This Is Why The Homeless Crisis May Never End in The United States
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Date: 2019-11-01
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Comments and reviews: 9
Gerren Silva
Backstory aside, Im all about that #vanlife because our society is 1000% money driven and growing. Homelessness is not the problem. Its the disproportionate ratio between a living wage and living expenses. Its the total lack of working support networks and civic programs that are either too complex or flat out inaccessible for those in need. Its the rate of population growth versus the rate of job creation or even sustainable longevity. It is society itself. Health care, social security, education. America is nothing more than a myriad of social diseases and social/political injustice. So much so that domestic violence, substance abuse, and homelessness are the byproducts. Granted, this is a very macro sort of view, but if you listened carefully to the subtle comments made by the people in this video - I chose this life. I prefer the streets. I was surprised that Venice had the nerve to raise their voices against the effects of homelessness in their community when many well established Venice residents are guilty of substance abuse themselves and do nothing to clean up their own streets. All that really proves is that there is little to no point trying to point the finger at who or what is to blame for this growing crisis. Especially when you consider that it is as prevalent worldwide as hunger and overpopulation. There are far too many factors to believe that there is a simple solution or a quick fix to these conditions. You have to look at the bigger picture. You have to understand that many of the factors are not negatives and that working the problem from the inside or from the ground up is the only way youre going to make any progress. I think many of these Skid Row contributors have the right idea. You have to provide opportunities and focus on the individual. Theres no point in building bridge homes if youre not building up the individuals and their desire to want to insert themselves back into the very system that reduced their self image or self esteem in the first place. Contrary to popular belief, many homeless people are NOT poor. They DO NOT suffer from some kind of mental illness. They simply CHOOSE to live that way. Whether they were forced to abandon their homes because of some natural disaster, perhaps they were once convicted felons, or they grew up on the streets because they were born into this life. Their past should not be a factor if youre truly concerned about their future.
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Backstory aside, Im all about that #vanlife because our society is 1000% money driven and growing. Homelessness is not the problem. Its the disproportionate ratio between a living wage and living expenses. Its the total lack of working support networks and civic programs that are either too complex or flat out inaccessible for those in need. Its the rate of population growth versus the rate of job creation or even sustainable longevity. It is society itself. Health care, social security, education. America is nothing more than a myriad of social diseases and social/political injustice. So much so that domestic violence, substance abuse, and homelessness are the byproducts. Granted, this is a very macro sort of view, but if you listened carefully to the subtle comments made by the people in this video - I chose this life. I prefer the streets. I was surprised that Venice had the nerve to raise their voices against the effects of homelessness in their community when many well established Venice residents are guilty of substance abuse themselves and do nothing to clean up their own streets. All that really proves is that there is little to no point trying to point the finger at who or what is to blame for this growing crisis. Especially when you consider that it is as prevalent worldwide as hunger and overpopulation. There are far too many factors to believe that there is a simple solution or a quick fix to these conditions. You have to look at the bigger picture. You have to understand that many of the factors are not negatives and that working the problem from the inside or from the ground up is the only way youre going to make any progress. I think many of these Skid Row contributors have the right idea. You have to provide opportunities and focus on the individual. Theres no point in building bridge homes if youre not building up the individuals and their desire to want to insert themselves back into the very system that reduced their self image or self esteem in the first place. Contrary to popular belief, many homeless people are NOT poor. They DO NOT suffer from some kind of mental illness. They simply CHOOSE to live that way. Whether they were forced to abandon their homes because of some natural disaster, perhaps they were once convicted felons, or they grew up on the streets because they were born into this life. Their past should not be a factor if youre truly concerned about their future.
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kratz57x
Phil, I respect your opinion and your right to it. My experience tells me most homeless wouldn't take a job if you stapled it to their forehead. I get it, life sucks. But being told at every turn this is somehow my fault and I'm somehow obligated to be supportive of a system that has thrown billions of tax dollars at a solution is wearing a bit thin. Hearing more and more often that its income inequality, housing prices, and the public at large just not giving enough, with total disregard for drug use, alcohol abuse, criminal activity, and to a large degree personal decisions. I'm sure there are the anecdotal few, those who are homeless through no fault of their own, because of unforeseen circumstances, and are trying everything they can to get off the streets. Again, in my experience, these are the exception. I suppose we're at the classic modern impasse. Nobody has a set of solutions that seem to work, everybody wants SOMETHING done, and the only thing standing in the way of progress is the cold hearted taxpaying public sick and tired being taxed into poverty by left wing dirtbags who get reelected based on promises to deliver even more of our money to those who've made (being kind) poor life decisions. I care about the children. I care about the mentally ill. Those on the streets in whole or in part due to substance abuse and criminality. I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire.
