From dependency to productivity.
Homelessness is endemic to wealthy societies.
Despite their best efforts the homeless are unable to meet their goals in life. Each has a story, and like us, each has a weakness. We should listen.
All people want respect, and self-reliance is the step to pride and dignity.
There is a wealth of potential in these people and our duty is to provide the path and the resources.
First, we should bring them to a clean, secure, but economical facility (outlined below) that keeps them together with their peers. They need to continue their current social world while we sort them to the help they need.
Some will need addiction rehab, some need mental support, and some need a steady job. Opportunity will provide dignity in their life when they take on responsibility. Many are discouraged from work by financial handouts.
Once they settle into a clean, controlled environment with their friends, most will want to work and improve. If they prefer to stay in tent living, they should be provided with a specific fenced area away from public space. Encourage some of these people to provide social and safety services within each group and pay those for their services.
View all homeless as potentially productive given the right guidance and opportunity.
All unemployed youth worldwide are at risk to drugs, alcohol, and crime. All should have a steady job. Before handouts of other people’s money, the homeless had to work to eat. Government handouts encourages idleness, and Idleness encourages the lifestyle we see in homeless camps. For most, employment for pay is the missing link to a dignified life.
Work can provide personal development but should be focused on capabilities with a clear understanding of limitations.
We have seen many successful programs for drug and alcohol abuse. We should expand those programs that prove most effective.
Mental illness is a broad category and some of those people will develop pride and confidence in a suitable work program that is aligned with their capabilities.
Growth is possible for most in a stable and secure environment. Some may not have growth potential, but they can still be included in a basic work program.
Drugs are seen as an integral part of homelessness but are usually not the cause. Often lack of something to do leads the unemployed to like-minded people in the homeless community. ‘Nothing-else-to-do’ leads to drugs, crime, and vagrancy. If idleness creates many of these problems for even a small percentage of these people, we can make a better world for them. This is not a short journey; we will need to follow these people for many years as they may need further guidance.
We need a program to fit the problem instead of letting politicians feel good about giving other people’s money to the downtrodden. Government financial handouts for food, drugs, and alcohol are more readily available than work. Work opportunities will be the best possible help and it would cost us little.
We need a variety of kinds of work, but for starters we could be cleaning the city and shoveling snow. The infrastructure and supervision are already available in the city maintenance department.
Start with a modest, but clean, safe place to live and a fitting job.
Facilities:
Many agencies work hard to put homeless people in hotels. This gets the homeless out of sight for political convenience but makes them more isolated than in tent living. Isolation creates even more problems.
Homes should be modest, clean, and secure. Each dwelling should open to a large common area for relaxation, exercise, and encouragement to socialize.
A large building with skylights over the social area. A row of living accommodation, 2 stories high along each side. With a building 100 feet long X 80 feet wide we could accommodate 30 homes with a 50-foot-wide hallway for socializing.
Three classes of residence. Class 1 is free and sparse, it includes a double bed with a single bed above for a friend or possessions, & toilet, sink, and shower, but no cooking facilities. This room will be vacated 8 hours a day.
Class 2. Participate in a work program. Pay low rent. As above, but with a microwave and small space for eating, study, etc. 24-hour habitation.
Class 3 is for a small family, but still sparse. Larger rooms and an extra bedroom. Still low rent but sparse to encourage people to move to better accommodation when they can afford it.
Some who live here could work here to provide security, cleaning services & social needs for the severely down & out.
Requires a close indoor and outdoor recreation area and a nearby food supply.
Administration could be helped by corporate volunteering.
Churches and other social services are encouraged to participate within the scope of our program.
All these people should be provided with a suitable job, 40 hours per week. It would eliminate the idleness that promotes much of the negative activity. A program through city services like garbage pickup could be economical and easily administered. This work would be rewarded, but not compulsory. Handicapped people would only work at a level they felt comfortable with. The purpose for many would not be productivity, but participation, and hopefully growth.
A work program.
This program is for people outside our facility too.
A necessary part of this program for homeless people is giving them an opportunity and encouragement to provide support for themselves and their family. We have lost the productivity of many people who would like to be a part of our work world.
This is a work training program for the very bottom who have become misguided and/or are handicapped. They deserve the opportunity to work. Other provincial work training programs are good, but they don’t address the people at the very bottom.
City maintenance is a practical entry point with a structure already in place.
Suitable jobs don’t exist for most of these people, they need an introductory job like shoveling snow and cleaning parks where they can participate at their own pace. We must fit the job to the person, not try to modify the person for a job. With experience, some may adjust to other work, but don’t push them beyond their capability.
