California's Skid Row

[Lewis]

On patrol with Skid Row's 'angel cop'
http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/02/us/skid-row-cop/index.html

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Officer Deon Joseph nudged the woman on the left to make sure she was alive.

 

[Lewis]

How many of us on this board walk by these people and don't give them a dime. But yet we scream the name of Jesus all the time. As for me when I have it I give it to them, I remember one or two times giving out my last money.

 

[Kathi]

We have duplicate posts again.

 

[turnorburn]

You look at that picture then read about these pictures makes you wonder doesn't it?

THIS WEEKEND Just like its predecessors, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies spent a third consecutive weekend at number one ruling over a strong marketplace.

The final Middle Earth film rang in the new year with an estimated $21.9M dropping a sizable 47% from the post-Christmas frame.

To date, the Peter Jackson epic has collected a stellar $220.8M domestically and looks on course to reach the vicinity of $260M by the end of its North American run.

That would edge out the $258.4M of the last film The Desolation of Smaug but fall below the $303M of the first chapter of the trilogy, An Unexpected Journey which was the fantasy franchise's first film in nine years.

The threequel should see rapid erosion in the weeks ahead now that the holidays are over and fans have already seen it...

What would that much money do for the homeless?

http://www.boxofficeguru.com/weekend.htm

tob

 

[Kathi]

You look at that picture then read about these pictures makes you wonder doesn't it?

THIS WEEKEND Just like its predecessors, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies spent a third consecutive weekend at number one ruling over a strong marketplace.

The final Middle Earth film rang in the new year with an estimated $21.9M dropping a sizable 47% from the post-Christmas frame.

To date, the Peter Jackson epic has collected a stellar $220.8M domestically and looks on course to reach the vicinity of $260M by the end of its North American run.

That would edge out the $258.4M of the last film The Desolation of Smaug but fall below the $303M of the first chapter of the trilogy, An Unexpected Journey which was the fantasy franchise's first film in nine years.

The threequel should see rapid erosion in the weeks ahead now that the holidays are over and fans have already seen it...

What would that much money do for the homeless?

http://www.boxofficeguru.com/weekend.htm

tob

I have looked at it in a different area of giving.Look at the 4th of July.Many of those people are not patriotic they get drunk and want to blow things up.Hundreds and hundreds of those things are exploded.They are expensive.If everyone decided to give that money to the homeless it would do a lot of good.A better place to put that money.

 

[Obadiah]

There is another side of this issue too. Let's not forget what scripture tells us: "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat." (2 Thess 3:10, NIV). You see, the very "skid row" in this article was also my stomping grounds a while back along with SLO Joseph here. (Just back then he wasn't a Senior Lead Officer yet.) We came across a woman much like those in the pictures, maybe even on the same sidewalk as in the pictures, and her story isn't as atypical as many would like to think.

The homeless lady just seemed so much in need of a break in life, and we wanted to help her. My partner's wife owned a restaurant and both of them were the kind of people who want to do good for others. So we took the lady to his house where his wife saw that she was fed, given the chance to take her first bath in who knows how long, washed her clothes, and anything else she needed. The next day my partner's wife took her to the restaurant she owned and gave her a paying job in the kitchen as a dishwasher. The homeless lady promptly sat on a chair in the kitchen and refused to work. When my partner's wife saw this she asked her why, figuring she could find her something else to do if she wasn't able to wash dishes for some reason. But the homeless lady simply told her that she didn't want to have to work and had no intention of actually working. She just wanted free stuff given to her, even if that meant she had to sleep on the streets and said if she had to work, please just take her back where we found her. So she returned her to the street.

There are many of these people who are not just down on their luck or mentally ill or handicapped, but are simply unwilling to work and they are NOT helped when we just give them handouts. The words of scripture are wise indeed. I've never been able to figure out what we can do to actually help people like this.

 

[Lewis]

Wow what a story she just wanted free stuff, she had mental problems or something.

 

[reba]

some people just work it ... and they know how...

