4 ms·

This first line here had promise, but it needed to go further. Being rich on its own isn't a social good, but you're right that it can be a good place to start:

by jddj 7y ago

This first line here had promise, but it needed to go further. Being rich on its own isn't a social good, but you're right that it can be a good place to start: https://www.effectivealtruism.org/ https://www.effectivealtruism.org/

DoreenMichele 7y ago
I was homeless for years. What I most needed was an earned income to help resolve my problems, but no one took that seriously. They saw me as a charity case who had nothing of value to offer and whom it would be cruel to expect work from. But, no, people were not throwing scads of money at me sufficient to resolve my problems out of compassion. It's always odd to me how people think it's only a social good if you are feeding and clothing someone else, not yourself.
- jddj 7y ago
  Totally, that these people have jobs and pay tax is great. Not being on the street just isn't really enough to write off all other ethical considerations though. Some might wish to set a slightly higher bar than that for people who are being compensated as well as people in software are in 2019 (I say this as someone working in software in 2019).
  - DoreenMichele 7y ago
    I'm not writing off all other ethical considerations.
- waterheater 7y ago
  If you don't mind, I'd like to get your perspective on some aspects of homelessness. With the right systems in place, we can virtually eliminate homelessness, but it needs to work for, well, the homeless, not some company preaching "social good." You say that what you needed most was finding an earned income. Based off this statement, I have a few questions: - Some cities are going into homeless camps and handing out housing vouchers. Their argument is that once you get people off the streets and into a domicile, many issues tend to resolve themselves, allowing the formerly-homeless to work toward stability. If you were given the opportunity to receive a housing voucher, would it have helped you get to where you are today? - To my knowledge, one hurdle the homeless must overcome when finding a job is what address to put down on a job application. Did this hurdle pose a challenge for you when trying to find a job? (An idea I just came up with: providing the homeless with a free P.O. box to allow them to still receive mail. Perhaps this program or one like it exists, but I've never heard of it before.) - Many homeless live in cities where the job market is highly competitive. Imagine an employer provided short-term housing for the homeless but was not located in a city. (Example scenario: a factory in rural America.) Do you see any potential in this program? Thank you! > It's always odd to me how people think it's only a social good if you are feeding and clothing someone else, not yourself. These people seem to have never learned some pretty ancient wisdom. One phrasing of it goes, "give a man a fish; feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; feed him for a lifetime." Skills (however simple or complex) pay the bills.
  - DoreenMichele 7y ago
    If you were given the opportunity to receive a housing voucher, would it have helped you get to where you are today? I doubt it. I was offered housing on more than one occasion. Sometimes, it was a friend sincerely trying to help but it was very far away (thousands of miles) and substandard. I have health issues. I need my housing to not be making me sicker than I already am. Sometimes, it was in exchange for sleeping with them. This was a non starter for various reasons. A home is more than a roof over your head. It means you belong, you have some kind of security and so forth. Some homeless people float from dive hotel to dive hotel and are not literally out in the street. It's still a huge hardship to live that way. I have researched housing policy and homelessness. We have some serious housing supply issues. I'm trying to figure out how to write about that on a blog called Project: SRO. It's so far got an About page. I'm not up for trying to outline our complicated housing supply issues in an HN post. I think I need an entire website for that and I'm struggling with where to start that explanation. Re addresses. I always (technically) had a mailing address while homeless and usually had access to mail service. I would like to see more mailing address services for the homeless, plus more free phones and some kind of storage locker service. People sometimes have job interviews and don't know where to stash their backpack. I provide various informational resources in the form of a group of websites. This includes talking about making money online. A lot of homeless people have personal handicaps and a regular job may be a poor fit. I began doing freelance work while homeless as one piece of the puzzle for resolving my own issues. I think that's a better option for some people.

by jddj 7y ago

DoreenMichele 7y ago

I was homeless for years. What I most needed was an earned income to help resolve my problems, but no one took that seriously. They saw me as a charity case who had nothing of value to offer and whom it would be cruel to expect work from. But, no, people were not throwing scads of money at me sufficient to resolve my problems out of compassion. It's always odd to me how people think it's only a social good if you are feeding and clothing someone else, not yourself.

jddj 7y ago
Totally, that these people have jobs and pay tax is great. Not being on the street just isn't really enough to write off all other ethical considerations though. Some might wish to set a slightly higher bar than that for people who are being compensated as well as people in software are in 2019 (I say this as someone working in software in 2019).
- DoreenMichele 7y ago
  I'm not writing off all other ethical considerations.
waterheater 7y ago
If you don't mind, I'd like to get your perspective on some aspects of homelessness. With the right systems in place, we can virtually eliminate homelessness, but it needs to work for, well, the homeless, not some company preaching "social good." You say that what you needed most was finding an earned income. Based off this statement, I have a few questions: - Some cities are going into homeless camps and handing out housing vouchers. Their argument is that once you get people off the streets and into a domicile, many issues tend to resolve themselves, allowing the formerly-homeless to work toward stability. If you were given the opportunity to receive a housing voucher, would it have helped you get to where you are today? - To my knowledge, one hurdle the homeless must overcome when finding a job is what address to put down on a job application. Did this hurdle pose a challenge for you when trying to find a job? (An idea I just came up with: providing the homeless with a free P.O. box to allow them to still receive mail. Perhaps this program or one like it exists, but I've never heard of it before.) - Many homeless live in cities where the job market is highly competitive. Imagine an employer provided short-term housing for the homeless but was not located in a city. (Example scenario: a factory in rural America.) Do you see any potential in this program? Thank you! > It's always odd to me how people think it's only a social good if you are feeding and clothing someone else, not yourself. These people seem to have never learned some pretty ancient wisdom. One phrasing of it goes, "give a man a fish; feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; feed him for a lifetime." Skills (however simple or complex) pay the bills.
- DoreenMichele 7y ago
  If you were given the opportunity to receive a housing voucher, would it have helped you get to where you are today? I doubt it. I was offered housing on more than one occasion. Sometimes, it was a friend sincerely trying to help but it was very far away (thousands of miles) and substandard. I have health issues. I need my housing to not be making me sicker than I already am. Sometimes, it was in exchange for sleeping with them. This was a non starter for various reasons. A home is more than a roof over your head. It means you belong, you have some kind of security and so forth. Some homeless people float from dive hotel to dive hotel and are not literally out in the street. It's still a huge hardship to live that way. I have researched housing policy and homelessness. We have some serious housing supply issues. I'm trying to figure out how to write about that on a blog called Project: SRO. It's so far got an About page. I'm not up for trying to outline our complicated housing supply issues in an HN post. I think I need an entire website for that and I'm struggling with where to start that explanation. Re addresses. I always (technically) had a mailing address while homeless and usually had access to mail service. I would like to see more mailing address services for the homeless, plus more free phones and some kind of storage locker service. People sometimes have job interviews and don't know where to stash their backpack. I provide various informational resources in the form of a group of websites. This includes talking about making money online. A lot of homeless people have personal handicaps and a regular job may be a poor fit. I began doing freelance work while homeless as one piece of the puzzle for resolving my own issues. I think that's a better option for some people.