By Nanci Dixon
As some of you are aware, we are camp hosts in a large regional park in Minnesota. Last week, a homeless couple approached us wanting to stay at a campsite. They did not have enough money for the site—they were $10 short, so my husband and I decided to chip in the $10 ourselves.
The issue of homelessness
As we travel, we see a lot of homeless encampments and families at intersections with cardboard signs. My husband and I always talk about the issue of homelessness and needing/wanting to do something.
With this couple sitting at our picnic table, it was the opportunity to do something. These were real people asking for help and wanting to do the right thing by renting a site rather than squatting.
Little did we know at the time that all their stuff had already been dropped off at a site and we would need to make three trips in the golf cart to another site that wasn’t already reserved.
They had been in a homeless encampment and were now awaiting getting into an apartment near the campground. A church donated enough money for them to stay a few more days until the apartment opened up. And, yes, there have been some issues with them in the last few days, but they are paying for their stay now and have food to eat.
Poverty and mental health issues
Another homeless person has camped across from us and as she wanders, walking incessantly in the massive campground in the pouring rain, I am aware that the issue of homelessness is more than just not having a job, a place, or a connection to family. It is also an issue of mental health.
There are currently three sites in this vast campground with people on the edge. It is apparent that everyone has varying degrees of their own mental health issues. It is not as simple as just “Get a job.”
Welcoming, accepting or rejecting
I have had to face a moral dilemma here. In theory, I am filled with concern and compassion for those left with virtually nothing but scratching out their survival. In reality, I am finding that I am hesitant to engage, hesitant to give much, and hesitant to even welcome. I look at the registration list to see if they are here or gone. It is with a significant measure of shame that I admit that.
Not in my neighborhood
I have thought a lot about this. Of course, we don’t want our wonderful park to become a homeless encampment. We want our park to remain the wonderful place it is. We also want the issue of homelessness solved but not in my campground or my neighborhood. Is this what others have said when someone wants to build a new RV park in their neighborhood?
Or what people said when the starving Irish immigrants arrived at Ellis Island? Or when black folks moved into an all-white neighborhood? What do the neighbors say when a group home is planned in their suburban neighborhood? “Not in my neighborhood.” What about the people coming into our country, or the people already in our country, seeking asylum?
Reason for reflection
If nothing else, it has been a wake-up call for me to examine myself—my ideals, my intentions, and the reality of my decisions. $10 was nothing for us, and yet I was glad when the church sponsored the couple and they got a place to live off the street a week later.
Would I give it again? Absolutely, but next time I am hoping to not shy away. I need to remember the plaque my sister once gave me that said, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers for thereby some have entertained angels unaware.” Hebrews 13:2
##RVT1170
Well said.
Thanks to super low interest rates for more than a decade and a central bank buying mortgage backed securities, housing has become so expensive that many folks cannot afford to own or rent a home, so many end up in campgrounds or on the street. This has create a two-tiered society of haves and have nots. If you think this is not by design then you do not have your eyes open.
Yup.
I think you missed a big one that’s been quietly happening all over the country. Private equity firms are buying a substantial percentage of new homes being built which affects new home pricing and rental pricing. Don’t take my word for it, pick any new subdivision near you and check your online county records for ownership. Then do some research on how they’re making money from it.
If you feel pain you are alive. If you feel other people’s pain you are human.
Leo Tolstoy.
If the person or persons is trying to help themselves then I’m all in. We recently hosted a young man here in our campground who was homeless. He had a job, paid his site fees, but didn’t have much in the way of personal belongings. We helped him out and were happy to do it. Sadly, he left without saying goodbye. That’s often the case. Hopefully he’s doing well. Maybe I’ll see him again. Would I do it all over? Yes
I’ve seen campgrounds help people get back on their feet by letting them use an old camper and work part time. I’m sure it backfires sometimes, but having a safe and wholesome place like a campground to land for a while can really help someone.
A very large dilemma everywhere in the country. I worked at a local food bank for a few years. Actually depressing to see the amount of need.
