"Tis the Season" and feeling like crap.

[Annessa]

When A Mess Becomes A Stain

Hey,



Let me explain to you social programs and the belief that there is help out there.


If I was a drug addict I could find a rehab center in the yellow pages.
If I was an alcoholic I could find an AA program in the yellow pages.
If I’m inflicted with a mental illness I‘m fucked cause there is no programs in the yellow pages. Just a bunch of OHIP therapists and social workers that have a waiting list of 12 months or 1 week to 1 month if you can afford $1300.00 a month.

So let me ask you this.

The drug addict has a CHOCIE to take drugs
The alcoholic has a CHOICE to drink
But the mentally ill DON’T HAVE A CHOICE and yet they have the least medical options.

Does it make any sense?!?

If your wondering why the streets are getting so full with panhandlers it’s because as more inpatient facilities close down where do you think they go but to the streets once their medication runs out and the illness takes total control again.
Approx. 40%-50% of the homeless/panhandlers on the streets have some sort of a mental illness.

Again, somewhere along the way WE as a society allowed for things to get so bad.

So next time someone asks for change. Take 3 frickin’ seconds to look into their eyes and then decide if you feel they are worthy of a meal.



All the best,
Annessa

 

[oiled]

Limited choices re mental disorders

If I was a drug addict I could find a rehab center in the yellow pages.
If I was an alcoholic I could find an AA program in the yellow pages.

The drug addict has a CHOCIE to take drugs
The alcoholic has a CHOICE to drink

Unfortunately Annessa you are wrong my dear! Not all are blessed to have the yellow pages at their fingertips! ...okay just a joke! On the darker side of the coin, drug addicts and alcoholics suffer as deeply as the mentally impaired. Maybe more so, because quite often they came from much better. Typically they DO NOT HAVE CHOICES (sorry I'm yelling here). Because that is what causes an individual to become a drug addict/alcoholic (mental impairment), typically known as "a disease of the mind and an allergy to the body". Therefore leading to bad judgement and careless behaviour thus leading to a downhill spiral of doom! Addiction is an illness of the mind, a disease and an allergy to the body. Hell a search on health via internet can feed info on this tragic topic! Most folks on the street aren't into searching the yellow pages...they need some serious help without "judgement".

 

[oiled]

Well, this thread is a tough read if you try to do it all at once.
I almost shed a tear. Almost (must maintain manly man image!).
For what its worth:
http://www.volunteertoronto.on.ca/

It's worth a lot my friend! Great link.

I always toss more than a few dollars their way, occasionally have gotten food (at the insistence from my S/O) and always give them smokes. Poor bastards.

I think we should send Goober out this year to donate his worthwhile assests... heheh

Better yet Goober and Mom should dress up as Santa and ELF...

 

[Ripper77]

I think the main reason people dont give money to needy people is they may be cheap and they are receiving no adulation for it,or maybe not.Maybe they or we are thinking they will waste it on food or maybe alcohol.Its your choice.

 

[Ripper77]

Of course asking for 20 at a time he could have seen a nice escort.Then you would have been pleased .Yes

 

[xarir]

For what its worth:
http://www.volunteertoronto.on.ca/

This is a great site Snake! Thanks for the link. I've registered and will be spending some time exploring it.

 

[Snake Pliskin]

Post your experience here if you happen to follow through. When it gets a bit colder I think I'll try a night shift with Out of the Cold. That should be an experience!

xarir, nice to see someone walking the walk!

 

[xarir]

Well once in a while I actually put my money where my mouth is. I guess in this case I'll be putting in my time.

For anyone who hasn't visited the site yet, it's quite amazing to see the plethora of volunteer opportunities out there. If you can do anything at all, you can help. The site is pretty good (on the surface at least) at matching your skills to the appropriate volunteer oportunities. There are so many things that can be done, that I'm spending some time finding the right one. It would seem that you can be quite choosy on this site and not run out of opportunities.

Anyhow, depending on what I end up doing I may post a review here later on.

 

[booboobear]

Re: Further clarification

. But the fact is that even people with mental problems can be lazy and I've seen it first hand along with the other lazy people who inhabit the street.

I also agree with much of the discussion about how we need to offer these people spaces in institutions where they can be helped but that will never come to pass when you continue to give them money on the street.

PAL

Who gave you the supreme knowledge to decide whether these people are lazy or their disease is causing them to act this way.
Just because you worked with them doesn't mean you can get in their heads and think for them. You obviously are trying to judge them by so called normal peoples standards.

If we give them money it's to get them by a day not to get them off the streets. The professionals you mention have done a great job over the last 15 years haven't they.

 

[Bone]

kev.... when you said "I have to appease my sole"...
I think you ,meant "soul", unless your shoes need fixing.

This is a tough one.
Vancouver is especially tough becuase there are so many more street people due to the better climate, Especially younger ones.

I actually talked to a young girl in Vancouver for awhile one time & found out she'd been kicked out by her parents. She told me the name of the company where her Dad worked, so I called him & told him how she cried when she told her story to me. He said 'they'd done all they could to help her..." yadda yadda.
I even offered to buy her a ticket & take her back home, but she refused. Anyway, I felt sad for her, but I also felt good that I at least tried.

Nowadays, unless I am deeply moved by a panhandler to cough-up cash, I simply tell them that my "spare change" goes to my young daughter (which it does).

I don't do it to reverse the guilt, but if it has that effect then so be it!

Bone

 

[tboy]

I'm curious bone: why was she kicked out? I mean, there are some cases where the parents are just F*cked and don't have a valid reason but my thoughts are: what did she do to get into this position?

