Jobless And Homeless
WELCOME!
This semester our focus will revolve around the Town Hall Meeting.
During the Spring 2009 Town Hall Meeting, students from US 101 will facilitate an evening of discussion and awareness-raising on topics pulled from The Soloist. This book explores the nature of interconnectedness amongst joblessness, homelessness, and mental illness.
This discussion will start here! Via “blogging” our students will have the opportunity to discuss similar ideas with students from other US 101sections. The responses will help you reflect upon your own thinking, while examining and responding to your peers’ writing. Through your responses, you will learn how to better articulate your ideas while examining and incorporating multiple perspectives.
Have fun and starting ‘bloggin’…
In our country, it is hard to imagine being homeless or to feel sympathy for those that are simply because it’s a choice their making and not a circumstance of society. We are privileged enough to have jobs for those who want jobs and to have housing for those who want housing. Some countries don’t have as much work for families and many live in extremely poor conditions. Most people are homeless in this country not because of lack of work but because of past experiences, mental illness and alcoholism. It’s a personal choice some are making. Homeless people feel free and liberated to do whatever they want. They don’t have to worry about a mortgage or being at work on time when their running late. These people can go wherever they want, and if it happens to start raining they can crawl underneath a picnic table. Panhandling on the streets can give you a lot of money. If they choose alcohol and drugs over paying for their rent then that’s their decision. If they want help, there is help out there for them. They need to make the choice to want help first before changes can be made. These people that we see standing on the street, may be there for all sorts of reasons. Whatever the reasons, we need to focus on the ones that have the best chance of change. The ones that want help and are seeking it. Those that are ready to make a change. It’s a personal choice to want to become a working and functioning member of society. This is where we need to put our focus on the homeless.
taylor.nancarrow Reply:
February 17th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
@kira.west,Kira, I do agree when you say that America gives many opportunities to help the less fortunate. Our country seems to take the quality of human welfare as a moral obligation. I also agree that it would be more logical prioritizing which patients to help. It would be far more successful only helping those who are ready to make a commitment and effort to change. But just because it would be more successful does not mean that we should simply ignore those who at first seem ignorant to the idea of receiving help. Sometimes the homeless are too proud or scared to receive aid. A good example of this would be the character Nathaniel from the Soloist. At first Nathaniel was not open to the idea of receiving help simply because of fear. He was forcefully taken into treatment and forcefully received shock treatment; this made him very afraid of receiving treatment once more. But after Nathaniel learned that he could trust the people who wanted to help he became open to the idea of receiving their assistance. Before the eighties treatment for mental illness was done in very inhumane ways. Doctors would perform a forceful procedure called a lobotomy to patients who suffered from psychological disorders. The doctors would drive a small ice pick through the patient’s eye socket and chip away at their frontal lobe. This caused the psychological disorder to disappear but it made the patient completely emotionless. Would you not be scared to receive psychological help again after forcefully being put through procedures like these? Many mentally ill homeless do not want to receive help because they have no trust in the individuals offering the help. So maybe what we need to do is spend time in gaining there trust like Steve Lopez did with Nathaniel. For those homeless who are substance abusers we must not simply just give up on them either. To me this seems like a very insensitive idea. Extreme addiction takes over the individual’s ability to choose. Many veterans whom you see populating a good percent of homelessness became addicted to heroin and other drugs while they were in the service. Many vets did and witnessed things that were so horrible they felt like they needed to turn to drugs to distract their minds. We must not ignore substance abusers but instead help them overcome their addiction. The beauty of America is that we offer so many opportunities to those who want to seek them. I agree when you say that the homeless need to make a choice to receive help because nobody should have to do anything against their will. Homelessness is an increasing epidemic that needs to be sympathized.
amy.young4 Reply:
February 24th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
@kira.west, People cannot just turn their backs on the hard cases and focus on the easier ones.
“… a popular misconception… however, that led many to think all homeless people were mentally ill or suffered from drug or alcohol abuse problems. Oftentimes, homeless people were portrayed as lazy and unclean. (Raven, 2)” Some of these people really are lazy and unclean, but some are people who lost themselves for whatever reason and need all the help they can receive. Drug addicts and mentally ill people have just as much a right to help as anyone else. Just because they refuse or seem hopeless does not mean they should be given up on.
