Hard Times Have Tent Cities Rising Across the Country

reply to post by burdman30ott6

Give a man a fish and he eats for one meal, teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.

What do you do when the sea is out of fish.....and what you do catch the state and federal government takes half?

reply to post by burdman30ott6


Truth is, law enforcement is coming down on homeless people. In my town there conducting the annual winter sweep of the woods and from under the bridges but that just makes them go away for a week. then their back.
There is one new person a day coming into the shelter. We've got over 100 total in a town of 26,000 @ 4.6sq mils. That's a lot and the jobs are 20 miles away. They get three meals and showers, laundry every two weeks.
It's going to get worse and the homeless haters will probably be the first in line. It's just that ignorant mentality doesn't say that the person has the ability to fight the rising economic price.
Your pretty much in bad shape when you have to bail out the people who were suppose to help you. Good luck with 30-50k because the 0-25k people are already homeless. Some one has to be the loser and it looks like it's your turn.

reply to post by Crakeur


Thanks I knew we had some threads on the issue since the housing market crisis started.

I've been doing a lot of road travel recently, (I have to, it is my job) and the things I have seen in some places are more than depressing. I expect to see the usual homeless, and panhandlers, often I do encounter them, occasionally I give some change when asked. What I encountered on this trip was especially depressing.. A whole family living out of their car at a rest area in Kansas; Father, Mother, 3 children and a grandmother. Not your typical homeless people, apparently they were evicted from their foreclosed home, cant find work, and for the moment had no place else to go. In other places I found people from various walks of life with similar stories... Recent stories.

As a nation we have seen worse times, perhaps this will get worse before it gets better, but I am certain it will get better... It has to, soon. The thought of those people spending the holidays living that way really bothers me.

If you think it can't happen to you, maybe you should talk to people who have fallen on these hard times, then maybe you will see how it could happen to anyone.

I am going to sit with Blaine and burdman on this. I will say though that I live in a fairly small mostly rural type small collage town. But I still am not seeing a mass spring up of homeless. I am also seeing a large number of job openings around the area for jobs that might require some skill or even a minor degree, but I am also seeing labor jobs that would provide a decent wage to those who are looking for a job.

I have seen some say there are no jobs to have but I think some of that is that many have gotten into a habit of a certain life style and if they cannot get a job to support such a life style they will not take any other. Personally I have taken some low paying jobs that I dread going to everyday until I could find better. I hated those jobs but know I need money to at least help to pay bills for my family.

I am not saying all of the jobless/homeless are this way but I would wager that many are. Pride steps in the way of common sense more often than not. People think they are too good to do a job that pays below what they are used to making. I blame society for that in a way as we tell each other and support the idea that one is too good to work such menial low wage jobs.

Another thing to blame is how many of those same people were living from check to check because they felt a need to keep up with the guy next door. Again I know not all are this way but many most certainly are. Today even the poor own a television which is something that was unheard of in the past. Fact is many people overburden themselves with debt they know they cannot pay or will miss payments on if even the slightest thing goes wrong. Again society is to blame for this because no one wants to be the guy who says something to someone about how they chose to live. God forbid if we try to offer advice you are told to mind your own business. When actually you are minding your business in the future because each one in society that does not contribute becomes a leech on that society and those who are responsible or more so than others will face picking up their slack. Sounds harsh and uncaring I know but truth be told it is correct, like it or not.

Others to blame are the banks who in their greed decided it was good practice to loan money to those who either did not understand what they were signing or flat out knew they would never be able to afford the load if even a minor thing came along. Add to this the heartless corrupt credit card companies who offer even the jobless credit cards and then increase their credit level all the while not getting paid and taking on ridiculously high interest rates. Not everyone needs to be given a credit card and even many who do get them use them in ways they should not be used for. I recently heard that a large portion of Americans use credit cards to buy their groceries now. This is because they do not have the money in the bank to cover the cost when they go to get food. They lack the money in the bank because they have over stretched their limit of spending and now must rely on a credit card in order to support themselves. Rather than cut back on spending else where they would rather fall deeper into dept. Life is not always grand and we cannot have everything we want for the most part.

I am not saying credit cards are evil completely, just that if used the right way can actually be beneficial. For instance using them to make a purchase so that you get some sort of reward (miles, gift card) and then paying off the balance before the month comes around, even better to pay it off when you get home that day/night.

