Panhandlers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing how many people here think it couldn't possibly be them. You should listen to how some of these people got to living on the street. And how some have gotten off the streets.

80% of the chronically homeless and panhandlers have serious mental illness and/or substance abuse problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing how many people here think it couldn't possibly be them. You should listen to how some of these people got to living on the street. And how some have gotten off the streets.

80% of the chronically homeless and panhandlers have serious mental illness and/or substance abuse problems.

Well, there’s consequences when you decide to fry your brains out on drugs and booze.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For all of those who give directly to panhandlers, you are enablers. Give directly to a charity who will provide food and shelter not continue to enable these panhandlers to buy drugs, alcohol, or not contribute to society by not working.

You feel good about yourself after giving a few bucks so why not walk by the soup kitchen or shelter and give a few bucks to them to buy more food. Stop enabling!!

It’s not enabling to help someone directly. I work near a park that is a food drop off location for a local charity. It’s ok to give more. It’s not a dopamine hit, it’s seeing a direct need. I talk to people living rough in my block. I give when I can, sometimes it’s part of my lunch.

Sometimes it’s acknowledging someone by saying hello and asking what they need. Often they say they’re ok. That they have things handled. Whether that’s true or not it’s our agreement in that moment. so many people look past the homeless. They’re still our neighbors. Figure out how to get comfortable with this. The circumstances aren’t always for us to understand and it’s not really our business. Support organizations that support folks in need. Call the shelter or emergency line if someone is in trouble (to hot, cold, in crisis). Be a decent human.

It would be super hypocritical of me to pretend that I would be okay with any of my neighbors camping on the sidewalk outside my house. We all share our public spaces. That means we have to abide by laws and community norms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing how many people here think it couldn't possibly be them. You should listen to how some of these people got to living on the street. And how some have gotten off the streets.

80% of the chronically homeless and panhandlers have serious mental illness and/or substance abuse problems.

I'm not sure if you're agreeing with me or not. The point is that serious mental illness can develop in any of us. As can substance abuse problems. A job loss, a family tragedy, divorce, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The suggestion that any homeless person can have all their long term housing and food needs met if they want it is so wrong it makes me wonder what’s the point of this thread

+1. It's clear that no one here has ever tried to help a neighbor or DC resident fill out an application for Section 8, SNAP, Medicaid, etc. To suggest housing, food, and health care are easy to get for free in this city is just ignorant. It's not easy. It's an administrative nightmare that befuddles people with graduate degrees.

You're also ignoring the fact that many unhoused people don't trust the system and don't want to go to a shelter. Shelters are scary places. Have you ever been to one? I have. Many are unsafe.

And to suggest an unhoused person "just go apply for a job" is truly absurd. How do you get to a job without reliable transportation or shelter?

Not sure how all the DC red hats came out of the woodwork to chime in on this thread, but oof. You're all as nasty and entitled as I assumed you were.

I’m not a poster who claims the government provides everything nor do I lack compassion for people who are homeless, but I still absolutely abhor panhandling and really hate the people who enable it by handing out money in public spaces.

It’s not good policy. It doesn’t solve anything.

If you want to give people sleeping rough money, go to their encampments or take them to coffee or whatever. Don’t encourage people to stand on medians or harass people for money on the sidewalk.

I have no problem with unhoused people hanging out on the sidewalk or even having a sign but I don’t want to be approached or solicited. And I don’t want to have to worry about people falling off the median or running through traffic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The suggestion that any homeless person can have all their long term housing and food needs met if they want it is so wrong it makes me wonder what’s the point of this thread

+1. It's clear that no one here has ever tried to help a neighbor or DC resident fill out an application for Section 8, SNAP, Medicaid, etc. To suggest housing, food, and health care are easy to get for free in this city is just ignorant. It's not easy. It's an administrative nightmare that befuddles people with graduate degrees.

