Survivor of 4 years on streets: Conquer Central Florida's homel...

Last month, I heard the sad voice on the phone say, "Alex is dead," an apparent suicide from prescription medication.

[Estrella Alvarez-Tinch]

The most critical issue affecting the homeless is lack of permanent supportive housing. While many are in this situation as a result of mental illness or drug addictions, many have plunged into homelessness by lack of affordable housing and factors beyond their control. Homelessness is the end result of poverty and poverty is the end result of hopelessness. As individuals we can all have a part in ending poverty to bring a glimmer of hope into the lives of people who have fallen on hard times. As a community, we must strengthen relationships among social service, government and institutions to leverage funding for homeless prevention through rent assistance programs, supportive permanent housing, increased economic opportunities and affordable health care, while empowering the homeless to conquer poverty with dignity and self-respect.

"We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty. Mother Teresa (1910-1998).

[Liza]

I would be more than happy to follow you in this journey. I am also a student at the University of Central Florida and would love the opportunity to work with the homeless. Your article was very touching and I would like to be informed of ,if any, opportunities there are to offer my help to those in need. Thank you. My email address is [e-mail].

Liza Peglow

[Gloom and Doom]

Try this out. You don't work, you don't eat. You don't eat, you die. Quit standing out there holding your cardboard sign that says "Need Help", "Feed Me", and get yourself a damn job. Panhandling those who work for what they got so you can buy some booze or drugs makes everyone you come in contact with sick. How can you stand being filthy all the time with no shower, bath or change of clothes. You quote the Good Book but I'm sure God didn't mean help the sloven and lazy. No pity for hockey pucks.

[Reichsfuhrer]

Nicely put. But perhaps you were born seven decades too late -- A nice position with the Nazi regime would have suited you well. Seig Heil, mein freund.

[Reichsfuhrer]

Gloom and Doom wrote:

Try this out. You don't work, you don't eat. You don't eat, you die. Quit standing out there holding your cardboard sign that says "Need Help", "Feed Me", and get yourself a damn job. Panhandling those who work for what they got so you can buy some booze or drugs makes everyone you come in contact with sick. How can you stand being filthy all the time with no shower, bath or change of clothes. You quote the Good Book but I'm sure God didn't mean help the sloven and lazy. No pity for hockey pucks.

Nicely put. But perhaps you were born seven decades too late -- A nice position with the Nazi regime would have suited you well. Seig Heil, mein freund.

[Good Grief]

Reichsfuhrer wrote:

<quoted text> Nicely put. But perhaps you were born seven decades too late -- A nice position with the Nazi regime would have suited you well. Seig Heil, mein freund.

Tsk Tsk, the persons comments were stupid, why compound it with hate speech. Some of the homeless have just dropped out, however, the majority are families struggling to make ends meet. Lets keep the conversation at that level, please don't slide down the muddy slope.

[Dataperson]

Homelessness in the US is not a local or even regional issue. It'a national issue, and not a new one.

Not only is the problem old, our solutions seem old, too. A big percentage of the homeless are vets of the ongoing war(s), and previous ones.

During the Vietnam war, I worked on a crisis switchboard in Tucson, and we tried to help. Our major effort was to work with the Veterans Adminstration. They never had the resources needed to do mental health evals or to even temporarily house those who were clearly damaged (some by brain injury, some by drugs used to escape what they saw, some who didn't use drugs to dull their nightmares.)

Nothing has changed regarding underfunding of the VA. Until the resources needed to care for those who served us are allocated, we will continue to see this increase. This is not a problem that can be solved financially by local volunteers, local social service agencies, or local governments.

[Hindsight and Propriety]

Good Grief wrote:

<quoted text> Tsk Tsk, the persons comments were stupid, why compound it with hate speech. Some of the homeless have just dropped out, however, the majority are families struggling to make ends meet. Lets keep the conversation at that level, please don't slide down the muddy slope.

I agree and apologize -- no slippery slope intended -- it's just that callous, hatred and disregard for an entire segments of population is based on ignorance and intolerance.
MLK wrote: "We are all dressed in a single garment of destiny" -- Reason must coexist with compassion and brotherhood/sisterhood -- passion gets the best of me oft times. Thanks for your observations.

[Sean K]

What an ignorant piece of human garbage you are.

Gloom and Doom wrote:

Try this out. You don't work, you don't eat. You don't eat, you die. Quit standing out there holding your cardboard sign that says "Need Help", "Feed Me", and get yourself a damn job. Panhandling those who work for what they got so you can buy some booze or drugs makes everyone you come in contact with sick. How can you stand being filthy all the time with no shower, bath or change of clothes. You quote the Good Book but I'm sure God didn't mean help the sloven and lazy. No pity for hockey pucks.

[Fellow Traveller]

Sean K wrote:

What an ignorant piece of human garbage you are.
<quoted text>

I'm so glad someone pointed this out -- Many of the obstacles that we as a society have to overcome are compounded by sheer ignorance --
Like it or not, we have to come to terms with the fact that we are all in this thing together - what one does affects the whole -- It is time for reason and actions based on sound morals. There is no place for bigotry or hatred -- we must get along or perish.
Thanks for your comment.

[Sympathizer]

Dataperson wrote:

Homelessness in the US is not a local or even regional issue. It'a national issue, and not a new one.
Not only is the problem old, our solutions seem old, too. A big percentage of the homeless are vets of the ongoing war(s), and previous ones.
During the Vietnam war, I worked on a crisis switchboard in Tucson, and we tried to help. Our major effort was to work with the Veterans Adminstration. They never had the resources needed to do mental health evals or to even temporarily house those who were clearly damaged (some by brain injury, some by drugs used to escape what they saw, some who didn't use drugs to dull their nightmares.)
Nothing has changed regarding underfunding of the VA. Until the resources needed to care for those who served us are allocated, we will continue to see this increase. This is not a problem that can be solved financially by local volunteers, local social service agencies, or local governments.

Our brave veterans are a group that has been used, ignored and discarded.
All those who have served their country and risked their lives deserve much, much better. Shame on our government for not providing the dollars and support needed to address their needs. How can they recruit, when we see what happens to vets? The answer is simple: they target the young and impressionable with aggresive recruiters who talk of pie in the sky -- "Be all that you can be" - perhaps that includes being homeless. We need a volunteer army that is motivated and effective - but ironclad guarantees must be made to those who sign up. My heart goes out to vets whose minds have been warped as a consequence of their experience. Then they are forgotten and shunned.

Shame, Shame, Shame....