 

[Obadiah]

Wow what a story she just wanted free stuff, she had mental problems or something.

It was obvious she had no mental problems that prevented her from working a simple job such as rinsing dishes and putting them in a dishwasher, especially when the job was handed to her and the owner of the company had taken her under her wing to help her. And if she couldn't have done that, the owner would have found something else. She didn't even have to do a good job because their goal was to help her get off the street, not to get labor out of her. They didn't need another employee at the time. They just rightfully expected her to do SOMETHING to help herself too!

Had she been that mentally impaired we are trained to recognize that and could have booked her in the hospital to get her off the street and fed at least for a few days (72 hour 5150 mental health evaluation booking). But she had no mental impairment beyond plain old laziness. This is very typical of many of the people on skid row in a lot of our big cities as well as many who are permanently living on welfare in state housing. If scripture was followed and they became hungry knowing no one was going to give them handouts when they aren't willing to work for a living, the laziness would be driven off by the hunger.

I would propose that the money and charity being directed at those homeless who are able bodied rather be put into finding them jobs to do or creating jobs for them to do rather than just handing them cash, food, or free shelter. Those who are incapable are a different story and that's where Christian charity comes in, but for those who are simply lazy (or even somewhat mentally ill or handicapped but still able to work at some kind of job), I believe in the scriptural answer.

 

[poetofparables]

You look at that picture then read about these pictures makes you wonder doesn't it?

THIS WEEKEND Just like its predecessors, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies spent a third consecutive weekend at number one ruling over a strong marketplace.

The final Middle Earth film rang in the new year with an estimated $21.9M dropping a sizable 47% from the post-Christmas frame.

To date, the Peter Jackson epic has collected a stellar $220.8M domestically and looks on course to reach the vicinity of $260M by the end of its North American run.

That would edge out the $258.4M of the last film The Desolation of Smaug but fall below the $303M of the first chapter of the trilogy, An Unexpected Journey which was the fantasy franchise's first film in nine years.

The threequel should see rapid erosion in the weeks ahead now that the holidays are over and fans have already seen it...

What would that much money do for the homeless?

http://www.boxofficeguru.com/weekend.htm

tob

I think that way to tob, but now im thinking maybe my thinking is wrong.

 

[Eugene]

What would that much money do for the homeless?

They could buy a stash of drugs that might last till the morning? Party-party-party would eat it up quickly, and they'd be back shortly. Charity? Which one would I trust? Mary hath chosen that best part which shall not be taken from her

Luk 10:39 . . (Mary) sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
Luk 10:42 . . one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

 

[jasonc]

You look at that picture then read about these pictures makes you wonder doesn't it?

THIS WEEKEND Just like its predecessors, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies spent a third consecutive weekend at number one ruling over a strong marketplace.

The final Middle Earth film rang in the new year with an estimated $21.9M dropping a sizable 47% from the post-Christmas frame.

To date, the Peter Jackson epic has collected a stellar $220.8M domestically and looks on course to reach the vicinity of $260M by the end of its North American run.

That would edge out the $258.4M of the last film The Desolation of Smaug but fall below the $303M of the first chapter of the trilogy, An Unexpected Journey which was the fantasy franchise's first film in nine years.

The threequel should see rapid erosion in the weeks ahead now that the holidays are over and fans have already seen it...

What would that much money do for the homeless?

http://www.boxofficeguru.com/weekend.htm

tob

how does that relate? I can post how much is spent on ccm music and make a case with that too.i spent 20 bucks to see the last hobbit film on Christmas eve.

 

[Jesse]

There is another side of this issue too. Let's not forget what scripture tells us: "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat." (2 Thess 3:10, NIV). You see, the very "skid row" in this article was also my stomping grounds a while back along with SLO Joseph here. (Just back then he wasn't a Senior Lead Officer yet.) We came across a woman much like those in the pictures, maybe even on the same sidewalk as in the pictures, and her story isn't as atypical as many would like to think.