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Phil, I respect your opinion and your right to it. My experience tells me most homeless wouldn't take a job if you stapled it to their forehead. I get it, life sucks. But being told at every turn this is somehow my fault and I'm somehow obligated to be supportive of a system that has thrown billions of tax dollars at a solution is wearing a bit thin. Hearing more and more often that its income inequality, housing prices, and the public at large just not giving enough, with total disregard for drug use, alcohol abuse, criminal activity, and to a large degree personal decisions. I'm sure there are the anecdotal few, those who are homeless through no fault of their own, because of unforeseen circumstances, and are trying everything they can to get off the streets. Again, in my experience, these are the exception. I suppose we're at the classic modern impasse. Nobody has a set of solutions that seem to work, everybody wants SOMETHING done, and the only thing standing in the way of progress is the cold hearted taxpaying public sick and tired being taxed into poverty by left wing dirtbags who get reelected based on promises to deliver even more of our money to those who've made (being kind) poor life decisions. I care about the children. I care about the mentally ill. Those on the streets in whole or in part due to substance abuse and criminality. I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire.
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seir323
This was awesome A wonderfully nuanced view, from many angles, some conflicting, but all trying to do their best. My town definitely has homelessness, my part of it, and generation, has a lot of the problems that poverty brings, and so I've seen or experienced what a lack of transportation, internet connection, social connections, advice, education, and housing, can do. That women's home sounds amazing, that's like a library and a dorm and a community center all in one. Access and acceptance are so important. And aid, for whatever issues contributed to their homelessness - mental health, addiction, poverty, trauma. Even though I'm in a stable place right now, I work nights, and so I'm acutely aware of what public spaces close down at night, and how it feels when you have nowhere to go. Also, sometimes to GO. Honestly there need to be more public toilets, or at least urinals You don't want people peeing in the streets, OR in your place of business, then build some damn public toilets. The public exposure part of this is entirely avoidable, and just an excuse to criminalize homelessness, like open container laws, by making the ACTIONS of homeless people illegal, instead of getting them for vagrancy like they used to be able to, which was deemed unconstitutional because it made the STATUS of being homeless illegal. It REALLY makes my blood boil.
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This was awesome A wonderfully nuanced view, from many angles, some conflicting, but all trying to do their best. My town definitely has homelessness, my part of it, and generation, has a lot of the problems that poverty brings, and so I've seen or experienced what a lack of transportation, internet connection, social connections, advice, education, and housing, can do. That women's home sounds amazing, that's like a library and a dorm and a community center all in one. Access and acceptance are so important. And aid, for whatever issues contributed to their homelessness - mental health, addiction, poverty, trauma. Even though I'm in a stable place right now, I work nights, and so I'm acutely aware of what public spaces close down at night, and how it feels when you have nowhere to go. Also, sometimes to GO. Honestly there need to be more public toilets, or at least urinals You don't want people peeing in the streets, OR in your place of business, then build some damn public toilets. The public exposure part of this is entirely avoidable, and just an excuse to criminalize homelessness, like open container laws, by making the ACTIONS of homeless people illegal, instead of getting them for vagrancy like they used to be able to, which was deemed unconstitutional because it made the STATUS of being homeless illegal. It REALLY makes my blood boil.
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Kristy Denise
I have absolutely no idea how to solve homelessness once and for all. I'm not an expert, so my opinions are just mine. But frankly, I don't think leaving it up to the individual alone to fix things and ask for help is a practical solution. I understand the thought behind it, but it's just not going to work. A lot of people don't know where to look for help, and even if they do they are embarrassed to ask for help. I know from behind a computer or on the other side of a phone, that sounds ridiculous, but it's not. We all have pride, and i'm sure we've all made some mistake at some point that we didn't ask for help and things went wrong because of it. Now imagine that mistake was that you were laid off, or you got sick and had a bunch of medical bills. Bills pile up and before you know it you're out on the street. And now on the street it's not like most places will hire you without a permanent address. Though for the record, I am in favor of helping everyone, whether or not it's their fault they are homeless. Life is so much more complicated than I can fit into a YouTube comment, but I want a society where we choose to help our fellow humans simply because they are human and thus deserve help. You never know when it might be you in that situation.
