To think I used to be a 'shy quiet kid'.
You can only take so much before you have to be the one speaking out.
Why have I endured homelessness in my life?
So I can be the voice for those that can't speak.
Years ago when my 5 children were young living at home, we would have a houseful at Thanksgiving. Single friends and family would join us. The news came on ~
It was a story about a body being found frozed to death in a dumpster. A homeless person had crawled into the dumpster in Seattle to stay warm and froze to death.
That story has stuck with me. I wondered 'how do people end up homeless?' A question I never should have asked God. Because over the last 20 years I have come to know about 20 different reasons of 'how people end up homeless'. Because I have had to endure homelessness.
I thank God for my past and my experience in the situation. It has enabled me to see the problems. It has enabled me to know what some of the solutions could be.
During the past 20 years the problem has become an explosion in our country, not just in the larger cities. It's everywhere.
Why? How? What can we do about it?
Stop wasting money on these 'homeless' programs where the money is going to the self endulging people claiming to run the programs. It isn't helping the homeless people.
ANSWERS
Make housing affordable. Cost of living and rent prices should co exist not compete.
More Section 8 vouchers to more people, the waiting lists are ridiculous.
Make housing accessible. The requirement for rentals exceeds the average family's income making them 'not qualify'.
Reduce the requirements. Background checks ok. But your credit shouldn't be a factor when in comes to housing, your rental history should. Folks choose paying rent over paying their bills to keep a roof over their head.
Limit rental increases, the longer a person rents, the rent should go DOWN not UP. They are paying the mortgage, for someone else to benefit.
Create mental health care facilities for those that can't live independently.
Create laws that allow authorities to place people into those facilities, when an assessment deems it appropriate.
Create in patient drug treatment facilities and vote for laws that mandate judges to be allowed to sentence people to the treatment facilities.
Outpatient drug programs are a waste of money. IN PATIENT 365 days MINIMUM.
These are just my opinions and ideas - but I bet they would create a decrease in the homeless population and help create more people's ability to contribute to society rather then take from it.
