I see homeless people...
I don't know what it's like where you are, but here in Newcastle upon Tyne in England, I'm seeing a LOT more homeless white men on the street. They are either my age or younger which is worrying. Like most cities we had our well known tramps going around the city, but I don't see them anymore. Sadly some die, but they were always middle aged and older.
As someone who is faced every month with the possibility that this might be my final month I'm living in my current home, homelessness is constantly on my mind. I have my preps to thank for being able to continue here for as long as I have but it hangs over my head constantly now.
I've had to wonder and think about what I'd do if I was homeless and I think being on the streets of a city leaves you vulnerable and exposed and I think I'd go to the countryside and take my chances there. There's less people, hopefully enough food to forage or grow and everything I'd need initially would be in my Bug Out Bag. There might also be the possibility of asking farmers if they need a hand.
What is the homeless situation like where you are? I'm sure it's totally under reported and figures manipulated and many more are on the streets than they'll ever admit. Have you ever been homeless and on the streets? What was your experience like?
Be safe and be prepared
Geordie Prepper
Great post. I have been living in my current area for 18 months. I have a homeless story I will share. The area I lived in previously (georgia) there were tons of homeless people.
Here, I simply haven't been here long enough to know for certain. However, there is a self service kiosk for usps that is opened 24hrs/day. There is an African American gentleman that is homeless that goes there for shelter at night/in extreme weather conditions. In the 18 months I have been here, I have seen him since the beginning as I have reason to send boxes /parcels via the convenience of a 24 hr self service kiosk. I was at first caught off guard by him. But not anymore. He is a kind guy, innocent. He keeps everything in a black plastic garbage bag.
He is clearly not bothersome, as he chooses to frequent this very large regional post office that is under CONSTANT surveillance. After i thought about that and the fact he seems to try and be well mannered and is fairly well groomed for a homeless individual, he's now just a part of the post office to me.
Occasionally I have noticed other people seem disgruntled by him but he literally causes no trouble at all. Most people seem to be locals and react to him how I now do - exchange pleasantries, don't treat him like some weird outcast.
Last time I went it was after regular post office hours on a Saturday in broad daylight and I went about my business as per usual. There were other people in and out of the post office checking their PO boxes.
I walk out, there is a well off looking woman in her SUV. she's like "is that crazy man in there?"
I was like "huh? " then caught on. I was like "he's harmless i have been coming here for 18 months he's never once bothered me, there are surveillance cams everywhere, you will be fine "
She was a larger African American woman. I point that out just for context. She acted like i was crazy. She was like "well, ill go somewhere else and come back"
I was like, "i wouldn't worry about him, he's friendly, doesn't bother anyone, he will probably still be here when you come back because it is so hot outside"
Her "don't care he is crazy" and drove off.
Like really?
Anyway, MOST people are just one bad month away from homelessness. Never good to be judging or rude towards these people
Resteemed
Thanks for your story. It's a shame that people turn their noses up at homeless people, it could happen to them! The homeless men that I recall seeing all the time in the toon actually had a fan base some of them. One homeless guy who was no bother at all, just went about reading the paper had a FaceBook page I believe. I heard he died. I was rather sad at hearing it. Be safe and prepared.
Yeah. The higher than thou mentality is poison. Dumbest way you could possibly be. The VAST majority of homeless people are not crooks, "crazy", etc
Yes it is a shame, these homeless people have so much to offer. One of the guys I remember had post traumatic stress syndrome from being in the war. What a great guy.
Another one was confined to a wheelchair. I guess to a large extent if you compare the situation in the USA to Europe, in the US there is a higher level of inequality. It does not seem like the government has been able to address the issue appropriately or effectively.
Not that it is the government's job necessarily to hand out money to people. But maybe they can create an environment in which homeless people or disadvantaged people are given realistic opportunities to break out of poverty. Maybe the political discourse gets too caught up in capitalism/socialism debate sometimes, as if there is no in between.
I remember when I was living in Germany, I felt like in their system they use capitalist policies to MAKE money (increase the size of the pie) and then socialist type of policies to DISTRIBUTE the pie. What is wrong with that?
Yes, the pie distribution is not a bad idea. All people should be given a solid chance to arise from situations of poverty. Whether they do or not is on them of course
Yes that would be ideal, free from discrimination on any grounds.
In many ways the governments hands are tied by the central bankers holding them and us to ransom. If governments created the money at zero percent interest (which is as it should be) it would be a lot easier to more fairly distribute the money because they wouldn't have to support all the central banks endeavors, such as all the wars.
I hear you man, sometimes I feel like whats the point of feeling like a victim all the time.
I just peacefully non-comply with their system as best I can. I only use cash, I don't pay for a TV licence, I pay the unlawful council tax under duress and pay it in bags of coins. I shop at independent local English traders, rather than large supermarkets. I buy things off Amazon but make sure the trader is based in England that I'm buying it from and obviously recently I buy this from the SBD I've sold that I've earned here on steemit :-) I'm also a Prepper, which is a middle finger to them anyways. Plenty of things can be done to make you more in control. They haven't got us yet, now is the time to fight back.
