Homeless problem in SETX - What are the causes?

[SmashMouth]

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[WOSdrummer99]

1 hour ago, SmashMouth said:

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Ardoin has been helping for six years. And like he says, it's none of my business why they are out there.

I saw an old friend on a report like this a few years ago. Drove to Beaumont the next day but couldn't find him there. Checked a couple stores and pandering spots around the area. Nope still can't find him. Called Ardoin and asked him. He said the news segment was the first time, so he wasn't a regular. He suggested calling BPD, or sheriff dept, I don't remember which. They informed me there were arrest warrants issued for "abuse of elderly" and "drug possession."

Sad. I've haven't seen or heard of him since.

[SmashMouth]

1 hour ago, WOSdrummer99 said:

Sad. I've haven't seen or heard of him since

I hate that for your friend. I hope he finds a positive way out. 
My supposition is that the homeless issue is greatly related to drug abuse. Just wondered what others thought. I hope @tvc184 chimes in. I’d be willing to bet he has some good insight. 

[BMTSoulja1]

My personal experiences with the growing problem of the homeless.  I know personally that most of these vagrants are so by choice.  I have a few people I went to school with so I personally know their situations.  Why work when you can panhandle and make our like a ‘fat rat’?  Heck, some are regular people and play homeless just to get extra dough.  I personally know some are just straight up alcoholics or drug addicts.  Again, my personally experiences.  I know everyone’s situation is different.  But it seems like ESPECIALLY NOW with the job market booming as the pandemic dwindles down (tons of jobs hiring with decent pay), folks would have no problem getting jobs.  Getting a job would be the first step to get out of your messed up situation.  Just my two sense, for whatever it’s worth…

[WOSdrummer99]

35 minutes ago, SmashMouth said:

I hate that for your friend. I hope he finds a positive way out. 
My supposition is that the homeless issue is greatly related to drug abuse.

My previous post expressed the same thoughts. And after a renewed interest, I found his facebook page. Wearing a company shirt and holding 2 young children. I'm glad to see that.

[5GallonBucket]

I would safely say it’s in the 90% range that it’s from poor choices....plain and simple.

[1989NDN]

I have been a small part, a very small part, of a group that provides hot meals to homeless men, women, and children near downtown Houston.  Mental illness and addiction are the obstacles that I have seen firsthand.  I do not know the answers.  I do know that they appreciate a hot meal, a word of encouragement, and a simple handshake or friendly hug.  Yes, there are some grifters/swindlers, but the majority that I have encountered are not hustlers.  They are stuck in a cycle and need some help.  What I have encountered has taught me about the seriousness of mental illness.  I had such a misunderstanding.

[SmashMouth]

2 hours ago, WOSdrummer99 said:

My previous post expressed the same thoughts. And after a renewed interest, I found his facebook page. Wearing a company shirt and holding 2 young children. I'm glad to see that.

That’s freakin awesome. 

[WOSdrummer99]

40 minutes ago, SmashMouth said:

That’s freakin awesome. 

Yes it is. Thank you for starting the conversation. Sometimes good things come from social media. Maybe I can reconnect with him and share his story.

[tvc184]

9 hours ago, SmashMouth said:

I hate that for your friend. I hope he finds a positive way out. 
My supposition is that the homeless issue is greatly related to drug abuse. Just wondered what others thought. I hope @tvc184 chimes in. I’d be willing to bet he has some good insight. 

Yes, I have seen it face-to-face for almost 40 years. As with any situation there are probably 100 different answers as to why people are in that position.

But… for the most part I believe it is from drug abuse and mental illness. A lot of that mental illness might be from drug abuse so they kind of go hand-in-hand. Because of the length of time I dealt with it, I saw a couple of generations of people grow up. I saw a lot of people get their brains fried on drugs and even if they got off at them later,  I believe the damage was done. So did the mental illness at an early age make them turn to drugs or did the drug use cause the mental illness later in life? I don’t know.

There is certainly a percentage they just made poor or lazy choices in life. They might be a high school dropout that lived with mama and daddy until they passed away or kicked them out, etc. Then they have nowhere to turn and for some reason have no desire to better themselves. Let’s face it, they are all kinds of people in the world and some people are just not motivated to do anything except breathe. Is that in itself a form of mental illness?

In someways I still worry about being homeless. I say in retirement, I just want a roof over my head and some food. Anything else is extra.  But I always think if worst came to worst and my life savings and all the years I have worked for a pension and Social Security, if it went away would I simply stand on the side of the road with a cup in my hand hoping for a handout? I don’t think so but hopefully I will never find out. 

