I work with homeless people with severe and persistent mental illness and previously worked for several years in a homeless drop in center, where both short and long term homeless come to get in from the street.
What on EARTH makes anyone think that panhandling is easy? Would you find it easy, or would you find it humiliating, demeaning, and exhausting to hear no after no after no, to be yelled at and spit at and insulted?
The problems you all are describing in Nashville are very similar to the ones we're having in Kansas City, with new development bumping up against a long standing homeless population.
Fortunately, in Kansas City there is a Homeless Coalition made up of business owners, downtown residents, outreach workers, homeless and formerly homeless people, and other support people, who work very hard to figure out solutions that work for everyone. No, it's not perfect, but it sure is a whole lot better than everyone sniping at each other and generalizing and assuming that the people on the other end of the equation are dealing falsely.
In three years in the field, I have not yet met a lazy homeless person. I have met homeless people with major depressive illness and anxiety disorders and schizophrenia, all of which have avolition (which means, more or less, inability to "get moving") as part of their symptoms, and I have met people who have simply given up on being able to find anything other than panhandling and day labor to support themselves, but no, it's literally impossible to be a "lazy homeless person". The lifestyle doesn't allow it.
Educate yourself. (Sorry, Kevin, for ranting in your blog)
I've notice that a majority of Downtown Nashville's homeless / panhandlers are white. Why do you think that is?
ReplyDeleteIn your opinion, are Downtown Nashville homeless / panhandlers too lazy to find real work?
I work with homeless people with severe and persistent mental illness and previously worked for several years in a homeless drop in center, where both short and long term homeless come to get in from the street.
ReplyDeleteWhat on EARTH makes anyone think that panhandling is easy? Would you find it easy, or would you find it humiliating, demeaning, and exhausting to hear no after no after no, to be yelled at and spit at and insulted?
The problems you all are describing in Nashville are very similar to the ones we're having in Kansas City, with new development bumping up against a long standing homeless population.
Fortunately, in Kansas City there is a Homeless Coalition made up of business owners, downtown residents, outreach workers, homeless and formerly homeless people, and other support people, who work very hard to figure out solutions that work for everyone. No, it's not perfect, but it sure is a whole lot better than everyone sniping at each other and generalizing and assuming that the people on the other end of the equation are dealing falsely.
In three years in the field, I have not yet met a lazy homeless person. I have met homeless people with major depressive illness and anxiety disorders and schizophrenia, all of which have avolition (which means, more or less, inability to "get moving") as part of their symptoms, and I have met people who have simply given up on being able to find anything other than panhandling and day labor to support themselves, but no, it's literally impossible to be a "lazy homeless person". The lifestyle doesn't allow it.
Educate yourself. (Sorry, Kevin, for ranting in your blog)