I have no solution although just throwing taxpayer dollars is a poor solution.
We consider our income middle class. We were between homes and renting. Then came fighting for custody of our grandson, me not working to take care of him during the pandemic, and later, the economy and insane housing prices, we thought we’d wait it out hoping for a price drop in homes. Then our landlord decided to sell the house we were renting for an insane price and beyond what we could afford. We have some undeveloped property but new laws wouldn’t allow us to even park our RV there to live while we built something! THIS is how homelessness is happening!
Fortunately we found, through a friend, a rent to own and can keep our family and pets together.
Same as in every Canadian city. Lots of problems, but very few solutions. Throwing government money at it has and will continue to prove futile.
I have yet to see a politician of any stripe offer to take a homeless family in to help them out. They would rather remove tent/RV encampments from “nice” neighborhoods and universities, and move them along with “safe” drug drug injection sites to less desirable parts of urban areas.
Is me giving them a few bucks at every corner that they are panhandling at solving anything? Absolutely not, but sad to say it is only to make me feel better as I also subscribe to NIMBY.
Homelessness, like many other societal tragedies within our midst, has become a huge problem. But like all other aspects of society, there are those who use it as a lifestyle and thereby make people like me, skeptical about them. There are groups here in Central Florida that occupy several, well traveled, Exit ramps off the I-4 and have been there for years. There is no way they are homeless because they are way too clean and well dressed to be homeless. One female holds a sign right above her designer jeans. They stand there smoking cigarettes. If one is really homeless, then they would worry more about Food than cigarettes. I am always willing to help but I am never willing to be used!
Agreed.
When I worked in a major city downtown, there were plenty of street beggars. All were I am sure (okay I was not totally sure) hungry. But I did not want to contribute to drug or alcohol addiction. I carried what were essentially gift cards to local fast food places. They were not redeemable for cash. I suspect most were redeemed for food, if not by the immediate recipient, then someone else.
My thoughts exactly, and what a great idea. Thank you!
While we do not always see society and it’s issues or solutuons thru the same lense Jim, I also employ the gift card tactic. Quite often I will ask the potential recipient if they really are “hungry” and about 1 in 10 will tell me “No”, and smile.
Choices bring consequences.
Things just don’t happen… people make them happen.
When someone looses a job, I’m guessing it wasn’t their choice. When someone gets cancer it’s not their choice, if they have a job without healthcare insurance and they have surgery….look at your Healthcare bills, the difference between what’s charged and what’s covered. They are responsible for the amount charged. I could go on…
This is a very important and difficult subject to address. Thank you for sharing your experience and feelings. I believe there will always be people who are “house less” and people who are in need of housing. As RV travelers we have found ourselves staying among them on several occasions and have been questioned which way we sit and if we needed help. If you boondock or stay in parking lots and other free places to stay, you will be among those who are “homeless”. We are all human in need of love and compassion. Move past your fear, speak with them, allow your compassion to emerge. Every religion has a teaching that tells us to help others and we learn love.
Well said article.
We are lucky where we live that we have a wonderful non-profit, “Welcome Home”, that works with the homeless in our city: getting off the streets; into safe homes; mental assistance; and jobs. So, instead of giving to the pan-handlers on the streets, we donate to this wonderful organization, where we know the money goes to help combat this issue.
I would suggest, look around where you live and see what organizations are helping our homeless and support them.
Like Jim and Ed just below I have similar experiences. Working in St Louis and living in the area many times a local shelter owner scams the public in this fashion. In order for someone to stay there they have to panhandle and are moved to key intersections in the area. Reminds me of a modern day Oliver Twist story. Many accounts of the panhandlers refusing gift cards to a food place abound, 1 shocker recently, and verified, turned down a $10 bill stating she only takes twenties.
A percentage of these individuals, sadly, are mentally ill and refuse shelter, going right back outside after being brought in from the cold. Mental health is so grossly underfunded here.