Crawling under a picnic table when it starts to rain is no way to live. Most of the people who do not care about the environment they are living in have something wrong with them. They need the most help. Those people who realize that living on the streets is no way to live at all, they are easier to help because they want to change their situation. American people do not have the right to decide which needy person gets help or not, it should be a goal to help all homeless people no matter how dire and hopeless the situation may be.
There are several different types of homeless people in the U.S. 80 percent of all homeless in the U.S are only homeless for a day or two, on average. Another 10 percent are dubbed “episodic” users, who are only in shelters for a few weeks in the year, usually during the winter. The last 10 percent, the chronically or “hard-core” homeless, are burdening our society in a multitude of ways. They are making it very difficult for the average American to maintain a secure lifestyle he or she works so hard to maintain.
Finding a viable living solution for the 10 percent of hard-core homeless while remaining fair to the hard working citizens of this fine nation who actually strive to not become homeless is an incredibly vast challenge. It will be a difficult challenge to face because compromises will undoubtedly have to be made, whether there be less support for the homeless, or less emphasis on making sure those who are not homeless stay that way.
The nation has to decide where its priorities lie; do we invest in giving the chronically homeless a more “decent” living? Or do we insure the security of the citizens who have established themselves as productive members of society? It all seems to be a matter of focus. Our newly elected president clearly wants all to succeed (in the sense that everyone has a home, and are living socially acceptable lifestyles), but is that possible?
kent.davis Reply:
February 18th, 2009 at 9:27 am
@joseph.sweeney,
Joseph - these are great questions, and you’ve done a great job of culling some serious nuance out of them. I’d love to know where you stand. How do you answer the questions you’ve posed?
Also, is this an either/or question? We can either invest in the chronically homeless or the working poor? What about the homeless who have jobs? What about folks who have housing but are less productive and hardworking?
What would be the implication of moving funding from agriculture subsidies or the defense budget to fully fund both facets you’ve identified? Are the figures even remotely comparable?
A woman from Houston, TX was on her way to work when she got into a car accident, neither driver had car insurance and her car got totaled. She had no savings of any kind or relatives in the city, therefore, her resources were very scarce. Transportation was difficult to find, consequently she lost her job and eventually lost her apartment. She moved in with a friend and got a job at a fast-food restaurant, but eventually lost that job too due to transportation difficulties and could no longer pay her friend for staying at her house.
She had nowhere to go but the streets where she found a place (cardboard box) downtown under a bridge. She worked when she could get work but it never paid enough to save for a car or a place to live, only enough money for clothing or food for a day or two. This women still has the hope to build her life back little by little, her goal is to have a place to call home by next year. (Walker, Pg-30(1)) It is hard to build your life back up when you have lost everything, including your faith and hope.
kira.west Reply:
February 18th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
@felicia.rangel,
The woman in Texas took a gamble on whether or not to have car insurance. Yes, car insurance is expensive, but if she would have had it, then maybe she would have kept her job and life wouldn’t have been so hard. This is an interesting story about this woman, but what exactly is the main point. Not everyone that makes bad decisions face consequences, but in this woman’s case she did. Minimum wage, not having car insurance, and trying to get by on your own are all issues this woman has to deal with. When this woman decided to not get car insurance she should have thought of the consequences for not getting it. Maybe her job did not pay her much, but minimum wage, and that may not have been enough money. At present, the price of gas and food are going up, but when does minimum wage go up? The government should either raise minimum wage or decrease the costs of peoples needs. The federal minimum wage is $6.55 per hour and in Montana the federal minimum wage is $6.90 per hour (U.S. Department of Labor). How is anyone supposed to get by on that? It’s not fair to those who are trying to work, and get by with the little money they get from their low paying jobs. Did this woman finish high school? College? Maybe if she had the proper education then she would have had a better paying job and this dilemma never would have happened.
Limited states fine a fee of $150 to $500 for driving without insurance, but if you’re in an accident , the consequences can be far more serious if you are involved in an accident and do not have insurance. You may have to comply with the financial responsibility laws (SR22, SR22s, SR16) including having to pay for any injuries or damages out of your own pocket (car insurance.com). Did this woman get hurt or hurt anyone else in the accident?
