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Internet Giving Homeless a Home
Wired is reporting that many individuals currently without permanent housing still manage to stay connected via a cellphone, laptop, or some other gadget. Many homeless have email addresses and find that it offers them a way to get their foot back in the door of 'normal' society. From the article: "Hellerich slept on benches but she frequented a women's shelter with a cluster of internet-connected computers used mostly by the children who arrived at the safe house with their mothers. She started blogging and conducting a business. As an independent internet marketer, she was able to maintain bank accounts, nurse existing client connections and forge new business relationships. The business brought in only about $100 a month, but that was enough to help get her life back on track."
Wake up scuttle, you can't run a story like this without linking to thinkgeek!
There's no place like 127.0.0.1
In all seriousness, there are many homeless folks in this world not all of them have the opportunity to get back on their feet.
Most homeless people aren't there by choice and there are lots of folks who are just 1 pay check away from joining them, spare a thought when your walking around town and if you have some change give generously.
liqbase
What's the saying ... "Give a man a fish, and you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and you have fed him for a lifetime." We're talking about getting a life back on track here.
In the UK lots of homless people sell a magazine called the Big issue as a method of making some money.. I am not sure if this is something which is done in the states - but they buy the magazines at say 25 pence each and sell then for £1 allowing them to make 75p per magazine sold - this is done to help them get back up and running again. Some of these people though don't look like they need to be selling the magazines - there is a guy who sells this magazine near my office who is always decked out in the latest running shoes which much cost £100 - I can't help but think that we often help the wrong people.
I think it's "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, & you just traded a paying customer for a competitor"
Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
The article specifically stated that she was sleeping on benches and that she went to the shelter for internet access. But beyond that, how can you equate living in a shelter with having a home?
It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
Well, that's the thing. Extreme capitalism is just another form of extreme opression: work like a dog and do what you're told, or be homeless. That's the biggest problem with not having a liveable minimum wage... everyone lives in fear of losing their paycheck.
Ex nihilo nihil fit.
The group we lump together as homeless are really at least 2 distinct groups. Group 1 are individuals and families who lack a support network such as family or friends, or may just be too proud to impose upon them. These people can be given a helping hand and can re-integrate into society. Group 2 are the chronic homeless. They are the alcoholics, the drug addicts, the mentally insane. Their only goal in life is their next drink. You can institutionalize them or let them be on the street, but you can't help them. And for every yuppie do-gooder out there who wants to help them, please don't ever give a homeless person money. There are extensive networks run by churches and non-profit groups to distribute food to the hungry. There are no programs to distribute cheap vodka. That requires do-gooders to give them money to purchase the liquor. Give the homeless guy in a park a sandwhich, he's liable to throw it back at you. He'll never say no to the quarter though. Funny huh?
What does "many" mean? Is it even a dozen? Out of the hundreds of thousands (millions?) of people living on the streets across the US & Europe? Many of these people have barely 2 cents to rub together for food, they ain't blogging, they ain't emailing and they ain't staying connected via cellphone ... Some of them have alcohol problems, some of them drug problems, some suffer from depression or other such problems, and their first concern is living to tomorrow.
As someone mentioned it's a hype story, stuff like this shouldn't be published. Fair dues to anybody who can get off the streets, but any story focussing on homeless should be looking at the majourity (99.9%) who are STILL on the streets and need help.
Rant over.
To quote Franklin D. Roosevelt:
"Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously."
With the enormous power we have with the Internet, we could help bring together those people looking for work and those who need their services. It seems to me that the sticking point is usually that neither of them has any money. But, if they could trade some sort of on-line IOUs, and try to honor them, perhaps there is some solution.
I'm baffled as to how to go about it, but so many people simply looking for work is wrong. If a man is willing to offer his labor, there are needs out there to be filled. To leave him idle wastes his talents and damages his pride.
Beer is proof that God loves us, and wants us to be happy.
"an independent internet marketer
[...]
But she lives in fear that at any point, circumstances could throw her back into the urban wilderness."
Like if she gets busted for spamming?
Homeless spammers. Blade Runner arrives ahead of schedule.
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make install -not war
There is a very strong tendency to persecute the masses of homeless / desperate people in our cities based upon a few (often unsubstantiated) stories of malfeasance.
That said, there is also an important principal which should not be overlooked here; there are good and bad ways to deal with institutional failures of society.
In the case of homeless persons, there are really only a few things one can do which truly help people. Here's what you can do to help:
1. Don't give anyone on the street anything directly. This is the hard one to accept, because you feel obligated to help people in need. The reasons for this are simple. Giving directly is tremendously inefficient. Would you rather pay for one person to maybe eat one meal at a restaurant they will feel uncomfortable in or potentially even contribute to a substance addiction, or would you like to feed 10 people at a soup kitchen where they will also have access to other services?
2. Do give to the soup kitchen / homeless shelters. It's simple and effective. Most shelters have structured giving plans and disclose their policies on religious indoctrination which should be kept to a minimum to encourage participation. I personally won't give to any shelter which requires any religious participation for services, but there are options in my city, so I'd probably change that policy if that was not the case.
3. Seek political changes. This is the only long term solution to the problem. Big cities need to act like small towns when helping those who fall through the cracks. Make the system diverse, distributed, and attractive to those who need help. LA is a counter example; they have spent 30 years learning that centralizing their system and ignoring people makes their city core a terrible place for everyone, not just the homeless. It costs an amazing amount to keep people in jail and fight crime caused by destitution, much more than providing transitional housing and services in the actual communities people live in to begin with.
So really all I'm saying here is we shouldn't focus on the people who somehow "work the system"; instead focus on giving people the tools they need to leave that lifestyle and either get the mental and substance abuse treatment they need or move back into the workforce and better themselves. No doubt there are people who won't / can't do this, but that's no excuse not to help those who are in desperation and willing to work for a better life.
I live in Calgary Alberta... I carry a Toshiba portege 3440CT in my backpack and troll parking garages for wireless signals... because my battery dosnt work so the power outlets are also a necessity... I have no addictions like drinking or drugs.. but I also have no friends or family...
A bad month for `me means living on the streets. tho this is not the first time. I dont go to homeless shelters, nor do I ask people for money. People often stop and offer me money tho... and most tTimes I decline... but as for your money feeding the addictions of the homeless... well... i have to disagree... the majority of panhandlers drink not drugs... druggies have no patience to panhandle.
For myself, I collect pop/beer cans for a living... and do quite well... $50 - $100 dollars a day...
plus stuff like cell phones and stuff that people throw out that are easily resellable.
I dont think many on here know what its like to be homeless and I dont think you should be judging people until you ven been there.. people judge me and assume im homeless so i must be a thief alcoholic or crackhead... im neither.. im just a guy trying to survive... and finish developing my website.