My Mother who wasn’t religious, always said, “there but by the grace of god go you, so always remember that you could end up that way one day! Have compassion for those who have less than you”.
I was also raised to love my neighbor as myself! Prison is no place for a homeless person! If we spent less money on the Pentagon there would be plenty of money for affordable food and housing! THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD GO I!
I had been remembering that phrase all through Jason’s article(there but for the grace of god..). It’s so true. I really respect you for doing something nice for someone less fortunate than you. I also shows that you actually appreciate what you have and pay it forward.
Thank you for your heart. I once helped a homeless teen, 18 year-old who had left an abusive alcoholic father. He was terrified, didn't know how to survive on the street. We talked, found a friend who gave him shelter, got a job at MacDonalds, I fed him and gave him $20. I saw him a few times after that and he seemed determined to make it all work. Don't know what happened to him, but knowing that someone cared for his well-being gave him the reason to go on in life. I hope he made it. Stepping outside of yourself to help another is the best gift of all.
There but by the grace of God go I. Most people manage to go through life with a decent home, warm bed and a hardy dinner. No one WANTS to be homeless. But building a shelter and they will come, doesn’t always work. Why live under a bridge in a tent? Because they have a sense of control over their own lives, even if it’s what you would want.
Let’s try working together with the homeless to find what type of assistance would make them feel in control.
Appreciate your challenging & kind words. There was a time when I was briefly “outdoors” and although I live a comfortable life now I still sometimes, when driving down the road, scout out places I could bed down for an evening …. cuz you never know(survivor mindset). It was an experience from 45 years ago that left marks still felt today. So yes, leave your preconceptions behind & lend a hand when you can.
I cannot deny that I have been having such judgment about these individuals, standing on a street corner or in a parking lot with their cardboard signs. Some of them are in legitimate need, while there a few who are panhandling, simply because they believe that they can get more money this way than working a job. Considering some of the wages and the number of hours that some employers are offering, I suspect that there is some truth to this matter.
In some towns and locations, begging and panhandling are discouraged, and I have seen signs posted, telling people to donate to local charities; all well and good. Yet, while reading this post, I could not help but think of the politicians who seek either to cut the funding of those agencies that provide assistance, or to abolish them completely.
I live with the homeless under my window in varying numbers depending on the weather. They are driven here in the morning and picked up at night. The tents and campfires have been reduced and people are dispersed to keep groups small.
“Look, old man, I have more money in my pocket than you have in your bank account!” I heard someone yell at my pissed off neighbor.
New clothes, food delivered, booze, drugs and loud music. Everything but a home.
“What’s wrong with them? We offer assistance and shelter and they refuse to get off the street.”
They are building an army. What else can they do? They don’t want to be separated and “caged”. Rumor is that a young millionaire in Seattle is supporting organizing among those out there for years. Who is bringing them hot food and keeping them moving?
When I see them, I see the 60,000 kids Trump took from their parents at the border. Will those kids grow up radicalized? Alexa tells me there are 500,000 homeless in the country. That is the size of Woodstock, the half million protestors for peace who gathered in 1969.
Homelessness is the worst crime against humanity possible. They all have ptsd. They are in concentration camps without the camps. If they can be rescued they will be mentally ill for years.
Can you imagine being homeless? I cry every day. And once in awhile, I hear someone singing. They make me feel better about humanity and how basically good we are.
Thank you Jason. I try to give my cash at hand to anyone who’s in need because I can’t imagine the struggles they are dealing with. I have actually had people while I am giving someone my money actually tell me that I am encouraging their drug habits or that I am a fool. First it’s my money and I’ll do with it what I please and second once it changes hands it’s their money and all I can hope is they will use it wisely. And from what I have experienced most people will.
Thank you for this, Jason. There was a horrible time in my family's life where we were forced by circumstance to panhandle with our children present. There was simply no other option available to us at that time. Those days are long past and in the rearview mirror now, but the memories and the shame still linger. Thank goodness that we were lucky to find a kind person who helped us out fairly quickly so that we didn't have to be out there too long. Still, every a short experience was enough to make me feel like the worst parent alive.
Thank you for sharing this. I’ve felt the way at times when I only had a couple dollars to give and wondered if it would really make a difference, but then I remind myself that maybe my $2 combined with others’ generosity might add up to something more substantial for that person on that day. I also remind myself that it’s important to acknowledge the homeless person as a fellow human being deserving of care and kindness, and hopefully that’s worth something too.
Just how fast and far the mighty can and do fall is a discomforting point of order one needs ponder. There is no worse feeling than being homeless, especially around the holidays, and worse with children in tow. Everyone but you and yours have a place to be; for whom the lights are on; for whom welcome awaits and a locked door will provide security in the night; food, love, companionship are there. Not so when you are bounced to the curb. Worse if by family, because that level of betrayal and loss staggers you AND then there is the necessity of providing for your equally bewildered child.
And FORGET IT if you think friends, the church, the state will provide. Did you know that homeless shelters are not required to have smoke detectors? Guess why when such housing has a fire many people die!