Interesting.... My voting power is low now, will upvote when it is up higher.
I agree, I don't think people realize how easy it is to become homeless, especially right now, and especially in some countries that do not have an established informal settlement culture for housing like in India or South Africa (not that those can really be called houses, more like shacks).
For me it seems sometimes like the entire world economy is built on this Babylonian style house of cards principle, where the central banks try to keep the disposable/spendable funds to an absolute minimum in order to keep control of the economy.
When I was a student in Boston, I met many homeless people. We drove around in this van distributing food and helping them with transportation. Most of them were great people. I made some great friends there.
I was close to Living On Lower Wacker Drive in Chicago at one point in my life. It scared the Hell out of me. I got my rear in gear, and it didn't happen. Lucky me. However as I read your article here, I wondered how Bitcoin could be a help to homeless and disadvantaged people. I was thinking of some kind of Blockchain, or token that could easily be given to a person in need. I did come across this article, which might be helpful. https://www.wired.com/2013/09/bitcoin-homeless/
I think crypto could be really helpful to the homeless. I think if they were to access a computer and blog about their experiences here on Steemit they would make for very interesting reads! Be safe and prepared.
Interesting, what did you do to stop it from happening to you?
I don't see crytpo helping homeless until they have increased access and education on computer use. .....or until crypto becomes more understandable by the masses
Sure, crypto can't help everyone, but it might be able to help some. A lot of the homeless I'm seeing are younger than me so there is much more likely a chance that they can use and have an easier learning curve to something which might help them. For the older ones that grew up in times without using a computer then something based on what they are interested in and place them in an environment where they can learn and develop that interest and skills and get some remittance from it they could trade for everything they are currently without.
Money is an interesting concept in itself. Funny enough, I remember I think in economics class we learned about this one culture where they used these huge sandstone discs with a hole in the middle, for money.
Why did they do that? I don’t know, I think maybe so it would be harder to steal money. The stones were never moved, bu everyone know who owned them.
So I guess different money systems have their advantages and disadvantages. Some are better at solving certain challenges associated with money, whether it be liquidity, making it harder to steal, making it easier to carry, etc.
That rings a bell. Yeah ultimately money's worth is what society decides it is
Yes and traditionally this was associated with finite resources like gold and silver, which actually are worth something. They are cemented into history and all of human history as a resource that holds it's worth. Unlike this infinite fiat currency which can be magicked out of thin air. The only good thing about fiat currency is it's 100% failure rate.
Fiat money is crazy if you think about it. It means that there is no intrinsic value to the money itself, or it is negligible. Back in the day, when people used to have silver and gold money, now that seems to make more sense, because those metals have intrinsic value.
You can actually use them for something. But still, they are also a bit fiaty, because I mean, you are probably not gonna go and melt the gold you got for your sheep or whatever and use it for a filling in your tooth. I guess the only real non-fiat situation is where you barter. In other words, I give you three sheep for one month’s accommodation, or I give you 10 loaves of bread in exchange for 1 kg of coffee beans. Some people still do this to avoid tax I think.
Yeah, ive often pondered that conundrum with fiat money @pjcswart
Like even as a kid i would wonder why we had to use paper to pay for things. "Oh bevause it is backed by gold"then why can't i have the gold instead mommy ? "You just can't"
Oh the future "burden" ill have if my kid is as inquisitive as i am. Lol.
Bartering would be nice to avoid taxes though
Well it went like this! I let go of some of my stupid pride. I went to see my father who had basically abandoned the family after a nasty divorce. I told him, I wasn't looking for any kind of money or handout. I told him I was real close to Living in a cardboard box under a viaduct. I asked if he had any ideas about any kind of job he could help me get.
He got back to me in a couple of days, and had set up and interview for me to work at a Car Rental Company that was right down the street from where he worked. I went in and Talked to this Jolly - Big - Bohemian guy about becoming a Car Porter. He said yep - he could use some help. One stipulation however. I would need to cut off that long Hippy Pony Tail hair that I was so proud of for so long. That decision took me about 2 seconds, and a 10 minute trip down the street to get that hair cut. I got the job, and worked my way up to office manager eventually. One of the best jobs I ever had, and that Big Bohemian became one of my best friends for life. I transformed from Hippy to Yippie along with just about 95% of everybody else in that generation.
Where are you from great story!
I am not saying there are two types of homeless people, but there are still those that appear homeless, and those that do not. The obviously homeless are the ones you see sleeping on the street, the not so obviously homeless find other places and attempt to affect a cleanly appearance, couch surfing, sleeping in parks and cars, and staying in shelters usually hides them from public view. My brother, for example; spent a time intentionally homeless. He ended up working as a ridgerunner on the Appalachian Trail and sleeping in shelters. We also often have people sleeping on our couch who would otherwise be homeless.
