Homeless people

DSTRen13 · #1 03-22-2007, 10:39 AM

Reading over this thread, I am really shocked (probably more than I should be, admittedly). If you stop for a minute and really think about it, I'm sure that you all know someone (a relative, friend's relative, someone!) who it wouldn't take a great stretch of the imagination to picture homeless. If your Uncle Joe, or Aunt Jane, or your friend Jen's Granpa John, or whoever, DIDN'T have a family looking out for them and taking care of them, then where would they be? How would strangers see them, when they are dirty, and alone, and not on their pills? To you, they are a familiar face who deserves compassion and help, but tweak the circumstances just a little bit, and then they're that bum on the street who scares people and everyone is so horrified and angry about.

risingstar · #2 03-22-2007, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DSTRen13

Reading over this thread, I am really shocked (probably more than I should be, admittedly). If you stop for a minute and really think about it, I'm sure that you all know someone (a relative, friend's relative, someone!) who it wouldn't take a great stretch of the imagination to picture homeless. If your Uncle Joe, or Aunt Jane, or your friend Jen's Granpa John, or whoever, DIDN'T have a family looking out for them and taking care of them, then where would they be? How would strangers see them, when they are dirty, and alone, and not on their pills? To you, they are a familiar face who deserves compassion and help, but tweak the circumstances just a little bit, and then they're that bum on the street who scares people and everyone is so horrified and angry about.

Exactly. My husband has an uncle. Child support takes his whole check. He has nothing. Finally, his car was repo'ed and he could not get to work and he lost his job. Because of this, he could not pay his rent and was evicted. He ended up in a mission. During the day, a bus took everyone downtown and unloaded them in the park. They had to take their belongings with them and wonder around aimlessly and pray that at the end of the day, they could score a bed at the mission again (Exactly like on The Pursuit of Happyness). He is not on drugs and he is not an alcoholic. But he refused to let someone know that he was in desperate need. He was trying to get back on his feet on his own. Finally my father-in-law took him in and is helping him get on his feet.

Kevin · #3 03-22-2007, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DSTRen13

Reading over this thread, I am really shocked (probably more than I should be, admittedly). If you stop for a minute and really think about it, I'm sure that you all know someone (a relative, friend's relative, someone!) who it wouldn't take a great stretch of the imagination to picture homeless. If your Uncle Joe, or Aunt Jane, or your friend Jen's Granpa John, or whoever, DIDN'T have a family looking out for them and taking care of them, then where would they be? How would strangers see them, when they are dirty, and alone, and not on their pills? To you, they are a familiar face who deserves compassion and help, but tweak the circumstances just a little bit, and then they're that bum on the street who scares people and everyone is so horrified and angry about.

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?

AXO Alum · #4 03-22-2007, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin

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.

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.

James · #5 03-23-2007, 01:26 AM

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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AXO Alum

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.

DSTRen13 · #6 03-23-2007, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James

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?

christiangirl · #7 04-01-2007, 02:55 PM

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.

Dionysus · #8 04-01-2007, 06:59 PM

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.