The reason that I don't like the Christian organization is because during the years that I have been involved in different help organization, I have seen them more of hinder than a real help. It seems the general attitude among the Christian organizations is: Praise the lord and get a plate of food. In my opinion, the help should be unconditional and independent of race and religion. The only important thing is who has the greater need. I don't know if you have been to Sikh Temple but they provide food and shelter to anyone who goes there without looking at their religion or asking them to pray. May be I am just to angry right now because I see the some Christian organizations as hinder in trying to help with homeless problem in Vancouver. I almost get a feeling that they want and need the desperate people and like to keep them in that situation, so they can force them to be a Christian.
gworld, I have never seen a perfect organization yet. And, perhaps, because Christianity is my common experience I can faithfully say I have never seen so many hypocrits in my life as in your average church. But I suspect the same would be true of your Sikh temple, the mosque, etc... The Christian organization I work with houses on a daily basis an average of fifty-five "dailies" and three hundred others in the program. All in one small downtown location. We do not accept charities from state or federal governments. This is a big city and there are some potentially explosive goings on. No one is denied a place to sleep because they refuse to believe in God. Some, like many here, are openly hostile towards Him. We have our successes and we have our failures. It is a very difficult problem. Good luck with your approach.
Well, 90% of those people fall into one of the following categories: -Drug Addicts -Lazy and have no drive to better themselves -Mentally Handicapped -Would rather be homeless than hold a steady job Now obviously the mentally handicapped should be looked after and put into some type of facility, the rest of them have nobody to blame but themselves. I love when people try to play the guilt thing though, very cute.
SCW... while there is some truth to your #1 (Drug Addicts) - actually, "addicts" of any kind - gamblers, alcoholics, etc - and definately truth to your #3 "Mentally Handicapped," You seem not to understand that #2 "Lazy and have no drive to better themselves" does not in itself cause homelessness as there needs to be some other mitigating factor - a family member finally fed up or dies, a spouse separates, etc - before the condition of homelessness becomes a reality for that individual, and even then only in the most extreme cases. But when we come to your #4 "Would rather be homeless than hold a steady job" which, mind you, is already vicariously listed in your #3 - as "mental illness" (and therefore should bare no repeating), we approach the crux of the problem. Attitude. Deep within, the average person beholds the homeless with contempt. The stigmatism surrounding them makes it ever more difficult for them to get the very jobs they need to become self-sufficient. The current neccesity for documentation, legitimate addresses required by most employers, etc, makes it virtually impossible to avoid such stigmatization. A hundred years ago, a man could have walked to the next county and hired himself out as a farm hand or warehouseman, without ID, without clean clothes, without a forwarding address, without a social security number which employers would have then run through TRW to discern his past history. The modern world has changed all this. And, if you ask me, the American way.
I don't think too many people are homeless that arn't high or crazy its brutal way to live, exposed to the elements, sleep deprivation, all kinds of criminal people you would really have to be a special kind of lazy to choose to live like that
Providing the members of the community with basic human needs such as food, shelter and medicine is not a charity but government responsibility and duty. To help these people not only makes a better society but also makes sense form economical point of view too when you consider all the side costs of doing nothing such as crime, loss of business, depreciation of property and law enforcement. In my approach in my city when discussing with businesses to get them involved, I don't ask them for charity but I tell them they should help because it is good for their pocket and profit.
You are confusing the issue. While it is an obligation of the government to provide there is no such obligation to accept. Especially when such an organization finds it can do a better job on its own. Perhaps a model for others? Perhaps we should look at the caring of the needy as a personal obligation, (as you yourself seem to have done), as one man to his brother, not leaving "Big" to figure it out all on his own?
I said it before and I'll say it again, people do not have the right to the property of others. People are only entitled to take actions and make choices, not to be given goods and services.
Math, I believe that we are to be charitable. I believe it is not everyones obligation to help in this manner specifically as we are all called by our own gifts whichever they may be. I also am not for some exagerated communistic sense of "helping others" by helping themselves to someone elses "property." But the government should help to some degree. The churches should help to some degree. And folks should help to some degree.