When I was growing up there were times when I just couldn't take it and wanted to leave. But no matter how bad I thought it was at home, I knew life on the street would be 100000 times worse.

In my business one day I ran across some interviews with street kids in a fund raising newsletter for _____ (outreach? can't remember) and there were these stories about a group of street kids.

A common thread through all the stories was how they ended up on the street after their homelife became so unbearable. Now, not in all instances mind you, a lot of the reasons described made me a little incredulous. A number of them actually had the nerve to describe how "strict" their parents were: Can you imagine, NOT being allowed out after 11 pm on a school night? ABout how they were only given 5 bucks a week allowance? How their parents wouldn't buy them the 150 dollar nikes? or let them get tattoos? I'm NOT making this up folks.

Like I said, the above didn't apply to all instances and there were a number of really bad abuse cases but about half were stories like the above.

I mean, come on, SUCK IT UP! life sucks sometimes and we all have to follow rules we don't necessarily agree with. My advice is stick with it until you get your diploma, start working as soon as you can, then start the life that you want to lead.

No matter how bad it is at home, it ain't much better on the street!

I know there are instances where someone has mental limitations and they just cannot cope on their own. For these I am truly sorry but I am a firm believer in helping those who help themselves. I've given a tremendous amount of money to people I've met over the years who've been down on their luck for various reasons. The deciding factor to me is: if I give you this money, what are you going to do with it? Buying a loaf of bread of a sandwich isn't going to change a dam thing. Saving the bucks so you can get a motel room so you can get cleaned up for a job interview, going without that pint of rye so you can afford to rent a pc for an hour to print up a resume, you want my money? spend it on a future, not a present.

I don't think handing someone something is the solution. It just perpetuates the problems.

Here's an example of what I mean:
I inline skate down along cherry beach and last summer the trails were getting pretty trashy. Lots of empty water bottles and litter all along the edges of the path. I'm skating past the beach one day and this (not too grubby guy, but you could tell he was homeless) guy calls out "hey hey, buddy stop for a second" so I screech to a halt and blade back to him.

here's what happened: he was sitting on a picnic table with 3 ful garbage bags around him. he told me that he had taken the garbage bags from the trash bins (they weren't being used anyway hehehe) and walked along the path and picked up the trash. he asked me for some money so he could get some more garbage bags and do it again. I looked in the bags and sure enough, there were a lot of empty bottles etc. I said to him: great job, you really going to do this every week? he said yup, I said "well, here's 10 bucks, I blade here every 2nd night and if you keep this up, every time I see you, there's another 10 in it for you".

Well, I never saw him again, but for a week, that trail was spotless and he had cleaned it up.

I meant it too, and I even posted on this blading forum I belong to that we all should watch out for him and give him some $$.

If any or all (or some of) the homeless people on the street did something like this, then I'd be more than happy to contribute more than I do.

That (I feel) is what is missing in these people, the desire to contribute.

Again, this is just MHO but this is a viable solution.......

 

[Annessa]

I feel a little shitty today so the normal 'I love getting into a good intellectual discussion' is low.

The only thing I hate about this season (besides any reminder of Christmas) is the lack of sunshine.
I sooo couldn't live in the UK where it is cloudy/rainy alot or Alaska where you are in darkness 8 months of the year.

I don't know how people do it, I personally would go bonkers with depression and boredom.

Perhaps thats why we spend money vacationing down south in the Caribbean where people have permanent smiles on their face (And I'm not talking about being "high") lol

*scrambles desperately for 2 cents*

Um... Yeah! what he said.



Annessa

 

[tboy]

I know how you feel annessa, its the lack of sunshine and the way our body converts it to vitamin e that gives us the blues during the winter.

All I can say is get outside when you can, soak up as much sun (or lack thereof) that you can, and find yourself some cute guy to put, and KEEP, a smile on yer face.

Workfare: DAMN STRAIGHT, not only do you get a dollar's worth but it teaches the recipients a little about self worth and possibly a skill as well.

The problem with workfare is that the government got involved as well as the unions. Oh boo hoo hoo, cheap labour might take away my cushy job. What we need is someone with balls to run this country and do what needs to be done, not do only what won't bother someone.

 

[Kev]

I was...am...still dumb founded as to how to help this one. I think some of you missed the point that this person who was looking for help was confined to a wheelchair. He doesn't have the luxury of walking to a food bank or some place that can give him the help he needs. Is that his fault...maybe, maybe not.

Last time i drove by he still was hanging around Fraser and 17, right by the TD Trust Bank. Its pretty sad that someone can find themselves in this predicament in this day and age. Not just this one fellow but so many who can't get the help they need. The last time i saw him i was in a rush. The next time i am going to stop and see what i can do. Maybe there will be good end to this story. Thanx --- Kev

 

[tboy]

Hey Kev, just be careful ok? Not to sound like scrooge but with some of the "cons" that are going around, he might even NOT be confined to the wheelchair. It could just be a ruise....

 

[jwmorrice]

My Proposal

What we need is someone with balls to run this country and do what needs to be done, not do only what won't bother someone.

Let's turn the poor into Soylent Green! I'll expect your vote in my Conservative-Alliance leadership bid. Yours too, Hepcat!

Merry Xmas, hee-hee.

jwm

 

[Kev]

Hey Kev, just be careful ok? Not to sound like scrooge but with some of the "cons" that are going around, he might even NOT be confined to the wheelchair. It could just be a ruise....

I here you. I also saw him on a side street, just sitting there....for how long i'm not sure. So i don't think hes trying to pull a fast one, but he still could be trying to pull a con in other ways. I'm going to take the time and check out his story. Thanx --- Kev