Homeless Drunk Druggies Disturb Me

[PrimeTimer]

Just have to get this out...was in a part of town today near a homeless shelter (specifically where is irrelevant because I believe this is playing out everywhere these days). Unfortunately, I've been seeing more and more young people hanging around on the streets and obviously, some are very drunk or tweaking on drugs. I see things that are not only very scary but also very disturbing, very sad and at the same time, angering. Today was one of those days. I saw a young man slowly sit down on the ground on the side of the street and he appeared to be having trouble breathing or exhausted. I immediately pulled over, got out and went to him. "Sir, sir!! Are you okay? Sir! Can you hear me? Do you need help? Do you want me to call an ambulance?"  He just gave me this blank stare, as if to wonder what the heck was wrong with ME. Nonetheless, I had to be sure...so I kept calling to him and asking if he was okay. He finally spoke, telling me that sometimes his liver hurt and he gets tired. I asked if he wanted me to call an ambulance and if he wanted to go to the hospital. He said no and then got up and walked away. I got back in my car and came home. There are so many of these people and like all the stray dogs and cats I see, I cannot save them all. Only these are not stray cats and dogs, these are humanbeings. Breaks my heart and yet, at the same time, it angers me. It angers me because I am witnessing and living in a society where this is happening more and more often and in larger numbers and it doesn't seem that all the love and money in the world is enough to help these people. This man was okay but...not okay. And there are too many just like him. But I cannot just pass them by without being sure that they don't need emergency assistance. It's just not in me to ignore people but if people don't want to be helped and look at you like you're the one with the problem, then there is nothing more I can do. I am exhausted and so are my resources and I cannot keep placing myself in possible dangerous situations. Been there, done that, many times and I have had enough.
 
Thanks for letting me get this out. Like so many others, I will see this man's face in my mind for a long time to come. 

[kristina]

Hello PrimeTimer,
I come across similar scenarios when using public transport and/or when I am going for a walk and it is very sad...
Unfortunately the social family-structure has changed over the years and many unfortunates have hardly anyone to relate to,
when they are at their most vulnerable ... and since no-one-seems-to-care they end-up living in the streets ...
... It makes me very sad to witness how many unfortunates "fall through the social net" ...
Here in London I have come across beggars who were formerly UK-soldiers in Iraq etc., but they had no help and no assistance
to handle the traumas after what they have witnessed and come across ... and there was no "social security-net" in existence for them 
and so they "fell through the social net" and ended up as beggars in the streets of London...
... Of course, there are Charities to collect money for these unfortunates, but it is also public knowledge
that many Charity-executives award themselves huge salaries on a regular basis
and as a result of these questionable Charity-executives, there is hardly any money left to help and assist these unfortunates ...

[MooseMom]

I don't know for sure, but I suspect that many of these people are mentally ill and have no place to go.  We as a society are unwilling to spend money on decent mental health facilities.  I saw the same thing when I lived in the UK; many facilities were closed and the patients were released for "community care", a euphemism if I ever saw one.

At the moment, here in the US the largest mental health facilities are prisons.  There's something wrong with that.

[Sugarlump]

I really hate to see people sleeping in doorways. It is a very depressing, inhumane thing that we can't house or provide shelter for everyone.
No-body should slip through the net.
I wish their was more individuals could do.
I join in anti-government policy campaigns, I give money to a couple of charities every year..

[Michael Murphy]

I believe Moosemom hit it on the head.  During the 60's the horrid conditions at the mental hospitals caused public revulsion. The courts ruled that unless thy were a danger to them selves they were to be freed. So the patients were emptied out on the streets without any care.  Today most of the homeless are the untreated mental patients that have no place to go.  So in today's society we house are mental places in two locations the streets or in prison, while the conditions in the 60's were terrible today we have just ignored the problem and it has not gone away.  I used to work in New York City and there the cops have a new term for them EDP (Emotional Disturbed Person) they can't do anything about them unless they commit a serious crime and are sent to prison.

[Charlie B53]

As I see it, we have two major problems.

First, those 'Charities' that exist primarily for the benefit of, and profit from, the goodness of others.  Taking in large amounts of moneys, wasting most of it for high 'overhead costs' such as administration, leaving very little to actually help the needy.  To many generous people fail to check out the financials of any given 'Charity' to determine their actual expenditures vs administration.  Information is readily available on the web.

