Homeless America by Chris Hedges

[zion zig zag]

Certain members of our population: "wE'Ll nEvEr bE AbLe tO Do tHaT - It's fAr tOo eXpEnSiVe!!"

Turns out, the alternative is far more expensive. But it takes math and critical thought to arrive there, and a certain percentage of the population is allergic to both.

[Core Shot]

Real non psych non drug homeless deserve all our love and financial support. We can find housing and jobs for them.

Homeless psychos deserve love. And probably institutionalized care.

Homeless drug addicts deserve love. And lockup detox.

[Trackhead]

The person who has an encampment across the street, who's kids can't play in the park, or feel safe walking the neighborhood: "So what"
.

Until they end up in “your” neighborhood, or camped in front of your business, then all bets are off.

Like when NBA Stephen Curry didn’t want affordable housing built next to his $30mil home. This is the same guy who advocates for awareness of food scarcity in underserved communities. What a damn joke of an activist.

Distant remote societal problems are easy to ignore until they affect your personal livelihood or safety….

[zion zig zag]

Until they end up in “your” neighborhood, or camped in front of your business, then all bets are off.

Like when NBA Stephen Curry didn’t want affordable housing built next to his $30mil home. This is the same guy who advocates for awareness of food scarcity in underserved communities. What a damn joke of an activist.

Distant remote societal problems are easy to ignore until they affect your personal livelihood or safety….

That's exactly what I'm saying. The person dealing with them living in their yard doesn't care where they get pushed too, just away.

[Trackhead]

That's exactly what I'm saying. The person dealing with them living in their yard doesn't care where they get pushed too, just away.

You and I have the same learned perspective based on our past/current professional experiences.

[bodywhomper]

Pretty complex issue.

Here’s a facet. My oldest just started his freshman year at cal poly humboldt. He’s in a dorm this year. The school and surrounding communities have known housing issues both in terms of volume and cost. I know 4 freshmen there pretty well. One is living out of their van for now (and couches when they’re available) and one is living in a closet-sized studio by themselves 15 miles from campus. Here’s a recent article on the issue: https://calmatters.org/education/hig...stem%20average.

“A 2018 study found nearly one in five of the university’s students had experienced homelessness, twice the Cal State system average. “

In the 90’s, my wife and I were homeless. It was only for a few summer/fall months before the Bay Area wet season started, and we luckily had close friends that took us in and allowed us to camp in their backyard. They also had a generous landlord. Wife was in grad school and working. We were partially getting by on her school loans while I was making payments on my undergrad loans. I was working full time. We spent a lot of our time looking for a nearish-by place to rent that allowed for use of transit, ped, or bike to get to work, grocery, etc. it was a very challenging rental market at that time. It was a rough time. Youthfulness, no children (or pets), kindness, and generosity of friends is what got us through it. I remember struggling with an extended sinus infection and eventually going to a free clinic for antibiotics. We similarly provided for friends in our cramped apt that we eventually found who found themselves in tights spots between jobs or homes.

[Cisco Kid]

When you walk a mile in their moccasins your view matures.

[AdironRider]

Pretty complex issue.

Here’s a facet. My oldest just started his freshman year at cal poly humboldt. He’s in a dorm this year. The school and surrounding communities have known housing issues both in terms of volume and cost. I know 4 freshmen there pretty well. One is living out of their van for now (and couches when they’re available) and one is living in a closet-sized studio by themselves 15 miles from campus. Here’s a recent article on the issue: https://calmatters.org/education/hig...stem%20average.

“A 2018 study found nearly one in five of the university’s students had experienced homelessness, twice the Cal State system average. “

In the 90’s, my wife and I were homeless. It was only for a few summer/fall months before the Bay Area wet season started, and we luckily had close friends that took us in and allowed us to camp in their backyard. They also had a generous landlord. Wife was in grad school and working. We were partially getting by on her school loans while I was making payments on my undergrad loans. I was working full time. We spent a lot of our time looking for a nearish-by place to rent that allowed for use of transit, ped, or bike to get to work, grocery, etc. it was a very challenging rental market at that time. It was a rough time. Youthfulness, no children (or pets), kindness, and generosity of friends is what got us through it. I remember struggling with an extended sinus infection and eventually going to a free clinic for antibiotics. We similarly provided for friends in our cramped apt that we eventually found who found themselves in tights spots between jobs or homes.

So you were homeless because you didn't want to live further away? I'm sorry, I have zero sympathy for a college student who is already having their lifestyle subsidized by government loans who just cant stand a commute.

[zion zig zag]

You and I have the same learned perspective based on our past/current professional experiences.

Definitely

[CarlMega]

lol, dude is going to grudge you over how you dealt with (lack of reasonable) school housing..... over 30 years ago.

