I don't have the answers
I have been doing a personal investigation of the homeless for a year. When I started I had a dream that I could make a difference.
However, making a difference in the world of the homeless is not as easy as I naively thought.
I started by dressing like a homeless person and begging on street corners. I quickly learned I could make I made a few bucks but begging for money is not easy (at least in my case) and it is dangerous. I didn’t last long and really didn’t learn anything about the homeless or the homeless problem.
I decided that interviewing the homeless was a better avenue to solving their and society’s problems. I have no idea why I thought the interview idea was a good one. I guess it is simply that I am not only naïve, I am stupid.
I have attempted to interview homeless people for a year with few results. I have found that as long as the questions are about solving the problems of their world, their ideas flow like a flash flood. Most of them have some kind of solution and most of the solutions are based on additional help of some sort. However, if the questions were personal (name, age, where do you come from or the reason you are homeless) they immediately became suspicious and clammed up.
Most told me they would work if jobs were available and I truly think they were telling me the truth. However, I have personally hired a few at my company and found that the few I hired didn’t really know how to work, didn't care how good their work was, expected salaries or wages way higher than I would pay my own employees or they were scam artists
The bottom line is that the few times I have tried to help have, in one way or another, ended up in small disappointments for me.
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next - who and what really helps....if anything?...
3 comments:
When the 'Old Grizz' post disappeared early last year after you telling us you were going to some work with the homeless, I am sure many of your fellow bloggers hoped you would make another appearance. I am glad you didn't disappoint, mind you we probably haven't looked often enough, too busy with our own little worlds. Over here in Australia a weekly magazine is sold on the street by homeless people. It is called "The Big Issue" It was started in the UK I believe and has been a success bringing income to the unemployed vendors. What is important is that the magazine is a great read and worth buying even at $5. Does it not exist in the US?
With regard to Ahu stories they have been going for many months now so there is quite a lot of catching up for you! Glad you dropped by.
You've explained it very well. In my short experience homeless is homeless for a reason and it usually has nothing to do with the big bad society but with one's self.
G'Day again. This brings to my mind the old nature versus nurture debate. I think also that many of us silly humans do not recognize the part our own demeanor and behavior has on our place in the world and only recognize that it must therefore be someone else's fault when we find ourselves in the situations we get into.
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