Every individual has to try and get by on their own. How are we supposed to not only take care of ourselves but also other people out on the streets? Everyone has problems. It’s just that homeless people like this Texas woman sticks out, because she’s on the streets. Everyone can see she has problems, but really we all have issues we’re trying to get through, and were just trying to get by in life. It’s good that this woman is trying to work hard and get her life back to normal, but she did make a mistake by not getting car insurance, and now she’s paying for it. Most Americans can get help from relatives, but in this woman’s case she didn’t have anyone to turn too, and that’s sad, but what else was she supposed to do but look for a box to live in? I don’t know what we as Americans should do to help diminish the homeless people in our country. Since we’re all apart of this country we should all pitch in to help with whatever needs done. If it’s cleaning the streets, soldiers fighting for us, or helping homeless live a better life. Some of the hard times like homeless should be stopped in America. It’s not right for this woman to live on the street, because she is apart of our society, but are we going to do anything about it?
The issue of homelessness is a problem all over America, not just in big cities, although the problem is much worse in cities. At one point or another every American will come into some sort of contact with a homeless person and their feelings toward them will differ. Because of the fact that there are all sorts of different homeless people in different situations it is difficult to draw a specific conclusion about all homeless people. To just stereo type the homeless as lazy, drunks would be a mistake.
The controversial issue of homelessness lies in the different people living on the streets. There are many different types of homeless people. One tends to be more sympathetic to families that have fallen on rough times, single moms, and situations similar to those. Those whom most people are not sympathetic towards would be the addicts, mentally impaired or social outcasts that cannot seem to hold a job. These men and women are looked down upon and most do not want to help them. It is a tough position to be in, deciding the way one feels about the homeless.
dani.jung Reply:
February 16th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
@amy.young4, Amy, you bring up a very important point about the perceptions that many have about the homeless. How do we help society get over the stereotypes that have formed around homelessness? Should we only be responsible for helping those that fall into a particular category or should we be responsible for helping all? How would you begin to address this massive problem?
bryce.shows Reply:
February 17th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
@amy.young4, Dear Amy, I completely agree with you that most people would generally stereotype homeless people as lazy drunks. Most people seem to be more sympathetic for the families that have fallen on rough times and most people tend to avoid homeless people who have a mental illness or are addicted to a substance. Although there are some people who are trying to help the homeless, I agree with you when you say most people do not want to help them; that is the problem.
Getting over stereotypes is hard to do, especially when dealing with the homeless population. A “stereotypical” homeless man on the street, grungy clothes, unshaven, shaggy hair, possibly creepy looking, does not represent someone one would want to walk up to and ask if they needed some help. The thought is there, inside most people’s heads, but rarely is there any action taken. I say, why not? Getting over a stereotype can be as easy as just getting to know someone before judging them. This act of kindness is not going to solve homelessness by any means, but it could be a good start to getting rid of the stereotypes put on homeless people. Not everyone is probably willing to walk up to a homeless person and say hi, but even if just a few people in each city did, imagine the doors they could open for the homeless individual just by saying hi. Creating a friendship could possibly open up the homeless person to getting help.
I feel Gladwell reflects this idea of kindness in his essay. People need to take action and it starts by getting rid of the stereotypes. Although, kindness can work with most people who are homeless, I feel one needs to start at the bottom with the homeless people who are struggling the most. Most chronically homeless individual are suffering from a mental illness or some kind of addiction. The chronically homeless, I feel, are the ones who need the most help getting their lives back in order. Of course the other homeless, such as those who have fallen on rough times, or are struggling from paycheck to paycheck, need help, but they are still surviving. Starting at the base with the chronically homeless would eventually build help to helping all homeless people.
The homelessness issue will never completely be solved. There are several homeless people who would love the help, but there are also several that would rather not be bothered and are fine with living on the streets. Saying hi and using kindness is not going to solve the epidemic of homelessness, but it could help kick start people to start realizing that it is a big issue, and something needs to be done. In Gladwell’s essay, he shows how people are beginning to act on the issue by giving out apartments to homeless individuals. By limiting stereotypes on the homeless society, people can begin to see the problem and can eventually start acting.
