A Good Idea

[thesometimesaint]

http://www.nationswell.com/one-state-track-become-first-end-homelessness-2015/

[Calm]

I thought this was a brilliant idea when I first heard it.  A very practical solution.

 

As long as there are safeguards against people posing as homeless to take advantage of it (such as the professional beggars that basically take advantage of others' misfortune to make an easy buck and ultimately rob the poor by doing so by diverting the funds that should be going into the pocket of the actual poor and homeless)....but I suspect the quality of life would be minimal enough that it would make more sense for them to actually work if they are able to.  If there were endless resources, one could choose to be careless, but I assume there is a limit on them and so they need to go to the ones who really need the help.

 

Let us also hope that other states will pick up the idea so Utah doesn't get flooded and have to discontinue the program due to lack of resources.

 

An additional observation---this will not "cure homelessness", there will still be some that choose to live on the street for whatever reason even when given the opportunity of decent shelter, work, etc.  That type of homelessness will have to be addressed a different way.

[thesometimesaint]

I thought this was a brilliant idea when I first heard it.  A very practical solution.

 

As long as there are safeguards against people posing as homeless to take advantage of it (such as the professional beggars that basically take advantage of others' misfortune to make an easy buck and ultimately rob the poor by doing so by diverting the funds that should be going into the pocket of the actual poor and homeless)....but I suspect the quality of life would be minimal enough that it would make more sense for them to actually work if they are able to.  If there were endless resources, one could choose to be careless, but I assume there is a limit on them and so they need to go to the ones who really need the help.

 

Let us also hope that other states will pick up the idea so Utah doesn't get flooded and have to discontinue the program due to lack of resources.

 

An additional observation---this will not "cure homelessness", there will still be some that choose to live on the street for whatever reason even when given the opportunity of decent shelter, work, etc.  That type of homelessness will have to be addressed a different way.

 

The "professional" homeless are about as common as chicken teeth. The are overwhelmingly majority are down on their luck men, and more recently women and children that just don't have the where with all to meet their own basic needs. A third have untreated mental illness. Being homeless itself brings on the symptoms of mental illness including paranoia, and agoraphobia. That is where the Social Worker comes in. We are trained to help these defenseless individuals and families.

 

My wife and I started out our married life in a relatively small  furnished one bedroom apartment. It wasn't great, but it was home with a roof over our heads, a warm bed, a place to clean ourselves, and our clothes, a place to cook our meals, and to put our stuff. I don't imagine the apartments that Utah is providing are much better than that. A beginning, hopefully to a better life.

 

It is cheaper in the long run to boot.

[Calm]

The "professional" homeless are about as common as chicken teeth.

 

Depends on where you live, I suspect.

 

I am not saying they are actually homeless,  I am expressing concern about those who misrepresent themselves as homeless and stand on street corners and beg and otherwise attempt to work the system.

 

I assume that there are a lot of safeguards out there to prevent this happening to the government even if there is no way for someone to tell for the person on the street corner....except perhaps when they claim to have run out of gas and gotten stranded but it only takes a few gallons to fill it up and other such things.

[thesometimesaint]

Depends on where you live, I suspect.

 

I am not saying they are actually homeless,  I am expressing concern about those who misrepresent themselves as homeless and stand on street corners and beg and otherwise attempt to work the system.

 

I assume that there are a lot of safeguards out there to prevent this happening to the government even if there is no way for someone to tell for the person on the street corner....except perhaps when they claim to have run out of gas and gotten stranded but it only takes a few gallons to fill it up and other such things.

I live in California. We have a serious homeless problem in this State. We even have homeless in my little town. I think Utah is on to something great here. Will it solve all the problems of homelessness? No. Is it a good first step. Absolutely.

 

I am not denying that there aren't some. But they are a rare few. Personally I really don't worry about those rare few. Were there some whom figured out that if they came to one of Jesus' sermons they'd get some bread and maybe some fish? Probably there were a few. Did that stop Jesus from offering the bread and fishes? Not in my readings of the Bible. In the BoM King Benjamin told us not to judge the beggar(poor) as unworthy of our giving.

.

Every Christmas time when we go out for food we make it a point to secretly pay for the meal of someone. It's one of the little ways we pay it forward. My needs are few, and I am well blessed with plenty of my wants being met. A meal, a tank of gas, even a friendly hand is no sacrifice to me.

[Calm]

Well, Jesus was able to make his resources unlimited.

I consider the professional beggars as stealing the food and resources of those in need. If it wasnt a resource limit, I wouldn't have an issue, but one person going hungry so another can benefit unnecessarily from someone's charitable love and care...that offends me.

I am not judging the poor. I am judging the pretend poor who rob from the poor.

[thesometimesaint]

They shall have their reward.

[Tacenda]

I live in California. We have a serious homeless problem in this State. We even have homeless in my little town. I think Utah is on to something great here. Will it solve all the problems of homelessness? No. Is it a good first step. Absolutely.

 

I am not denying that there aren't some. But they are a rare few. Personally I really don't worry about those rare few. Were there some whom figured out that if they came to one of Jesus' sermons they'd get some bread and maybe some fish? Probably there were a few. Did that stop Jesus from offering the bread and fishes? Not in my readings of the Bible. In the BoM King Benjamin told us not to judge the beggar(poor) as unworthy of our giving.

