How should one treat the homeless?

That's a good idea. In my area homeless people always congregate outside my local supermarket.

If we study the facts and trends we will see the variables that influence someone being homeless.

A groundbreaking study by Just Facts has discovered that after accounting for all income, charity, and non-cash welfare benefits like subsidized housing and food stamps, the poorest 20 percent of Americans consume more goods and services than the national averages for all people in most affluent countries.

https://fee.org/articles/the-poorest-20-of-americans-are-richer-than-most-nations-of-europe/

California is home to nearly 12 percent of the country’s total population but, as of January 2020, 28 percent of its unhoused population, according to federal statistics. More than half of the country’s unsheltered homeless population resides in California

Housing
A lack of affordable housing and the limited scale of housing assistance programs have contributed to the current housing crisis and to homelessness. Recently, foreclosures have also increased the number of people who experience homelessness.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that the 2017 Housing Wage is $21.21 per hour, exceeding the $16.38 hourly wage earned by the average renter by almost $5.00 an hour, and greatly exceeding wages earned by low income renter households. In fact, the hourly wage needed for renters hoping to afford a two-bedroom rental home is $13.96 higher than the national minimum wage of $7.25.

Poverty
Homelessness and poverty are inextricably linked. Poor people are frequently unable to pay for housing, food, childcare, health care, and education. Difficult choices must be made when limited resources cover only some of these necessities. Often it is housing, which absorbs a high proportion of income that must be dropped. If you are poor, you are essentially an illness, an accident, or a paycheck away from living on the streets.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the national poverty rate in 2016 was 12.7%. There were 40.6 million people in poverty. While the poverty rate has been slowly declining since 2014, a couple of factors account for continuing poverty:

• Lack of Employment Opportunities – With unemployment rates remaining high, jobs are hard to find in the current economy. Even if people can find work, this does not automatically provide an escape from poverty.
• Decline in Available Public Assistance – The declining value and availability of public assistance is another source of increasing poverty and homelessness and many families leaving welfare struggle to get medical care, food, and housing as a result of loss of benefits, low wages, and unstable employment. Additionally, most states have not replaced the old welfare system with an alternative that enables families and individuals to obtain above-poverty employment and to sustain themselves when work is not available or possible.

Other major factors, which can contribute to homelessness, include:

• Lack of Affordable Health Care – For families and individuals struggling to pay the rent, a serious illness or disability can start a downward spiral into homelessness, beginning with a lost job, depletion of savings to pay for care, and eventual eviction.
• Domestic Violence – Battered women who live in poverty are often forced to choose between abusive relationships and homelessness. In addition, 50% of the cities surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors identified domestic violence as a primary cause of homelessness (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2005).
• Mental Illness – Approximately 16% of the single adult homeless population suffers from some form of severe and persistent mental illness (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2005).
• Addiction – The relationship between addiction and homelessness is complex and controversial. Many people who are addicted to alcohol and drugs never become homeless, but people who are poor and addicted are clearly at increased risk of homelessness.

https://nationalhomeless.org/about-homelessness/

(Every country has problems with homelessness and every country has different variables that promote homelessness. In America we see a few major issues.

• Homeless people choosing to be homeless
• Failed socialist policies
• Affordable housing
• Wages (jobs now often require years of experience or an expensive degree from college)
• Poverty (inflation, higher taxes, restrictive job opportunities, minimal wages, etc.)
• Lack of affordable health care
• Domestic Violence
• Mental illness (often being previously incarcerated or simply couldn't afford the medication to live a stable life)
• Addiction (drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc.)
• Not mentioned but a large percent is the prosfitutes and lgbt

This is unfortunate. The reason I posited this question was that it's very easy for someone living a comfortable lifestyle to forget that sometimes morality is a privilege. I do not need to lie, cheat, steal or otherwise hurt others for my personal survival. There are others living within 100 metres of myself who would do all those things for a place to sleep, something to eat and to secure their fix of choice.

On one occasion a man approached me to talk to me, at 2am in the morning. He had a dog and told me he'd been kicked out by his girlfirend who'd cheated on him. He asked for money for a shelter. I gave him the tips I'd made that night at work.

I'm not deluding myself that he was telling the truth. I don't know. He started crying, although he may be practiced at doing this. If I saw him again in the same location I'd know it was a common scam he'd pull. I'm aware many homeless people buy dogs to illicit sympathy. Dogs are innocent.

It's fascinating how a person's concept of what is normal can shift over time. I hope you never have to find out what it's like to consider homelessness as your normal way of life.

Oh I'm sure he was lying about the girlfriend...she likely didn't have that sort of relationship with him.

I'm not sure in which country you live...but here in Nashville TN...these people are scary dangerous. The Romanians in the Slavic areas of Europe are fairly scary too.

There's of course a story behind them all...each used to be a decent, respectable person.

Morality isn't a function of wealth as much as it is one of choice. I do understand why someone could think that they can not afford morality...but that doesn't excuse it either.

You can't check into the cheap, homeless hotels too late either...they close up too...they know their business model all too well. Just like the homeless shelters...they have a check in time as well as a time they must leave the premises.

Here in Nashville we have all sorts of assistance for those who need it or want it. All that is required is identification and a clean drug test (of the cheapest sort possible)
Nobody has to live on the street if they don't want to.

