First Truth About the Homeless: Nobody Cares
 

June 12, 2005 latimes.com : Sunday Opinion : Commentary

First Truth About the Homeless: Nobody Cares

By Douglas MacKinnon, Douglas MacKinnon was press secretary to former Sen. Bob Dole. Now an author, he was also a White House and Pentagon official. vvvv

"He was somebody's baby." That was my thought as I was walking to work and noticed a 40-something man digging through the trash can in front of my building. How do you go from being someone's child to digging through trash cans and begging on the streets for survival?
If we are going to be truly honest when discussing the homeless, then we have to first admit that virtually nobody really cares about them. Nobody.

Oh sure, at certain times, politicians will pretend to care if it will play on the heartstrings of undecided voters. Some newspapers will run a story, either to demonstrate to their readers that they are good citizens or because there might be a Pulitzer Prize down the road.
Then, of course, what about us? The "un-homeless." What is our reaction to those we see begging and living on the street? For the most part, we shun them, we run from them and we avoid eye contact at all costs. Every once in a while, we drop a quarter or a dollar bill into their cups and hope God notices the gesture.
There is nothing wrong with any of those reactions. It's human nature to fear or run from what we don't understand.
As the child of two alcoholic parents, I found myself homeless a number of times. My entire childhood was spent living well below the poverty line, and yet, as an adult, I exhibit many of the reactions mentioned above.
For the most part, people just don't understand the homeless, how they got there or how to help them. As the old joke goes, "A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours."
There are a lot of "depressed" homeless people out there, yet the very tragedy of their existence does not enlighten even them with the solution to their misery. Why? Because there are no easy answers.
If we are going to be honest about the homeless, then we also have to admit that many are beyond any real help or hope. A large number of the homeless suffer from drug addiction and/or alcoholism, are mentally challenged or have decided to escape from the bounds of "normal" society.
Leaving that number aside, however, our nation does have an obligation to help the rest. It is criminally obscene for us to let one child go hungry for even one night in our country. Surely in an era when we have multiple bidders for million-dollar homes, we can figure out how to feed a malnourished child.
To do so, however, the political games must stop. The poor and the homeless are continually used as disposable pawns to be sacrificed in the defense of partisan rhetoric by those who hope to capitalize on their anguish. Who is guilty of such abuse? Republicans, Democrats, liberals, conservatives and the media.
Leaving such vile partisan tactics aside, the fact is the Bush administration is spending billions of dollars to fund housing and service programs around the country for the homeless and poverty-stricken. The fact is there still are too many Republicans who see the homeless as a problem for the Democrats. The fact is corporate America could do much more then it is doing now. The fact is the media could shine a much brighter spotlight on the issue.
We all could do more, but before that can happen, we have to accept that we can only save those who can and want to be saved. Period. The dilemma becomes: What kind of resources can we marshal? Who, aside from the children, are truly savable? And when can we have an honest debate on the issue?
The homeless are not some subhuman background noise to be ignored on our way to an appointment, but people who, for whatever reason, have been relegated to the lowest rung in society.
Life has taken their hopes, their dreams and family, but basic human dignity is a right that should never be stripped away — because they once were somebody's baby.

Re: First Truth About the Homeless: Nobody Cares
 

This is my work motto. I feel like most days I am beating a dead horse at work in dealing with other people who are trying to do what is "best" for my clients but many times, these clients don't want to have anything to do with what others say "is best". I am kinda jaded because I work with one of the most difficult populations out there (the severe and persistent mentally ill, substance abusers/court-mandated clients, many of whom are homeless or living with friends/elderly family members/in over crowded apartments/etc.) so I make my judgement solely based on what I see at work. There definately should be lots more money put into supportive housing for the mentally ill because this is one resource that is virtually non-existent in NYC. I mean, it exists, but there is definately not enough of it and wait lists are sometimes years and years long. But even if that did happen there would still be plenty of people out there that continue to not want this kind of resource and will sabotage all efforts others (ie. Social Workers ;) ) do to help them obtain these scarce supports. I am not going to lie and say this doesn't go on cuz I see it constantly.

sometimes I feel like I'm swimming against the tide when I give a homeless person money, then the next day I see him talking to his friend in a gas station about how much money he just made the last hour.

he lived right behind the gas station, and not in a carboard box but in a house.

things like that make me upset because
1. I feel like I just basically threw my money in a paper shredder for all the good it did
2. I feel like my good will was abused and
3. there really are homeless people in the world who could have used that money

anyone feel me on this one?

