I am not comfortable examining your conscience for you, Blue. I have enough trouble examining my own! (I guess I should also say that the Feelings thread is my only outlet for expressing my opinions on what is wrong with the world or how I think it could be better. My friends and work mates might die of shock if they discovered this secret side of my life, since I am basically agreeable, warm, friendly and very accepting of all sorts of personalities and belief systems.)
About the homeless, though, I think that they fall into several categories. Most of them are mentally ill or substance abusers. Almost all of them in San Francisco look and smell really desperate; I don't see many scam artists here, although I know there are a few that work the Union Square area. There is a problem in America in that we have criminalized poverty and drug abuse (oh no, I sound like Tipper Gore)!
I think the solution is to make living in public illegal, but to provide really thorough triage and treatment options. Because having the homeless living on city streets threatens the general security and frays the social fabric, I think they should have to agree to go into treatment, or live in work camps outside of urban areas in the fresh country air, where they would have to do SOMETHING within their capacity to help produce nice organic food or products that could be sold to support the community. I think when you are incapable of taking care of yourself you necessarily lose some of your rights, since you have not met the basic social agreement of caring for yourself.
I do think that veterans deserve housing; many of them are mentally ill because of military-related reasons. I think teenage runaways need to be treated compassionately; they are mostly fleeing abusive home situations and need concentrated help to finish growing up without becoming chronically homeless. The people I give money to when I do stop to give are mostly teenagers and little old ladies, and people of all ages who are obviously emaciated and very ill. I never give money to able-bodied men, although in San Francisco I must say that there are scores of them doing recycling with their multiple shopping carts. Most of them are not asking for money, however. I think that if it is the law that you can't sleep in public, clean and safe year-round shelters need to be available for everyone. Out here there are certainly not enough beds for everyone who needs them. I also think that in San Francisco we enable the homeless to feed alcohol and drug problems by giving them generous cash grants. I think only food, housing and treatment vouchers should be given. |
