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#75800 - 10/27/16 07:41 PM The Homeless in Aberdeen
Bogus_bill Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 07/10/08
Posts: 3867
Loc: SMA Mexico
I am only in Aberdeen a month or two a year and because of that I see problems that have been developing in more of a fast-frame version. Nothing is more obvious than the number of homeless. TDW article today about downtown businesses just reports what all of you must see. Homeless are taking over every bit of cover to stay out of the rain.

My wife and her walking partner walked the trails and streets early every morning for 25 years. No longer. They only walk the well lighted downtown area. It is too dangerous. I saw one person under the awning at Swansons who looked like a wild animal.

We own a vacant lot that we have allowed one guy who lives in his van to park. He keeps others out for us and, when the police come to chase him out, gives them our name. Our town's parking lots are full of unfortunates like him camping without permission, moving often.

What are we going to do about it? They are not going away. They are making our streets unsafe to walk in. Their numbers are increasing.
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#75801 - 10/27/16 09:25 PM Re: The Homeless in Aberdeen [Re: Bogus_bill]
ikayak Offline
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Registered: 04/08/09
Posts: 6162

Well...according to your post, your big house will be empty most of the year...that would take many of them off the streets. whistle
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Which allows for some "big things".

Self-admitted Liar in Chief:


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#75802 - 10/27/16 09:55 PM Re: The Homeless in Aberdeen [Re: ikayak]
Bogus_bill Offline
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Registered: 07/10/08
Posts: 3867
Loc: SMA Mexico
Quote:
Well...according to your post, your big house will be empty most of the year...that would take many of them off the streets.


Yeah, that would work. My neighbors would love it.

We had two commercial dumpsters, one for garbage, one for cardboard. They had cables and locks but that doesn't work well. They would pry the lids up, take stuff out of the garbage and what they didn't want they put in the cardboard. Lemays loves that.

In the meantime some in Congress want to take more and more away from the poor. The city could do something but it always boils down to money. The problem is going to continue to grow and the bombs will continue to be dropped. It is all about priorities.
_________________________
I'm kind of a gossip hound, but watching the media whip the small fires into giant forest fires so that they can cover the result is infuriating.

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#75803 - 10/27/16 10:25 PM Re: The Homeless in Aberdeen [Re: Bogus_bill]
mdean Offline
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Registered: 09/03/08
Posts: 1262
Loc: Grays Harbor
Step 1, and I'm not kidding, is to re-humanize them. After that, the other steps will make themselves apparent.

So far, the ordinary approach to homelessness has been about as productive as our war on drugs. I've seen other (brief) stories about places providing homes for the homeless, and from what I saw the results were impressive. Of course, it takes money, and it's a long investment, not instant payoff. And it requires public buy-in. But it looks like it could save money in the long run and turn people's lives around.

The problem is, so many see it as a handout. So, instead of helping get someone on their feet and off the streets, they'll spend their money on locks, cops, guns, and whatever else makes them feel safe. We don't solve problems, we insulate against them.

See: Step 1.
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#75804 - 10/28/16 12:57 AM Re: The Homeless in Aberdeen [Re: mdean]
Brit Offline
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Registered: 07/10/08
Posts: 1349
Originally Posted By: mdean
Step 1, and I'm not kidding, is to re-humanize them. After that, the other steps will make themselves apparent.

So far, the ordinary approach to homelessness has been about as productive as our war on drugs. I've seen other (brief) stories about places providing homes for the homeless, and from what I saw the results were impressive. Of course, it takes money, and it's a long investment, not instant payoff. And it requires public buy-in. But it looks like it could save money in the long run and turn people's lives around.

The problem is, so many see it as a handout. So, instead of helping get someone on their feet and off the streets, they'll spend their money on locks, cops, guns, and whatever else makes them feel safe. We don't solve problems, we insulate against them.

See: Step 1.



Some areas are far worse than other areas, and some areas seem free of this issue. Is that because they "gave them a helping hand?" Perhaps, or maybe it's something entirely different. How about finding out from others which do not have this problem what they are doing that is working for them, and then doing something similar locally?
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#75805 - 10/29/16 07:19 AM Re: The Homeless in Aberdeen [Re: mdean]
Bogus_bill Offline
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Registered: 07/10/08
Posts: 3867
Loc: SMA Mexico
There is a heck of a culture difference between Mexico and the US. The poor are accepted and not looked down on down south. And then there is here. How do you change a culture?