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I have absolutely no idea how to solve homelessness once and for all. I'm not an expert, so my opinions are just mine. But frankly, I don't think leaving it up to the individual alone to fix things and ask for help is a practical solution. I understand the thought behind it, but it's just not going to work. A lot of people don't know where to look for help, and even if they do they are embarrassed to ask for help. I know from behind a computer or on the other side of a phone, that sounds ridiculous, but it's not. We all have pride, and i'm sure we've all made some mistake at some point that we didn't ask for help and things went wrong because of it. Now imagine that mistake was that you were laid off, or you got sick and had a bunch of medical bills. Bills pile up and before you know it you're out on the street. And now on the street it's not like most places will hire you without a permanent address. Though for the record, I am in favor of helping everyone, whether or not it's their fault they are homeless. Life is so much more complicated than I can fit into a YouTube comment, but I want a society where we choose to help our fellow humans simply because they are human and thus deserve help. You never know when it might be you in that situation.
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Total Control 871
Ok. first of all, it would be a sinful waste of money sending children to Disneyland for single day, all that's going to do is put money in Disney's pocket. I do agree that housing first is the way to go. If there are individuals who can't handle that kind of Independence on their own then let them filter through to the next phase of support. Perhaps they need group home housing where there is staff on hand, and from there let the drug addicts and alcoholics filter through to the services that they need. But Phil the way things are right now single point of entry rescue missions are a major deterrent to us homeless people who avoid them at all costs. What I need is an apartment to live in, I don't need a social worker who gobbles up federal money in a salary that could go toward housing other homeless people. I also don't need addiction recovery services or expensive psychologist who again gobble up huge swaths of Public Funding that could have gone to housing even more homeless people. The way the system is structured right now very few homeless people are ever actually help and middle-class college graduates are the ones who laugh all the way to the bank as they get to live a middle-class life all courtesy of homelessness and poverty.
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Ok. first of all, it would be a sinful waste of money sending children to Disneyland for single day, all that's going to do is put money in Disney's pocket. I do agree that housing first is the way to go. If there are individuals who can't handle that kind of Independence on their own then let them filter through to the next phase of support. Perhaps they need group home housing where there is staff on hand, and from there let the drug addicts and alcoholics filter through to the services that they need. But Phil the way things are right now single point of entry rescue missions are a major deterrent to us homeless people who avoid them at all costs. What I need is an apartment to live in, I don't need a social worker who gobbles up federal money in a salary that could go toward housing other homeless people. I also don't need addiction recovery services or expensive psychologist who again gobble up huge swaths of Public Funding that could have gone to housing even more homeless people. The way the system is structured right now very few homeless people are ever actually help and middle-class college graduates are the ones who laugh all the way to the bank as they get to live a middle-class life all courtesy of homelessness and poverty.
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Isa
They million dollar tax breaks to those big corporations. I live in Manhattan when my father came downtown its now called Tribeca in 1975 there was nothing but factories no one wanted to move out cheap tenaments or projects so 3 building complex then hud / mitchallama came in rent goes according to income. 1980's Robert Deniro and some of his Hollywood friends bought up cheap buildings Deniro bought a whole block Tribeca Grill, bakery, Nobu. Ppl started coming down hear stores supermarket ect. 2005 mitchallama contracts were up Bloomberg was the mayor all his Rich Billionaire/ millionaires real estate friend bought our complex families been hear 40 years now he did work on the infrastructure and raid our rents ppl went from paying 500 & up depending on your income when this guy bought it that deal was gone anyway he was still taking tax breaks that was for mitchallama we took him to court ppl who had very low low income was given emergency section8 the new ppl apartment are renovated and for my apartment the government give him 6000 a month my portion is 500 the old tenants we are lucky but the other old tenants had to leave they made too much for section 8 and not enough for market rate rents. Its very very sad
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They million dollar tax breaks to those big corporations. I live in Manhattan when my father came downtown its now called Tribeca in 1975 there was nothing but factories no one wanted to move out cheap tenaments or projects so 3 building complex then hud / mitchallama came in rent goes according to income. 1980's Robert Deniro and some of his Hollywood friends bought up cheap buildings Deniro bought a whole block Tribeca Grill, bakery, Nobu. Ppl started coming down hear stores supermarket ect. 2005 mitchallama contracts were up Bloomberg was the mayor all his Rich Billionaire/ millionaires real estate friend bought our complex families been hear 40 years now he did work on the infrastructure and raid our rents ppl went from paying 500 & up depending on your income when this guy bought it that deal was gone anyway he was still taking tax breaks that was for mitchallama we took him to court ppl who had very low low income was given emergency section8 the new ppl apartment are renovated and for my apartment the government give him 6000 a month my portion is 500 the old tenants we are lucky but the other old tenants had to leave they made too much for section 8 and not enough for market rate rents. Its very very sad
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Wendy Pyle
Hello Phil. I happened to do a project in one of my classes in college several years ago where I proposed that we turn an old hospital that had been sitting empty into a transitional shelter. I live in SD County which is not far behind LA County for the same reasons. I am impressed with that housing first model and it was the kind of model I used for my project. Fast forward several years later I now work for the county here and wish I could do more to help with the homeless. One thing that our county and I'm sure LA does is a homeless count in time. While I have never been able to participate I have heard and witnessed myself that there are many homeless that do not want to be there. If they were given the help they could receive with a housing first model we could start to see a small reduction in homelessness. I just wish that we could be as resourceful as Salt Lake City where there are no homeless people because either the city state or county government has taken on the task of providing housing and resources. It is near impossible to think that the homeless can do all this on their own. It is frustrating and causes more problems than it solves. Great deep dive. Wish we could do more.
