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Old 12-05-2014, 02:34 PM  
crockett
in a van by the river
 
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Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 76,806
Quote:
Originally Posted by dyna mo View Post
I agree, It seems to me like the CBS article misrepresented the situation. I'm not sure why they would choose to do that on a story like this.

and I also agree with you that many homeless claim to want to live that way. I think deep down though, many simply say that because they realize they don't have much hope to change their sitch and they've simply accepted that. hell, and if your RV adventures have been like mine, you meet homeless people on a completely different level. YOu've seen them on their level, not a charity level.

so the problem of figuring out a way to communicate to those folks that there are alternatives can be a difficult proposition, I think that's a big part of why it does cost so much.

ANd I do agree that government wreckless spending is a serious problem, but if they are going to dump cash onto a prob, I'd rather it be the homeless problem than IRaq or BFE.

Speaking of homeless, we're at our usual spot in Huntington BEach today, catching the ocean and ~an hour or so ago one of the homeless folks we've befriended here came up to the rig wearing hospital gown with sensors still glued to his chest. He's the most serious alcholic I have ever met in my life and I was in sobriety for many years. Anyhoo, he had walked out of rehab this morning and wanted a place to lie down inside. He was completely loaded on something, maybe booze, I didn't ask. I gave him a beer and turned him away.

My opinion on them wanting to live that way, is that they likely feel they still have control of their lives. When they enter a homeless shelter they are suddenly forced to live by certain rules and often their shit gets taken by other homeless people. Not to mention they can only carry in the things on their backs meaning any sort of belongings like say their typical shopping cart or even a bike can't be brought in. This IMO is why so many of them avoid the shelters.

IMO they should just set up homeless campgrounds in places that have large populations of them and just let them be. Build some public showers, restrooms and places they can do laundry and maybe socialize. Then just set up some campsites and allow them to build simple non permeant structures, allowing them to stay on the premise that they help take care of the place.

Every state has RV parks, public parks and so forth, so why not just accept that there will always be homeless people and just provide a legal place they can stay.
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