I am not saying all homeless or jobless are lazy and not willing to work. I understand that many cannot or are “over qualified” for a job (something that is a scapegoat of sorts). But again there are those out there who refuse to put their nose to the grindstone when things need to be done. I work with some people right now (the place pays very well for this area) that seem to want to skimp by. These people call into work all the time because they feel a need to go play around or party. They don’t have to stay at this job but being young they could be using this time to get ahead financially and go to school or learn a trade to go someplace else later. Yet like many young Americans today (something I did as well, guess I should have listened back then) they squander their time on meaningless garbage. The sad thing is many have taken this life style into adulthood as well. I can point out a large amount of people who have lost their jobs in the last year due to their abuse of alcohol/drugs. They were given every chance that could be afforded to them and possibly even a bit beyond. The companies paid to help them out and they slapped the hand away because their crutch was more important and stronger than their families. I know another who just recently seems to have barely averted such a calamity by realizing himself what he was doing and stopping all together. It all boils down to choice and priorities.

Raist

What's also very unfortunate till this day...

Is that we have a lot of vietnam veteran's who are homeless and some what coo coo in the head roaming the streets with no assistance or help.

Whenever I see a homeless person, I go out of my way to give them money...the humiliation of having to ask strangers for spare change is degrating enough on one's soul...and also I'm a big fan of karma...and everytime I can help someone else out In need I feel like I'm getting brownie points with the man up stairs lol...

Do I wonder sometimes what they will be using my change for? Of course, I would hope they would be able to buy something to eat or drink...or maybe scrap up enought money for a place to stay for the night...but unfortunately the majority of homeless people are addicted to something! And usually they are going to use that money on their preferred vice...

The thing is though...I'm considered lower class and I barely scratch 22k a year...sooner then later your going to see me at the stop light as well begging for change for gas so I can go to work and back!

The thing about the U.S. Is that as of right now...we have alot of things going wrong in this country...and Homelessness is america is one of those subjects where people know all about it...but don't take the time to figure out how we can solve it...

You may see a Tent city coming to a town near you pretty soon!!!

Yup we are going to keep seeing it to! "Okie's" all over again! Wandering from place to place to find work with the promise of golden employment and cheap living everywhere you go!


www.cnn.com...

I have often said, on other posts, that some areas of the USA, and other Western Nations, are "Third World zones".

Having said that, 90% of the people in this situation only have themselves to blame:

* If they did not spend what they did not earn, there would be no such situation...

* If they did not take out loans to pay for other loans that they contracted, they wouldn't be bankrupt, and wouldn't be bankrupting the economy...

* Since when is it your Right to be an homeowner? If you can't afford it, don't buy it...Rent, move to a cheaper area etc.

* How many of those people are in that situation because of drugs, alcohol and gambling? Don't get me wrong, I'm in favor of everybody spending their money on whatever they wish, as long as it is their money...

One final note, if any of these camps are on Public Land, KICK THE BUMS OUT...

I'm sick and tired of paying for other people's self destructive life stiles!!!

P.S. This those not apply to the brave, and betrayed, people of New Orleans, or to any other group of people buried by an incompetent, an economically, criminal government...

It is only the beginning. Record number of foreclosers had to displace these people somewhere. Shelters can only do so much.
Look for more of the same and proliferation in the days ahead.

reply to post by burdman30ott6


It is a little more complicated than that. You offered them a job for a couple of hours for $50. One they don't trust anyone. Why should they trust you? Two, really what good is a couple of hours of work when after that couple of hours they are going to be back in the same situation they were before?

There are those who had a job, got fired, got evicted, and on the streets. Then they pick them selves up again, get another job, eventually get fired, get evicted, and on the streets again, the cycle continues. How long will they realize that it isn't worth it? They can't go through the cycle again?

Then what about those who can can only get a minimum wage job, but it isn't enough to cover all the expenses of renting and utility bills? I know here, if all I had was myself, I wouldn't be able to afford a place to even rent on minimum wage, and actually survive.

Then there is the catch 22 they go through when they do what to pick themselves up off the streets. They need a job so they can rent a place to be able to live half way decently. In order to get the job, they need a physical address to give to the potential employer.

There are some who just don't want to work, don't know how to work, can't mentally, emotionally handle it, or just don't want to get their hopes up again.

Unfortunately we need more than just shelters and soup kitchens to help the homeless. There are only a very few rare organizations that go above and beyond to help the ones who can and want to be helped to relearn life skills, socialization, given proper clothes to go to interviews with, and etc. They can only help so many.