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Hello Phil. I happened to do a project in one of my classes in college several years ago where I proposed that we turn an old hospital that had been sitting empty into a transitional shelter. I live in SD County which is not far behind LA County for the same reasons. I am impressed with that housing first model and it was the kind of model I used for my project. Fast forward several years later I now work for the county here and wish I could do more to help with the homeless. One thing that our county and I'm sure LA does is a homeless count in time. While I have never been able to participate I have heard and witnessed myself that there are many homeless that do not want to be there. If they were given the help they could receive with a housing first model we could start to see a small reduction in homelessness. I just wish that we could be as resourceful as Salt Lake City where there are no homeless people because either the city state or county government has taken on the task of providing housing and resources. It is near impossible to think that the homeless can do all this on their own. It is frustrating and causes more problems than it solves. Great deep dive. Wish we could do more.
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Maria Luke
There's inflation in the housing industry, and that's why there's more homeless people. We have shithole apartments with old defective alarms that still have the ability to go off and _have_ gone off which is a serious health hazard, and have seasonal infestations of termites that staff solve by going to the nest where they allegedly live and spray it down rather than fixing the _hole in the outer wall that leads to the light in the apartment_ and doing anything _else_ that could drive them away. Instead they decide wasting money on repainting the outside walls to look like washed up legos and turning back porches into literal gravel spaces. and a person managing warehouse orders from buying companies, making sure actual store stock gets to other warehouses, to get to trucks, to get to stores, and that everyone is getting the correct amount of stock and money, cant even afford a 2 bedroom for them and their _child. _No, that's not okay. That's _not_ correct. Especially when the place we moved from wouldn't even be up to code for the 1970's and it cost _just as much as the shitty legoville. _
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There's inflation in the housing industry, and that's why there's more homeless people. We have shithole apartments with old defective alarms that still have the ability to go off and _have_ gone off which is a serious health hazard, and have seasonal infestations of termites that staff solve by going to the nest where they allegedly live and spray it down rather than fixing the _hole in the outer wall that leads to the light in the apartment_ and doing anything _else_ that could drive them away. Instead they decide wasting money on repainting the outside walls to look like washed up legos and turning back porches into literal gravel spaces. and a person managing warehouse orders from buying companies, making sure actual store stock gets to other warehouses, to get to trucks, to get to stores, and that everyone is getting the correct amount of stock and money, cant even afford a 2 bedroom for them and their _child. _No, that's not okay. That's _not_ correct. Especially when the place we moved from wouldn't even be up to code for the 1970's and it cost _just as much as the shitty legoville. _
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Caitlin Handshoe
It's really easy for most of us to sit here and watch this and judge while we're in our warm, safe homes with running water and food readily available. But we are LUCKY. Whether we want to believe it or not. Of course it involves hard work, there's no doubt about that. But it's also important to realize the amount of dumb luck that went into us having what we have. In no time at all any one of us could be in these peoples same situation. And I think thats hard for some people to realize. Any of us could easily be in their shoes. So to look down on them is disgusting. Nobody is better than them. Most homeless people are severally mentally ill. And as someone who has debilitating mental illnesses, I cannot even imagine how hard life is for them and how easy it is to just give up. I 100% could be homeless if it wasn't for the support and encouragement from friends and family. And not everyone has that. So I would just encourage everyone to get off their high horse and consider what these people deal with on a daily basis. Everyone has a different story.
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It's really easy for most of us to sit here and watch this and judge while we're in our warm, safe homes with running water and food readily available. But we are LUCKY. Whether we want to believe it or not. Of course it involves hard work, there's no doubt about that. But it's also important to realize the amount of dumb luck that went into us having what we have. In no time at all any one of us could be in these peoples same situation. And I think thats hard for some people to realize. Any of us could easily be in their shoes. So to look down on them is disgusting. Nobody is better than them. Most homeless people are severally mentally ill. And as someone who has debilitating mental illnesses, I cannot even imagine how hard life is for them and how easy it is to just give up. I 100% could be homeless if it wasn't for the support and encouragement from friends and family. And not everyone has that. So I would just encourage everyone to get off their high horse and consider what these people deal with on a daily basis. Everyone has a different story.
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