Millions are being dumped into invaders that we know nothing about. They are treated with excess while so many of our own citizens go without fractions of what the invaders get.
It’s difficult to discern legitimate versus phonies.
Exactly why we need a strong economy and government out of our lives. Billions spent on homeless is and it’s only getting worse. Let’s make sure we have kids living in homes. Lets cut taxes and government waste so one parent can afford to stay home and actually raise their children.
During the western expansion, pretty much everyone was houseless. Permanent dwellings were sparse and were actually considered a liability.
Because industry needs a predictable count of laborers, they needed a less transient workforce and since debt anchors many feet, the “American Dream” of home ownership was fabricated with the lie of equal opportunity attached. Nobody is guaranteed a home and it has never been a fundamental human right.
The American Dream coerces people into debt thus forcing them to work (and pay taxes). This concoction of human manipulation has become so mainstream, cities are now consider it a crime if you live anywhere but in a fixed residence. Geez, why?
Vince, Somewhere I believe you’ve lost your way.
What a great article. My wife and I consider ourselves very compassionate people and most of our charity is in the animal rescue world. We talk about doing more to help people in need and this article reinforces that need. Similar to other comments I read, I too am skeptical of those hanging out at intersections, but that shouldn’t stop me for helping. I loved the idea of keeping some gift cards with me. I’ve been a reader/subscriber of RVTravel for several years and truly appreciate the insightful articles and comments. Big thanks to everyone.
Thank you, Nanci! 🙂 Quite a conundrum. I think that you did well. Knowing how to help really requires that you get to know the person needing help. That is difficult. It takes opportunity, time, effort, and patience. The problems likely are as numerous as those homeless. Thanks again for writing such a difficult piece, Nanci. I’m confident most of your stories have been easier than this one. Have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
I wouldn’t give money to someone holding a cardboard sign at an intersection looking for money. Some of these people that is their job and make more money doing it, than people with jobs. My brother was homeless for a short time, but we got him to move in with our mother. Becoming homeless was his fault. Don’t know the answer what makes people want to be homeless. I always like the better things in life so I always made sure I had a good job.
Thx Nanci. Such a good piece. I have struggled with as well. What’s difficult is that the homeless I’ve encountered are on street corners mostly. There’s no real way to know the why of their situation. The money given may buy food or drugs or something else. Each situation is unique and requires unique responses. That’s why it’s such a difficult thing to solve IMO.
A quote made by in my view one of the last great presidents. “I’m from the government and I’m here to help”. Ronald Reagan August 12, 1986. 9 words that should scare the socks off everyone!
Reagan was the first president to hand America over to the corporate class. The Clintons just continued doing the same thing. Not much difference between corporate-catering Republicans & centrist Democrats.
Be careful with this.
I’ve seen two instances now where property owners had a big heart and let vagrants camp on their land (I live out in the countryside.)
The vagrant couple promises it’s temporary, work and housing are coming in a week as soon as the paperwork is sorted…
…then suddenly it’s 6 months later, the place is a mess, 10 of their friends live there now, it’s loud every night, and drug use is prevalent. Pro-squatter renter laws keep them there (it usually takes a few heavily armed neighbors to help them leave some fine evening), and they go from begging to demanding.
Your best bet, even as camp hosts, is to send them along, pointing them to county resources.
What a lovely article and sentiment.
We also try to be considerate. We feel for those in need. But, we realize that many of those in need are truly incapable of taking care of themselves either due to mental or physical problems. We need to continue to call for our local, state, federal and national leaders to work to do more for these people. Of course, there will be freeloaders, but they will be in the minority. We need to show compassion, not hatred .
When the Takers win…we all lose 🇺🇸
Nanci, the compassion in your words is palpable. The homeless American down on their luck or the drug addicted Americans is not at all the same thing as the migrant crisis we currently have. The Irish migrants of our history is also not even similar to the migrant crisis we endure currently. Each of these require an independent review.
95% of asylum seekers are not seeking actual asylum under UN asylum definition, but are using the word “asylum” as a ploy. I digress, the compassion in your words is palpable.