Second, it is difficult to help those unwilling to be helped.  Far too many of those we consider 'needy' refuse most all support.  Many are unwilling to put forth much effort to better their position.  Some content with who and where they are.  They may not consider themselves in need.

Many have been so mentally hurt by disappointment at or by the actions of 'society' that they are unwilling, unable, to trust in the intentions of well meaning persons wanting to assist them.

It is very difficult to overcome some of these obstacles.

[Sugarlump]

I always give money to The Salvation Army. They are the ones that (round here anyway) do the soup runs at night, give out blankets and provide dog food for dogs on the street.
It's not a lot but it's better than none 

You are right though Charlie B53, some of the salaries of The Chief Executives of the Charities equal very fat cats on our donations. It's shocking someone can work for Oxfam yet draw a salary of £135,000
from donations. Surely if they believe in the aims of Oxfam they should be prepared to take a living wage, no more. £35,000 would be more than adequate.

[Charlie B53]

I firmly believe that there will come a day that those with the money will learn that it will buy them nothing.

It is only by our beliefs, and deeds, from within our Heart, that will bring us Salvation.

'Nuff Said.

p.s.

And I do believe that Dialysis is simply another test of our Faith.  And we will ALL PASS this test!

[Riki]

I may have mentioned this before, but my best friend, when I first met her, was homeless in NYC.  She has no addictions, except maybe coffee and popcorn. *L*  She had no diagnosed mental illnesses at the time, but has since been diagnosed with severe depression.  She had a part time job, a cell phone and a computer that she needed for that job, but it just didn't pay enough for her to put a roof over her head.  She basically lived in the Starbucks at Columbus Circle.  She went to charities that were supposed to help with housing, but was told they couldn't help her because she was single with no children, and had no addictions that needed treatment.  She's Jewish, so she went to Jewish charities, who told her she was too poor to help (she still talks about that one, 7 years later).  With the help of her father, who lived in California, she got a one room apartment in Newark, which she had for about a year, until she lost her job and was looking at being on the street again.  She talked a lot about suicide, which scared me, because being so far away from her, I couldn't stop her if she decided to do anything.  One day, she stopped herself from jumping out a window with the thought of how it would affect the person who found her on the sidewalk.  She called someone and had herself admitted to hospital, where the depression diagnosis was made.  She was homeless in shelter for 2 years after that.  She now lives in low income housing.

It's not like she asked to live on the streets, and it's not like she didn't look for help.  She did, but was unable to find what she needed, because she didn't fit any of the little boxes that the charities look for.  Perhaps if she'd had the depression diagnosis earlier, they may have been more willing to help her, but it's hard to say.

[Rerun]

My friend works for one of those NON-Profit men's homeless shelters and he gets paid at poverty level.  The Administration feels that they are servants to God and give very little to themselves.  He lives in a dump and drives a heap.  When we go out I usually pay and he comes to my house to do his laundry but he has a servants heart and has been called to the homeless ministry.  The people on the street HAVE a place to go if they want to leave the drugs and alcohol at the door.  They have a place to sleep and 3 meals a day and different programs depending on their addiction and after a 2 year program there is placement in the community and a fresh start.  For young adults they help them get off drugs and back to school.  For FREE

Lots and lots of success stories... but sadly, not enough.  Tons of volunteers go help serve at this place every single day.

The homeless have to be broken enough to ask for help and want help.  There is also a women's & Children's shelter they serve.

Unfortunately the mental cases just come and use them for a meal and a night out of the weather and reject the path to restoration.  Because they just can't let go of the drugs or alcohol or both.  We need mental hospitals back big time.

Here is The Union Gospel Mission: https://www.uniongospelmission.org/

It is a start.

[Charlie B53]

Rerun, I hope you constantly commend your friend for his servitude to others.

I worked for Washington State Welfare, Capitol Hill, Seattle, one of THE busiest offices in the state.  I lasted only 3 years, April 76 through April 79.  I did a lot of dope, mostly pot, self-medicating the serious depression caused by the inability to provide any assistance to so many of those that did not fit within the State's narrowly defined 'eligibility' criteria.

And also seeing so many others plaini scamming the system, technically eligible, as they failed to report 'cash' earnings, or openly sold drugs.  Yet they were eligible and received financial assistance, food stamps, utility grants, etc..