In my opinion, most homelessness is caused by mental illness or drug abuse or some combination of both. I believe there is certainly a percentage that simply made poor choices in life. Maybe they have a criminal record and no job skills and now at 40 - 60 years old are basically unemployable. Even if they wanted to, could they make a livable wage? 

[SmashMouth]

2 hours ago, tvc184 said:

In my opinion, most homelessness is caused by mental illness or drug abuse or some combination of both. I believe there is certainly a percentage that simply made poor choices in life. Maybe they have a criminal record and no job skills and now at 40 - 60 years old are basically unemployable. Even if they wanted to, could they make a livable wage? 

I think you’re correct. So, the million dollar question for everyone: How do you get rid of the homeless population or at least greatly curb it?

[BMTSoulja1]

1 hour ago, SmashMouth said:

I think you’re correct. So, the million dollar question for everyone: How do you get rid of the homeless population or at least greatly curb it?

For starters, not government or state funding to these organizations that pass out water and food.  Perhaps mor finding for more homeless shelters.  Homeless shelters with programs in place to get these people jobs and a real shot at a somewhat normal life besides living in tents and panhandling/begging.  Easier said than done, but it’s a start…

[baddog]

13 hours ago, BMTSoulja1 said:

My personal experiences with the growing problem of the homeless.  I know personally that most of these vagrants are so by choice.  I have a few people I went to school with so I personally know their situations.  Why work when you can panhandle and make our like a ‘fat rat’?  Heck, some are regular people and play homeless just to get extra dough.  I personally know some are just straight up alcoholics or drug addicts.  Again, my personally experiences.  I know everyone’s situation is different.  But it seems like ESPECIALLY NOW with the job market booming as the pandemic dwindles down (tons of jobs hiring with decent pay), folks would have no problem getting jobs.  Getting a job would be the first step to get out of your messed up situation.  Just my two sense, for whatever it’s worth…

I had a similar comment on the Statewide Ban thread……

 

Most homeless people I see are men and they are there by choice. I see very few women and no children (I’m sure there are with my limited range), but homeless are not simply family men, down on their luck waiting for a good job to come along. Contributing to their panhandling only exacerbates the problem 

[thetragichippy]

6 hours ago, tvc184 said:

Yes, I have seen it face-to-face for almost 40 years. As with any situation there are probably 100 different answers as to why people are in that position.

But… for the most part I believe it is from drug abuse and mental illness. A lot of that mental illness might be from drug abuse so they kind of go hand-in-hand. Because of the length of time I dealt with it, I saw a couple of generations of people grow up. I saw a lot of people get their brains fried on drugs and even if they got off at them later,  I believe the damage was done. So did the mental illness at an early age make them turn to drugs or did the drug use cause the mental illness later in life? I don’t know.

There is certainly a percentage they just made poor or lazy choices in life. They might be a high school dropout that lived with mama and daddy until they passed away or kicked them out, etc. Then they have nowhere to turn and for some reason have no desire to better themselves. Let’s face it, they are all kinds of people in the world and some people are just not motivated to do anything except breathe. Is that in itself a form of mental illness?

In someways I still worry about being homeless. I say in retirement, I just want a roof over my head and some food. Anything else is extra.  But I always think if worst came to worst and my life savings and all the years I have worked for a pension and Social Security, if it went away would I simply stand on the side of the road with a cup in my hand hoping for a handout? I don’t think so but hopefully I will never find out. 

In my opinion, most homelessness is caused by mental illness or drug abuse or some combination of both. I believe there is certainly a percentage that simply made poor choices in life. Maybe they have a criminal record and no job skills and now at 40 - 60 years old are basically unemployable. Even if they wanted to, could they make a livable wage? 

TVC, Do you remember Woodrow Wilson from the early 90's? He was a regular pick up for the ambulance service. We would not even have to give St Mary's his vitals, just say on the way with Woodrow.  I remember almost wearing out a set of brake pads going to an auto-pedestrian call on blue Bonnet, only to find Woodrow laying on the side of the road drunk, with a broken bottle of wine on the street that someone thought was blood.  I was just curious what happened to him.   

[InMAGAWeTrust]

In california it’s the liburals fault, in SETX... probably Antifas fault 

[SmashMouth]

20 minutes ago, InMAGAWeTrust said:

In california it’s the liburals fault, in SETX... probably Antifas fault 

🙄

[Derf Nosneb]

5 hours ago, SmashMouth said:

🙄

if we ignore him will he go away?