All too often the homeless found on the street have serious mental disorders; when I worked in a hospital unit comprised primarily of Dementia and Alzheimers patients, quite a few were found on the street or wandering into the hospital; often left by relatives. It is easier on the mind to just assume they are all addicted to drugs, criminals or alcoholics or somehow deserve their lot; but often they are just abandoned by family and friends who cannot see that their change in behavior is a sign of a mental problem. Drug and alcohol addiction often occur alongside mental issues as well, but even that should be treated as a medical condition in my mind. I let a veteran stay at my home who was kicked out of a shelter for starting a fight. He had taken too drinking because it was the only thing that helped his pain and that affected his behavior and his slow disintegration. I learned from him how the homeless in the area saved money during the day to buy coffee at Dunkin Donuts at night to wait out the winter cold. He only stayed a few nights because accepting help hurt his pride. I met him a few times after that; the last time he yelled at me like he did not recognize me. If I knew then what I know now I might have called someone to help him. There comes a point where one can not think for themselves; and he was close.
Sorry; homelessness haunts me since moving to LA. At least people can survive on the streets here; but so many need mental help. On the one hand it seems like neglect on a massive scale; but on the other the homeless move to California specifically because they know they can survive here. California also pays more money to the government than it gets back; alongside dealing with the influx of homeless from other areas. Not that it isn't a rich State and that absolves it; but it is a conundrum.
There is a huge reason for many people being on the streets absolutely and it's not always because they have nowhere else to go. A well known guy who acted like a tramp in one area down from where I used to live had the biggest house in the area! Another man I saw who obviously did have a mental condition and who used to just walk from one end of the shopping centre to the other end and back and forth all day long, never hurt anyone but one time pulled out a fist full of cash. A university lecturer ended up on the streets in my town too, he died under pretty strange circumstances, I actually had a drink with him one time before he was on the streets. Family is very often a reason some are on the street, they just neglect them when they don't know how to support them, just pretend they don't exist.
I have heard of people acting like tramps as undercover operatives for the police, or other, more secret entity, government; and otherwise.
Often families blame the individual for their situation; especially if they have a slow onset mental issue that causes them to become unreasonable or even violent. Sometimes families feel victimized by the person; from incidents caused by the illness or not. I knew one person who was found walking the street had hit a family member over the head with a cane while he was slowly developing dementia. A lot of people just do not know how to properly deal with such situations; it is sad really.
True, followed and upvoted. I have heard of people who live like that to write a story about it. Also here in South Africa there is this one night when CEOs sleep on the street as a sign of sympathy or whatever.
But it could just be a way of pretending to care. I mean if you really care do something about it, you know? Not necessarily by giving them money, but at least an opportunity of some kind. This sleep out thing may make things worse maybe.
I agree with you, mental illnesses are not understood by most people. And why call it mental? Is your brain not physical? You know what I mean?
Great post, thanks! That is cool that you let people sleep on your couch. Many people would be too scared to do that.
I agree with you about the mental disorders. In Boston we used to take the homeless donuts and coffee under a bridge and then invite them to church. After church we would take them to an all you can eat buffet. They loved it. I really loved these guys, wonder where they are now.
Sometimes I think it is hard to break free from the poverty mindset or lifestyle. Because it is easy for our brain to develop certain irrational patterns of thinking that keep you poor. Just my thoughts.
Hi, here in Pretoria there are many homeless people. The sleep under blankets on the streets, next to each other so that it is warmer. In the day they try to make money by begging or guarding cars. So when you park your car here to go to a restaurant or something, there is always someone there asking you if they can watch your car.
It seems like the ones who try to do something creative, like make something out of scrap to sell, thrive and rise above their circumstances.
I am lucky, have never been homeless. All the best, what is your plan?
Thanks for your story, brings up a great point. I'm sure there's a great bond of fellowship and a whole community out there that unless you are homeless you'll never know the true sense of probably how strong that group is.
Have you seen that story on Youtube of the man with the golden voice?
Is that the guy that used to hang out by the roads and get cash for saying things because he has such a great talking tone?
Yes, he got a real job eventually.
Yeah, he battled with the fame also and drug and alcohol problems too. I think he's unemployed again now.
I've seen a few around Leeds but I was startled to see some in Truro last year while on holiday. Three on benches outside Cathedral and one on grassed area opposite the 60s multi-storey car park. I couldn't have imagined it in a relatively affluent (or so I thought) location.
They might of been drawn to the area because of it's wealth. Churches and other such places usually you see many of them around them. Maybe homeless people feel safe around them.
Yup, that does make sense.
It's so sad that with just a little knowledge, these folks could have better control over their destiny. Education(or perhaps indoctrination) has made us all believe that we have to be completely reliant on the authorities for our existence.
Thanks for the post - it needs airing! Great photo here too btw. U.K. Is not in a good way, it is shameless the way this just gets worse and worse. Government doesn't give a damn
It's true they don't give a damn. Self-reliance and peacefully non-complying with their criminal system is something I promote.