I finally gave up and quit, returned to college full time.  Thank God for the old GI Bill, as this was long before the U.S. dropped the 'oldl' system and went to system of matching the individuals contribution.  I had a total of five years, tuition, books, lab fees, subsistence for myself and family, plus transportation.  It was great, then.  Vets now don't have it near so well,  even those that contribute can never receive near what we used to be able to.  I was truly Blessed.

[Riki]

My friend works for one of those NON-Profit men's homeless shelters and he gets paid at poverty level.  The Administration feels that they are servants to God and give very little to themselves.  He lives in a dump and drives a heap.  When we go out I usually pay and he comes to my house to do his laundry but he has a servants heart and has been called to the homeless ministry.  The people on the street HAVE a place to go if they want to leave the drugs and alcohol at the door.  They have a place to sleep and 3 meals a day and different programs depending on their addiction and after a 2 year program there is placement in the community and a fresh start.  For young adults they help them get off drugs and back to school.  For FREE

Lots and lots of success stories... but sadly, not enough.  Tons of volunteers go help serve at this place every single day.

The homeless have to be broken enough to ask for help and want help.  There is also a women's & Children's shelter they serve.

Unfortunately the mental cases just come and use them for a meal and a night out of the weather and reject the path to restoration.  Because they just can't let go of the drugs or alcohol or both.  We need mental hospitals back big time.

Here is The Union Gospel Mission: https://www.uniongospelmission.org/

It is a start.

As I said, my friend has no addictions.. not everyone on the street is there because of drugs and alcohol.. also, some of the shelters that are available are more dangerous than being on the street.. My friend told me stories about the women's shelter she was in.. MInd you, it was a shelter for woman with mental illness, but still.. She told a story of one woman who stabbed another in the eye with a pencil.. and she sent me an article talking about a woman who had been hiding out in the shelter.. she wasn't homeless, she was a bank robber... I don't think I was more relieved than when she told me she was getting out of that place..

[kristina]

I may have mentioned this before, but my best friend, when I first met her, was homeless in NYC.  She has no addictions, except maybe coffee and popcorn. *L*  She had no diagnosed mental illnesses at the time, but has since been diagnosed with severe depression.  She had a part time job, a cell phone and a computer that she needed for that job, but it just didn't pay enough for her to put a roof over her head.  She basically lived in the Starbucks at Columbus Circle.  She went to charities that were supposed to help with housing, but was told they couldn't help her because she was single with no children, and had no addictions that needed treatment.  She's Jewish, so she went to Jewish charities, who told her she was too poor to help (she still talks about that one, 7 years later).  With the help of her father, who lived in California, she got a one room apartment in Newark, which she had for about a year, until she lost her job and was looking at being on the street again.  She talked a lot about suicide, which scared me, because being so far away from her, I couldn't stop her if she decided to do anything.  One day, she stopped herself from jumping out a window with the thought of how it would affect the person who found her on the sidewalk.  She called someone and had herself admitted to hospital, where the depression diagnosis was made.  She was homeless in shelter for 2 years after that.  She now lives in low income housing.

It's not like she asked to live on the streets, and it's not like she didn't look for help.  She did, but was unable to find what she needed, because she didn't fit any of the little boxes that the charities look for.  Perhaps if she'd had the depression diagnosis earlier, they may have been more willing to help her, but it's hard to say.

Hello Riki,
It is very interesting what you white about your friend who was not helped when she needed help.
That reminds me of the trauma I went through a few years back, when I was diagnosed with cancer ...
This was an unexpected shock, because not only was I battling with pre-D-ESRF,
but from then on I had to "add on" an urgent operation, treatment etc. as well ...
... I was in a terrible state and my husband and I phoned many UK-Cancer-Charities for help and/or to have a talk,
but, strangely enough, I did not fit in anywhere and therefore I was not given a chance by any of these Charities,
which was very strange, because these Cancer Charities always advertise their assistance to help cancer-patients...
This experience was quite an eye-opener for me and my husband
and it also made us feel embarrassed that in the past we had trusted them  ...

[smartcookie]

I agree with all of you. I had a dialysis patient break down in my office once. He told me he was homeless because he had an outstanding light bill with a company and couldn't get lights turned on anywhere due to his low incomw and inability to pay. I couldn't find a homeless shelter that would take him. Finally, he found a house for rent and I found an angency willing to pay his light bill. I was so disgusted that no shelter would take him simply because of his health condition and the fact he was male. He skipped dialysis treatments to do yard work so he could afford to live. I will never forget that man.