Now we have a new class of homeless. Those who are more than willing to find work and get out of the tent, but can't find one place that will hire them. Why? Who knows? Because they have bad credit? Because they live in a tent instead of a house? Because employers now automatically think that they are not trustworthy or even have the skills they claim to have?

It is tough out there. My husband is still looking for a job. I'm trying to keep things going with the job I have, but am falling short. I keep telling him it is time just to grab about anything he can get. He is holding out for a local trucking position. A couple of offers have come his way through a truck temp agency, but nothing came of them. I give him a little more time, and then really push him.

lets face reality people..


most of these people out there grossly over extended themselves, and are now paying for it.

Others, like the renter who's rent went up $600.... where the heck are you living that a sleeping space is costing you 1000-1600 a month? my mortgage is that much..

most of these types have radically over spent, bucuase they're trying to keep up with the jonses.. should we feel that much pity for their greed?

1976. My pregnant wife and I climbed in our old VW with the sunroof after having sold almost all our posessions. We were heading to California, enticed by a sister of mine who said it was wonderful living in the mountains north of San Diego. Well, it was wonderful considering we had been living next to the University of Cincinnati in a rundown neighborhood and everything was so terribly expensive. I had read Steinbeck's novels and saw the movie, The Grapes of Wrath. As we crossed a bridge spanning the Mississippi River, leading us from Memphis to West Memphis we looked down below the bridge and there was a great tent city there. Rundown cars. Campfires. People sitting listlessly, hoping for something good to happen to them. I was surprised then. I thought all that was finished in the U.S. And now I sit in my computer room in my little safe house way out in the boonies, away from the rest of the world except what I find on the internet and, nope. I am not surprised to see things are as they were in 1976.

There all a bunch of lazy so and so's... they should get another job - 1 -2 -3 of em if they have 2.

If they don't like it they can get out!


HAVE you ever been to India?

They are lucky!


Just thought I would let the compassionate con. in me out.

Mccain!

reply to post by mental modulator


This attitude does little to help, I wish you would read my post further back in this thread.

In these current times it really can happen to anyone, it is happening, and it will only get worse.

Have you looked around you at your own personal situation?

Are you secure?

If you work is your job secure?

Investments?

Mortgage?

Tried to find a job in a city that has been hit hard by these times?

The next time you see a homeless person, or someone who is obviously living a camper's life, I challenge you to ask them for their story.

Before you are so quick to judge, remember that as the current financial crises worsens, or we are hit by a complete economic collapse, you could be the next person looking for a place to set up a tent.



[edit on 19-9-2008 by The_Alarmist2012]

Having lived in Reno over the last four years, perhaps I have some insight on this issue. I believe fox news, as usual, has put quite a spin on this story.

Reno has a staggering homeless problem. It always has. Like someone stated earlier a lot of them are people who are gambling addicts, and a lot are veterans.

I believe the recent rise is due to police cracking down on all the downtown weekly rate motels. Crime had risen dramatically in these 'motels', which are little more than run down shacks, prostitution (not legal in the city limits), meth labs, beatings, stabbings, shootings, fires (look up the Mitzpah).

It's pathetic that the news would choose now to address this problem. It's a long standing one, and one not likely to go away. Whether they're living in tents or squatting or just laying on Virginia Street they exist in great quantities.

This is just another example of our governments willingness to help other countries over our own, and Americans general apathy.

In England and the UK, we not never expect our homeless people to sleep in tents. We don't have the room for tent cities for one thing. I think generally people over here are a bit more symathetic towards homelessness. I can't think of anything worse than loosing one's home, for whatever reason?

Tent cities! That's reminisant of Hoover days and the Great Depression when thousands of U. S. citizens wandered our country in search of food and employment. Are we going to have hundreds of poor hungry, depressed souls jumping out of high-rise buildings in order to end their suffering? God forbid! Thank you George Bush.

The strange thing is they allegedly fight the cause for other countries and yet they can't even look after their own! At least in the UK there is a more aulturistic attitude to the poor. Ok some area's and councils are nicer than other's, but generally i think people are nicer over here. They have learn the harsh lesson from the days of Thatcher. Sadly Regan copied her policies and now Bush, who is worse than the two of them put together!
Homelessness can happen to anyone remember that! To all you neo conservatives that is someone's grandad, son or grandchild out there with no home, living in a poxy tent. Come on Hollywood, show make some films about real people and real time!