@kira.west Kira, I do agree when you say that America gives many opportunities to help the less fortunate. Our country seems to take the quality of human welfare as a moral obligation. I also agree that it would be more logical prioritizing which patients to help. It would be far more successful only helping those who are ready to make a commitment and effort to change. But just because it would be more successful does not mean that we should simply ignore those who at first seem ignorant to the idea of receiving help. Sometimes the homeless are too proud or scared to receive aid. A good example of this would be the character Nathaniel from the Soloist. At first Nathaniel was not open to the idea of receiving help simply because of fear. He was forcefully taken into treatment and forcefully received shock treatment; this made him very afraid of receiving treatment once more. But after Nathaniel learned that he could trust the people who wanted to help he became open to the idea of receiving their assistance. Before the eighties treatment for mental illness was done in very inhumane ways. Doctors would perform a forceful procedure called a lobotomy to patients who suffered from psychological disorders. The doctors would drive a small ice pick through the patient’s eye socket and chip away at their frontal lobe. This caused the psychological disorder to disappear but it made the patient completely emotionless. Would you not be scared to receive psychological help again after forcefully being put through procedures like these? Many mentally ill homeless do not want to receive help because they have no trust in the individuals offering the help. So maybe what we need to do is spend time in gaining there trust like Steve Lopez did with Nathaniel. For those homeless who are substance abusers we must not simply just give up on them either. To me this seems like a very insensitive idea. Extreme addiction takes over the individual’s ability to choose. Many veterans whom you see populating a good percent of homelessness became addicted to heroin and other drugs while they were in the service. Many vets did and witnessed things that were so horrible they felt like they needed to turn to drugs to distract their minds. We must not ignore substance abusers but instead help them overcome their addiction. The beauty of America is that we offer so many opportunities to those who want to seek them. I agree when you say that the homeless need to make a choice to receive help because nobody should have to do anything against their will. Homelessness is an increasing epidemic that needs to be sympathized.
@felicia.rangel
Felicia, you bring up a very good example of someone less fortunate and having to deal with problems most do not have to go through. However, there are millions of people in the world that are homeless and deal with these struggles everyday. By running into obstacles a person must overcome them to have greatness in their lives. But there are always other options to overcome homelessness, grant she has no job or home. With the said, a question that I have is why would she give up? Grant she lost hope and faith but there is always a way out it just takes strength. By giving up she is showing that she is not strong. Many say only the strong survive and if she wanted to survive shouldn’t she do anything in her power to make it to the top?
There are many options to overcome being homeless and jobless, by talking about causes of homelessness would be a lot stronger, and using more detail about the women losing her job would be a lot interesting. Many Americans are losing their jobs and living on the streets because of our economic status in the United States today, but by buying more we are getting ourselves out of debt instead of fixing things.
The lady in your passage could relate a lot like Murray, this is because what gathered from your passage should is someone who would not take help very easy. If there are millions of people homeless should not we be more acceptable to them. When driving by a homeless person with a sign most people would laugh at them and make fun of them instead of helping, For example, by an employer not firing someone less fortunate because of their lack of necessities would help out a great deal. We should as a country should be more aware of homeless and how to prevent it or help out, for example, the apartments in Colorado. By giving homeless people hope they should regain the hope they lost, or even staying in a shelter they would be able to get back on their feet.
Homelessness due to losing a job is very interesting in the way you have an example. Your example leads me into think that her life has came crashing down on her, yet gives me the thought that she chose to live like that. By losing her job because of not being able to get there is interesting. There is always a way to make things happen. Expanding on reasons why homeless lose a job is hard to understand. A person would think that if they needed money bad enough they would walk, unless they wore ill in some way. How would you address the women’s circumstances? Would you put her in the category as chronically homeless or just a regular homeless that lives on the streets when necessary? And why would she choose to live in a cardboard box then live in a shelter. “With some chronically homeless giving up when the summer come,” is why homeless is such a big issue (Gladwell, 6). Do you think that why she gave up hope is being maybe she enjoys living on the streets? Gladwell expressed that some simply like the freedom and not having taxes, do you think this would imply to the women from Texas? By acting out on the issue of homelessness and giving them a job would it change our world significantly or be pointless? However, if a person gives up hope and has no faith they will never succeed.