Homeless people

[cowboy43]

Austin is building a 27 acres commune for the homeless people, I do not believe they have heard the old saying ( if you build it they will come ). I guess next the city will provide free rides to their road corners where they beg for money all day and make more that the average worker. Maybe I am just a bitter person. I have had to work my whole live for what I have. : :frowns:

 

[Bigfoot]

That compound is probably not the solution. I don't want to sound like a bleeding heart liberal, but I have some experience with the homeless. Many have some type of mental illness, and have fallen thru the cracks. Others of course have chosen drugs and alcohol over help. There is probably enough programs in place already to get them assistance.

I lost my home, and belongings once. It kinda changed my view on such things. Most of us are one, and the most financially stable of us are two "big" events from homeless. The difference in us and them, is a net. For whatever reason, they don't have one. They may have chosen to avoid being caught, but some have nobody to catch them.

 

[fitz]

Austin is building a 27 acres commune for the homeless people, I do not believe they have heard the old saying ( if you build it they will come ). I guess next the city will provide free rides to their road corners where they beg for money all day and make more that the average worker. Maybe I am just a bitter person. I have had to work my whole live for what I have. : :frowns:

I was fortunate to work most of my life also. Wasn't always easy and spent a lot of time away from home. I'm old enough to realize most of my problems in life have been self inflicted. Some folks just fall on hard times and find themselves on the street. Others make bad choices and begin that downward spiral. There's so many reasons a person may find themselves homeless. For many it's a temporary thing until they can get back on track. Some never get going again and just seem to lose all hope. I've known people who have lived at the rescue mission. Don't know any that were proud of the fact. But,here's hoping you never need a hand up.

 

[Kingfisher]

Where are you getting your news?

 

[Jogeephus]

Have a relative who is homeless. He's a self made millionaire but has chosen to be homeless and fall off the grid. Occasionally will get a post card from him.

 

[cowboy43]

It was on all local Austin news stations

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

County here years ago had what they called the poor farm. Folks down on there luck could live at the poor farm for working the crops they planted to feed everyone there. It gave some people the chance to get on there feet and move on to greener pastures.

 

[Ouachita]

Have a relative who is homeless. He's a self made millionaire but has chosen to be homeless and fall off the grid. Occasionally will get a post card from him.

Sounds like my kind. Except I wouldn't send post cards, just an occasional batch of PGA

 

[greybeard]

I guess they are following the bumper stickers. "Keep Austin Weird"

Danny Silver, is one of the strange people. After living in Austin, Texas, however, I believe he is a typical Austinite, where bumper stickers are commonly seen with the caption "Keep Austin Weird".
Silver is a homeless person, who just happens to live on a billboard, along I-35, in South Austin. Fortunately, winters are usually mild in Austin, Texas. A church organization, Mobile Loaves and Fishes, that gives aid to the homeless and poor in Austin, asked Danny to move into his new home as a way to bring awareness about the homelessness in Austin. If you've been to Austin lately, your awareness will be heightened, also, by the competing street people on every corner, begging for money.
Silver is taking up residence 50 feet in the air, but off the street corner, in this worthy "I Am Here" campaign. The organization gave Danny and his wife who requires a wheelchair an actual home, reportedly. Through their Habitat on Wheels program. Donations are made through texts, in which people text 20222 to make a $10 donation. This is advertised on the "wall" of his home in the air, as you can see in this photo. Hundreds of texts have been made, so obviously, unlike poor Danny, the campaign is working.
This in one of the fastest growing cities in the country and with a 4% unemployment rate (2% below the state average and more than 3% below the national average).

 

[Nesikep]

I've been homeless through a Vancouver winter. Many thanks to temporary employment agencies for that.. (#$%%$$kers!) I still had my old '80 chevy blazer, with most of my stuff, and a 'clicker' to get in an underground parking of an apartment. Security guard there didn't know I lived in my truck, but I spent many late nights sitting in his truck yapping about anything.. We're good friends to this day.

I lost my good job, started to work at temporary employment places, which are nothing more than pimps, they prevented me from going on EI because at the time you needed to be unemployed for 7 consecutive days, but they always gave me work on thursdays. So no pogie, but minimum wage for 8 hours a week doesn't put a roof over your head... So I think I lived in my truck for about 3 months from November to February back in about 2002-2003.

Lucky or not, I did have a Visa card, but it wasn't fun paying it back.. I think I owed about $7000, and I think it took 2 years of GOOD work and massive overtime until I was really in the clear... I did have to replace my vehicle twice too which didn't help that out.