Excellent response CP.
Minnesota…my home state…has gone to extraordinary measures to give all the illegal immigrants sanctuary, free medical, housing, college opportunity, drivers licenses, and the list goes on. They blew through $B’s of tax surplus. What if all those resources were put into our own homeless citizens?
Nanci…you are 100% correct that it’s not simple…it’s very complex and will require lots of money and time to make a dent. But the first rule I learned in Econ 101 is “Unlimited wants, limited resources.” Who should we take care of first?
Ourselves…Americans have always been the first to help…now “We the People” are being bankrupted as we watch our great nation fall to ruin in the name of “helping” 🇺🇸
Thanks for the honest article Nancy, I suspect you’ve articulated how many of us feel. When I was just a pup in the 60’s and 70’s we didn’t see the homeless problem like we do now. That started to change fairly dramatically in 1981 when President Reagan signed into law legislation that stopped government funding of mental health centers. More on that in a Wikipedia article titled “Mental Health Systems Act of 1980”, for those interested in history.
But wasn’t it because of the horrific conditions of many of these large institutions that this act was created? The burden of care for those who had been in federal mental health facilities was supposed to go to the state/county/city/citizen level. Some states and counties have pretty decent mental health facilities, but most do not. Churches and people step up, but it’s not enough. The scourge of drug use and has increased and most non profit facilities will not take people who use drugs or drink alcohol. Those are most of the people we see on the streets.
We used to live in inner city Las Vegas and saw it all the time. So sad.
The act was created by Carter, and defunded by Reagan who thought government was too big and spent too much money. I do agree that there were lots of horror stories about the care received in those “insane asylums”, but most people will agree that mental health care available today (for those who can afford it) is vastly superior to what was available then. I’m also not bashing Reagan, but the government is going to spend just as surely as we’re all going to breathe. What matters is the age old question of the “guns vs. butter” ratio.
https://calmatters.org/commentary/2019/03/hard-truths-about-deinstitutionalization-then-and-now/
Great article, thank you Kara!
The more we know…the more we grow 🇺🇸
The story offers little to address and remedy homelessness. I think it really only is self promoting.
Thanks, Ken, for reminding us of this Reagan policy that literally opened the doors of mental institutions. How soon the vast majority forget…or did you even know?
It’s a different time we live in, where some (many?) people believe whatever they’re told by whatever flavor 24 hour news channel they’re watching. The sea change probably started when Walter Cronkite went from 15 minutes per night to 30.
Getting rid of the law that required news stations to have guests who offered fair representation of a topic from at least 2 sides did a lot of damage to true journalism. The fact most newspapers & stations are now owned by corporations is pretty much the nail in the News coffin.
Not true. Do some research. The big upswing in homelessness came from deinstitutionalization, a big Jimmy Carter- era program with aggressive backing from the ACLU.
Then there are those who have CHOSEN homelessness, as a way of life. There are actually organized groups of the homeless. They have assigned begging points at main intersections on highways. They take over local parks, and even government buildings, destroy public restrooms. They receive services from charity organizations, free meals and busing, and clothing. Even free showers and breakfast, at mega churches if they stay for church services. It is a chosen way of life for many.
I have no problem with helping people come out of homelessness, but I have a BIG problem with enabling.
And even if this is true (though I have strong doubts to just how true and prevalent it is), it is not ours to judge, but to help as we are able.
Yes, they may be “pros” (think The Artful Dodger and other boys working for Fagan in “Oliver”), but that is their means of living.
Somehow I don’t see that as much different from donating to a charity of any sort. Big difference here it goes direct to one needing it, instead of through a charity where a portion gets siphoned off for salaries, advertising, rent, and other overhead.
Doug, this is where I land on the subject. Help when and where you can and what they do with that help is not for us judge. Jesus taught us give joyfully with a loving heart, for to serve God. But it really tests my patience when I see young men in their 20’s and 30’s with perfectly capable bodies begging for their next fix. Also finding charities that don’t make a business out of donations like Good Will is easy to do with websites like Charitynavigator.org where they give accounting for where all their donations go.