The homeless lady just seemed so much in need of a break in life, and we wanted to help her. My partner's wife owned a restaurant and both of them were the kind of people who want to do good for others. So we took the lady to his house where his wife saw that she was fed, given the chance to take her first bath in who knows how long, washed her clothes, and anything else she needed. The next day my partner's wife took her to the restaurant she owned and gave her a paying job in the kitchen as a dishwasher. The homeless lady promptly sat on a chair in the kitchen and refused to work. When my partner's wife saw this she asked her why, figuring she could find her something else to do if she wasn't able to wash dishes for some reason. But the homeless lady simply told her that she didn't want to have to work and had no intention of actually working. She just wanted free stuff given to her, even if that meant she had to sleep on the streets and said if she had to work, please just take her back where we found her. So she returned her to the street.

There are many of these people who are not just down on their luck or mentally ill or handicapped, but are simply unwilling to work and they are NOT helped when we just give them handouts. The words of scripture are wise indeed. I've never been able to figure out what we can do to actually help people like this.

Whoa, this reminds me of a particular transitional housing in this area, it is for homeless women and children to get back on their feet after leaving an abusive husband or that the mother is in recovery of drugs and alcohol. It is not a "free" place to live, they have to work a program, they have to take parenting classes, budget classes, whatever it takes to help them get back on their feet (these classes are free), they also have to go to group meetings and participate in other activities. If they work, they have to pay 30% of their income to live there and if they go to school they have to maintain a certain gpa. They are also responsible for the upkeep of their apartments, etc. If they use drugs they are immediately kicked out.

They built a new one and the waiting list was over 200 families, I was told that most of these people would not be willing to work the program as I mentioned above and they would not take this opportunity to better their lives. These are homeless women with children, who have the opportunity to live somewhere for up to 2 years and make a better place for their children and many of these will refuse because they have to do something in order to stay there.

 

[reba]

Some folks are homeless because they have so abused their families they cant go home.... even moms can say enough...

 

[Jesse]

Some folks are homeless because they have so abused their families they cant go home.... even moms can say enough...

.....and some folks can't go home because of the abuse that awaits them there, but there are some of these that overcome it and really do try to make something out of their lives....

 

[reba]

Agree Jesse .. if we could some how help those who through no fault of their own

our daughter was given the choice of clean/sober or live else where...

 

[Jesse]

Agree Jesse .. our daughter was given the choice of clean/sober or live else where...

Which choice did she make?

 

[reba]

She and her X were in the drug world he went to jail Had a real come to Jesus meeting.. She was not ready to stop partying so she left him and the kids for the drug world..

About 20 years out there a number of rehabs she says she is about 2 yours clean..

 

[Jesse]

She and her X were in the drug world he went to jail Had a real come to Jesus meeting.. She was not ready to stop partying so she left him and the kids for the drug world..

About 20 years out there a number of rehabs she says she is about 2 yours clean..

That is awesome, praising God with you!

Happy to hear such great news!

 

[Christ_empowered]

I don't know. I mean, there are mentally ill homeless people. It scares me, because if it wasn't for my parents, I'd probably be homeless. Not that I was some picture perfect, sinless but mentally ill person, but...yeah. Mental problems. What are the alternatives? State mental hospitals are mostly closed down and they were often abusive. Group homes are sometimes good, often not so good, and run by corporations squeezing as much profit as they can out of what little money the residents bring in.

I believe in a safety net, obviously. I get disability. It goes straight to my dad, who takes a bit for my upkeep, and then doles the rest out to me. Its weird, you know, being 30 and basically living off the government and my parents, but...the alternatives are no good. I'm working on a degree, so that's good. Still..in this economy, its not a sure fire thing.

My friend, she moved to the UK w/ her husband, she says the safety net works. I mean, sometimes people gripe about the permanent under class in England (I think they're nicknamed "chavs" or something like that), but...they have less violent crime, far fewer homeless people, and adequate--not top notch, but adequate--health care for everybody.