Actually, a cousin of mine is (or was until recently) in just that situation. He's afflicted with schizophrenia, he chose not to take his meds, and until recently was on the street.

What got him off the street?

He heard Jesus tell him to set himself on fire, so he did. Now he's been at the burn ward at the local hospital for a few months now. After that, IF he survives, he'll likely live out his days in a psychiatric facility in an extremely medicated state.

When someone like that wants to be off their meds and on the street, there's just not a lot you can do for them. They still have their right to be free and do what they want with themselves. Would you take that right away?

I understand that you haven't read the whole thread. Neither would I.

At any rate, about 2-3 pages ago, I apologized for my imprecise language. I meant to have a semi-humorous bitch session re panhandlers, not the homeless who more-less leave me alone.

You're right --- I didn't read every post in the thread, just skimmed through because there were so many. Sorry I missed your earlier post!

But remember, many times, it is up to the individual what they chose to do.

I am not saying this applys to ever person.

But with the health care that Our Govt. is professing, there are more and more on the streets. Some of the biggest groups are ex military types that are forgotten or do not really care and want to hide from people.

If that is the case, then there is no help and why then should I or anyone else want to support them.

They must need to help themselves if possible! Some are just scam artists period.

I agree with you both, and yet, being approached by panhandlers scares me. I don't think it is simply my inability to control them, like someone suggested we might feel in an example involving status and waitresses. It's that they might do me harm.

I think what limited information that I've ever been given about protecting myself and self defense reinforces to be aware of the people around you. With panhandlers, my fear may be irrational but it might not be; I don't know, and it scares me to be approached because while mental illness explains why homeless people may not be employable, it doesn't make them any safer to be around. And I think a few panhandlers depend on this fear when they solicit donations; there's an implied threat or menacing nature to their approach.

Now, I think the majority of panhandlers are probably entirely safe, but I'm still not that comfortable being approached. There's a small change of danger; there's a significant change of my being scammed; and there's very little chance at all that I will help anyone in a significant way. In fact, I might be enabling choices that are likely to be even more destructive.

I want to help homeless people. I want to help poor people. But I also would like to remain unaccosted by strangers. I'd like public spaces to be unthreatening to us all, and I don't think that tolerance of begging is a good long term strategy for helping the homeless.

Just a side note... many schizophrenics don't "choose" to go off their meds. Its a roller-coaster monster inside of you that screams "I'M FINE!" to yourself & the world even though you are absolutely not fine. Many schizophrenics, especially those without a good education about the nature of the beast, don't realize that the "good days" are greatly affected through consistent medication.

In a very VERY primal form of an analogy - think of it like antibiotics... you may have a 10 day prescription, but after 2 or 3 days, you feel much better so you quit taking them. Then, a few days later, you have 10x worse the infection than before because you didn't finish the full 10 days... I know that antibiotics/infection =/= antipsychotics/schizophrenia, but its a very basic analogy so that you get the idea.

Never said it was.

To go alone with this line of thought . . sometimes the side effects of meds are simply intolerable.

Or they just change who you perceive yourself to be so much they are not worth it to the person.

It's a really hard dilemma ... we shouldn't dictate what a person should do with their own bodies and brains, but when they are better (in the eyes of everyone else, if not themselves) on their meds, it's just so awful to know that they could be different. And what can you do with that? :(

Just thought I'd share.....

I was at Ingram Park in Birmingham yesterday. My group leader asked a homeless-looking man what he knew about the park (it's a civil rights memorial park and he looked pretty old, she figured he'd have been around for it). He pointed out a lot of interesting things and told us some great stories while his female friend stood behind him, twitching and scratching with "I'M ON DRUGS" practically tattooed on her forehead. Well, afterward, he had gathered quite a crowd since another tour group was in the park and they came over to listen. When he was done we all applauded him and some of us gave him some money. Someone had just given me $20 and I still had $10 left, so I decided to pass the blessing, you know? Well, when I held it out to him, he said "Oh, thank you!!" and reached for it...and this twitching, scratching female snatched it out my hand, said "Aha!! This one's mine!!" and took off running.

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

I thought of this thread when I was in the U City Loop today. Some scruffy looking guy approached me and my friend...he asked us for a few dollars for some Church's chicken, lol. We gave it to him, I don't know if he actually went there though.

There is a big difrence between those who decide to and those who decide not to!:mad:

Some maybe ought to make a distinction on this subject first.

I have seen both sides and there is a difference.

Try hitch hiking down the Highway as I was thrown into and had the fine abilitie of a XO who gave me a lift. Warned her of picking up waifs as it were.

Thank goodness she aided me!:)

As someone once stated, "Help or get out of the way"!:cool:

That's Episcopal-speak too. ;) Or rather KJV-speak.

As for the homeless thing.......I had a guy in downtown Atlanta tell me he would bite me and give me AIDS if I didn't give him $$. I said many bad words and told him where he could shove the nearest blunt object. Classy, huh? :o I try not to act like that now. It was many years ago.

In college, we would just go buy them a bag of food from the BK near campus and give them the food.

When I lived in Atlanta, there was a guy there in Midtown who I passed everyday on my way to work and he had really funny signs he would be holding. One was "Yeah, I'll probably buy beer" and one was "Need a Spa Day" (He was pretty scruffy with REALLY long hair). I actually gave him $$ for the creativity. :D

My Favorite Homeless Guy: Willie James Huff a.k.a Funky Chicken

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MEHvRlWe-XI