Our focus doesn’t include those who insist on consuming alcohol or drugs, or those who show a propensity for violence. We do, however, welcome recovered drug and alcohol people. For them we can provide an alternative program with good surroundings and a comfortable social environment.
There is great potential in most of these people. It is our job to provide proper conditions that will give them hope.
We can help by giving them the dignity of self-reliance. For that they need work.
These people can gain confidence and move on to other jobs.
100 years ago, there was a positive culture of work. Today, a minority of people have lost that culture. Without the self-reliance of a regular earned income they lose hope and focus. Unemployment breeds a feeling of detachment and shame, so they strike back at society and create most of the crime and dissent.
Unfortunately, the only way to ‘break out of the cycle of homelessness’ is through self-reliance. Governments have always preferred to make the bottom of society dependent on them, or alternatively, they completely don’t understand the problem. We only need to observe the treatment of natives, who have such a tremendous potential as individuals, to see the inability of many to break out of the cycle of dependence.
What we can do:
In my neighborhood, we need jobs to provide training for the simplest things, like showing up for work 5 days a week, and being there on time. In some cases, it is an introduction to work. These jobs will provide, not just direction, responsibility, and dignity, but regular money for things people want. They are then rubbing shoulders with other people who want to buy new shoes and a car. They see hope and develop responsibility.
We can help these people become contributors to society instead of dependents. The cost will be a resource development not a drain on society.
Remember, most of these people simply don’t know how to find a job when they have no training, and few apparent skills. Many are school dropouts, or troubled kids that simply need opportunity without a lot of questions. Many may be middle aged or have mental disabilities and are much better working than sitting around. They can work here forever, or work part time at something else and come back or move on to permanent employment elsewhere.
Everyone will get a job who shows up on time, is not impaired, is dressed according to demands of the job, and shows respect for others. There will be two primary work types, one is physical labor like shoveling snow or cleaning parks, the other for people who aim for indoor work, including social care. Each of these could branch out as required. Crews would consist of a team leader and one to six trainees.
In my neighborhood, we need jobs to provide training for the simplest things, like showing up for work 5 days a week, and being there on time. In some cases, it is an introduction to work. These jobs will provide not just direction, responsibility, and dignity, but regular money for things people want. They are then rubbing shoulders with other people who want to buy new shoes and a car. They see hope and develop responsibility.
We can help these people become contributors to society instead of dependents. The cost will be a resource development not a drain on society.
Remember, most of these people simply don’t know how to find a job when they have no training, and few apparent skills. Many are school dropouts, or troubled kids that simply need opportunity without a lot of questions. Many may be middle aged or have mental or physical disabilities and are much better at working than sitting around. They can work here forever, or work part time at something else and come back or move on to permanent employment elsewhere.
Everyone will get a job who shows up on time, is not impaired, is dressed according to the demands of the job, and shows respect for others. There will be two primary work types, one is physical labor like shoveling snow or cleaning parks, the other for people who aim for indoor work, including social care. Each of these could branch out as required. Crews would consist of a team leader and one to five trainees.
For immigrants it provides a dignified income where they can learn customs, local geography, and possibly assistance with language. Most don’t want a free ride where they don’t intermingle with local people.
Don’t make this program appear as a replacement for welfare. This is an opportunity for growth and development, and we want people to be proud to be here. Employers from the area will come here to request employees for their firm. This will provide an incentive for everyone to move to more pay and a better job. Steady work bridges the gap from homelessness to dignity.
Further, we want people to cohabit. We will encourage cohabitation where a child or children are involved by providing a stay-at-home partner (where cohabitation is long term) to get half salary when their partner is a steady worker. If #1 takes a day off the home partner would not get paid for that day either.
Also, if a neighbor is on the program & the partner is at home looking after children, then on agreement of the home partners one could look after children of both families, then the other one could go to work & get full salary and the home person could get 2 half wages or full salary for all 4.
Recognize that there are several areas of benefit:
- For capable people, the dignity of work is the only way to “break out of the cycle of homelessness”. Even if you only lean on a shovel and do nothing all day it gets you involved.
- Away from issues that harbor & promote crime & drugs.
- Away from a culture of dependence on government.
- For many, it’s learning the reliability of timeliness & feeling responsible.
- For others, it’s the physical & social aspects of working with a group.
- Most important, this is an opportunity to advance to a better job with a reference.