Beggars/homeless

[Joe_Hoopsier]

Many years ago I had an office in the city next to “the bum park.” It was probably 25 yards by 25 yards fenced in. One day I looked down and there was a couple sleeping under a tree in the corner. Few weeks later they had a little coffee table next to it where they would eat. Few weeks after that I looked out my window in dismay to see that they had an entire bed!! Full size or whatever. And they were in it. Snoozin. The following week they had a dresser too. I walked by and nodded to them. Like that Robert Redford Jeremiah johnson nod.

It only lasted a short while and the park was raided and they were run out and their furniture thrown away. The tree empty.

The Thursday night of that week I went out and got absolutely bombed. Birds game. Titty bars. All of it. The next morning I had forgotten something from my office so I threw on shorts and a t shirt and ran down there. It was 97 degrees out. I opened the car door. Threw up on the sidewalk and went up the elevator to my office. When I came down I had a boot on my car for unpaid parking tickets. I walked 11 blocks to the parking office to pay my tickets. Threw up twice on the walk. They only took cash. Walked four more blocks to the bank and then back. Threw up again. Paid the tickets and was promised everything would be fine. I walked 11 blocks back to my car and when I got there it was gone. Towed. I walked over to the bum park to throw up again and then I sat under that tree and cried and planned on just staying there. Living with them. I talked to two of them and they agreed the city is no good. I got my energy together after living with the homeless and called a cab to where my car was towed. It was a leased Audi and the paperwork wasn’t on me or in the car so I had to take a cab home to get it. I brought it back but bc it was leased and no title they wouldn’t release it without a bribe. I threw up all over the floor of their office. I told them I paid $1,300 in parking tickets and I’m not playing the bribe game. And I’m not cleaning up my vomit.

I went outside and called my crew of cops. They rolled in with a paddy wagon and 2 seconds later came out with my car and my keys. No paperwork.

For about ten hours I lived homeless in the city. That more don’t just kill themselves is shocking to me. Only people with terrible addictions or mental health issues could survive that life. You can’t have furniture and the government agencies lie

Ok, now lets circle back and hear more about the titty bars that night.

 

[mcmurtry66]

Ok, now lets circle back and hear more about the titty bars that night.

Before onlyfans. They were quality

 

[BradStevens]

Many years ago I had an office in the city next to “the bum park.” It was probably 25 yards by 25 yards fenced in. One day I looked down and there was a couple sleeping under a tree in the corner. Few weeks later they had a little coffee table next to it where they would eat. Few weeks after that I looked out my window in dismay to see that they had an entire bed!! Full size or whatever. And they were in it. Snoozin. The following week they had a dresser too. I walked by and nodded to them. Like that Robert Redford Jeremiah johnson nod.

It only lasted a short while and the park was raided and they were run out and their furniture thrown away. The tree empty.

The Thursday night of that week I went out and got absolutely bombed. Birds game. Titty bars. All of it. The next morning I had forgotten something from my office so I threw on shorts and a t shirt and ran down there. It was 97 degrees out. I opened the car door. Threw up on the sidewalk and went up the elevator to my office. When I came down I had a boot on my car for unpaid parking tickets. I walked 11 blocks to the parking office to pay my tickets. Threw up twice on the walk. They only took cash. Walked four more blocks to the bank and then back. Threw up again. Paid the tickets and was promised everything would be fine. I walked 11 blocks back to my car and when I got there it was gone. Towed. I walked over to the bum park to throw up again and then I sat under that tree and cried and planned on just staying there. Living with them. I talked to two of them and they agreed the city is no good. I got my energy together after living with the homeless and called a cab to where my car was towed. It was a leased Audi and the paperwork wasn’t on me or in the car so I had to take a cab home to get it. I brought it back but bc it was leased and no title they wouldn’t release it without a bribe. I threw up all over the floor of their office. I told them I paid $1,300 in parking tickets and I’m not playing the bribe game. And I’m not cleaning up my vomit.

I went outside and called my crew of cops. They rolled in with a paddy wagon and 2 seconds later came out with my car and my keys. No paperwork.

For about ten hours I lived homeless in the city. That more don’t just kill themselves is shocking to me. Only people with terrible addictions or mental health issues could survive that life. You can’t have furniture and the government agencies lie

McMurty66: our generation's Faulkner.

Needless to say, this post is an early front-runner for 2024 WCPOTY. Look for the awards thread to start in early December this year. Winners announced in early January.

 

[hoosboot]

I'll just say this...

I spent the majority of the first 3 decades of my career working in commercial and consumer banking and finance. I then spent nearly a decade working for not for profits with challenged adults, substance abuse, DV victims and the homeless. My wife has spent her entire career working with folks with those issues.

I have never once been stopped by a former client from the finance industry and thanked for my wise investment advice that allowed them to retire early or that great loan rate that allowed them to buy their dream home or the line of credit that kept their small business afloat. While I know I helped hundreds, if not thousands, of people achieve their financial goals over the years there was no direct validation that I actually made a difference.