But because people have warrants for their arrest, can't provide a clean drug test, or have sold their identification for drugs...they are homeless. (In this town)
Anybody who has these two things can be living in a clean, safe apartment inside of 48 hours along with any minor children they have and cupboards full of groceries. Then they will be given childcare vouchers (along with a list of the locations accepting them) and job interviews for employment. Public transportation and even cab fare paid for medical attention needs.

All that is required is a clean drug test and identification...and yet we have homeless everywhere in this town.

At the mission (homeless shelter) I've seen the empty beds that go unused because the homeless people would rather not enter into a chemical dependency program but instead would rather to continue to be dependent on drugs. They would get better clothing, better food, private bathroom and private bedroom. Just for making an effort. But the beds are empty today.

Anybody who wants off the street will get tons of assistance for them to do so. We aren't talking about difficult stuff here either. Just very basics.

My wife and I joke about the 8th avenue bridge all the time. (As if we would ever actually do it)

We have families and friends who wouldn't allow such a thing...plus we have work ethics and talents and abilities and identification and no warrants for our arrest. We won't go homeless.

Getting approached in a not well-populated area by a strange man is definitely a no for me. In open public with plenty of people around I offer to buy food and inform them of the local food banks. Never cash unless I specifically feel led to do so. It is sad, but many people have chosen that life for themselves, and with so many food banks in my area there's not really a good excuse for someone to actually be hungry here.

I believe you're referring to the Roma...they are gypsies (ethnic Indians). They are not ethnic Romanians (Romanians have always been honest, hardworking folk in my experience).

And wow, I didn't realise so much could be offered to the homeless in the US...but they would rather be dependent on drugs.

Well I was trying to not be disparaging...but yes, the Roma.

And yes, America has the richest poor in the world. Very very different than the homeless in the rest of the world.

But that doesn't mean that the homeless are any less dangerous.

I appreciate all the comments everyone has left. I will be honest, I am considering stopping giving my time and money to the homeless themselves, and instead looking up charities in my country, or preferably my region. What do you guys think?

I believe this man was testing you...you did the right thing by refusing and showing him strength. He may have taken advantage of you if you appeared weak. You have some street sense but still need to be safe.

That's true. I typically stop slowly, talk casually, and walk off calmly when they approach me. Sometimes it's better to talk to them calmly than to ignore them out of fear.


This is based on my experience and is entirely my opinion based on my many interactions with homeless people in my area.

At my local Walmart, we met a family asking for help that claimed to be from Romania. According to them they flew to Mexico and entered the border there. I don't know really what a Romanian looks like, but they were heavily accented and looked Mediterranean. I figure they may have been Muslims because they were all for us helping them until mom mentioned that our church would get them a hotel room and food if they needed it.

I know my area has many food banks and pro-life pregnancy centers that all run off church giving and personal donations. Those are great places to start, and since there are volunteers that do that regularly and know who's who, they are better able to give to those who really need it vs. people who are just freeloaders.

Definitely research the charities before subscribing to them. Find out how much of every dollar actually goes towards the stated goals instead of "administration and advertising" expenses.
Here one of the most efficient charities is the Salvation Army...and they don't do any fancy book keeping to make their numbers look great. They are around 75% of efficiency. And that's even paying for housing, taxes, and salaries of all employed.
Much much better than the Red Cross ever thought about. Red cross shows up for the photo op and the Salvation Army stays and does the work.

These guys are the professionals. They host most of the AA and NA meetings across America...they also host many of the halfway houses for those getting out of prison and a bunch of other things like that.

Dunno about charities where you are.
But here many charities are filled with profiteers from God instead of Prophets of God...so be careful. I know that you just want to help...I get it. I do as well. And it's hard to see so many people refuse the help while begging at the same time.

Not moslems....just scammers using their children to help them scam.
Because the children had already learned how to scam their parents.

Oh yes, lots of people use children to beg for money. Who doesn't want to help out a hungry child looking pitiful? They usually rake in the big bucks.

Be careful. U don't want to be followed or hassled. If possible. Contact a local charity. The homeless might need something like a winter pack. Clothes, thermals, rain proofs or thermos

On a completely different facet of the topic, I have occasionally thought about the feasibility of living in a minivan. An engine with a small displacement could idle for a surprisingly long time on not much gas, which would keep the alternator spinning to generate electricity and provide heat or air conditioning. Remove the middle seats, put a TV tray in front of the back seat for your laptop and voila!

You could hang out in the Walmart parking lot for bathroom access (you'd be buying a lot at Walmart anyway because you're already right there, so nothing unethical about using their restroom) and Pilot or Love's truck stop has showers.

If you want to get innovative you could fill the front right side with car batteries (connected in parallel, not in sequence) drill a hole through the front dash and charge them off the car electrical system, then disconnect them when you turn the car off. Then you have power that doesn't depend on the car idling all the time, with no risk of running down the battery that starts the car.

The downsides would be annoying... No pets, no cooking, no fridge and you'd have to cross the parking lot to pee no matter what the weather is. Sure you could get a hot plate and a micro fridge, but that would take up precious space in a small area. There would be little space for stocking reserves of food and water. Your main reserve would have to be money, and that continually depreciates with inflation.

Also most vehicles don't last as long as most houses, and if your car broke down it would be a major inconvenience instead of a minor annoyance. It's almost impossible to find a mechanic who is both good and available to fix your car at a moment's notice.

Pop quiz for those who think they know me well: Which downside is the major deal-breaker for me, the reason I would never live in a vehicle?

Oh yeah, another downside is you could never invite a girl over to your place. A non-issue for me, as I have never wanted to invite a girl over to my place.