Homelessness

Thepokefansophia

Thepokefansophia

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    So, last night I watched a programme on BBC about these four rich celebs who decided to in aid of a charity to go out on the streets of London and see how its like to be homeless. It was an eye-opener for me.

    I was wondering if you had any experiences on homelessness or any views on it? What we could to help those without a home?.


    I always felt quite bad for those on the streets. I notice alot of homeless in my city centre and I would feel horrible when I walked past them with my bags of shopping.
    But most of the time when I had spare change on me I would try and get them some bottles of water and some hot food from Greggs or somewhere like that.

    I never have been homeless before as I have been very fortunate to have a family who support me very much. But I have a friend who has told me that her uncle is homeless but she didnt tell me the reason but she told me that everytime someone gave him some money he would spend it all on drugs.
     
    Sadly it's something that is brushed under the rug a lot. There are a lot of charities in England that do help with homelessness but some of the big charities have limits and specifications which doesn't seem right.

    I hope to never fall into homelessness, and try to donate clothes, food and anything that would of use. There's a special homelessness charity that collect hygienic products for women in homelessness as that is often overlooked
     
    I feel really bad for homeless people. Here in Romania they are not that uncommon and live under miserable conditions. That's yet another reason why we have a bad rep in the EU :(
     
    Thepokefansophia said:
    So, last night I watched a programme on BBC about these four rich celebs who decided to in aid of a charity to go out on the streets of London and see how its like to be homeless. It was an eye-opener for me.
    Click to expand...

    This isn't attacking you, so don't be worried.

    After a bit of quick Googling, I'm guessing that the show in question is 'Famous, Rich and Homeless'. See, without watching it, the basic plot of the show comes off as the BBC feeding into detached celebrities wanting to ease their guilt or engage in some voyeurism of the destitute. Which bothers me, to say the least. It's more than a bit cruel to be using the homeless as a simple prop to rebuild their conscience on. Now, bear in mind that this is a knee-jerk reaction to a show that I have not seen - anything that causes public empathy for the homeless is welcomed. But it's just a patronising television tactic that I'm not fond of.
     
    Harley Quinn said:
    This isn't attacking you, so don't be worried.

    After a bit of quick Googling, I'm guessing that the show in question is 'Famous, Rich and Homeless'. See, without watching it, the basic plot of the show comes off as the BBC feeding into detached celebrities wanting to ease their guilt or engage in some voyeurism of the destitute. Which bothers me, to say the least. It's more than a bit cruel to be using the homeless as a simple prop to rebuild their conscience on. Now, bear in mind that this is a knee-jerk reaction to a show that I have not seen - anything that causes public empathy for the homeless is welcomed. But it's just a patronising television tactic that I'm not fond of.
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    Actually you are correct about the show I was talking about and I am aware of how the BBC can be like sometimes. The show was working with Sport Relief so I decided to give it a chance as before I worked with that charity at school and etc.
    Honestly one of the candidates " Willie Thorne" was awful he threw a massive strop swearing when he was walking threatening to go off the show and the cameraman or whoever behind it was asking questions deliberately to annoy the candidates.
    The homeless people that were shown were quite friendly and generous towards the candidates giving them a bottle of water and showing them places where to sleep and so on.
    But as you were saying about the television tactic when watching the show that didnt even come to mind.
     
    I've been homeless before. Not living-on-the-streets homeless, but college-student-with-no-permanent-residence homeless. I know that's not what most people think about when they hear the word, but from what I've read upwards of a quarter of college students in the US are technically homeless, although most of them wouldn't think it necessarily and might say "I'm sleeping on someone's couch" and things like that.

    I don't bring this up for my benefit (I have a comfortable place to live now) but because the causes of students and non-students not having places to live aren't so different: lack of affordable places to live and trouble finding decent paying jobs.
     
    Thepokefansophia said:
    Actually you are correct about the show I was talking about and I am aware of how the BBC can be like sometimes. The show was working with Sport Relief so I decided to give it a chance as before I worked with that charity at school and etc.
    Honestly one of the candidates " Willie Thorne" was awful he threw a massive strop swearing when he was walking threatening to go off the show and the cameraman or whoever behind it was asking questions deliberately to annoy the candidates.
    The homeless people that were shown were quite friendly and generous towards the candidates giving them a bottle of water and showing them places where to sleep and so on.
    But as you were saying about the television tactic when watching the show that didnt even come to mind.
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    Mmm. I'm an idealist, I guess - I'm well aware of the simple need to bring in ratings, I just wish the topic (and any topic about a disadvantaged minority population) was handled in a way that wasn't so... disingenuous.