OTOH, I am often reminded of the work I did and that my wife continues to do in the social services sector. We often bump into folks who we assisted, who stop us and update us on their lives and how far they've come. These are members of our community who finally hit their bottom, reached out for help and got their lives back on track. They have a pride and gratitude born from achieving their goals in spite of struggle and setbacks, whether self inflicted or no fault of their own. Most of the folks we assisted over the years were still falling, not ready or able to address the root causes of their plight. The ones who were worked the programs offered and got it done. Either way even those who were still on the way down found a respite. however brief, from the struggles they faced.

So the next time you encounter someone and are moved to help, do so. Yeah, the majority are just there to get enough money to self medicate, I won't argue otherwise. Just be assured that no kindness is too small. No interpersonal interaction too brief. Humanize those who we often, through our own coping mechanism, would dehumanize. Even the simplest of actions you take could be the impetus or catalyst towards a meaningful change in a person's life.

Thanks for this post. I hope I remember to bump it to the top of the board every once in a while. If I don't, I hope folks remember it on their own.

 

[Bowlmania]

I'll just say this...

I spent the majority of the first 3 decades of my career working in commercial and consumer banking and finance. I then spent nearly a decade working for not for profits with challenged adults, substance abuse, DV victims and the homeless. My wife has spent her entire career working with folks with those issues.

I have never once been stopped by a former client from the finance industry and thanked for my wise investment advice that allowed them to retire early or that great loan rate that allowed them to buy their dream home or the line of credit that kept their small business afloat. While I know I helped hundreds, if not thousands, of people achieve their financial goals over the years there was no direct validation that I actually made a difference.

OTOH, I am often reminded of the work I did and that my wife continues to do in the social services sector. We often bump into folks who we assisted, who stop us and update us on their lives and how far they've come. These are members of our community who finally hit their bottom, reached out for help and got their lives back on track. They have a pride and gratitude born from achieving their goals in spite of struggle and setbacks, whether self inflicted or no fault of their own. Most of the folks we assisted over the years were still falling, not ready or able to address the root causes of their plight. The ones who were worked the programs offered and got it done. Either way even those who were still on the way down found a respite. however brief, from the struggles they faced.

So the next time you encounter someone and are moved to help, do so. Yeah, the majority are just there to get enough money to self medicate, I won't argue otherwise. Just be assured that no kindness is too small. No interpersonal interaction too brief. Humanize those who we often, through our own coping mechanism, would dehumanize. Even the simplest of actions you take could be the impetus or catalyst towards a meaningful change in a person's life.

I almost stopped reading after the first post in the thread but I'm glad I kept going. Yours is the best post I've read on the WC in a long time. Well done.

 

[mcmurtry66]

I'll just say this...

I spent the majority of the first 3 decades of my career working in commercial and consumer banking and finance. I then spent nearly a decade working for not for profits with challenged adults, substance abuse, DV victims and the homeless. My wife has spent her entire career working with folks with those issues.

I have never once been stopped by a former client from the finance industry and thanked for my wise investment advice that allowed them to retire early or that great loan rate that allowed them to buy their dream home or the line of credit that kept their small business afloat. While I know I helped hundreds, if not thousands, of people achieve their financial goals over the years there was no direct validation that I actually made a difference.

OTOH, I am often reminded of the work I did and that my wife continues to do in the social services sector. We often bump into folks who we assisted, who stop us and update us on their lives and how far they've come. These are members of our community who finally hit their bottom, reached out for help and got their lives back on track. They have a pride and gratitude born from achieving their goals in spite of struggle and setbacks, whether self inflicted or no fault of their own. Most of the folks we assisted over the years were still falling, not ready or able to address the root causes of their plight. The ones who were worked the programs offered and got it done. Either way even those who were still on the way down found a respite. however brief, from the struggles they faced.

So the next time you encounter someone and are moved to help, do so. Yeah, the majority are just there to get enough money to self medicate, I won't argue otherwise. Just be assured that no kindness is too small. No interpersonal interaction too brief. Humanize those who we often, through our own coping mechanism, would dehumanize. Even the simplest of actions you take could be the impetus or catalyst towards a meaningful change in a person's life.

I will only add to your post that with respect to the self medicating the nonprofits who provide services to them have a hard time with development dollars. For years I served on an addiction services panel for United way. We funded information agencies to methadone clinics to halfway houses. It’s hard to get them funded bc people think they did it to themselves. They’d rather fund health services or kids’ programs etc

Any way you can get end users money is appreciated

Incidentally not terribly long ago alcoholism was a disability for ss disability

 

[VanPastorMan]

You having an epiphany.

Homeless people are a different breed. Some want to be. Some are assholes. Some are deranged. Some need help. Most begging are hustling. Some will take a plate of leftovers and say thanks others will curse you. Ive walked out of many killer steakhouses and offered. Some get offended, some are like hell yes, some are like you owe this to me. What is the point?

Years ago when we lived in Illinois I got a knock on the parsonage door. This man said he and his family were hungry. My eyes lit up because we had leftover spaghetti,sauce, and garlic bread from a spaghetti dinner we ran for a family who was trying to raise money for their child's upcoming surgery. I brought the leftovers to him and he said, "Oh, I don't want to take all your food." I said, "Friend, I want you all to eat so don't think a thing about it" In the back of my mind I wonder if he really wanted money for something else. But at least he knew that someone was willing to give to help out in the way he said he and his family had a need.