[AdironRider]

I'm not grudging, its just a bs example of "homelessness".

It is a story played over and over in ski towns where rich kids cry poor and refuse to commute a half hour from outside of town from a more affordable area.

[bodywhomper]

My reality does not match your speculation.

No rich kid here. No loan subsidies for me. We’re still paying off our loans. I think my parents finally paid off the loan they received as their contribution for my tuition at a pubic university.

The subsidizing was our friends’ providing us a place to live as we tried to find a rental, which allowed us to save first, last, and security $$. Finding a rental was a shitty competition.

How do you afford a commute? My wife’s commute to school before we lost our rental was over an hr each way using transit. Cross town bus for her work was about 45 minutes each way. My transit commute was 45 each way. After we lost our rental, she got a different job that reduced her commute time.

[dan_pdx]

A few hundred people have destroyed the livability of downtown Portland for everyone else in the metro area and that's bullshit. On the other hand, regardless of legality, what's the point of sweeping them when there's nowhere for them to go? That's just performative cruelty.

[old goat]

I agree in concept, however, many homeless refuse the housing. Then what?

If the housing is a shelter bed for the night with no place to stay during the days, no place for their possessions, no security, then yeah.

The person who has an encampment across the street, who's kids can't play in the park, or feel safe walking the neighborhood: "So what"

Honestly, a large percentage of the homeless that are mentally ill and/or addicts, need to be institutionalized, but it seems that ship has sailed.

We'll see how Newsom's mental health courts work.

A few hundred people have destroyed the livability of downtown Portland for everyone else in the metro area and that's bullshit. On the other hand, regardless of legality, what's the point of sweeping them when there's nowhere for them to go? That's just performative cruelty.

Yeah.
If we aren't going to provide livable housing at least we can provide spaces for camping near transit, with toilets and showers and a dumpsters. Complaining about shit on the sidewalk when there's no place else to shit is stupid.

[dunfree]

I see we are back to crusty old assholes wanting to forcibly incarcerate the poor. Yeah, just because you worked as a nurse or whatever the fuck doesn’t mean that’s not a stupid minefield of civil rights violations.

[mcphee]

^some truly awful human beings in this place.

[Core Shot]

I see we are back to crusty old assholes wanting to forcibly incarcerate the poor. Yeah, just because you worked as a nurse or whatever the fuck doesn’t mean that’s not a stupid minefield of civil rights violations.

^^^^ crusty old fuck right there.

So much better for them to live in tent cities and terrorize and literally shit on working people trying to make a life for their family.

The “poor” actually suffer this shit more than your privileged existence.

PS. “Civil rights violations “. Yeah. That’s what it’s all about. Those homeless tent cities in Seattle and Portland filled with white Caucasian junkies are having their civil rights violated.

[Peruvian]

^^^Does it matter what color the junkies are? You sound more like a walking human rights violation.

[dunfree]

^^^Does it matter what color the junkies are? You sound more like a walking human rights violation.

he’s got a bit more empathy for the white junkies.

[Core Shot]

^^^Does it matter what color the junkies are? You sound more like a walking human rights violation.

Helioooo

Dumb free said homelessness is a civil rights violation. Because in his mind only people of color are homeless

[dunfree]

Helioooo

Dumb free said homelessness is a civil rights violation. Because in his mind only people of color are homeless

So you are fine with locking up people that show obvious derangement like believing in 9/11 conspiracy theories or chemtrails?

[Core Shot]

So you are fine with locking up people that show obvious derangement like believing in 9/11 conspiracy theories or chemtrails?

If they are living in a tent by the interstate and not working, they might need intervention.

Hippies hiking and camping and moving around are fine by me. But please. Bury your shit. Literally. And leave no trace.

[dunfree]

If they are living in a tent by the interstate and not working, they might need intervention.

Hippies hiking and camping and moving around are fine by me. But please. Bury your shit. Literally. And leave no trace.

So the couple portaging their canoe up Homestake Pass on I-90 to get to the other side need an intervention?

The shitty vans/RVs that reek of weed in ski area parking lots - intervention?

You smart folks seem to have great fucking ideas of how to write enforceable rules and law that will only inconvenience the people you don’t like, and be fine for your privileged dumbasses. Spell them out

[Core Shot]

Yeah. I hate white hippy stinky pot smoking influencers.
Lock them up. Jfc. What Cracker Jack box did you get your diploma from?

[Dantheman]

Certain members of our population: "wE'Ll nEvEr bE AbLe tO Do tHaT - It's fAr tOo eXpEnSiVe!!"

Same people: "Social safety nets are too expensive and breed dependency."

I say we relocate the unhoused to golf courses.