L.A. County wants to help build guest houses in backyards — for homeless people

originally posted by: Blaine91555
a reply to: ketsuko

Could be true. I can't seem to get the conversation beyond all of them being lumped in with addicts and hopeless drunks, so I'll move on. Lots of good people being thrown aside due to that misconception.

The way I see it, once the ones who are genuinely on the street through quirks of fate are directed toward the proper resources and programs, they will quickly move to take advantage to get off the street. People who know how to be productive in society don't stop just because they hit bad times.

But there are others who are mentally ill or addicted or just plain don't know how to make the right choices to keep themselves off the streets who are intractable. They either don't want help or don't think they need it even though they maybe do and desperately.

It's the second group that's the real problem. Can you compel them to be helped? It's like the kids I used to work with when I spent some time trying to teach inner city. Sure the kids were compelled by law to come to my classroom, but nothing could force the ones who didn't want to have anything to do with education to learn.

So you can try all you like, but without them meeting you halfway, you aren't going to make much progress. And if they don't understand they have problem either through sheer stubborn pigheadedness, ignorance, addiction, or insanity ... what do you do?

Interesting idea. Though I have several reservations about it as well. I'm all for helping people if it gets them back on their feet. However, I would hope a mental health and drug screening would take place prior to placing these people into neighborhoods with families. There would have to be upward movement and progress for the individuals involved. Not just a stagnant situation.

I had a lady that used to live across the street from me that was keen on taking in transients and letting them live out of trailers in her back yard. The problem was that crime skyrocketed in the neighborhood when this started happening. I caught them stealing from me twice and spotted one of them stealing out of another neighbor's garage another time. There were also rumors, though I couldn't confirm it myself, that they were selling drugs to the high school kids in the neighborhood. And after the lady was finally evicted herself and left the neighborhood all the crime suddenly stopped. Imagine that.

The loonies still left in California are about to be forced to swallow another red pill.

This is hilarious. It should be encouraged by all.

I wouldn’t want the liability? Are you responsible if they hurt themselves on your property.

And the money would be better spent getting the homeless the psychological help they need.

Nothing likely ignoring what causes homelessness in the first place.

a reply to: ketsuko

Sure the kids were compelled by law to come to my classroom, but nothing could force the ones who didn't want to have anything to do with education to learn.

Well, it takes someone with a special skill set to get through to them. Proof of that is how the success rates vary between schools and teachers. Same with other things like rehab programs. Some have a high success rate while others have abysmal success rates. Pretty much anything government funded is crap and things like the 12 step nonsense have never had good long term success rates.

With kids you can't force them, you have to lure them into learning IMO. Growing up we all had teachers who even the worst kids liked and learned from and other teachers, well not so much. Same with treatment programs. It's very subjective.

One thing though is that people are not throw away items, at least in a civilized society.

a reply to: Blaine91555

It still takes an intrinsic desire to change on the part of the person in question. Without that, it won't matter much what you do.

And this program does nothing to create any of that.

Let's start off by having them volunteer to do these things since its their idea. Lead by example.

Socialism, plain and simple. Government owned or discounted housing.

I knew a guy, I thought a stand-up fellow. Airforce pilot that had to fly with an eye patch while carrying nukes on his shift... Anyway, he took on a homeless guy after Katrina. Gave the guy "room and board' and got him a job at a Walmart.
Went great until he died and the helping hands took all the life insurance money that he set up in the man's name. Last I heard there were a wife and child looking for the insurance money that should have gone to them.
FU Dave. You pretend Christian. I'm glad your daughter is milking you dry.

a reply to: underpass61

I have a better idea-let them crash in the thousands of homes left vacant by the GFC, and the fuzz still charges the poor folk for squatting in houses that have been forclosed! why not spend money on refurbishing some of these premises so they can be turned into halfway houses?

America is no longer the home of the brave, it is the of home of fear.

originally posted by: GuidedKill

originally posted by: Abysha

originally posted by: GuidedKill

originally posted by: Abysha

originally posted by: GuidedKill

originally posted by: Abysha
a reply to: underpass61

You make it sound mandatory. These homeowners are volunteers. This idea is genius and I hope it spreads. As long as the tenants have access to toiletries and email, this could be a stepping stone permanent solutions for most of them.

Wait What?? Access to email is a necessity???

