Good Afternoon my lovely folks of Mingle2, thank you all who posted on my"Top Ten Favorite Horror List" i gotten alot of responses and it was a nice break off my serious topics. Well we about to get serious right now. America i want to take a minute to talk about this topic that is very dear to me. Why?....i care about people. There stories, life experiences, and rise & falls. Today i was thinking to myself what i wanted to do next for my loyal posters out there and this came to mind. I was on Vice.com and an articale took me away. It talks about for all my Cali residents might of read this. " Los Angeles Plans To End Homeless & How". I was like okay let me read on. The article went to say Losa Angeles is spending 4.5 billion to end homeless. Here's what it would look like, Harvey Franco - Los Angeles has lived in a gray tent for 11 years in downtown L.A. Around 8:30am a group of outreach workers from Homeless Service Authority will arrive. A little over2 years ago Los Angeles committed 4.5 billions toward ending homelessness. That was the most money voters anywhere in this country have pladged towards the problem. At the last count there were more than 52,000 homeless people in this country.
Now the measure HHH created a 1.2 billion city bond to build new housing in the next year. Measure H added a new sales tax to fund homeless services. Follow me now, the funds paid for case management, permanent housing units, temporarily shelters, & 96 new outreach workers . Los Angeles. Homeless Service Authority will make regular visits to homeless encampments. Although the county touts 9,635 people placed into permanent housing. 18,714 people entered temporary housing. Franco is upset that he & so many of his neighbors remains on the street.

America my day job is in social service. I deal with my clients from chronic homelessness to LGBT to prision re-entry. Here in my ciry of Philadelphia we have a bad homeless problem too. It seems to me at least Los Angeles is making an effort to end this serious problem we face here in America. So lets spill some Henessey together...what do you all think ? Is this a good start for whats to come in all major cities or is this another way of band- aiding a problem such as this? So America how you see this success or failure?

All Replies Will Be Answered
Thank You All
EyeAmYourHost39

EEyeAmYourHost39Eye

Philly, we been trying to do the same thing here with our outreach workers going to the homeless encampments providing food blankets hot coffee needle exchanges and social services but wheres the money Pa for this campaign. So we came up with " The Poor Peoples Campaign" The P.P.C" we lobby trips to our state capital of Harrisburg, Pa to express to our leaders for affordable housing, taking funds and put it towards housing. Our next trip to Harrisburg is next Thursday and we continue to put the squeeze to state reps to create housing opportunities for everyone but especially the homeless community. End gentrification and let's get this thing on the road. So i think L.A. making an effort and im all for it. My concern is even if we lower the numbers of those on the streets as long as drugs and other addictions out there people will always be on the streets.

I think the solution must be regional. There should be incentives to companies to hire at rates that can pay for basic safe and clean housing in that region. It would help with that if there were psych counseling to maybe help with the insecurities, and fears, and worthlessness such people may have become accustomed to. And also incentives for employers to pay wages that actually will cover the basic living costs in safe and clean areas of town, and training for homeless to learn skills that make them employable. And maybe also incentives for attempting to reach a certain percentage of homeless or recently homeless employees who have been in these programs.

There are a few different ways one can look at homelessness.
They range from indifference to extreme.

A certain number of any population tends to be nomadic.
Humans are fast approaching a point where over-population reaches a tipping point. Homelessness is but one aspect of that condition.

There's also the fact that people's values and priorities don't always align. Where having a home may be important to many, some may not share that feeling.

Class differential also causes part of the homeless issues. Money decides the lifestyle. Within the class differential you also have the discouraged, the outraged and the depressed. While most people are raised in wealth many are raised in the gutter and have to have a personal imperative to climb out of it and make a life for themselves and the ones they love. Many of those exist on the edge of that rut, balancing dangerously on the edge. After they fall back in, climb out and fall back in again and again they give up with an attitude of "What's the point?"

Then you have those that have never had a stable home. They have no clue as to what they are missing and have no idea how to make it happen. Unable to maintain it if they do by chance obtain it.

There are people that are homeless due to natural disasters, economic disasters, prison or life mistakes and urban revitalization projects. These people had homes but no longer do. They want homes but for one reason or another are unable to get there again.

Incentives are short-term fixes for a growing condition.
Incentives have to be paid for by someone.
Is it society's responsibility or authority to make sure no person is homeless?
I've seen state housing projects, even lived in one in my younger days.
Those are bad places.
Society doesn't own the buildings where people live. People own them.
How is it good to have society tell you what you can or can't do with your own property. Why should society be allowed to tell you how much you can set the rent at or who you are allowed to rent to? Does their money trump your freedom?

