I hate the homeless

[bloke57]

Originally Posted by pharoahegypt

That is total horsecrap! Fact!!

The split is more likely 20/80. The killer for most of them is in fact to do with addiction. Addiction to alcohol, drugs, or other illicitly found products.

Not fact.

Usually the addiction is a symptom, not a cause. See my previous post.

[Welderman]

Originally Posted by bloke57

Blimey! Where can you get a cuppa for 50p?

I can't tell you mate, you're not homeless..

[Arturo2nd]

Addiction is a symptom of mental illness. Often the addict or alcoholic is trying to self medicate to deal with overwhelming emotions. The problem with this approach is that addiction, whether to a drug, alcohol, or some combination of both, then becomes a problem unto itself which must be resolved before the underlying conflicts can be addressed. Alcohol and meth in particular can cause brain damage to the point that the addict loses the power of choice, although we don't know where that line is. Very few are so troubled that they wind up cast adrift, but in times like these the safety net is frayed and it is harder to both provide for ones basic needs and come back from tumbling out of the normal flow of life. But drunks and druggies can handle a lot of pain and misery. Recovery puts good things and love in the space. Addicts have a much harder time dealing with those.

[pharoahegypt]

I think some people are confusing homelessness with addiction. Like I said, I'm back working with the homeless after a few years break; done it for 6yrs first time around, been back for 6 months; & nothing much has changed, but not all are addicts. I have been 'addicted' to nicotine for most of my life, but I'm neither classed an addict in those terms, I suffer from no mental illness, nor am I homeless.

The bulk of the people I deal with are indeed addicted to either drugs or alcohol; a few both; but the majority of them do not also suffer with a mental illness as a result of their addiction, but have often only fell into it after already having been diagnosed with the likes of Schizophrenia, Bi-Polar, or other mental disorders beforehand. There are also a fair number of what you might call genuine homeless who have no addictions or mental health issues, but just have gotten trapped in the system, have no entitlement to benefits, so have no choice but to sleep rough, battling with the more lower life also out there, who continually rob from them, or just beat them up for kicks.

It's a cruel world out there for those people, but sadly most people only want to do anything about it at this time of year. If more effort was made the rest of the year then we might just put a dent into the blight on our streets. Oddly, I find it odd that despite the low percentage of the homeless being of Asian origin, it seems that most of the food donations I deal with are coming from within that community; 'Outreach' aside.

[bloke57]

Originally Posted by pharoahegypt

I think some people are confusing homelessness with addiction. Like I said, I'm back working with the homeless after a few years break; done it for 6yrs first time around, been back for 6 months; & nothing much has changed, but not all are addicts. I have been 'addicted' to nicotine for most of my life, but I'm neither classed an addict in those terms, I suffer from no mental illness, nor am I homeless.

I must confess that your experience is more recent than mine - I took part in studies for DOE and DWP but that was more than 15 years ago now.

So I'm not quite sure where we are with this - I just think that to state something as a "fact" was a bit OTT when a quite in-depth government study found it very hard to find hard-and-fast conclusions. Many, many factors and individual stories.

What we did find then were a lot of ex-service personnel with untreated PTSD - and it had been that mental stress that had led to drug and alcohol abuse and then on to homelessness. Maybe times have changed in which case I bow to your superior recent knowledge.

[MaxJoker]

Originally Posted by otokonomidori

So why Labour didn't end the sale of public housing when they came to power in 1997?

Because that wasn't Labour , it was New Labour as in Tory right Lite .

This is the first thread I've ever contributed to where I haven't been able to thank the originator
Because how can anybody hate the homeless
You may as well hate the poor and uneducated while you`re at it.
Hate those who never stood a true chance of average middling success.
Hate the tragically unfortunate.
Those that weren't guided even once.

Hate the people blocking your path as they queue outside the food banks.
How dare they be hungry

Hate the disabled for not being born "Normal" while you`re at it.

Hate those that were born fine but through an unexpected accident now are disabled.

Grrrrrrr , if there`s anything I hate most it`s those who've had unexpected accidents and health problems so are now disabled or needing financial aid

Who`s to say why the homeless find their lives have hatefully turned out this way.
Many of them do have varying mental issues that`s for certain
High five to Thatcher for closing down the homes that used to house them and look after them.
What a leader.
Country is (Briefly) flush with Oil money so let`s fcuk those that need now and will require in the future our care . Give tax breaks to the wealthiest instead and deregulate corporations.

Anyone of us by a dreadful run of happenings could find ourselves out there in the cold alone remember

I've given directly to the real homeless (As opposed to the fake middle eastern or Slavic ones with phony frowns on their faces and iPhones in their back pockets ) and shall continue to.
I`ll interact with them like the human beings there are also.
Ok plenty of them spend what little they get on drugs or booze. Maybe those addictions led to where they are now.
But these are people suffering depression in the main who believe themselves failures , worthless outcasts. Course they`re going to want to block that sort of dreadful reality out.

So hate the Government that isn't there to provide sufficient help to our homeless , yes.
Yet has enough money to throw tens of billions on white elephant jobs for the boys ego projects like HS2.
But hate the homeless themselves ? . Never !.

[hound dog]

Being homeless has to be the toughest existence I can imagine. I pity them their situation without judging them on how they got there.

[Arturo2nd]

Here in Oakland it seems that a pretty fair number of our homeless are ex-convicts. Programs that used to provide job training and placement have been eliminated. Employers are reluctant to hire ex-cons, most especially people of color. Many eventually tire of living outdoors and re-offend, thus running afoul of mandatory sentencing guidelines. Lousy roommates and crappy food, but it is "3 hots and a cot."

[Mags1234]

Any one of us could be in that situation, you're still the same person just without a roof over your bonce, bit of compassion wouldn't go amiss surely, don't know how I'd kip in a doorway in minus figures seriously, cold enough indoors.

[Rogerbh]

If two or three homeless decide to camp out on your property, continually creating headaches and messes, I doubt you will never rant about them.