 

[boondocks]

Sounds like many of us here have either been homeless, known someone who was, or felt the wolf awfully close at the door.
I was very young when my parents divorced in the 70s. (mother took a bit of a dislike to dad's girlfriend--go figure).
We found out (much later) that the assigned judge was an old high school classmate/friend of my dad's, and they met privately several times during the divorce (including playing golf). Not surprisingly, the judge ordered that my mother had a month to come up with 5 grand (half the value of the house) to pay my dad his share, or we would be out on the street. Lucky for us, my maternal grandmother scraped the money together---how, I don't know, as she wasn't wealthy and that was a lot back then. Even after that, things were extremely tight for many many years. I can't remember how many times we kids would search the couch cushions for coins for my mom, to put 50 cents of gas in her car to get to work. We would collect pennies and roll them. One day, the lady at the quickie mart refused to take a roll of pennies so my mom could get gas; we didn't even think we had enough gas to get the few blocks' home, let alone her get to work the next day. I'll never forget watching my proud mother beg Aline (I remember the cashier's name to this day) to please please let her get a bit of gas with her roll of pennies. (It was legal tender; I don't know that she had a right to refuse, or why...).

We never actually really went "hungry-hungry" but usually didn't know where our next meal was coming from either. And yes, I do realize that compared to most of the world, we still had it easy!

 

[Caustic Burno]

That compound is probably not the solution. I don't want to sound like a bleeding heart liberal, but I have some experience with the homeless. Many have some type of mental illness, and have fallen thru the cracks. Others of course have chosen drugs and alcohol over help. There is probably enough programs in place already to get them assistance.

I lost my home, and belongings once. It kinda changed my view on such things. Most of us are one, and the most financially stable of us are two "big" events from homeless. The difference in us and them, is a net. For whatever reason, they don't have one. They may have chosen to avoid being caught, but some have nobody to catch them.

The ones that have fallen through the cracks used to be institutionalized and helped.
We got to busy housing, providing food and medical for those who could work and wouldn't but voted.
Threw the others away. We have people in government housing today that should be contributing to society instead of leaching
off it.

 

[lavacarancher]

I have never been homeless so I don't know why some folks are. I started working when I was 12 YO (paper route). I'm not tooting my own horn but I have a hard time understanding why people can't be productive. Someone above stated that some of these folks have problems and can't work. That I do understand and sympathize with. Also, CB mentioned that Texas used to institutionalize the folks with mental issues but several years ago the state turned them out and onto the streets. I see folks with missing limbs on street corners selling news papers (work) and on the other corner theres a young lady (mid twenties) who appears to be in good health, pandering. Go figure.

Then there's the group that can work but won't because the gov't gives them money, you know the one's. They are the recipients of the redistribution of the wealth in this country.

 

[Rafter S]

I may have mentioned that my father and his buddy were in the custom hay business for 30 years or so. Back before round bales got popular their regular hay hauler was missing both legs above the knee, and one arm just below the elbow. He had gotten pulled into a corn picker years before this. Anyway, he owned the truck, and would hire people to help. When they'd get to the field, one of the other guys would put the truck in low gear and step out. This guy would slide over behind the wheel and drive through the field until they got the truck loaded. Then when they'd get to the barn he'd sit in that hot truck while his helpers unloaded. And no, the truck didn't have ac.

I've always admired that old man. He wasn't asking anyone for a handout.

 

[Nesikep]

RafterS, That guy didn't give up! that's what I like to hear about.

Even though the 'squeegee boys' here can make some good money on the street corners, I'd rather give to someone who is willing to do something than someone who's not..

 

[Dave]

I am homeless right now. But they got the walls framed up yesterday. They told me that the roofing is scheduled to go on the end of next week. So I wont be homeless for too much longer. In the mean time I am living in a very small camp trailer in the front yard (it is small but it beats a cardboard box under the bridge).

 

[MO_cows]

It will be interesting to see how Austin's social(ist?) experiment plays out. There are so many different reasons for homelessness, and some of them WANT to be homeless, they just can't or won't conform to society. I don't see how they are all supposed to come together and live all happy, happy in their new 27 acre commune.

 

[highgrit]

Never been homeless, but then again I've never been a drinker or drug addict. But in my fishing travels I've met quite a few homeless folks. And most of the ones that are willing to work have had something really bad happen. And it's a shame because most of the homeless folks I've met are highly intelligent, and can do about anything. But the drinking, drugs and smoking kills them.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I was living under a bridge in Selma until recently...

 

[Nesikep]

Dave, you're NOT homeless.. you're HOUSELESS

JJ Cale had a really good song called "Homeless"...