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Maybe it's the naive and hopeless romantic in me, but when I read the part about "devising a strategy to prevent people from encouraging his homelessness," I co

by mcantor 17y ago

Maybe it's the naive and hopeless romantic in me, but when I read the part about "devising a strategy to prevent people from encouraging his homelessness," I couldn't help but feel a gentle pang of indignation. I almost feel like it's too bad that they can't accept this man for the "iconic" symbol that he seems to be, according to locals.

wdewind 17y ago
“I just have this dream that all of a sudden something will snap, and he’ll say, I’d love to have housing,” said Amie Pospisil, an associate director at Common Ground Community, a nonprofit that conducts street outreach. “I don’t rule out that it could happen.” REEEKS of judgment. Maybe he's fine on his own? I think it's fair to bet that he's been homeless longer than the outreach people have been outreach people, maybe he knows something they dont (like he's doing what he wants to?). I'm all for helping those who want it, but there is a thin line between assistance and judgment as so many others are pointing out...
- qeorge 17y ago
  I know what you're saying, but its important not to discount the mental illness usually associated with chronic homelessness. Housing certainly should not be forced upon him, but when someone is hurting themselves sometimes you have to push them to stop. Its never so black and white.
  - electromagnetic 17y ago
    Is he considered mentally ill because he's homeless or is he homeless because he's mentally ill? There's a distinction between the two, and how my reading of the article comes across is that they're suggesting he's mentally ill because he doesn't want housing. I'd assert that the people doing cross-nation marathons spending night after night sleeping in a tent on a roadside are far more mentally ill than a man choosing not to have a home. He doesn't need to be treated for being homeless, if he has a condition he needs to be treated for its cause not its effect. Where I grew up there was a chronic homeless man. Throughout the summer months he saved enough money to ride out the winter in a cheap apartment. He busked with a guitar and harmonica and was homeless by choice. He frequently refused people's donation if they threw in anything too big, especially to the kids and teenagers. As he once said to me, he chose to be homeless and live off generosity rather than be homed and live off charity.
Goladus 17y ago
Who says they don't accept him for the iconic symbol he seems to be? That doesn't mean they don't also want to get him off the streets, for both practical and compassionate reasons.
ElliotH 17y ago
It does seem a bit harsh on him. I mean sure offer him a way out now and then - but 'prevent(ing) people from encouraging his homelessness' seems an awful lot like saying "don't give him food" - we have signs like that where I live - except they're aimed at pigeons, not people.

by mcantor 17y ago

wdewind 17y ago

“I just have this dream that all of a sudden something will snap, and he’ll say, I’d love to have housing,” said Amie Pospisil, an associate director at Common Ground Community, a nonprofit that conducts street outreach. “I don’t rule out that it could happen.” REEEKS of judgment. Maybe he's fine on his own? I think it's fair to bet that he's been homeless longer than the outreach people have been outreach people, maybe he knows something they dont (like he's doing what he wants to?). I'm all for helping those who want it, but there is a thin line between assistance and judgment as so many others are pointing out...

qeorge 17y ago
I know what you're saying, but its important not to discount the mental illness usually associated with chronic homelessness. Housing certainly should not be forced upon him, but when someone is hurting themselves sometimes you have to push them to stop. Its never so black and white.
- electromagnetic 17y ago
  Is he considered mentally ill because he's homeless or is he homeless because he's mentally ill? There's a distinction between the two, and how my reading of the article comes across is that they're suggesting he's mentally ill because he doesn't want housing. I'd assert that the people doing cross-nation marathons spending night after night sleeping in a tent on a roadside are far more mentally ill than a man choosing not to have a home. He doesn't need to be treated for being homeless, if he has a condition he needs to be treated for its cause not its effect. Where I grew up there was a chronic homeless man. Throughout the summer months he saved enough money to ride out the winter in a cheap apartment. He busked with a guitar and harmonica and was homeless by choice. He frequently refused people's donation if they threw in anything too big, especially to the kids and teenagers. As he once said to me, he chose to be homeless and live off generosity rather than be homed and live off charity.

Goladus 17y ago

Who says they don't accept him for the iconic symbol he seems to be? That doesn't mean they don't also want to get him off the streets, for both practical and compassionate reasons.

ElliotH 17y ago

It does seem a bit harsh on him. I mean sure offer him a way out now and then - but 'prevent(ing) people from encouraging his homelessness' seems an awful lot like saying "don't give him food" - we have signs like that where I live - except they're aimed at pigeons, not people.