Socialworkers? Oh, please, don’t get me started on those generally useless bits of protoplasm.
Hospitals? Only if you’re a danger to self or others!
So, when they say, “Pull yourself up by the bootstraps,” this is one of the scenarios in which that need be done. Brace yourself. If you are in a domestic violence scenario, prepare ahead of time with a post office box in your own name; a bank safe deposit box in that address; a burner phone with charger and a prepaid debit card; a “grab ‘n go” bag including money, jewelry, medicines, and room left for the kid’s favorite teddybear grabbed on the way out.
Good luck, and know that bootstrap bit is doable but it takes creating a whole new life preferably somewhere else, so you don’t have to worry about running into those who abandoned or betrayed you
Aw, thank you! I never knew that term until I started writing a few years back and someone said that about me. I take that as the highest compliment, thank you so much! &:^)
Gut-wrenching to see homeless, hungry and hopeless humans sleeping under the trees in a Walmart parking lot to stay cool in 90°+ temps. Many people here are strung-out victims of I-95 corridor dealers. Some of the pregnant girls and their children begging on street/highway corners are put there by pimp types. After a day's work standing in the heat, a fancy car will pick up the victims and take their pittance. As an aside, someone I met told me she was nearly homeless, had no car or friends, couldn't work thanks to long Covid from four and a half years ago. Her ex stiffed her 50k in child support, so she had it rough. Her income currently is ~18K annually. She asked me what foods she could live on for $24/month. If Social Security and Medicare go... XTC song 'Dear God's (listen to it or read the lyrics sometime)
'Dear God, hope you get the letter, and-I pray you can make it better down here
This should be compulsory reading for everyone. As a society, we are too quick to judge those who are unfortunate. We all need to learn to be compassionate and to take care of each other, especially those in need of food, shelter, and health care. What is wrong with us?
Most of us are only 1 catastrophe away from the street! I cannot understand those who still blame the victims for being homeless. We have to get away from that BS
My Mother who wasn’t religious, always said, “there but by the grace of god go you, so always remember that you could end up that way one day! Have compassion for those who have less than you”.
No finer words to live by and I always have.
I was also raised to love my neighbor as myself! Prison is no place for a homeless person! If we spent less money on the Pentagon there would be plenty of money for affordable food and housing! THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD GO I!
I had been remembering that phrase all through Jason’s article(there but for the grace of god..). It’s so true. I really respect you for doing something nice for someone less fortunate than you. I also shows that you actually appreciate what you have and pay it forward.
Less judgment; more compassion.
Thank you for your heart. I once helped a homeless teen, 18 year-old who had left an abusive alcoholic father. He was terrified, didn't know how to survive on the street. We talked, found a friend who gave him shelter, got a job at MacDonalds, I fed him and gave him $20. I saw him a few times after that and he seemed determined to make it all work. Don't know what happened to him, but knowing that someone cared for his well-being gave him the reason to go on in life. I hope he made it. Stepping outside of yourself to help another is the best gift of all.
There but by the grace of God go I. Most people manage to go through life with a decent home, warm bed and a hardy dinner. No one WANTS to be homeless. But building a shelter and they will come, doesn’t always work. Why live under a bridge in a tent? Because they have a sense of control over their own lives, even if it’s what you would want.
Let’s try working together with the homeless to find what type of assistance would make them feel in control.
Appreciate your challenging & kind words. There was a time when I was briefly “outdoors” and although I live a comfortable life now I still sometimes, when driving down the road, scout out places I could bed down for an evening …. cuz you never know(survivor mindset). It was an experience from 45 years ago that left marks still felt today. So yes, leave your preconceptions behind & lend a hand when you can.
I cannot deny that I have been having such judgment about these individuals, standing on a street corner or in a parking lot with their cardboard signs. Some of them are in legitimate need, while there a few who are panhandling, simply because they believe that they can get more money this way than working a job. Considering some of the wages and the number of hours that some employers are offering, I suspect that there is some truth to this matter.
In some towns and locations, begging and panhandling are discouraged, and I have seen signs posted, telling people to donate to local charities; all well and good. Yet, while reading this post, I could not help but think of the politicians who seek either to cut the funding of those agencies that provide assistance, or to abolish them completely.
So true!😡😡😡😡😡😡
I live with the homeless under my window in varying numbers depending on the weather. They are driven here in the morning and picked up at night. The tents and campfires have been reduced and people are dispersed to keep groups small.
“Look, old man, I have more money in my pocket than you have in your bank account!” I heard someone yell at my pissed off neighbor.
New clothes, food delivered, booze, drugs and loud music. Everything but a home.
“What’s wrong with them? We offer assistance and shelter and they refuse to get off the street.”
They are building an army. What else can they do? They don’t want to be separated and “caged”. Rumor is that a young millionaire in Seattle is supporting organizing among those out there for years. Who is bringing them hot food and keeping them moving?
