? What a joke.

lain:

Good post

 

[Cracked]

I am going to assume that in different parts of the county the situation for the homeless or very poor is, well, different. Where I live, there is almost no reason for a mentally stable person who is a little motivated to go hungry--we've got that covered. In addition, there is at least temporary housing available for non-addicts/non-violent people. This leaves 3 groups--the untreated and significantly mentally ill, the addicts, and the lazy. Usually, there is crossover between these categories--many are all three at once (which makes sense, if you think about it). That being said, you simply do not see people starving in the streets--and this is a very good thing!

I suspect there are other parts of the country that don't quite work this way, I understand.

If you want to help people give them the opportunity, and the assistance, to help themselves. It is NOT just opportunity, it is NOT just assistance--it's both. If you were on the street, wouldn't you want someone to do that for you?

 

[Lon]

It seems like... the more shelters you build the more homeless people are attracted to your city.

I think this is true. There is no question that a good many of them are living for the bottle. Sooooo.....

I think ministries like the Salvation Army's works well. If the homeless aren't reprobate (stuck) they can get a hand up and out. I'm always for helping those on the way out....er....out!

We all need help from the bottom of the barrel. God was watching out for Job, which is good because nobody else seemed to be

After that, Knight, I think I understand where you are coming from. A homeless person with no aspirations but to throw his own life away is hard to help. I don't fault the mission trying. We each have our own strengths. Like you perhaps, this doesn't seem to be one of mine but I appreciate those whose hope is unassailable. I love mission workers for that.

I think, if we err, an error in loving is the best kind of way to err. I'd certainly like to see us work smarter, however.

 

[eameece]

I don't think we need laws against panhandling. People can just say no if they don't want to give to a beggar.

 

[eameece]

Some of you lot are un bloody believeable. 'Christian charity'? What a joke.

lain:

Yes. If Christians are not for charity, who are they following, and what book are they reading that they consider the word of God?

 

[Stripe]

I'm speaking of street people. The type who live under bridges and spend most of the day drunk.

I live beside a bridge. I've never been drunk before though. :noid:

 

[Angel4Truth]

It seems like... the more shelters you build the more homeless people are attracted to your city.

A lot of places give homeless people free one way tickets to another place, to remove them from their cities.

New york does it: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,535241,00.html

Fort lauderdale does it: http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/20...0111220_1_homeless-people-bus-tickets-program

Lots of other cities do it too.

Guess they choose places with lots of homeless shelters.

 

[Angel4Truth]

Yes. If Christians are not for charity, who are they following, and what book are they reading that they consider the word of God?

Where do you draw the line between charity and enablement?

 

[Wile E. Coyote]

Dereliction should be a crime. People should not be building shelters for derelicts. Jail is where they belong-or a dry dock if they really want to change.

These are the most unkind and uncharitable words I have ever heard from a professing Christian. I am ashamed.

But I will report my post before you do. I am in a freakin bad mood today so why not report my own post.

 

[Grosnick Marowbe]

These are the most unkind and uncharitable words I have ever heard from a professing Christian. I am ashamed.

But I will report my post before you do. I am in a freakin bad mood today so why not report my own post.

Good post, and accurate!!

 

[Arthur Brain]

These are the most unkind and uncharitable words I have ever heard from a professing Christian. I am ashamed.

But I will report my post before you do. I am in a freakin bad mood today so why not report my own post.

This post deserves pos repping not reporting dude. Some of the "Christian" attitudes towards those less fortunate in society downright reek frankly.

:thumb:

 

[Wile E. Coyote]

This post deserves pos repping not reporting dude. Some of the "Christian" attitudes towards those less fortunate in society downright reek frankly.

:thumb:

I was being facetious. :chuckle:

Thanks for the pos rep.

 

[Arthur Brain]

Where do you draw the line between charity and enablement?

Do you think homeless people should be tossed in jail?

 

[Arthur Brain]

I was being facetious. :chuckle:

Thanks for the pos rep.

Well it was very subtle then.