Re: Helping

Rita wrote:
On Wed, 19 Apr 2006 10:17:30 -0700, Old_Timer wrote:

On Wed, 19 Apr 2006 12:30:13 -0400, Ryan2p5@xxxxxxxxx (P H) wrote:

Bless you, Rita & Old Timer for your charitable efforts. The
Catholic Church has a program to help (regardless of religion)
Sorry to say other religious communities do not have this. They
should.
There are a nmuber of churches of various denominations in my area
that offer feeding programs for the homeless and needy. It is not a
service that is offered on a daily basis but perhaps one day a week.

In Southern Calif we have "more than our share of homeless". No doubt
the warmer climes are a plus for someone who sleeps under a bridge.

Los Angeles is reputed to have greater numbers of homeless than any
other US city,

Old_Timer

Los Angeles lacks the large numbers of shelter beds that New York City
has. While shelters don't solve the problem of the homeless, they do
solve the issue of people sleeping on the streets and sidewalks and
other places outdoors. Also, once in a shelter, there is the
opportunity to get the homeless into programs for those who are
mentally ill or substance abusers, and both groups constitute a large
percentage of single homeless persons. But if the homeless take
advantage of these programs they still will need some kind of cheap
housing on a permanent basis. So there is also a need for supportive
housing in cities with a large homeless population.

I see far more homeless on the streets in San Diego than in New York
City. New York used to look like San Diego in that respect, but that
was back in the 1980s.

New York state has a law that anyone homeless must be offered a
bed in a shelter. I don't believe California has any such law.

I worked in a homeless shelter for men over age 50 run by a church.
The men spent their days in a day shelter, going about whatever
rehabilitation program they were suited for, and were bussed to our
shelter in the early evening. We could take in only 10 men at a time
and created a homey atmosphere so the men could get some rest
without being hassled by criminal types. The church run shelters can
cherry pick whom they take in so they are nicer places than the
city run shelters who must take all comers.

I have been reading about Los Angeles and it has a long, long way to
go. I do expect the weather is a big factor in the large numbers in
California. New York City winters are not hospitable to sleeping
outdoors.

Were you ever witness to the "bus ticket" solution ?
My good friend worked in New York in the 50s and 60s where he was
quite surprised to see homeless men being given a small duffle bag
of supplies and a bus ticket to..........................San Diego.
The men were put on the buses so they wouldn't sell their tickets,
but no one could say how many actually rode the whole way and
relocated permanently. He knows that many never showed up
at social services or their usual shelters again.
He said that city workers would go to shelters in mid winter and
pitch the sweet life in a nice warm climate to anyone who would
listen.
.

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  • Re: Helping
    ... In Southern Calif we have "more than our share of homeless". ... Los Angeles lacks the large numbers of shelter beds that New York City ... I worked in a homeless shelter for men over age 50 run by a church. ...
    (soc.senior.issues)