Homless people

[Homicidalheathen]

There are an estimated 1,100 in My......Macomb County alone right now.

[Mikielikesit]

I am so thankful for how my life is and that i am not homeless. I know people who hate the homeless and believe they should just go get a job and stuff, but that is not always the case. When i can i give homeless people money and I've been told by people I am stupid for doing this so I just don't tell anybody. I would hope that if my life was so fucked that i ended up homeless that maybe someone could see it in their heart to kick down with a few dollars that might help me make it through one more day. I've been told that they are just going to use it to get alcohol or drugs and I feel if thats what they do with its all good, it is not my place to say what they can do with the money that i give them. If them getting a bag or a bottle helps them get through another day then so be it. There are a few in the place where i live and quite a few in the surrounding areas. with it being so warm out this way there are a few, even when we consider it cold its not cold. We have some homeless shelters and free food kitchens and stuff out here and we actually have programs out here that will help them get back on there feet and give them medical and all kinds of other services. It is a sad state of affairs when we can't feed and shelter our own people here in the USA.....Ok now I ranting but you get my drift

[Lilith]

The problem gorws terribale around here...... I grew up in this city my entire life and i i hoenstly can say with inthe last three years i have seen more and more signs of the homeless. When we were building the house a guys topped by thinking we weer nothing more then a crew working... he asked for our pop bottles..... I was eating a tuna sandwich when he came to the door and i suddenly felt awful for eating..... I told him we were not a crew butthe home owners and he was more the nwelcomed to our bottles, i think he got a large black bagg full of cans, I Felt like that was not enough.... I had only one sandwich left, so i wrapped it in a napkin and offered it to him with a pepsi..... HE was very gratefull, My oldest son was standing with me the whole time and during this proces it had not occured to me how this might effect him, the Guy pointed his so weathered and gnarly fingers at him, gave him the you take care fo your mom, go to school, do good in school so you dont end up like me talk, thanked us and left with out a problem... since then i have left my pop bottles out, (when i could afford too) and they dissapear.. i assume it is him and i dont mind at all.

After the guy had left my son said MOM that was a good thing, he looked peacefull about it.

LAtter i had meet some people, they became friends and i learned that they call this Same guy Jesus cause well he sort of does look like pictures of Jesus.... Since i learned his Nickname i allwasy felt like over all it was a good that we were not nasty or mean to the guy for "tresspassing"..... I just think I fed Jesus with Fish n pepsi and it struck me as ironic in a biblical sense makes me feel realy good everytime i think about it :innocent

[mallochai]

There's an immense homeless population in Alaska. A lot of them are natives who can't get off the bottle, but the rest are just regular people who have had some thing or another go terribly wrong. We have panhandlers at almost every major intersection, with signs of all sorts. They actually make quite a bit of cash that way. I spoke to one fellow who said he can get up to two hundred dollars in a week, if he's consistent and finds a good place to stand.

Generally, I don't give homeless people money. Not because I'm worried they'll buy booze or anything of that sort, but because if I gave every homeless person money, I'd be pretty damn broke. Periodically though, I break down. The other day, a guy came into the store offering to break the ice off our sidewalk for some money to buy breakfast. I couldn't pay him out of the register, cause our boss would be super mad, and rightfully so. He'd been in a few times before, and I'd always firmly told him no, please go away now. This time, I gave him ten bucks from my purse, said go eat something, then come back and do the sidewalk if you still want to, but don't come here asking again please. And he did come back to scrape the sidewalk. I've bought sandwiches and taco bell for homeless people on lots of occasions. It's not much, but a good deed is a good deed.

Not that I'm saying I'm a saint for helping a couple people out. So many people need help.

The thing I don't get is why anyone would want to be out on the street in negative ten degree weather. They do have a choice. Maybe not a great one, but there are numerous shelters in Anchorage, and lots of programs to try to help them out. I'd much rather sit in a humble shelter than freeze my nose off.

Then again, I've never had to make that choice.

[Mistercreeps]

Not everyone has that choice to sit in the shelter! I only say this cause I know what it's like to try and get help as a single white male unwilling to have a kid to help his chances of getting help! Yea pretty bad but when you make 6k lastyear total and can't get any help to save the house you grewup in and have slaved your life away to keep it kinda changes the way one thinks! Just remember cause this country spends billions of dollars on other coutries don't mean they give a shit less about what happens here.

Personally I tip my hat to those willing to pay enough attention to the bum down the street. Not all people wish to live like this!

Granted I'm drunk atm but I do stand behind what I said sometimes life just sucks! I'm lucky enough to have friends that give a shit about me and what happens to me. If not for them I would be that bum on the street begging for money!

[Draco1958]

Not everyone has that choice to sit in the shelter! I only say this cause I know what it's like to try and get help as a single white male unwilling to have a kid to help his chances of getting help! Yea pretty bad but when you make 6k lastyear total and can't get any help to save the house you grewup in and have slaved your life away to keep it kinda changes the way one thinks! Just remember cause this country spends billions of dollars on other coutries don't mean they give a shit less about what happens here.

Personally I tip my hat to those willing to pay enough attention to the bum down the street. Not all people wish to live like this!

Granted I'm drunk atm but I do stand behind what I said sometimes life just sucks!  I'm lucky enough to have friends that give a shit about me and what happens to me. If not for them I would be that bum on the street begging for money!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can so identify with most of this. I lost my house in 2003 after losing my job in 2002. A house that had been in my family for 42 years. My ex walked out in 2000 and left me with a ton of bills that I couldn't cover. If it wasn't for friends I would be homeless on the streets now. Yes there are shelters but they are normally overcrowded and can only do so much. As far as programs, most are geared for families so single males are for the most part, left out. I finally am working however I still have no running car. Thankfully the friend I stay with, his parents let me use their van whenever I need it. I always thank those who help those in need because I know what it's like first hand. Once I get things more under control I will help others but right now my ability is limited. Most of what little I own is in a storage unit or at one of 2 friend's homes. I hope that one day our government will start to take care of us here and not just those who need help in other countries. With all that has happenned since 2000, yes there is more, I still wake up wondering why I am still around. I have yet to figure out what is keeping me going day to day when in my heart, I feel I should just give up go away and let the help I am getting go to someone who needs it more.

[Homicidalheathen]

Some people are actually physically or mentally ill and cannot work or get any government benefits.

Once you end up this way...lets face it. You kinda smell and look bad. You have no phone or car......who is going to hire you?

Shelters......people steel, and they have lice ect.....

Now it would be different if we had left this country the way it was.....but then we would all be scratching out a living....hunting.....trapping....cutting down trees.......

But now that most of us are comfortable for the most part I guess we should pitch in to help the one's who cannot help themselves.

And once your out there......I mean it is cold. Would you not drink to get through a tough night?

Even if you just leave clothes and food and coffee, it makes them so happy. There is one that lives under a bridge on the bike trail near my house. I will leave him a little something here and there, even if it is just a sandwitch which he says he does not really need as the dumpsters are full.

He wants the booze money heh.