You're also ignoring the fact that many unhoused people don't trust the system and don't want to go to a shelter. Shelters are scary places. Have you ever been to one? I have. Many are unsafe.

And to suggest an unhoused person "just go apply for a job" is truly absurd. How do you get to a job without reliable transportation or shelter?

Not sure how all the DC red hats came out of the woodwork to chime in on this thread, but oof. You're all as nasty and entitled as I assumed you were.

I’m not a poster who claims the government provides everything nor do I lack compassion for people who are homeless, but I still absolutely abhor panhandling and really hate the people who enable it by handing out money in public spaces.

It’s not good policy. It doesn’t solve anything.

If you want to give people sleeping rough money, go to their encampments or take them to coffee or whatever. Don’t encourage people to stand on medians or harass people for money on the sidewalk.

I have no problem with unhoused people hanging out on the sidewalk or even having a sign but I don’t want to be approached or solicited. And I don’t want to have to worry about people falling off the median or running through traffic.

I don't see a lot of advocating FOR panhandling. No one actually wants it.

There's just a sharp divide between:
1. "It inconveniences me so sweep them away to jail or involuntary mental health institutions"
2. "It's a free country, let's work on reducing the need for panhandling."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The suggestion that any homeless person can have all their long term housing and food needs met if they want it is so wrong it makes me wonder what’s the point of this thread

+1. It's clear that no one here has ever tried to help a neighbor or DC resident fill out an application for Section 8, SNAP, Medicaid, etc. To suggest housing, food, and health care are easy to get for free in this city is just ignorant. It's not easy. It's an administrative nightmare that befuddles people with graduate degrees.

You're also ignoring the fact that many unhoused people don't trust the system and don't want to go to a shelter. Shelters are scary places. Have you ever been to one? I have. Many are unsafe.

And to suggest an unhoused person "just go apply for a job" is truly absurd. How do you get to a job without reliable transportation or shelter?

Not sure how all the DC red hats came out of the woodwork to chime in on this thread, but oof. You're all as nasty and entitled as I assumed you were.

Why don’t you try to help them get a job instead?

[Anonymous]

One thing I would recommend but couldn't say . They need to put more work into their signs. Get a sharpie or paint and write big, or get someone else to. So often I see signs scrawled with blue bic pen in small print. Can't read that from the car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing how many people here think it couldn't possibly be them. You should listen to how some of these people got to living on the street. And how some have gotten off the streets.

80% of the chronically homeless and panhandlers have serious mental illness and/or substance abuse problems.

I'm not sure if you're agreeing with me or not. The point is that serious mental illness can develop in any of us. As can substance abuse problems. A job loss, a family tragedy, divorce, etc.

No substance abuse problems don’t just happen. One must start taking drugs or drink too much first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The suggestion that any homeless person can have all their long term housing and food needs met if they want it is so wrong it makes me wonder what’s the point of this thread

+1. It's clear that no one here has ever tried to help a neighbor or DC resident fill out an application for Section 8, SNAP, Medicaid, etc. To suggest housing, food, and health care are easy to get for free in this city is just ignorant. It's not easy. It's an administrative nightmare that befuddles people with graduate degrees.

You're also ignoring the fact that many unhoused people don't trust the system and don't want to go to a shelter. Shelters are scary places. Have you ever been to one? I have. Many are unsafe.

And to suggest an unhoused person "just go apply for a job" is truly absurd. How do you get to a job without reliable transportation or shelter?

Not sure how all the DC red hats came out of the woodwork to chime in on this thread, but oof. You're all as nasty and entitled as I assumed you were.

Why don’t you try to help them get a job instead?

DP - I have (and will continue to). It generally requires a lot of support from government (housing/etc) and beyond to cover the gaps that government doesn't provide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing how many people here think it couldn't possibly be them. You should listen to how some of these people got to living on the street. And how some have gotten off the streets.

80% of the chronically homeless and panhandlers have serious mental illness and/or substance abuse problems.