When I see them, I see the 60,000 kids Trump took from their parents at the border. Will those kids grow up radicalized? Alexa tells me there are 500,000 homeless in the country. That is the size of Woodstock, the half million protestors for peace who gathered in 1969.
Homelessness is the worst crime against humanity possible. They all have ptsd. They are in concentration camps without the camps. If they can be rescued they will be mentally ill for years.
Can you imagine being homeless? I cry every day. And once in awhile, I hear someone singing. They make me feel better about humanity and how basically good we are.
It didn't help with years of austerity policies that cut programs and closed hospitals 😕! Left people with no where to go!
Thank you Jason. I try to give my cash at hand to anyone who’s in need because I can’t imagine the struggles they are dealing with. I have actually had people while I am giving someone my money actually tell me that I am encouraging their drug habits or that I am a fool. First it’s my money and I’ll do with it what I please and second once it changes hands it’s their money and all I can hope is they will use it wisely. And from what I have experienced most people will.
Judgmental people can go fuck themselves!
I agree with you wholeheartedly on that.
Thank you for this, Jason. There was a horrible time in my family's life where we were forced by circumstance to panhandle with our children present. There was simply no other option available to us at that time. Those days are long past and in the rearview mirror now, but the memories and the shame still linger. Thank goodness that we were lucky to find a kind person who helped us out fairly quickly so that we didn't have to be out there too long. Still, every a short experience was enough to make me feel like the worst parent alive.
Thank you for sharing this. I’ve felt the way at times when I only had a couple dollars to give and wondered if it would really make a difference, but then I remind myself that maybe my $2 combined with others’ generosity might add up to something more substantial for that person on that day. I also remind myself that it’s important to acknowledge the homeless person as a fellow human being deserving of care and kindness, and hopefully that’s worth something too.
Just how fast and far the mighty can and do fall is a discomforting point of order one needs ponder. There is no worse feeling than being homeless, especially around the holidays, and worse with children in tow. Everyone but you and yours have a place to be; for whom the lights are on; for whom welcome awaits and a locked door will provide security in the night; food, love, companionship are there. Not so when you are bounced to the curb. Worse if by family, because that level of betrayal and loss staggers you AND then there is the necessity of providing for your equally bewildered child.
And FORGET IT if you think friends, the church, the state will provide. Did you know that homeless shelters are not required to have smoke detectors? Guess why when such housing has a fire many people die!
Socialworkers? Oh, please, don’t get me started on those generally useless bits of protoplasm.
Hospitals? Only if you’re a danger to self or others!
So, when they say, “Pull yourself up by the bootstraps,” this is one of the scenarios in which that need be done. Brace yourself. If you are in a domestic violence scenario, prepare ahead of time with a post office box in your own name; a bank safe deposit box in that address; a burner phone with charger and a prepaid debit card; a “grab ‘n go” bag including money, jewelry, medicines, and room left for the kid’s favorite teddybear grabbed on the way out.
Good luck, and know that bootstrap bit is doable but it takes creating a whole new life preferably somewhere else, so you don’t have to worry about running into those who abandoned or betrayed you
Pull yourself up by your bootstraps is a load of BS!💩💩💩💩💩💩
It's easy, I guess to say "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" to someone who has no footwear...
True, but having done so more than once in this bumpy ride through life, how Else is it to be phrased, pray tell?
Btw, stooping to scatological memes denigrates your point. How about elevating your word choices, considering you are addressing a lady?
And vote for people with HUMAN NEEDS as the FIRST PRIORITY
Jason, you are a mensch.
Aw, thank you! I never knew that term until I started writing a few years back and someone said that about me. I take that as the highest compliment, thank you so much! &:^)
That's exactly how it's meant!
Gut-wrenching to see homeless, hungry and hopeless humans sleeping under the trees in a Walmart parking lot to stay cool in 90°+ temps. Many people here are strung-out victims of I-95 corridor dealers. Some of the pregnant girls and their children begging on street/highway corners are put there by pimp types. After a day's work standing in the heat, a fancy car will pick up the victims and take their pittance. As an aside, someone I met told me she was nearly homeless, had no car or friends, couldn't work thanks to long Covid from four and a half years ago. Her ex stiffed her 50k in child support, so she had it rough. Her income currently is ~18K annually. She asked me what foods she could live on for $24/month. If Social Security and Medicare go... XTC song 'Dear God's (listen to it or read the lyrics sometime)
'Dear God, hope you get the letter, and-I pray you can make it better down here
I don't mean a big reduction in the price of beer
But all the people that you made in your image
See them starving on their feet
'Cause they don't get enough to eat from God
I can't believe in you'
And these people call themselves believers!
Song is 'Dear God' not 'Dear God's'
This should be compulsory reading for everyone. As a society, we are too quick to judge those who are unfortunate. We all need to learn to be compassionate and to take care of each other, especially those in need of food, shelter, and health care. What is wrong with us?
Most of us are only 1 catastrophe away from the street! I cannot understand those who still blame the victims for being homeless. We have to get away from that BS