.

Every Christmas time when we go out for food we make it a point to secretly pay for the meal of someone. It's one of the little ways we pay it forward. My needs are few, and I am well blessed with plenty of my wants being met. A meal, a tank of gas, even a friendly hand is no sacrifice to me.

This is my thinking as well!  In fact I remember a great lesson in RS.  The teacher referred to the dilemma of wondering if the homeless person really needed it.  She put forth that it wasn't our place to worry about that end.  Just give and let God take care of the rest.   

 

I shared the link on FB, I think it's fantastic!!

[BCSpace]

It'll work for awhile until people figure out how to game the system.  There should be a strict test as to mental and/or physical ability for entrance.  All others should be denied a permanent stay.  That would be closer to how the LoC works.

[thesometimesaint]

It'll work for awhile until people figure out how to game the system.  There should be a strict test as to mental and/or physical ability for entrance.  All others should be denied a permanent stay.  That would be closer to how the LoC works.

 

Those darn undeserving poor deserve their fate.

[bluebell]

Those darn undeserving poor deserve their fate.

Many of them probably do deserve their fate.

But as Christians, we can't forget that we believe in mercy and not only justice.

Unless we are comfortable with God giving us only what we deserve (a frightening thought) we should be very wary of thinking that about anyone else.

For myself, I know I need a lot of second chances. Other people are no different. I cannot expect mercy for myself but demand justice for everyone else.

Of course, mercy cannot rob justice, and in regards to the poor this probably means using the limited resources we have wisely as Cal was saying. I believe we have a duty to do that as well.

We should not give our resources indiscriminately, but that does not mean we have to prove someone is worthy of it before we give.

[Mola Ram Suda Ram]

Those darn undeserving poor deserve their fate.

Why is that you view people as incapable of chaning their fate? You seem to have the same view of rich people. That they actually didnt do antyihng to get rich while those that are poor are just victims. Good grief it gets old. There are a great deal many reason people are poor. Most of the time it is because they did things directly in their own life that got them were they are. Now I am not saying we should shun them. But try to at least recognize that people are generally incontrol of their own lives. If people started actually looking things this way maybe, you know, take ownership, things will get better. Oh well I digress as this is such a hugely complext topic.

 

More to the point I hope this program does indeed help the homeless.

[strappinglad]

The government ( you remember them, they always are there to help) saw fit to put many with mental health problems out on the street and closed lots of facilities that used to house , feed, and care for many who are now homeless. Then there are the drug and alcohol addicted , some of whom actually prefer the streets . A major concern are the working poor who , despite working full time , can not afford a place to stay in this bloated society.

 

 Life is not fair. Only You Can Prevent/Fight the Forest Fire that Razes Some to the Ground. 

[The Nehor]

It'll work for awhile until people figure out how to game the system.  There should be a strict test as to mental and/or physical ability for entrance.  All others should be denied a permanent stay.  That would be closer to how the LoC works.

 

At that point the program becomes unviable because the costs of testing for entrance become prohibitive. It is like the recent idea to require drug tests to get government welfare. I work in the industry so I know that those are definitely bumping up costs.

 

We could probably save a lot more money beefing up the IRS and increasing their ability to scrutinize but for some reason people seem to be against that. Scrutiny on others who might cheat the government is great but scrutiny of me to keep me from cheating is unfair, unconstitutional, and an invasion of privacy.

[thesometimesaint]

Why is that you view people as incapable of chaning their fate? You seem to have the same view of rich people. That they actually didnt do antyihng to get rich while those that are poor are just victims. Good grief it gets old. There are a great deal many reason people are poor. Most of the time it is because they did things directly in their own life that got them were they are. Now I am not saying we should shun them. But try to at least recognize that people are generally incontrol of their own lives. If people started actually looking things this way maybe, you know, take ownership, things will get better. Oh well I digress as this is such a hugely complext topic.

 

More to the point I hope this program does indeed help the homeless.

 

 I never said they are incapable of changing their fate. Some will, some won't. The poor face problems that few of us richer folks have any experience with. IE; Do I pay the rent for this month, or do I eat? Do I pay the phone bill so I can look for a better position, or the water bill so I can live long enough to look for better positions? Where do I put the children while I get a better education needed for the better positions.

 

To put it kindly you have no idea as to what you are talking about. Number 1 cause of bankruptcy in this country is unexpected medical bills where one of the breadwinners faces a life changing illness, or their children get sick, and one of the breadwinners must take time off from work to take care of them.

 

Yes most people think they are in control of their lives. But are just one major illness, or injury away from financial disaster. IE; The waitress whom stands on the feet all day twists an ankle while at home. Yep she is responsible for her own fate. It's her own fault that she twisted her ankle and now she's out of work with no paycheck coming in. My father-in-law worked in installing HVAC units on roofs of new construction. Thankfully he was never seriously injured in his high risk job.

 

Ownership of what? I own my own house, my cars, all my personal effects. Though I am permanently totally disabled I take good care of my stuff. I depend on other people to do certain things for me just so I can be alive.  What happens if those people suddenly can't or won't do those things for me? Should I just go die and decrease the surplus population of takers?

 

I hope it works too. It is a good first step.

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