What can the homeless do to help themselves?

[MadAzza]

For the able-bodied, non-mentally ill:

1. Quit smoking. Take the $300 a month you spend on cigarettes and put it toward rent and/or food. Use some of the money to keep your clothes clean (laundromat) so you can prepare yourself for job interviews.

2. If you're on illegal drugs, find help to get off of them. The health benefits are obvious, and you need to offer prospective employers a clean, clear-headed applicant.

3. If you don't have a job, use every minute of every day to focus on doing whatever it takes to get one. Keep your clothes and yourself clean, avoid drugs (including cigarettes), avoid people who do drugs. Sitting around smoking and yakking with people is time you could use to prepare for a job interview.

Simplistic? Yep.

[1stwahine]

Re: What can the homeless do to help themselves?

Applause! Applause!

And true!

Stay away from the environment that sucked you in and kept you in there!

Keep yourself busy wtih AA, NA, Counseling, Social Groups, and Therapy Sessions. It takes time, hard work but in the end it pays off. Nothing happens over night. It will be a struggle but it will be worth the effort and the pain.

You will LIVE and you will gain your self respect back.

Auntie Lynn

[Miulang]

Re: What can the homeless do to help themselves?

One more important thing: swallow your pride and ask for help if you really need it. Many good, decent homeless people out there are not seeking assistance because they are ashamed of their circumstances. These are the people who, when they get back on their feet again, will turn around and try to help others still caught in their former circumstances.

I'm not talking about the chronic freeloaders that we've all seen who ask for money which we all know will be taken to the nearest package store and exchanged for a bottle of cheap booze or a hit of ice.

Miulang

[1stwahine]

Re: What can the homeless do to help themselves?

exchanged for a bottle of cheap booze or a hit of ice.
Miulang

...or any other Substance that they abuse.

Auntie Lynn

[Leo Lakio]

Re: What can the homeless do to help themselves?

Now, if only those pesky non-mentally-ill homeless have internet access and use their non-job-hunting time to hang out on HT - problem solved! Good job, team!

I'll bet they really appreciate our efforts here, preaching suggestions that they never would have come up with on their own.

And if they don't, well, darn them all; we'll just have to wash our hands of any responsibility for helping them.

(Sorry that's so snarky; this just seemed like an insulting concept for a thread.)

[1stwahine]

Re: What can the homeless do to help themselves?

Now, if only those pesky non-mentally-ill homeless have internet access and use their non-job-hunting time to hang out on HT - problem solved! Good job, team!

I'll bet they really appreciate our efforts here, preaching suggestions that they never would have come up with on their own.

And if they don't, well, darn them all; we'll just have to wash our hands of any responsibility for helping them.

(Sorry that's so snarky; this just seemed like an insulting concept for a thread.)

I going make copies and past it out at the Kaukau Wagon where I help serve Food on Saturdays to the Homeless. Also when I go to around helping other Homeless People. If there is a way, I shall find it.

Any more ideas, please let it come in.

Auntie Lynn

[Albert]

Re: What can the homeless do to help themselves?

$300 toward rent in this town won't go very far.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: What can the homeless do to help themselves?

I going make copies and past it out at the Kaukau Wagon where I help serve Food on Saturdays to the Homeless. Also when I go to around helping other Homeless People. If there is a way, I shall find it.

There you go again, Auntie --- you're working on ways WE can help, not the theme for this thread!

(and MAHALO for thinking that way so often!)

[1stwahine]

Re: What can the homeless do to help themselves?

There you go again, Auntie --- you're working on ways WE can help, not the theme for this thread!

(and MAHALO for thinking that way so often!)

Oh! I see. So sorry. HAHAHAAHA!
What can the homeless do to help themselves?

Auntie Lynn

[MadAzza]

Re: What can the homeless do to help themselves?

Now, if only those pesky non-mentally-ill homeless have internet access and use their non-job-hunting time to hang out on HT - problem solved! Good job, team!

I'll bet they really appreciate our efforts here, preaching suggestions that they never would have come up with on their own.

And if they don't, well, darn them all; we'll just have to wash our hands of any responsibility for helping them.

(Sorry that's so snarky; this just seemed like an insulting concept for a thread.)

I was not "preaching." And I never said I would "wash my hands" of them if they don't follow my suggestions. For you to suggest so is insulting. You have no idea what I do or don't do.

I believe that people have the power to help themselves.

I believe that by making a few changes, some homeless people can be empowered to see themselves differently -- see that they can be "better" than they think they can be when they are at their lowest points.

I believe it is easier for people to accept help if they are contributing toward their own success.

And I believe that able-bodied, mentally OK people damn well should help themselves; most of them think so, too, in my experience, although not all are inclined to do so.