[Derf Nosneb]

12 hours ago, tvc184 said:

Yes, I have seen it face-to-face for almost 40 years. As with any situation there are probably 100 different answers as to why people are in that position.

But… for the most part I believe it is from drug abuse and mental illness. A lot of that mental illness might be from drug abuse so they kind of go hand-in-hand. Because of the length of time I dealt with it, I saw a couple of generations of people grow up. I saw a lot of people get their brains fried on drugs and even if they got off at them later,  I believe the damage was done. So did the mental illness at an early age make them turn to drugs or did the drug use cause the mental illness later in life? I don’t know.

There is certainly a percentage they just made poor or lazy choices in life. They might be a high school dropout that lived with mama and daddy until they passed away or kicked them out, etc. Then they have nowhere to turn and for some reason have no desire to better themselves. Let’s face it, they are all kinds of people in the world and some people are just not motivated to do anything except breathe. Is that in itself a form of mental illness?

In someways I still worry about being homeless. I say in retirement, I just want a roof over my head and some food. Anything else is extra.  But I always think if worst came to worst and my life savings and all the years I have worked for a pension and Social Security, if it went away would I simply stand on the side of the road with a cup in my hand hoping for a handout? I don’t think so but hopefully I will never find out. 

In my opinion, most homelessness is caused by mental illness or drug abuse or some combination of both. I believe there is certainly a percentage that simply made poor choices in life. Maybe they have a criminal record and no job skills and now at 40 - 60 years old are basically unemployable. Even if they wanted to, could they make a livable wage? 

Were the front line workers, PD, Fire, EMT involved in anyway, when decisions on handling the homeless problem were discussed ?

[tvc184]

8 hours ago, thetragichippy said:

TVC, Do you remember Woodrow Wilson from the early 90's? He was a regular pick up for the ambulance service. We would not even have to give St Mary's his vitals, just say on the way with Woodrow.  I remember almost wearing out a set of brake pads going to an auto-pedestrian call on blue Bonnet, only to find Woodrow laying on the side of the road drunk, with a broken bottle of wine on the street that someone thought was blood.  I was just curious what happened to him.   

Yep, one of the many regulars. Preacher, Captain Barlow, Kenneth Carney……

[tvc184]

2 hours ago, Derf Nosneb said:

Were the front line workers, PD, Fire, EMT involved in anyway, when decisions on handling the homeless problem were discussed ?

Nope. We get told, not asked. 

[CardinalBacker]

On 6/28/2021 at 7:54 AM, BMTSoulja1 said:

For starters, not government or state funding to these organizations that pass out water and food.  Perhaps mor finding for more homeless shelters.  Homeless shelters with programs in place to get these people jobs and a real shot at a somewhat normal life besides living in tents and panhandling/begging.  Easier said than done, but it’s a start…

Some people don't want help... They like the hustle, bustle, and freedom that comes with that lifestyle.  Or they'd just rather do drugs than conform with society. 

I think it's laughable that the homeless problem is worsening at the same time that we are legalizing weed across the country and nobody wants to draw that conclusion.  It's all just a coincidence, I guess.... even though the homeless problems are worse in areas where drug use is more tolerated.  

[WOSdrummer99]

20 minutes ago, CardinalBacker said:

I think it's laughable that the homeless problem is worsening at the same time that we are legalizing weed across the country

Very laughable indeed

[Derf Nosneb]

27 minutes ago, WOSdrummer99 said:

Very laughable indeed

Legalizing weed has nothing to do with homeless, it's more the opioid crisis causing the problems.

[WOSdrummer99]

8 minutes ago, Derf Nosneb said:

Legalizing weed has nothing to do with homeless, it's more the opioid crisis causing the problems.

I agree. Now that the pill mills are gone, they moved on to heroin and meth.

[InMAGAWeTrust]

1 hour ago, CardinalBacker said:

Some people don't want help... They like the hustle, bustle, and freedom that comes with that lifestyle.  Or they'd just rather do drugs than conform with society. 

I think it's laughable that the homeless problem is worsening at the same time that we are legalizing weed across the country and nobody wants to draw that conclusion.  It's all just a coincidence, I guess.... even though the homeless problems are worse in areas where drug use is more tolerated.  

Are you sure it’s not the MILK kids are drinking in these liberal elementary schools these days? What about the crusted over pizza in the liberal middle schools. Or natty light in the poor college kids dorms