When you destroy a healthy, thriving culture and support the insanity we see today, be assured you’ll see a boat load of mental health issues in people who ordinarily would be contributors to a healthy culture. You asked for it; you got it. This homeless article just cost this publication a healthy donation. No pun intended…
Maybe you could look into donating time to help with a homeless organization or food bank. Not all are mental health issues. Women have escaped violent marriages, people have lost jobs due to absences caused by health issues such as cancer treatments.
Not every homeless person is there by choice. Not all are drug or alcohol related.
Some programs help the people get off of the street and back as contributors to the whole.
You are correct Tere, not ALL are drug or alcohol related, but MOST are. It’s proven over and over.
BWalker, this is a contributed article from one of the contributors. It does not necessarily reflect the views, of the RV Travel Editing Staff. So why would you punish the publication for what someone wrote in it? I gave my statement below and said basically what I wanted to say and I did not receive a single downvote! There are some ways I agree with you but you do not need to be so crass with your comments! Things can be said in a congenial manner and still get your point across. Frankly, I would find it hard to believe you were going to donate to the newsletter. Most people don’t use a donation as a club to prove a point!
So you’re saying you’re in the boat?
Well said Nanci. Thank you for having the courage to share this. Homelessness in the last five years has unfortunately exploded exponentially. The reasons are numerous and often difficult to comprehend. The most effective solutions are at the local level and often that is from churches and non profits who are passionate about helping and providing solutions. It is easy to be cynical as we know there are many that abuse the system but we can’t allow that to prevent us from offering assistance and services when the opportunities arise or we feel called. I choose to focus on what is near and in front of me and how I can make a positive contribution to someone’s life without judgement.
Familiar sign in National Parks: “Don’t feed the animals. It makes them dependent on humans and destroys their initiative to forage and survive on their own”.
….. So very true.
Point very well made, and received. 👍
Thanks for article, Nanci. The city of Reno decided to take on the issue of homelessness head-on. The Nevada Cares Campus was opened in 2021 to provide beds and help people move on to permanent housing. It’s not perfect but shuttles the homeless away from the tourist areas.
Saw a panhandler the other day holding a sign saying, “I’m not gonna lie, I just want a beer.” Had I been in the right lane, I would have given him a few bucks for his refreshing honesty. Others, I see, are on the same corner for years making good money. I’ve heard as much as $300 a day. Thanks to the government, too many handouts and not enough hand-up’s. My dad once said, “Son, you can get a “free” lunch every day, right over there in that rat trap.” Teach a man to fish…
If the man wants to fish he will be at the water. I used to work at a company that tried to give jobs to those who really needed them. Good performance first few days, then late, then not show up for couple days etc. Don’t know how many alarm clocks we gave out.
As a veteran I am always on the look out for the homeless vets along the side of the road and in parking lots. A new service has started, or at least I am now aware of it through my VA newsletter.
If you see a homeless vet, I assume based on what they have written on their sign, you may call the number below and someone from the VA will proceed to that location and get them help. Or send them on their way if it is stolen valor.
1 (877) 424-3838
Nanci, thank you for showing some of the humanity that is clearly lacking in many of your readers.
Bud, there is humanity, empathy, and self-responsibility. Just as the U.S. can not police the world and solve every third world countries problem, or conflicts in such corrupt places such as Ukraine and Russia, somewhere along the line folks have to take stock of their circumstances and seek the help they need, it’s out there if they want it.
Guys like you are not taking into account the skyrocketing costs of living & greedflation that’s purposely aimed at keeping people poor & hobbling the middle class. Not everyone who ends up homeless is a lazy druggie. Many Millennials turn to the RV life because it’s near impossible to afford a home or decent apartment now. Salaries are not keeping up with the true cost of living the “old normal way” in cities or the suburbs.
Girls like you are not taking into account that the printing money got us here and the only way out of it is through it.
