It has come to my attention that the city of Raleigh North Carolina has started enforcing an un-posted ordinance preventing chariatble groups from feeding the homeless.
I most humbly request that the members of FTE express their views on this matter.
Methods of contacting city administrators can be found in the story the link goes to.
Feeding Homeless Apparently Illegal in Raleigh, NC — Love Wins Ministries

 

Theses are people. Not stay dogs or animals that will go away and look elsewhere for food if they can't get it.
Theses folks just can't go away. They got no where to go and no way to get there.

This is just sick and wrong.

 

If you want to feed the bums why don't you invite them to your house? That way the rest of us who work and pay taxes can enjoy the park too without a bunch of homeless drug addicts turning it into a soup kitchen.

 

Are you serious? You better hope and pray nothing tragic ever happens to you or yours......

Not all homeless people are drug dealers or punks. Some people fall on hard times through no fault of their own, and deserve a hand up.

 

Thanks Don. I was wanting to say something along the line of what you just did. But was kinda waiting to see if this guy was serious or not. Guess he is. What's this world coming to with people thinking like this? Rainbow? If you was to show up around me ever.



And was hungry AND high on drugs. I would welcome you and feed you.



I would also lock my stuff up till ya was gone though.

 

You call yourself rainbow, because your probably an old hippy. Your judgment is clouded from doing drugs for so many years.

Best hope you don't fall down on your luck when your around me, because I'll certainly kick you while your down

Have a nice day.....

 

I agree to a point with rainbow....there are parks here where they feed homeless on the weekends, on Thursday and Friday the park is unusable because of the number of vagrants. If this is a group of churches you would think they could use their facilities, I know my church does this. I commend these people for helping those who need it, but there could be a better location to do it, that doesn't prevent others from using the city park.

 

Rainbow expressed his view. I don't think you throw him under the bus, call him names, and threaten to kick the banana pudding out of him because it's not your view. He complied with Shorebird's request. It's his (Rainbow's) view.

 

no worky,no eaty,simpe as that. Should have to do something for the food. Might be harsh,but that is the way I was raised.

 

Having been homeless at one point in my life, I'm divided on this issue.

My homelessness was brought about because of my own stupidity and drug addiction. Cocaine is a bitch. I had no one else to blame but myself. It was a long and hard battle to claw my way out of the gutter, but it was worth it.

Because of this, I have first-hand, personal knowledge of how many of these homeless people think. There are 2 basic types - those who, for whatever reason that isn't related to drugs, have fallen on hard times and are trying to make an honest effort to rebuild their lives and those who are parasites who are simply working the system ("vagrants").

I feel no sympathy or remorse for the parasites - those who are strung out on drugs or who simply have no pride in themselves - they know where the free handouts are and they feed off the sympathy and welfare of others without contributing anything in return. We'd all be better off without them (and this is coming from someone who was once one of them.) I've known panhandlers who made more money in a day than I do working an honest job - in their minds, they see no reason to work so long as they can continue leaching off the welfare of others. I remember being a parasite and I'm disgusted by what I had done. I despise the parasites now with an anger and hatred I can't begin to describe - It's like looking into a mirror and seeing some faraway, misty shadow of who I once was and how it almost killed me - it sickens me to the very core of my being.

On the other side of the coin, there are those who are homeless through no fault of their own and genuinely want to work their way out of that predicament and make a better life for themselves. Unfortunately, because of the parasites, these others are cast in a bad light and are oftentimes lumped in with the parasites. These are the people who need the help and generosity of others. However, where does one draw the line? When offering aid and assistance, how does one separate the parasites from the others? It's not as easy as one might think...

There should be a way for these charitable organizations to feed the homeless however, I don't feel it should be done in the open like in a park. A shelter or other facility would be a better option. That way, it can be better organized and structured in a way that helps those who need it while not infringing into the lives of those who don't.

 

No matter who is being fed, homeless, vagrants or whom ever, Food Service Sanitary laws must be abided by to help ensure that no one gets sick from the food.

There could be a certain degree of lawlessness taking place after the feeding, that is not kosher.

However, people who are down on their luck deserve a meal as well if a charitable organization is willing to provide. There must be some compromise between the city and the citizens to assist the needy.

 

subscribing

 

From a couple of earlier threads, my responses to some mis-information. Comment precedes my answer.

They do not actually live with that little money. They get food stamps, housing, medicaid, and sometimes actual welfare checks. So regardless of how much they "make" they are not "living" off that much.
Really? And when did you spend time with them to learn that?

I can't count the amount of working poor people I know. Virtually all of my tenants at the rural properties (11 of them, some multiple).

Before I go further, why don't you post some proof or link that supports your claims that they're not actually living off that little.

I cook once a month (wish I could do it more) for Southwest PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter) here in Marquette Park in Chicago. Typically we'll serve between 70 and 100 guests, depends on weather. Ten years ago it was mostly single men, a lot of whom were vets unable to or incapable of getting a job. The last few years has seen that census change toward very poor families who, although working hard, simply run out of money to buy dinner for the kids. We also bag lunches for them. It's heart wrenching to see the pride stripped clean from a father of 2 standing in line for a free meal.
You seem to have a grudge or something about poor folks. Read up or spend some time trolling the streets of Houston? before casting judgement.
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And this on children living in poverty, many of whom rely on small, private shelters for a daily square meal or two.............

There is no way I believe 1 in 4 kids lives under those levels.....
In Illinois, minimum wage is a little higher than federal guidelines. It is 8.25 per hour currently. Note that all of this assumes people that actually work. Many families exist somehow at, or a little above or below that threshold. Based on a 2080 hour work year, remembering that many minimum wage jobs are part time, that minimum wage employee is grossing 17,160 per year or about 330 bucks a week.
Here are the ratings and average rents for one-bedroom apartments in various cities.
1.Washington, D.C.$1,696
2. New York $1,789
3. Boston $1,814
4. Minneapolis $974
5. Dallas $912
6. Atlanta $855
7. Chicago $1,224
8. Houston $910
9. Philadelphia $1,070
10. Baltimore $1,235
11. Denver $1,089
12. Salt Lake City $772
13. San Francisco $1,653
14. Seattle $1,199
15. Oklahoma City $676

Using that list as a basis, even if that worker manages to find an apartment at 1/2 the average here in chicago, that would leave just about 2 weeks of GROSS salary monthly, or about 500 bucks net to provide for public transportation to and from work, utilities, food and, well, thats about it. A non-transfer bus ride for 2 directions is 5 bucks a day or about 100 bucks a month , leaving now 400 bucks of which winter utilities will take 1/2 conservatively. The remaining 50 bucks a week to provide food, medicine, school needs etc. simply does not work. And there are very few 600 dollar a month rentals in the Chicago area.

Second City or dead last? Chicago's sky-high minority poverty rate | The Chicago Reporter

Chicago is a good example as just under 22% of the population lives at or below the poverty level. Our real unemployment numbers are probably at least 15% but theres tens if not hundreds of thousands of hard working people simply unable to do anything more than simply exist.

1 in 4 children in America do, in fact, live in poverty. Its' a much different reality than what most, if not all of us, are accustomed to.
__________________
Ed M.
08 SD250 2wd 5.4, 93 F450 7.3IDI, 08 4runner, 67 Imperial Crown, 49 Dodge Coronet parts, ask me why.

 

Ed, I am not rebuking your comments, opinion or beliefs on this matter. I will only say that if someone is looking for $912.00/month one bedroom apt in the Dallas area they will be living pretty good.