5 ms·

Why exactly homelessness is a problem?

by elcct 11y ago

DanBC 11y ago
Homelessness and people being vulnerably housed are useful indicators of poor availability of mental health treatment; of poor availability of drug and alcohol treatment; of a lack of rehabilitation in criminal justice; of predatory and aggressive debt chasing; etc. There's a lot of misinformation and stigma around people who are vulnerably housed (often along the lines of "they did it themselves") so by by creating a culture that helps homeless people you're helping a potential future-you.
- elcct 11y ago
  Of course they are indicators, but why exactly this is a problem? What homeless people actually do so that you don't want them to be what they are?
  - DanBC 11y ago
    Why is it a problem that people with mental illness do not get treatment? That's a problem because it means they, and their family, suffer unnecessarily. It's a problem because early intervention is cheaper and more likely to be effective. > What homeless people actually do so that you don't want them to be what they are? Homeless people suffer. I don't like to see people suffer. I want to help people who are suffering so that their suffering stops.
    - elcct 11y ago
      > That's a problem because it means they, and their family, suffer unnecessarily. It's a problem because early intervention is cheaper and more likely to be effective. And why is that your business? > Homeless people suffer. I don't like to see people suffer. I want to help people who are suffering so that their suffering stops. Homelessness is a lifestyle for majority of homeless people. What if you don't like other lifestyles? Would you as well go trying to "help", because you don't like it?
      - jmngomes 11y ago
        > Homelessness is a lifestyle for majority of homeless people Can you please elaborate on that? Can you back that assertion that the majority of homeless people sees/chooses homelessness as a lifestyle? It's interesting (and appaling) how a lot of people think along the lines of "if it was me I'd be hustling to get out of it, so homeless people are either lazy or like it", not being able to empathize or understand the severe emotional hit you suffer when you're out of food and shelter, two very basic needs. Even more so because a lot of accounts describe formerly successful people getting sucked down a vortex of hunger, poverty and exclusion...
        elcct 11y ago
        I used to know a lot of people who for example had houses in another cities and were coming to tourist towns in season pretending to be homeless. They were making enough money to just sit on the couch off season. Also there is plenty of ways those people can stop being homeless if they don't want to. And you appear as someone who would like to force that change on them.
        dalke 11y ago
        Rather than annoy unqualified people with your insistent questions, you could do a spot of research, starting with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_Sta... . This would give you some of the reason why people are homeless, including demographic statistics at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#Statistics_and_demographics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_Sta... / You ask about the problems of homelessness. As https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#Effects_of_homelessness https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_Sta... points out, one of the problems is with homeless children. > homeless students are 1) 1.5 times more likely to perform below grade level in reading; 2) 1.5 times more likely to perform below grade level in spelling; and 3) 2.5 times more likely to perform below grade level in math. The demographics at that Wikipedia page say that '1.37 million (or 39%) of the total homeless population are children under the age of 18.'. The report at http://www.huduser.gov/Publications/pdf/ahar.pdf http://www.huduser.gov/Publications/pdf/ahar.pdf goes on to say: > Children under age 6 are disproportionately represented within both the sheltered homeless population and the poverty population. About 11 percent of all sheltered homeless people are under age 6, as are 12.7 percent of poor people, while only 8 percent of the total U.S. population is in this age group So, tell me again about all these 5 year olds you know with houses in another city? The Wikipedia page says: > Teenagers who flee or are thrown out by parents who disapprove of their child's sexual orientation or gender identity. A 2010 study by the Center for American Progress shows that a disproportionately high number of homeless youth (between 20–40%) identify as LGBTQ Tell me how many of these thrown-out LGBTQ teens have a house in another city, in any meaningful sense? It's clear from many, many new reports on the topic that a lot of people who are homeless both want a home and can't get it. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article31964259.html http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/a... reports : > But with shelters clogged with waiting lists, a large number of families end up living in cheap hotels and motels while they await an opening in a shelter. The January count showed 1,400 homeless adults and children housed in hotels and motels. You haven't done any research, you are ill-informed on the topic, and you ask insistent question - all signs of someone JAQing off.
onion2k 11y ago
There are two sorts of wealth - private wealth and public wealth. Private wealth is your nice house, your fancy car, your money in the bank. Having lots of private wealth is great and it means you lead a comfortable life. Public wealth is the society you live in. It's the quality of the roads you drive on, the cleanliness of the streets, the safety you feel walking around a city. To be happy you need both kinds of wealth. If you live in a big, expensive house and you drive a Ferrari, but there are parts of the city you live in where you don't want to go, then you aren't living a rich, full life. There'll be a constant reminder of how there are people worse off than you, and that will make you feel awful. People who are homeless effectively make everyone worse off. Helping to fix their problems makes your own life better.
- elcct 11y ago
  You still have not explained why homelessness is a problem. There is plenty of places on earth I wouldn't go to, for example Northern Canada it doesn't mean I am not living a full life. Should I be on the quest of speeding up global warming to be able to see palm trees growing there and finally make it suitable for me to go? Nonsense.

