What is the homeless problem like in your area, if there is one?

Our mayor just instituted a program that will bus some of the homeless back to their hometowns for free.

They said that the families would take them back for help.

From what I understand, some officials sent their homeless here. Why?

Alot of run-a-ways do come here thinking they can make it here.

Then they come to realize it's a nightmare out here, and really do miss home.

From what I read/heard, it's mainly people from the south & mid-west.

Is there any truth to this?

So is there a problem out where you live?

 

Well, it hits sort of close to me right now. Some friends moved back here from St. Louis just before Christmas, and things haven't been exactly great for them. They had a house but had a crazy landlady, so then they were trying to buy a mobile home, but that guy turned out to be a snake and scammed them. They wound up living in campgrounds and now are staying here (again) till they get back on their feet. I guess there's quite a bit of competition among the homeless in this area for the free campgrounds, but there isn't really all that much of a homeless problem here. This isn't any easy area to be homeless in, everything's too far apart. I guess they move on to easier pickings, like S.F.

 

lot of kids come to montreal cuz we're a very liberal city. but they can't get welfare wtihout an address so they squat in abandoned buildings and panhandle for change. then there's a religious guy drives a bus around each nght to feed the kids, give hot coffee to the older ones. i don't have a problem with it. i don't give them money but i understand a lot of them have problems like being nuts that the rest of us just don't have to worry about. the young ones have it worse. a lot of them are abused or they're not accepted where they're from. they come here thinkng it's going to be great but they're lucky if they don't end up on the street selling their *** to perverts

but i don't agree with just sending them back.. that's what they did in the depression when cities provided relief for their poor and didn't want to spare what little work/welfare there was for outsiders. i mean you're either destitute and needy and deserving of some good christian compassion or your not. where in the bible does jesus ask someone where he's from? sure you don't want some other city downloading their problems onto you but don't dump the problem on the people who don't have the means to stand up for themselves. it's something the government has to come to terms with. i remember in america it was veterans. guys that got all screwed up killing people in vietnam and ended up begging for change outside the subway in washington. i felt bad and gave the guy some money to buy beer but i had to think. the government can afford to build all these museums in washington to celebrate how great america is at conquering space and killing fascists and communists, but they don't have the money to look after the guys that lost their marbles to do the actual work of winning these wars??

and canada is no better.

i remember a couple of years ago i went to stay with my dad in calgary, alberta to make a few bucks for school. around the same time some folks from newfoundland were coming thru and asked welfare for a couple bucks to find a place to stay till they could find jobs. anyway alberta welfare would only give them enough money for gas to keep going to british columbia. BC has warm weather, it's liberal. it's where you want to be if you're on welfare. anyway a bunch of them died after their camper caught fire trying to stay warm in some alley. then the local paper wrote a bunch of crap that the fire dept. found a dirty magazine. i mean who gives a damn if one of them was looking at dirty pictures. that doesn't make it OK for welfare to turn their back on them and say a rich province can't spare 50$ so the mom and kids could get a motel room for the night and at least take a shower.

i think it's a nationwide problem. not something that should be thrown in the lap of some mayor somewhere. come to terms wth the fact that a lot of people have lost their jobs, a lot of young people don't know what to do with themselves, and do something for them. make work for them. make them a decent place to live so they don't all end up in some big city begging for money so they can eat.

let me just add. after i'd had enough of sleeping in my car in the canadian winter all i had to do was call a friend. i asked if he wanted a roommate. i helped pay his rent and i had a place to stay. when he saw i wasn't making much money he told me where to go, who to call to get my union cards and get a good paying construction job. even took me to my union first meeting to make sure i would go. i got a mortgage now and i'm looking after my girlfriend and her kid. but i don't know where i would have ended up if i hadn't had a friend to look out for me

 

websthes, I think what I meant to say was that our mayor was offering the option, if they wanted, to get back home; or at least that was my impression.

I didn't mean to imply that he was force bussing them out of the city.

At least I hope not.

Tiger Dan, I too have a friend just turned homeless.

His pops and sister kicked him out for abusing the rules of the house (hookers), and also drug abuse.

It's sad, and it's a growing problem.

 

do the math. people start losing their jobs it's only a matter of time until they lose their homes and don't have a place to stay, or start doing wierd **** to their kids. i sort of ran away from home a few times. never lasted more than a few days before my folks found me and straightened me out for a while. me running away was usually enough to make them forget their differences. so i'd hate to see what some of these kids go through that they'd rather live on the streets of montreal, canada in the middle of february that stay with their families.

 

WRONG. my sister was here last month. we got drunk, got in a fight over some stupid stuff we'd done as kids. she was like "ill leave then." i told her no way in hell was she leaving. were gonna fight like a normal family and she'd accept my hospitality if she wanted to or not. then we hugged and got drunk some more. if i had a brother and he came and told me he was a junkie or had some kind of problem no way i'd kick him out. that's when your family needs you. he could steal all my money i might have to hide my money and lock him in the basement but no way i'd kick him out. rather go to jail myself

 

websthes, good point.

I have known this family for roughly 39 years.

They are extremely dis-functional, but still it's no excuse.

I think inheritance of the house is involved.

Greed is rearing its ugly head on this one.

 

No homeless problem where I am, the only problem (as I have mentioned before) are the druggie skateboarder teens.

 

It so often does...

When my best friend's father died a few years back, he jumped into the car and drove from Santa Cruz over to Stockton where he had lived. By the time he got there his sister was already there loading up a moving van with the old man's stuff. And she'd hardly bothered to pay the old man any attention for years. Guess she was just waiting for her chance.