I used to think that giving to the Union Gospel would take care of things. I am sure that it helps but there are so many other lost souls that are homeless. Money, we need money and a plan.

I cannot imagine being homeless in this climate, being kicked out of one place and moving to another. They become feral. I heard a guy talking in a checkout line at a grocery store expounding on being homeless and now he was not. It was obvious listening that living rough leaves scars.
_________________________
I'm kind of a gossip hound, but watching the media whip the small fires into giant forest fires so that they can cover the result is infuriating.

Top
#75806 - 10/30/16 03:20 AM Re: The Homeless in Aberdeen [Re: Bogus_bill]
Brit Offline
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Registered: 07/10/08
Posts: 1349
"What are we going to do about it? They are not going away. They are making our streets unsafe to walk in. Their numbers are increasing."

Suppose the town of Elma decided to take mdean's comment, ("I've seen other (brief) stories about places providing homes for the homeless, and from what I saw the results were impressive.") Elma goes forward and takes action to provide homes for them, and goes even further to provide free healthcare, free counseling, free drugs and alcohol...whatever the homeless want. How long do you think it would take for Elma's "freebies" to clear the homeless problems for Aberdeen? Go for it, Elma!

But, of course, the homeless problem wasn't solved...it was simply moved away from Aberdeen. So,in my opinion, providing "feebies" simply attracts a greater number of homeless to where the "freebies" are made available.

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#75807 - 10/31/16 12:55 AM Re: The Homeless in Aberdeen [Re: Bogus_bill]
Wally B Offline
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Registered: 11/11/08
Posts: 1239
Originally Posted By: Bogus_bill
The poor are accepted and not looked down on down south.


And acceptance helps ... how? I'm reading that half of Mexico's population lives in poverty, 10% lives in extreme poverty, that 15,000 "feral" children are homeless in Mexico City.

You're there, I'm not. Are these reports accurate?

Quote:
How do you change a culture?


According to Daniel Patrick Moynihan, you do it through politics. Presumably, good politics brings good changes. We're in a world of hurt.

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#75809 - 10/31/16 06:41 PM Re: The Homeless in Aberdeen [Re: Brit]
mdean Offline
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Registered: 09/03/08
Posts: 1262
Loc: Grays Harbor
You forgot about the free cell phones. wink

So if you take my comment and then expand it to limitless, it becomes unsustainable. Good to know, I guess it was a bad idea.

You could be right, it might be a disaster. It might not. I haven't checked back to see how it's working. I do admire that they are trying.

http://www.npr.org/2015/12/10/459100751/utah-reduced-chronic-homelessness-by-91-percent-heres-how

What was your idea?
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#75810 - 10/31/16 07:04 PM Re: The Homeless in Aberdeen [Re: mdean]
Brit Offline
veteran

Registered: 07/10/08
Posts: 1349
Originally Posted By: mdean
You forgot about the free cell phones. wink

So if you take my comment and then expand it to limitless, it becomes unsustainable. Good to know, I guess it was a bad idea.

You could be right, it might be a disaster. It might not. I haven't checked back to see how it's working. I do admire that they are trying.

http://www.npr.org/2015/12/10/459100751/utah-reduced-chronic-homelessness-by-91-percent-heres-how

What was your idea?



Ooops! I did leave off the free cell phones, free computers and free spa treatments:)

As to my ideas...I do wish I had something concrete to put forth that has a chance to provide some positive relief. What I do think is that "homeless" has a variety of meanings, and that there is likely no single remedy that will apply to all homeless persons. People become homeless for different reasons, so it seems to me that separate measures would need to be determined as a remedy for each of those different reasons. Then the real work would begin...to identify why/how a person became homeless and place that person into the proper treatment program.
Another important part of the overall program is to attack the primary causes of people becoming homeless so that future numbers could be greatly reduced from occurring.
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"Both politicians and diapers need to be changed often and for the same reason!"
Mark Twain

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