    Out of curiosity, has there been any mention on the show of the unfortunate state of addiction rife throughout the homeless population? I wouldn't be surprised if there hasn't been - people tend to use addiction as a get out of jail free card to justify their lack of empathy for the homeless and how 'they ultimately can't be helped' and stuff like that. Not to mention that it's just a rather bleak topic for television even considering the show itself.
     
    I know someone who keeps a little bit of non-perishable food with him and money to give to the homeless on the side of the street at stoplights, so I think I want to do that as well.

    The poverty rate is close to 20% here, but we have a ton of charities (one feeds thousands almost daily); however, I dont know the whole scope of the issue. I think its 5% about the national average. Im blessed to have a family that can provide for me, and I want to help as many people as possible, so I do a lot of charity stuff. And donate money I dont need, especially around Christmas.

    There seems to be a lot of people who believe they are entitled to everything (at least many of the teens at the local schools, and its sickening.
     
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    Harley Quinn said:
    Mmm. I'm an idealist, I guess - I'm well aware of the simple need to bring in ratings, I just wish the topic (and any topic about a disadvantaged minority population) was handled in a way that wasn't so... disingenuous.

    Out of curiosity, has there been any mention on the show of the unfortunate state of addiction rife throughout the homeless population? I wouldn't be surprised if there hasn't been - people tend to use addiction as a get out of jail free card to justify their lack of empathy for the homeless and how 'they ultimately can't be helped' and stuff like that. Not to mention that it's just a rather bleak topic for television even considering the show itself.
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    Uh... at the top of my head the only thing mentioned about addiction in the show was that a drug called " spice" was becoming very popular with the homeless in London and one of the homeless who helped a candidate told the candidate that his mum wont take him back because of him not giving up Spice and he was afraid to call his mum back.
    In the opening of the show a man shouted to a homeless man saying " You are only homeless because you are a skag head " really rudely upfront fingers pointing at him.
    But its only been the first episode so not really.
     
    Homelessness is something very strange if it happens to you. Because at the first week you don't understand many things but afterwards is like playing a survival game everyday. Anything can be an enemy and can deteriorate you health easily. It happened to a person that i know who got robbed and the robbers didn't left anything at his house literally (he doesn't have parents) and every time i got some more money i try to give him food, clothes e.t.c but it seems it is never too much. According to him, the most serious problems are hunger (including water) and protection (a shelter). However, i think it's pretty bad and i wish people can become a bit more warmer than letting them in the road just like that. If i could afford i would try to find something so he can live a bit better. It's heartbreaking to see someone like that i think.
     
    I live and work in NYC. Homeless people are everywhere. Here there are some who are homeless for outstanding circumstances. Then there are homeless people who are literally wasting precious resources because they don't bother to attempt to improve their situation.

    I am a firm believer in hard work and dedication. If you have a brain and you are physically capable of moving around without issue, you can go out and do something for yourself. Meanwhile, I see homeless people begging for a couple bucks just to go buy a beer or they save up to grab a pack of cigarettes.

    I have seen homeless people on my way to work that held up signs that read, "Won't lie. Need $2 for beer."

    Listen, man. Scavenge for food as necessary, save every penny you have and buy some clothes at thrift stores. Save some more and buy a bar of soap, wash off in the river, get dressed and spend the rest of your time looking for a job to ramp up your finances. Flip burgers or help people bag their groceries. Start there while utilizing the city's programs to keep yourself fed and sheltered. Save enough and make enough to live in a public housing unit. Keep your head low so you don't get mugged. Continue working and preferably find a second job. Freakin' go dig for plastic bottles or cans to recycle them for cash whenever possible. Continue working and look for a legit job before moving into a better neighborhood.

    How many homeless people do that? I dunno. For those who are doing that, I'm sure they're away from public eye for good reason. They're proactive about their situation. But I have no empathy for those who admit defeat and just limp on with zero progress. We all struggle for some reason or another. Some more than others. But people who win in the end are the ones who actively seek solutions. If you can't be bothered to solve problems, then you can't be bothered to progress.

    I will root for the ones who struggle day in and day out in an effort to get themselves out of the hole.
     
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