Lets say society gives every homeless person housing.
This happened with Katrina. About 80% of the Katrina trailers got trashed and had to be scrapped because the occupants didn't value them.
Katrina trailers still dot the countryside. Most are now rental property that are run down and poorly maintained.
Not all displaced persons opted for a Katrina trailer. Some chose to remain homeless or moved to another place. Some moved and became homeless and remain homeless.

The 'fix' is not the homes, the jobs or the prices.
The 'fix' is to teach the individual how to value a home, how to maintain a home and how to live within their means.

The real fix is to cut the world population by half.
Then there will be plenty to go around.
Yes, it aligns with Avengers: Infinity War but there is truth to the madness.
The thing about homelessness is that even if populations were cut in half, some would choose to be homeless.

Ms Harmony

Hey lovely lady good to see you post as usual. I value your thoughts well i read your response and you brought a good point that it should start regional. Too many times we rely on our politicians to fix a decade problem where it should start with state leaders and our city mayors. I love what i do for a living in social service. The good fight.....end homeless. Link my clients coming out of prison with a resource home. We provide healthcare to the disenfranchised, We give to LGBT communities with harmone therapy & STD checks. Me part of Act Up Philly we work to bring the importance of affordable housing in Philadelphia. I repect what L.A. doing to eliminate homeless. Philly is long ways from what L.A.pushing. i hope this can be a domino effect to other cities in the U.S. We need to put pressure on the state to help the people on the streets and not look at how much money they make off the opportunities. I can tell you in Philly our average 1 bedroom in a working class area is up to 700 to 1000 a month. Its ridicules. What if you you on fixed income thats not affordable.

Tom4UHere

Welcome back my loyal poster.....well i gave your response a good read and i think its a war that can be won if we address the social issues that plagues the problem. First we have to define who's a canidate as homeless. Is it the working man lost his job and cant keep up with his rent or mortgage? Is it chronic addict who rather get high than to pay rent or morgagae? Is it a person coming out of prison who needs a address for parole? Or maybe a veteran who lost faith in the system and choose to stay out. Hmmmmm....its always a gray area about this. Here in Philly we have so many housing programs but what i find is that alot of those who were in shelters requires case management which some think if they case managed they feel the criteria is a certain percentage of income goes to your housing in an escrow account. Then its a long waiting list for PHA or HUD here in Philly and it usually takes up toa year before you get that call. What are people suppose to do within a year while you wait for the call. Then the section i programs usually gets a person with dependants, mental health, Aids recipients and chronic case managed folks first before the real needy. To me if its a joke.....I think gentrification is the new racism. Let me explain...the high rents isnt for fixed working incomes. I think it caters to the wealth and college housing. Then we have to provide effective drug and alcohol treatments with housing opportunities available. Then we need to house mental health and women with children ad well. Then lets help our veterans. 40 percent of the homeless are homeless vets. We do that we may have something there....do you agree?

I've seen too many blown up apartments to know that these people don't care. Four I do, I've painted twice, in five years. One, I've tiled twice in four years. I see mountains of garbage these people leave after just a years stay. One, I put new replacement windows in, that have a lifetime breakage warranty. The company voided that, because I got a few replaced four times. The entry doors look like they've gone through a war. That's sad, they were all replaced six years ago by me. Cops out front of this building is nothing new. I've let them in apartments a couple times because I've got a master key. Tenants gripe at me, because I'm not available 24/7, to cater to them.

Saying they're lazy, is an understatement. They all have some crazy idea, that the landlord is rolling in money. I can attest to the fact, that he isn't. The only one that makes any sort of money out of that place, is me. They don't know how close they are to being all booted out, and the apartments left vacant.

Think you can teach these people something about living within their means, and respect the places they live? Good luck to that, I don't see that happening. What you have, is a bunch that just don't care. All they want, is a free ride through life.

I think the main problem is people want a single shot, sure-fire fix and it just doesn't exist.
I can see the issues of both of you and they are valid concerns but as try as we might, we can't make people use good judgement and have respect for others. Someone always feels wronged, left out, forgotten about or abused.

What society does is attempt to assist where it can. That assistance has certain aspects that are required of the person being helped. "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink" kinda thing.
For some, the help they get from society can jump start them to being self-sufficient but its really up to the individual.

Society is made up of such a wide range of individual personalities there is no way it can all be fixed by one action.