That's why I NEVER give a homeless person money. I'll give him food, or give money to a reliable organization that really can help those in need.

that reminds me of Scary Movie II when the guy tells the Katie Holms lookalike "I asked for a dollar, not a sandwich"

I agree. Many of the people I work with are on a very limited income (ie. $500 a month in SSI and $150 in food stamps) but take our program for example; we have funds that we HAVE to spend on things such as food for our clients otherwise those funds will get taken away. I know there are a ton of immigrants in our country that due to their illegal status are ineligible for entitlements such as Medicaid and food stamps but if they have a mental illness like many homeless people do, they are still eligible for programs like mine. We've even paid people's rent before. I mean, it is not ongoing from month to month, but if it is to prevent someone from getting evicted, we do it. Each situation needs to be evaluated on a case by case basis though. As I said, I work with the most extreme situations, who usually do not even want help. What about people that are homeless because say, a domestic violence situation, or their S.O. never allowed them to work, or they've been a stay at home mom most of their lives and the breadwinner leaves them or dies or something like that? It is really difficult to come up with the funds to get an apartment that way. Especially in an expensive urban environment such as NYC. It is really hard too because many people have their pride and just have a really difficult time seeking the help from others because so much judgement is involved. The best professor I had in SW school said to me that that is total BS that Social Work is a "non judgemental" profession. Comparing the populations I did is passing judgement in a sense, by saying who is "more worthier" for help. Wow, I am glad this thread was started, such an interesting topic.

Begging is institutionalized here in Oklahoma City. There are 'gangs' of beggars. They have all of the big intersections staked out all of the time with their cardboard signs, scruffy clothes, etc. I've actually seen the van that goes around and drops them off at their locations. I hear they can clear $20-$40/hr most days. I guess the fella in the van gets a cut?

I saw a beggar about a month ago standing there with his cardboard sign and camo pants... The one thing he had forgotten to do in order to clear up his "homeless" image was to park his $400 bike somewhere else.

There are some homeless people who have a corner staked out not too far from my office-- I look at them and think "you aren't getting an oscar for this role" If you are going to play homeless to earn cash then:
1. Don't be freshly shaven
2. For those of you who have the nasty beard, it should be nappy and dirty looking
3. Your nails wouldn't be that clean if you were homeless
4. Don't be wearing nice / new shoes.
5. Get your hands and face grimmy
6. Wear some baggy clothes, so you look underfed and hungry

But those "homeless people" with the dog sitting beside them do get me-- I don't give anything, but I want to give the dog a bone.

actually, we do care here.
 

Funny that this thread was started today.

In my community, the largest homelessness shelter in our county, run by the Christian Community Action (CCA), has just announced plans to purchase a new location for expansion.

The most noteworthy thing is that they had a 1.75 million dollar goal and already, $1.2 million has been raised- with the largest money source coming from churches in our community.

My church has pledged $60,000, which is not bad for a student center with under 290 families registered as parishoners.

Part of the reason our community is so supportive of that cause is because the CCA emphasizes education and "breaking the cycle." If order to be eligible for intake, you better be serious about turning your life around.

Today's Article in the Times

I also work with a lot of people who hover around the poverty level. I won't give money to the homeless/beggers, but I do keep McDonald's coupons and such. We also have an arrangement here at the office with two different restaurants; if we send someone there, we'll pick up the tab. They show up maybe half the time. One of the guys we dealt with on a fairly regular basis was found in an alley, with a needle in his arm.

What really gets to me are the 2-3-4th generation SSI or public assistance people. They can work the system like it's nobody's business! I know six women who have had a gastro-intestinal bypass, and one couple who have been artifically inseminated three times! There are entire families whose sole reason for being on SSI is because they have asthma (so do I, slacker!), or someone's missing half of a toe. It makes me ill to see our tax dollars abused like that!

Oh, my church has a Food Bank and an emergency shelter which I donate to on a regular basis. In fact, I think that most local churches have some sort of system for those in need.

That's the most difficult thing to work with, the regenerations of these problems. I see it with many of the people I work with. Many times it's not their fault but then again, it comes back to the argument of what comes first, the chicken or the egg? I don't know about in other states, but here in NY, there are Supported Employment Programs that help people with disabilities find and maintain employment. They even have the option to disclose about their illness so if they need to take off work due to stress, rehospitalization, or whatever, they will not lose their job. I struggle with this kind of stuff every day. The resources are there but what do you do when people don't want to use the resources? Or better yet, when their wackadoo family members are preventing them from being a success?

Bingo.

I had someone call off because she had to sign her 1 week old granddaughter for SSI, since her mother had asthma.

A pastor friend once said some words that apply to most situations: "You gotta wanna." About seven months ago, my mother felt sorry for a 45-year-old woman who has six brothers & sisters (including a twin) who will have nothing to do with her, so she let her stay in one of her apartments (my mother owns a building) for free. My mother has paid well over $3,000 in utilities for that apartment, and not once has the woman even offered to help her out with something! Now, she's upset because the air conditioning is (temporarily) disconnected - so she spent three nights in a $135/night HOTEL!!!

I figure it's very difficult to beg and people don't do it unless they truly are in a bad position.

I do care if it goes towards alcohol and drugs, but hey I understand they are addicted so I'm not going to stop and think about it.

Whatever. I tip half naked bar tenders well so there is no reason that I shouldn't give to a homeless person.

-Rudey