Why exactly homelessness is a problem?

by elcct 11y ago

Why exactly homelessness is a problem?

DanBC 11y ago

Homelessness and people being vulnerably housed are useful indicators of poor availability of mental health treatment; of poor availability of drug and alcohol treatment; of a lack of rehabilitation in criminal justice; of predatory and aggressive debt chasing; etc. There's a lot of misinformation and stigma around people who are vulnerably housed (often along the lines of "they did it themselves") so by by creating a culture that helps homeless people you're helping a potential future-you.

elcct 11y ago
Of course they are indicators, but why exactly this is a problem? What homeless people actually do so that you don't want them to be what they are?
- DanBC 11y ago
  Why is it a problem that people with mental illness do not get treatment? That's a problem because it means they, and their family, suffer unnecessarily. It's a problem because early intervention is cheaper and more likely to be effective. > What homeless people actually do so that you don't want them to be what they are? Homeless people suffer. I don't like to see people suffer. I want to help people who are suffering so that their suffering stops.
  - elcct 11y ago
    > That's a problem because it means they, and their family, suffer unnecessarily. It's a problem because early intervention is cheaper and more likely to be effective. And why is that your business? > Homeless people suffer. I don't like to see people suffer. I want to help people who are suffering so that their suffering stops. Homelessness is a lifestyle for majority of homeless people. What if you don't like other lifestyles? Would you as well go trying to "help", because you don't like it?
    - jmngomes 11y ago
      > Homelessness is a lifestyle for majority of homeless people Can you please elaborate on that? Can you back that assertion that the majority of homeless people sees/chooses homelessness as a lifestyle? It's interesting (and appaling) how a lot of people think along the lines of "if it was me I'd be hustling to get out of it, so homeless people are either lazy or like it", not being able to empathize or understand the severe emotional hit you suffer when you're out of food and shelter, two very basic needs. Even more so because a lot of accounts describe formerly successful people getting sucked down a vortex of hunger, poverty and exclusion...
      - elcct 11y ago
        I used to know a lot of people who for example had houses in another cities and were coming to tourist towns in season pretending to be homeless. They were making enough money to just sit on the couch off season. Also there is plenty of ways those people can stop being homeless if they don't want to. And you appear as someone who would like to force that change on them.
        dalke 11y ago
        Rather than annoy unqualified people with your insistent questions, you could do a spot of research, starting with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_Sta... . This would give you some of the reason why people are homeless, including demographic statistics at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#Statistics_and_demographics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_Sta... / You ask about the problems of homelessness. As https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_States#Effects_of_homelessness https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_the_United_Sta... points out, one of the problems is with homeless children. > homeless students are 1) 1.5 times more likely to perform below grade level in reading; 2) 1.5 times more likely to perform below grade level in spelling; and 3) 2.5 times more likely to perform below grade level in math. The demographics at that Wikipedia page say that '1.37 million (or 39%) of the total homeless population are children under the age of 18.'. The report at http://www.huduser.gov/Publications/pdf/ahar.pdf http://www.huduser.gov/Publications/pdf/ahar.pdf goes on to say: > Children under age 6 are disproportionately represented within both the sheltered homeless population and the poverty population. About 11 percent of all sheltered homeless people are under age 6, as are 12.7 percent of poor people, while only 8 percent of the total U.S. population is in this age group So, tell me again about all these 5 year olds you know with houses in another city? The Wikipedia page says: > Teenagers who flee or are thrown out by parents who disapprove of their child's sexual orientation or gender identity. A 2010 study by the Center for American Progress shows that a disproportionately high number of homeless youth (between 20–40%) identify as LGBTQ Tell me how many of these thrown-out LGBTQ teens have a house in another city, in any meaningful sense? It's clear from many, many new reports on the topic that a lot of people who are homeless both want a home and can't get it. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article31964259.html http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/a... reports : > But with shelters clogged with waiting lists, a large number of families end up living in cheap hotels and motels while they await an opening in a shelter. The January count showed 1,400 homeless adults and children housed in hotels and motels. You haven't done any research, you are ill-informed on the topic, and you ask insistent question - all signs of someone JAQing off.

onion2k 11y ago

There are two sorts of wealth - private wealth and public wealth. Private wealth is your nice house, your fancy car, your money in the bank. Having lots of private wealth is great and it means you lead a comfortable life. Public wealth is the society you live in. It's the quality of the roads you drive on, the cleanliness of the streets, the safety you feel walking around a city. To be happy you need both kinds of wealth. If you live in a big, expensive house and you drive a Ferrari, but there are parts of the city you live in where you don't want to go, then you aren't living a rich, full life. There'll be a constant reminder of how there are people worse off than you, and that will make you feel awful. People who are homeless effectively make everyone worse off. Helping to fix their problems makes your own life better.

elcct 11y ago
You still have not explained why homelessness is a problem. There is plenty of places on earth I wouldn't go to, for example Northern Canada it doesn't mean I am not living a full life. Should I be on the quest of speeding up global warming to be able to see palm trees growing there and finally make it suitable for me to go? Nonsense.