I'm not sure if you're agreeing with me or not. The point is that serious mental illness can develop in any of us. As can substance abuse problems. A job loss, a family tragedy, divorce, etc.

No substance abuse problems don’t just happen. One must start taking drugs or drink too much first.

That can start with prescription pain killers and develop into a dependency. Or seemingly healthy drinking that grows out of control.

Of course we need to work on avoiding it, but we're all human and might slip. There but for...

[Anonymous]

[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing how many people here think it couldn't possibly be them. You should listen to how some of these people got to living on the street. And how some have gotten off the streets.

80% of the chronically homeless and panhandlers have serious mental illness and/or substance abuse problems.

I'm not sure if you're agreeing with me or not. The point is that serious mental illness can develop in any of us. As can substance abuse problems. A job loss, a family tragedy, divorce, etc.

No substance abuse problems don’t just happen. One must start taking drugs or drink too much first.

That can start with prescription pain killers and develop into a dependency. Or seemingly healthy drinking that grows out of control.

Of course we need to work on avoiding it, but we're all human and might slip. There but for...

I went through major open heart surgery last year and specifically avoided opioids the entire time, including in the ICU. When my teen has his wisdom teeth out last year, we said no opioids.

There are options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing how many people here think it couldn't possibly be them. You should listen to how some of these people got to living on the street. And how some have gotten off the streets.

80% of the chronically homeless and panhandlers have serious mental illness and/or substance abuse problems.

I'm not sure if you're agreeing with me or not. The point is that serious mental illness can develop in any of us. As can substance abuse problems. A job loss, a family tragedy, divorce, etc.

No substance abuse problems don’t just happen. One must start taking drugs or drink too much first.

That can start with prescription pain killers and develop into a dependency. Or seemingly healthy drinking that grows out of control.

Of course we need to work on avoiding it, but we're all human and might slip. There but for...

I went through major open heart surgery last year and specifically avoided opioids the entire time, including in the ICU. When my teen has his wisdom teeth out last year, we said no opioids.

There are options.

Congrats - and good choice, I intend to try the same if confronted with it. Although wisdom teeth shouldn't need opioids - why would they even offer.

What will you do if you have unbearable pain that leaves you bedridden without relief? Tough it out? Chronic pain from a car crash? Cancer? You don't actually know what you'll do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing how many people here think it couldn't possibly be them. You should listen to how some of these people got to living on the street. And how some have gotten off the streets.

80% of the chronically homeless and panhandlers have serious mental illness and/or substance abuse problems.

I'm not sure if you're agreeing with me or not. The point is that serious mental illness can develop in any of us. As can substance abuse problems. A job loss, a family tragedy, divorce, etc.

No substance abuse problems don’t just happen. One must start taking drugs or drink too much first.

That can start with prescription pain killers and develop into a dependency. Or seemingly healthy drinking that grows out of control.

Of course we need to work on avoiding it, but we're all human and might slip. There but for...

I went through major open heart surgery last year and specifically avoided opioids the entire time, including in the ICU. When my teen has his wisdom teeth out last year, we said no opioids.

There are options.

Congrats - and good choice, I intend to try the same if confronted with it. Although wisdom teeth shouldn't need opioids - why would they even offer.

What will you do if you have unbearable pain that leaves you bedridden without relief? Tough it out? Chronic pain from a car crash? Cancer? You don't actually know what you'll do.

you’re right I don’t and I hope I never do. And you would not believe how they are pushed at every turn by doctors who are so afraid of a patient being in the slightest amount of pain.

Yes, dental surgeons will RX your kids for opioid pain killers unless you specifically tell them not to.

[Anonymous]

My boyfriend has homeless camped behind his workplace.

His workplace supplies: access to the water hose, access to the grinding wheel (to sharpen their tools and axe) and power to charge their electronics.

Most have solar charging setups.

He also has the phone numbers of family members in case of emergency.

Almost all of his homeless are on social security disability and they are younger.