Quote:
Originally posted by PhiPsiRuss
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.
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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.