LMFAO You can't be serious right? Wait you're left coast right.....Never mind you are serious.

Please continue.

Who's going to want to house people who are trying to get back on their feet if they don't have the basic means to communicate with potential employers?

Ever try to get on your feet in any urban area without internet lately?

It's called two feet and a heart beat maam!! Otherwise known as pounding the pavement or hitting the streets. I assure you people have been landing jobs long before email just by walking into locations and asking about employment.

Instead of figuratively talking about people getting on their feet why don't they literally get on their feet and walk to find a job?? Is that too much to ask from someone really trying to get on their feet and out of the gutter? I think what most people don't realize is a lot of homeless people have mental issues and can't even function in society none the less in a job environment.

And that isn't even mentioning the ones who are homeless by choice. They don't want a job, they just want to beg for money and let others feed them. Do you want that homeless person in your back yard or only the Will Smith homeless guy Hollywood sells you?

I think there is a significant disparity of forced perspectives here. If you live in a rural area, "pounding the pavement" makes sense. You'll cover half the town within a day, facing reasonable competition.

However, if you are living in a place like LA or even here, you will increase your odds 20-fold by using temp agencies (which are more effective if you receive notifications of job openings), Craigslist, and any number of job sites. You will be facing much more competition for even the most menial of jobs and just walking around your neck of the woods isn't going to cut it.

In any case, I mentioned that with access to hygiene and job-hunting tools, a person can really get back on their feet. Why is that such a controversial statement? Are you all really this petty when it comes to iconic rugged individualists pulling themselves up with their bootstraps? Some people just need to get a job after running out of bootstraps and this is a program that provides more of them. Again, this shouldn't be controversial.

So a person with no job, money or even a home is going to have a lap top or a smart phone? Where did they get the money to buy that Mac Air? Where do they plug in that new Android or how do they pay for that $100 a month Verizon plan? Where do they mail the bill? Card board box #7 between Sunset and 7th st?

A basic mobile phone costs around $50 with a screen large enough to send/receive Email. There are solar powered phone chargers. Even drug dealers can run their business from a jail cell. For a homeless person, the hard part is trying to keep the phone charged. With luck they can find an internet cafe that just might have sockets next to tables.
The next problem is getting to and from work. That probably require a car or public transport. Then they need to live somewhere next to public transport. The next problem is that with somewhere like London, rents and house prices rise the closer you are to a train station.

What's going to happen if there are not enough homes (volunteers) for the homeless to go to?

"Helping homeless people? Yuck!"

That's what I'm getting from your OP.

a reply to: DBCowboy

The "voluntary" part should explain that part for you. No one is being forced to house homeless people, only the ones who want to help other human beings who have fallen on hard times. Those who don't want to help? I guess homeless people won't be living there.

a reply to: underpass61

Why on earth do people still live there? To me the prospect of moving to LA or other parts of Cali is like the idea of living in a barren desert or frozen sierra. I get that its pretty and has pleasant weather.

There is no living there for people that want to keep what they earn and have agency over their lives. Many would not wish to live there simply because they would not be able to enjoy the freedom of exploring lifes possibilities outside of the confines of an increasingly rigid structure of access to any meaningful power in society.

Let me say, before anyone goes off their rocker, that I also understand that this is a voluntary program for homeowners. The neighbors of these homeowners that participate in this program should also be asked for their consent since they are also volunteers by default.

a reply to: underpass61


I hear Nancy Pelosi owns a pretty big spread, maybe she could hook several thousand of them up.

a reply to: Abysha

Imagine you are the only one who does not comply in the neighborhood or street. Or just try to sell your home once the allyways are corrupt and filled with dirty needles...

FEMA camps... Fill em up!

THINK long and hard if you consider moving a homeless person / family onto your property....been there, done that, and it was ALL Bad ! No good deed goes unpunished was the lesson I learned !!

When you're dealing with mentality unstable people, their problems WILL become yours too. Unless you're willing to "adopt" these people and share everything you have with them, you will quickly be resented by the people you intended to help. " Take a bus and go look for a job while you're at work, hahaha " Nope they want YOU to drive them or give them your car...anyways, I guess I'm just not that nice.

Remember in CA, once a person gets mail at your house for 3mns. , they have RIGHTS now, whether they paid rent or not. Now they are a resident you have to evict legally.