From my perspective, you did the right thing, by showing compassion and empathy to another human being. I’m reminded of the old saying “except by the grace of God go I”.
I also struggle with how to best help others in need. I dont understand why they are there in that situation or what to do. But I also know that my Christian faith demands that I reach out. A recent guest minister who is actively involved in homeless ministries said, the homeless as much as anything want to be acknowledged, and not forgotten. Saying hello and talking with a homeless person can provide them hope, blessing, and acknowledgement. A small act of kindness that could change a person’s life.
Nanci, Enjoyed your piece on homelessness. Well written and spot on.
I used to live in Austin, Texas, where there is a very successful place for homeless people (Community First! Village). The residents are given the opportunity to earn a dignified income working at the Village in various areas such as the maintenance department, the Community Gardens, the Community Cinema, or the Community Inn. With access to an “art house” and blacksmith shop, residents also have the opportunity to produce handmade goods that are sold at the Community Market.
I visited the Village and was very impressed with it. I wish more cities would do something like it. To read more about it, visit their Web site: https://mlf.org/community-first/
This is the only comment with some real sense in it- thank you!
I was once homeless in Wyoming back in the late 60’s when jobs were scarce as hens teeth. The only way I could crawl up was join the Army and see SE Asia, and Germany. Programs were not around in those days in that state , one was on their own…I was told to “get in the bushes and get it”. Today I see many homeless people..some by their own choosing…many not because of economics. Never knock it unless you have been there.
Wow, well written and to the heart. Thank you Nanci for being bold and articulating what many of us feel!
My words exactly Scott!
Well, you fail to mention the most important input to homelessness: drugs. 95% of ‘mental illness’ and homelessness is due to drugs. And until people can be convinced to never start on these super strong modern and plentiful drugs, you aren’t going to see a dip in homelessness. And 90% of these people do not want to get dried out either. I live in a very healthy drugful homeless state, and have direct experience, so I know something about this.
Alcohol abuse is bad enough; drugs puts the issue on steroids
Yes, drugs are a part of the problem but it’s more complex than that. I read an article on cracked.com a few years ago about a young homeless person fresh out of college who spent his last time to travel across the country for his first job after graduation. That job ceased to exist upon his arrival and he ended up on the streets. He then turned to drugs for the first time to avoid the boredom and other bad feelings that come with being on the streets with nothing meaningful to do. Sometimes cause and effect are opposite of what we think.
After visiting the “Loaves and fishes” facility outside Austin, we have started donating to the Denton facility.
When I was growing up, my parents told me to study hard so I wouldn’t wind up in the poor house. I thought that was made up like the boogyman, but I was surprised to find that most states required all counties and cities to have a poor house or poor farm. At best, this was a locally based community effort that provided housing and work for those lacking other support. A person or family down on their luck, convalescing from a sickness or injury, or just passing through could go there for a safe place to sleep and meals. While there, one was expected to work as one was able to contribute to the community, either helping with chores or working to produce crops or products for sale.
As a child, I remember seeing the ‘poor farm building’ in a couple of counties where I lived. The one I most remember sat away from the road on a large hill and was (in my memory) painted black and probably 3 stories high. It looked rather spooky.
The poor farm/poor house system was abandoned when President Johnson’s Great Society programs federalized and monetized the welfare system. Like deinstitutionalization, the alternative systems never materialized, and the “War on Poverty” made many peoples’ temporary conditions permanent since the income caps for the welfare programs made it difficult to climb out of poverty, making them dependent on the welfare benefits which would disappear if they got any closer to being self-sufficient. Then the “War on Drugs” criminalized addiction and added tremendously to society’s problem. The law of unintended consequences is unavoidable.
I ‘liked” a bunch of good comments on this thread. I’ve only been out of work for 9 months when a company I worked for, closed its doors. Read, 9 months off in over 65 years; I’ll leave my military service out of it; that was a freebee. My point is, if a person truly WANTS to work he/she can find something, somewhere and, except for truly mental illness, there isn’t many excuses I will buy into. We need to study the “root cause” and get these people help; training, rehab, psychological treatments, or medical asylum. If you interview these people, most will tell you they like the lifestyle; free everything, no taxes, no responsibilities, then ask you for help … $$$.