I feel the best way to help the most people is thru education but individual education based on that person's ability to learn.
The time, money and personal dedication required to make it happen is unreasonable so its ineffective.
While most people can learn basic general concepts, we are not referring to those people are we?
We are talking about the people that are outside the common population.
Normally, we learn our living standards from our parents and school.
Our parents teach us the personal things and school teaches the general things. At some point, the people in this type of situation have missed something that was taught.
Then there are those that 'know' but 'choose' not to (for whatever reasons).
There are also people that 'know' but "can't" because some other force prevents them.
Its difficult to determine which scenario fits which individual.

I believe that is key to figuring out how to help those needing help.
But, that requires more dedication to cause than your basic employee requirements. The average social worker does not get personal with their clients. They go to work and do their job as required by their job description. There isn't enough time, money or dedicated personeel available to take a personal approach to helping others. Not from a social worker point of view.
Plus, how many people needing help are willing to have someone tagging along telling them what to do and how to think about things?

The individual is required to have control of their own lives and the social assistance is only intended to help them get control of their own affairs. If they don't want to, or can't, there's very little anyone else can do.

Part of becoming an adult is being able to take care of yourself.
I raised my kids to be adults, I'm not looking to take care of adult kids.
Seems to me there are a lot of aduts that need to grow up and start acting like adults.

I agree with you. There is no one fix. Several friends of mine have kids that still run to their parents for help. One, I know, is a grandmother. That's beyond nuts. I'll bet, that whole family will go in the hole when he dies. (He's 82)

Two others I know have custody of their grandkids. All of them, I think have been set up to fail. I'd like to say that it was how they were raised. It isn't. I have an older sister that isn't worth a hoot. She burns through money like its going out of style. That wasn't upbringing, it's the way she thinks. I know that, because we were brought up the same way.

It's never going to be a one size fits all process. Unless science comes up with a responsibility shot to give these people.

Put 'em all on buses,
and ship 'em to Sacramento.

RedRider 1500

Welcome to my cyber mansion. I read your comment and its good people with like minds like us to see even the homeless community are people too. I say dont mistreat them as disenfranchised. Everybody at least onr time in our lives fell on hard times. I want give you my top ten list in my own words how to eliminate homeless for good. Check me out....

10. Sales tax contribute to buy up vacant buildings and renovate them to create short term shelters or safe havens until housing opportunities come about.

9. Create more job training programs which includes job readiness, paid stipend for job interview clothing, transportation or Metro cards for job interviews or on site applications.

8 If you a war veteran, services provide them safe havens until housing needs are met. On site therapy with case management housing needs just for the Vets.

7. If you Mental Health, housing needs specifically for mental health. Therapy and pyschology .

6. If you struggle with addiction.... Specific services with id non shelter treatments. Housing needs specifically for recovered addicts. Job needs and detoxification clients available. Therapy and medication management.

5. If you a special FEMA case you know hurricane, tornado, earthqauke & tsunami survivors. Immediate emergency housing needs, paid grants for housing rents or relocation.

4. If you coming out of prison...other than a halfway house. Specialize short term units for parolees with merits systems. The harder you complete parole you should be high priority for housing programs. Job readiness, trainings, & jobs specific for re entry and parolees. Follow ups upon completion of parole and placed in permanent housing.

3. Renovations of old vacant lots, buildings, warehouses and apartment units. Turn abandant buildings find the owners. If they been vacant more than 1 year delinquent owners must forfeit there properties and the state takes over and turn them to new units for new effective housing units.

2. Hold the state , city , & local politicians accountable for voting them in with the impression they was going to address homeless needs. Simply do what you promised or you wont get another term period!

1. Non Profit organizations should lobby to for more funding.

So if our country attempts for at least change the narrative on capitalism and push to help and save lives then just maybe we can lower the numbers and move forward. I cant say homeless will ever end...nit to bring scripture in this but there was homeless people in the Bible. It will always be a worry but we can.lower the numbers.

RockGenome

Lol....no we shouldnt do that....
Shipping them camps or whatever is not the way. I love your comedy though.

EyeAmYourHost39,

At my job i also do outreach as well on Sundays. I walk into the homeless encampments usually under highway bridges , railway bridges, in some parks and its really heart breaking to see what opioids are doing to the people on them. Isee death knocking at there door. Crack users, heroine fiends mingle along homeless vets, more women are on the streets more than last year. I give sleeping bags, hot food , coffee, care packs, list of day services like where to eat free food kitchens, place.for showers and change of clothings. Then we schedule appointments meet with us case management to fit them them with the right programs that will be effective.

I'm going to address No. 3 on your list, because I know that one best.