Are you talking about organization or the people? It is organization choice if they want to accept help or not but I think most hungry people accept food, sick accept medical care and homeless like a room, so they will not freeze. The problem is too big for just individuals to handle it and it needs more resource which government can provide. We are already paying enough taxes, for example my property tax has gone up with over 300% during last 4 years, so I believe I have the right to demand the government to provide a shelter for homeless, so I don't need to step over them when going to a restaurant. I have the right to demand the government should take care of the mentally sick, so I will not be killed by a crazy person when I go for a walk. I have paid so much tax in my life time that I have the right to demand the government should make sure that I or my children will not freeze to death if for any reason we end up as homeless. I understand the mentality of many wanna be rich, oh ja everyone has to be strong and wall street movie was right and greed is good; but the real life will not work like this. As an adult thinking person you know that homelessness will bring down the value of your property, reduce the traffic for your businesses and no amount of money will save you from a blade pushed in to you by a mentally sick person as random act of violance.
. After many years we just built a 2 million dollar housing complex in the heart of downtown. Not one government dollar.
that was good, often the biggest whiners pay very little taxes I often think there is something mentally disfucntional in people who have average incomes yet have more empathy for the mega rich, then they do the poor, which are much closer to their income range
It would be good if we could remember that we are discussing real people here, with real emotions, thoughts, destinies and lives - not just statistics or "people you don't wanna have to step over". Not all homeless people are crazy, criminal or too lazy to get a job - they have dignity too and the most demoralising aspect of being homeless is losing a lot of that. I knew businessmen who became homeless and I knew drug addicts too. I spent a lot of my time amongst the mentally ill, but that was not why they were homeless or the cause of it. I could not find a job that supported me and at 18 and pregnant, you try and find a job that will hire you for a few months, pay you post-graduate wages (which even then barely cover your rent, bills,food and transport costs) and then give you paid maternity leave and keep your job open for you whilst you are of no fixed abode. Catch 22 - you cannot get a job without an address and you cannot get an address secured without a job to pay for it. Without compassion for those stuck in these situations, we will end up with a Victorian workhouse mentality and forget that just because they are poor it doesn't mean these people don't have pride, dignity or feelings. If you had a highly paid, high powered career, a villa in some hot foreign place and a luxury house with three cars - would you honestly, hand on heart happily go and flip burgers if you lost it all? No, you wouldn't - it would take some humbling before you could do that kind of work and many people still have their pride. It might not make sense, it might seem like an excuse - but they do. No one wants to be seen as a charity case - no matter how destitute they are. I know I didn't, but I had to accept a certain level of help because quite frankly my baby would have died if not.
In my opinion the reasons are not important. As you mentioned, we are talking about real people who freeze to death when it is cold, women who get raped when they have to live in street or children who will be molested or introduced to life a crime. The first step is to guarantee that every one has the opportunity to have a roof, meal and medicine. After that we can progress to solving their other problems.
The plight of the poor engulfs the globe. It's insufficient to just put band-aids on the problem (even though I'm not against that)...they must eventually have a sufficient and self-substaining form of existence. I wouldn't by any measure isolate this circumstance to America. It's a world issue, and I believe too many people confuse politics with practicality. What helps...helps. To dissolve the big image of what works and doesn't work is backwards. Obviously they'll be many whom will die or suffer, regardless of the temporary help they get. They need to both the desire and enviroment where they can self-substain. That's the ultimate goal in my view.
My Lord, ferret. That is just such a wonderful insight, I thank you so very much. Not everyone can see the irony. Thank you so much. jekka... I know you. Bless you and the child. Bless your insight. Bless your words. Bless your faith.
I almost never see a real businessman who has made it; to be against social programs. The protest is always from wanna be rich. What the real business people hate and protest against, is all the waste in all the government levels and the fact that they waste so much money on stupid politicians instead of spending it on social programs that benefits the community and subsequently the business environment.