I'm sorry that you think trying to help the homeless in the way I've suggested is an "insulting concept." I'm stunned by it, actually.

You praise Auntie Lynn for printing out my post and taking it to the homeless, yet you slam me for making the original post. That means you have a problem with me personally, not with my comments. I don't understant that; I've always liked you and thought we got along pretty well. Apparently not.

My hope was to start a discussion of how to "help people help themselves," as Pollyanna as that might sound. My intentions were good. I apologize for the offense.

Auntie, thank you for your kind remarks.

Aloha, folks.

[tutusue]

Re: What can the homeless do to help themselves?

My concern, esp. since the homeless explosion of last fall, is that this new breed of working homeless is doing something positive with the income that is no longer going towards rent each month; possibly saving a monthly amount in anticipation of finding housing. My fear is that, for many of them, their negative circumstances might become overwhelming with depression and substance abuse the result. Needless to say the circumstances leading up to moving into a tent are enough to depress anyone. I hope there is a coalition or organization that can address this segment of the homeless (able bodied, non substance abusing, displaced workers, esp. those with families).

I drove along the Waianae Coast today after 2 weeks of being a townie. I saw noticeably fewer tents in the beach parks. My hope is that many have found housing. My guess is most have relocated to other areas that aren't as visible from the highway.

[tutusue]

Re: What can the homeless do to help themselves?

$300 toward rent in this town won't go very far.

I think that's towards rent, not FOR rent!

[Menehune Man]

Re: What can the homeless do to help themselves?

For the able-bodied, non-mentally ill:You talking to me? I resemble that remark. HaHa!

1. Quit smoking.I really should. Take the $300 a month you spend on cigarettes and put it toward rent and/or food. Use some of the money to keep your clothes clean (laundromat) so you can prepare yourself for job interviews.

2. If you're on illegal drugs, find help to get off of them. The health benefits are obvious, and you need to offer prospective employers a clean, clear-headed applicant.Thankfully did this one a long time ago.

3. If you don't have a job,Gots me one O'dem. use every minute of every day to focus on doing whatever it takes to get one. Keep your clothes and yourself clean, avoid drugs (including cigarettes), avoid people who do drugs. Sitting around smoking and yakking with people is time you could use to prepare for a job interview.

Simplistic? Yep.

I can relate to others how I (through God's help) have changed my ways, while still being truthful about my present weaknesses. I can even make suggestions on what I think might help them help themselves. But I can't tell anyone what to do. Especially since I don't always do the right thing, you know what I mean?

[Pedro]

Re: What can the homeless do to help themselves?

I believe life is all about taking risk, but we're responsible for our own actions. But sometimes when you take chances there are always unfore seen results never planned on. Which brings you down sometimes in the dump. Time's like that is when we need a helping hand just a little shove in the right direction to get back on our feet. Than theirs others who just like to stay down there, regardless if there's help offered. God only knows I try to help out as much as I can, but I do believe man kind has the will power to alter their own circumstances regardless of the situation they're in.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: What can the homeless do to help themselves?

Sometimes the homeless really don't know what to do to help themselves. One day at the Gas Company on Kamakee street I was going across the street to Harry's Cafe to get my usual plate lunch at noon. I passed this elderly Japanese lady who could have been anyone's mom. She was dressed decently and was just sitting there as if waiting for a ride.

I came back about a half hour later with my lunch and still saw her sitting there. I asked her if she was okay. She told me she was homeless and started telling me her plight.

She was happily married to her husband, living in a modest home in town. One day her husband died. She never worked, she had no credit history, they rented and lived paycheck to paycheck.

After her husband's death, she thought his life insurance would cover any expenses. He had none. Soon the bills backed up and she had no way of paying them including the rent.

With no money in the bank, no credit history to get a loan and no money to bury her husband, she was finally evicted from her modest home in town and their only car repossessed.

She had no family, no one to turn to and suddenly found herself out on the streets with no where to go. She was clueless as to the support services out there to help the needy. She didn't know these services existed because she never thought she'd be needing them with her then lifestyle of modest living.

It may be too late for some of Hawaii's homeless to help themselves, but it's not too late for us to educate ourselves in the event that we too become homeless, and for a lot of us who live paycheck to paycheck, homelessness is just one lack of a paycheck away.

This lady that I spoke of looked like any woman in her mid 60's that came from a decent home anywhere. You'd never know she was homeless as she could pass as a retiring DOE Elementary school teacher. She just sat on the concrete wall in front of the Gas Company because she really had no where else to go.

I realized then that being homeless could happen even to me.

So what can the homeless do to help themselves? They need to be able to talk to people who can sit down with them and give them direction to get back in gear.