3. Renovations of old vacant lots, buildings, warehouses and apartment units. Turn abandoned buildings find the owners. If they been vacant more than 1 year delinquent owners must forfeit their properties and the state takes over and turn them to new units for new effective housing units.

Ok, renovating buildings is all well and good. Problem- Government generally wants contractors that are registered with the state. That usually runs 15-25,000 dollars out of the contractors pocket right off the bat. Then, blueprints are submitted, along with the bid. Those, have to have an engineering stamp. (Toss about $500 in for bidding fees) Then the contractors have to wait 90 days for all bids to be submitted. Then they get put into a committee, where they select the winning contractor. The winning contractor them must submit the plans to the state. Approval takes 90 days, and about $1000 dollars to do that. Once that's done, the permits are issued, and the work can begin. Once the work is done, the contractor has to submit his bill for payment, and hope the money is there. If it isn't, then it goes into next year's budget, when it can be paid.

Now, the lowly contractor, who could do the job for a tenth of the price, can't bid on them. Because they can't afford the million dollar liability bond. Might as well toss in the $5000 business insurance policy. (which has to be paid up front, in full.) Heaven forbid if they aren't union. (I've seen union tradesmen do shitwork plenty of times. I WON'T hire union, by the way.)

What you're saying is all well and good. Involving the government screwed it all up. I happen to live in a county with two towns. All, need separate insurance policies, bonds, and licences. What THEY don't believe I can do, I do for my customers, and they know it. I refuse to bribe governments in order to do my work. All homeowners pull their own permits, I come in and do their work. Most of the inspectors have come in, and complimented the homeowner on the fine job they did. Little do they know that I came in and did their work.

10. Sales tax contribute to buy up vacant buildings and renovate them to create short term shelters or safe havens until housing opportunities come about.

9. Create more job training programs which includes job readiness, paid stipend for job interview clothing, transportation or Metro cards for job interviews or on site applications.

8 If you a war veteran, services provide them safe havens until housing needs are met. On site therapy with case management housing needs just for the Vets.

7. If you Mental Health, housing needs specifically for mental health. Therapy and pyschology .

6. If you struggle with addiction.... Specific services with id non shelter treatments. Housing needs specifically for recovered addicts. Job needs and detoxification clients available. Therapy and medication management.

5. If you a special FEMA case you know hurricane, tornado, earthqauke & tsunami survivors. Immediate emergency housing needs, paid grants for housing rents or relocation.

4. If you coming out of prison...other than a halfway house. Specialize short term units for parolees with merits systems. The harder you complete parole you should be high priority for housing programs. Job readiness, trainings, & jobs specific for re entry and parolees. Follow ups upon completion of parole and placed in permanent housing.

3. Renovations of old vacant lots, buildings, warehouses and apartment units. Turn abandant buildings find the owners. If they been vacant more than 1 year delinquent owners must forfeit there properties and the state takes over and turn them to new units for new effective housing units.

2. Hold the state , city , & local politicians accountable for voting them in with the impression they was going to address homeless needs. Simply do what you promised or you wont get another term period!

1. Non Profit organizations should lobby to for more funding.

1. Non Profit organizations should lobby to for more funding.
Not real sure what the lobby procedure is but if a profit can be made in this, I believe it wouldn't be limited to non-profits?

2. Hold the state , city , & local politicians accountable for voting them in with the impression they was going to address homeless needs. Simply do what you promised or you wont get another term period!
Ummm? In these United States the state, city and local governments are SUPPOSED to do the WILL of the people they represent. Technically, its the people that are not addressing the issue, unless you are admitting that the government runs the country? But, consider this, every month the town hall holds meetings. Every month only a few people attend these meetings. Consider what would happen if every taxpayer attended every town hall meeting?
We are our own problem.
We are allowing a select few to determine our lives.

3. Renovations of old vacant lots, buildings, warehouses and apartment units. Turn abandoned buildings find the owners. If they been vacant more than 1 year delinquent owners must forfeit there properties and the state takes over and turn them to new units for new effective housing units.
Redrider1500 addressed this issue.
Additionally, I comment that you wouldn't like the government taking your property or forcing you to do what they want with it.
This is not Russia.
The only way the government can take control of your property is for certain legal offenses, failure to pay taxes or imminent domain.
While eye sore may be a safety issue, that is a fine but doesn't constitute seizure as long as those fines are paid.
Personally, I'm with you on this because urban renewal projects do put people to work.