So what’s so wrong with someone ‘asking” for help? You can choose to help or not.
I don’t like that “we need to” stuff.
To those that invoke Nixon, Reagan, Carter or Johnson as causation in your comments, at the end of the day, it was and is a failure of management. When it was federally managed, PURE FAILURE. Now, State and Locally managed, it is much less failure on a national scale and most of the failure is now State and local. If your city or state is failing, look at who is in charge and make a change based on the successes or failures of your neighbors at a state and local level.
Our biz is located near section 8 housing and the homeless people are on every corner with dogs, signs, grocery baskets. The biz next to us has a water faucet with a hose they use to take showers. It’s 106 in Texas now, I seriously don’t know how they do it. I handed out gloves one winter. It’s a very sad situation.
Enough of the bleeding heart tears. Tens of billions of dollars has been spent on the “homeless”. And the problem has gotten worse. We dont have a housing problem, we have a mental health crisis. Compassionate Incarceration is the tool most needed, that’s not being used at all.
We absolutely DO have a housing problem. We have a nationwide affordable housing problem in almost all cities/towns, and sometimes a housing problem in general (forget about the affordable part–there are many places where 6-figure earners can’t find a home). That problem is complex enough. But we also do have a mental health crisis. As for incarceration, even mental institutions have issues–ranging from poor/abusive care in them, to taxpayers not wanting to pay for it.
Also, regarding all the $money thrown at the problem, that’s another issue that needs to be investigated. The low-cost housing built in California that ended up being sold as million-dollar condos–WTH???!! It’s a whole ‘nother complex issue how that money just gets lost in the shuffle and doesn’t make it all the way to the humans who need it.
Bless your heart~ there are no easy answers.
Mental issues, drugs & alcohol have plagued mankind for years. Some answers in the past were very cruel.
I do try to give to Salvation Army, local churches and donate our items where the money earned help the needy.
People seeking asylum? What a laugh. I saw thousands of young people dressed well and on their cell phones. At this point the invasion continues to damage our country and if we ever close the border we need to deport. Keep the women and children and fathers if there are any and everyone else goes.
Obviously, it is a complicated issue. You may want to check the Our Calling organization out of Dallas. They have created an app that can be used to find resources/services for the homeless. https://www.ourcalling.org/what/
As a camp host, I too had a situation like this a few days ago. A young man drove into my campground seeking advice for free camping in this national forest because he lost his housing. He needed to be as remote as possible because he has Asperger’s and mania, so he needs to be somewhere where he can run around yelling and his car doors without scaring anyone. He will probably never hold a job because his Asperger’s makes him talk nonstop (loudly) and share way too much. He’s probably a good person but difficult to be around. I advised him best I could because I wish him no harm so why have him locked up and his vehicle/possessions taken from him?
So he won’t kill anyone when driving.
Unable to care for himself…How about human empathy? Mental institutions are there for a purpose.
Not enough money to camp but did these homeless have a job? Getting employment would solve their issues. “Chipping in” only perpetuates the problem.
Mental illness,lack of marketable skill, unkempt and unwashed, drugs, alcohol, risk of physical harm to yourself or your family?…Can they work as housekeeping at a hotel where you stay? How about doing odd jobs in your house? Getting a job? Transportation and food and housing would have to be provided by the employer. Once they go down the rabbit hole, there is a slim chance of recovery.
tough situation – I try to get to know the ‘resident’ homeless along my regular travels & bring them what they need (often just drinking water). We need to use those abandoned motels and turn them into low cost housing with accountability on alcohol & drug use. When I was a kid there were asylums – designed to help keep the people in them safe from themselves – that is needed but nowadays everyone has rights even if their behavior puts my life at risk. Thank you for offering the $10 …. let’s try to entertain those angels …