4. If you coming out of prison...other than a halfway house. Specialize short term units for parolees with merits systems. The harder you complete parole you should be high priority for housing programs. Job readiness, training, & jobs specific for re entry and parolees. Follow ups upon completion of parole and placed in permanent housing.
I also believe parolees should be better maintained and supported.
Problem is, this requires dedicated personnel and dedicated resources to make it happen.
This would take a lot of careful rewriting of the 'code', job descriptions and release protocols.

5. If you a special FEMA case, you know hurricane, tornado, earthquake & tsunami survivors. Immediate emergency housing needs, paid grants for housing rents or relocation.
There are programs already in place for disaster relief (Katrina Trailers). When a state of 'disaster' is claimed/declared, it opens resources to benefit survivors.

6. If you struggle with addiction.... Specific services with id non shelter treatments. Housing needs specifically for recovered addicts. Job needs and detoxification clients available. Therapy and medication management.
There are already many 'group' homes available to all sorts of addictions. There are programs already available to fund them.
If anything, public awareness needs to be increased. Many sufferers just don't know what is already available.

7. If you Mental Health, housing needs specifically for mental health. Therapy and psychology.
Again, programs and resources are already in place for sufferers.
The problem is mental health still holds a stigma in most societies.
Many sufferers are completely unaware they have a problem and if you try to tell them they reject it.
Just like addiction problems, nobody's 'bottom' is the same as anyone else's.
Some may not see homelessness as "the bottom".

8 If you a war veteran, services provide them safe havens until housing needs are met. On site therapy with case management housing needs just for the Vets.
Again, programs and resources are already in place.
Not only for war vets, any veteran.
I use VA services on a regular basis.
The only way a vet does not use the services is from their own choice not to.
My B-I-L is one that refuses to use VA services.
He's eligible, fully informed but chooses not to.

9. Create more job training programs which includes job readiness, paid stipend for job interview clothing, transportation or Metro cards for job interviews or on site applications.
Again, programs and resources are already in place.
Have you actually been to a job services center lately?
Again, the benefit you get is directly tied to the employee handing your case. The resources are there, its the individual's decision on how much or how effectively they are used.

10. Sales tax contribute to buy up vacant buildings and renovate them to create short term shelters or safe havens until housing opportunities come about.
Taxes pay for everything the people deem necessary. At least they're supposed to. Taxes go to many programs and infrastructure already.
You start telling people they have to pay more taxes, there's gunna be a problem. Tell people the program they want to happen won't or the roads get improperly maintained, they're gunna have a problem.

On the vacant building/low income housing idea...
Why not make it a profit enterprise.
Provide incentives to private entities to make it happen.
Wait, this is already being done.
You can't blame the public investors for wanting to recover their investment and eventually make money.
Now we're back to what already exists.

I've been homeless with a family of 6 and 1 an infant, 2 were little babies and one was under 5 years old, living in a beat up station wagon, no job, nobody to go to for help.
I put myself to task to climb out of the hole and thru hard work and dedication I did.
Food stamps helped along the way.
Most of the help I got was from total strangers taking a chance on me and hiring me.
Then I went to work everyday, no matter how I felt or what was going on.

The solution needs to come from within.
Sure the public should help along the way but the real work has to be personal.
A personal motivation.

Our city just put up new housing for people with mental issues, but can live on their own. A good thing,-EXCEPT- these city dumbasses put the building, with no grocery stores, or restaurants. There is a Dollar General, a mile and a half away. Nearest grocery, 4 miles as the crow flies. It's on a bus line, but on a secondary route. These people in this building don't own cars. It was put on a lot that the city couldn't sell. Closest thing to them? A liquor store.

It's what I expected from a moronic, democrat ran city government. Then to top it off, they spent waay too much on the building. The only thing that was cheap, was the lot. Which the city owned because it used to be a school property. There is vacant lots for retail in this area. Problem is, the demographics of this area couldn't support retail, unless they wanted to lose money.

I, sorta blame the globalistic wants of the dems for this boneheaded move. Me, along with a lot of other people who share my views, don't want to live on top of one another. I hate people just enough to not want to live within 30 feet of a dozen people.

Redrider1500

Wow....in your city the pro is they house the mental health. Allow them to live independently. The con is they place them in inconvenient locations with no malls shopping centers or supermarkets. I can see that can be unfair. You know some may argue to say " well at least they have a place " i would be slightly offended. Again i work in social service field and i care for my clients for people to prejudge the homeless community sickeneds me to the core. Here in Philly we house the mental health but the kicker os they have to be part of a housing progam and case managed. The wait time is so long 6months to a year before they get that opportunity.