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"For my cash, a home"

Homeless people. The ones we pretend don't exist. The filthy, unkempt, odourous degenerates who hold out grubby hands in expectation, as though their plight in itself were justification for income. The ones we see lying on the floor in our path, and lead us to hold deep breaths before getting close enough to have to offend our senses with their putrid stench.

I could go on graphically detailing what it is about these beggars that offends the very core of my being, but that isn't really the thrust of this entry.

The point is that the UK government is about to unveil a £164m package to 'provide training and emotional support' to young homeless people. I'm sure you can see what's coming, but that's not going to stop me from writing it. Because put simply, the government is openly tossing bucket loads of money down the drain when it should instead be utilising the failures of others to add value to the economy.

Does everybody deserve a second chance? If someone is capable of screwing up their life so fundamentally that they fall off the socio-economical framework altogether, should they be awarded some of my money to help pick them back up again? Let's be clear here. If your life is going rapidly downhill, the system has safeguards built in to avoid things becoming excessively desperate. Council accommodation, dole, tax credits, freebies, you name it. In fact, some people make a very fine living out of the resources available in the welfare safety net, at the cost of those looking for a more honest living.

Yet still there are some who cannot cope. Should more time, effort and money be poured into assisting such stupidity? The best you can ever hope to achieve is to reduce the availabilty of affordable accommodation, and increase further the tax burden on the honest worker. At worst, you'll get these ignorant half-wits breeding like flies; a situation already prevalent in our failing social system. Me, I'll happily settle for the status quo, where I can ignore the lazy SOBs, and their curiously well fed dogs, as they lay under reams of deliberately mud-wiped duvets which hide their heroin needles and whisky bottles.

I do, however, provide an alternative solution. Round them up. All of them. Keep the lawyers away, and they'll never know you're abusing their human right to lie in squallor, demanding their right to coin from the pockets of innocent passers-by. Then, once you've gathered the 250,000 or so under-25 homeless wasters, set them to work. Get them building something inane that requires neither skill nor aptitude, but preferably regularly entails the endangerment of body parts in heavy machinery. It won't be especially productive, but that's not the point. Once they're all sporting a missing finger, or leg, and have been indoctrinated into the production line, stick them in sponsored rags, place a few products about, bring in the cameras, and let the reality TV roll.

You think I'm sick, but I tell you now that it would firmly toss Big Brother into the yesterday's news category. It would also prevent me from having to hear about the government wishing away the tax money I work so hard to deliver to them on superfluous and meaningless gestures such as this.

I think a good idea to help homeless people is a sort of community service scheme where they do jobs for society and in return get say free accommodation like a flat and a hot meal a day.

It would get them off the streets and they would contributing to society in a positive way and would be the first step to getting them back into a "normal" life.

Seifer wrote:
> Bob_The_Moose wrote:
> Please forgive my ignorance, but how will getting a job help a
> drug addiction?
>
> You already know the answer to that one i feel and haven been
> through that myself already its down to yourself to take
> responsibility.

Well, I really don't.
But I suspect that giving your average drug user a regular income isn't going to encourage them to stop buying drugs.

And it's pretty much a moot point anyway since a homeless drug addict is going to find it so hard to find employment.


I am finding it difficult to work out what you're trying to say.

I'm still trying to decide whether Everpain is trying for ironic satire, goading people into writing damning a reply or simply sincere.

Garin wrote:
> Not sure I understand what you wanted to say. Do you mean some
> homeless people have lost their homes due to drugs/drink or most
> have?
> And what is the percentage of drug users on the street?

Last survey i looked at 78%.

> But how many of these employers are there. Enough to give every
> homeless person a job? If there were that many they wouldnt need
> initiatives and projects trying to get employers to take on
> homeless people.

Obviously not enough to give everyone a job but surely your telling me that over 250, 000 people cant get one job between them?

I have my point of view and you have yours, even though your right in most of what you say i still believe that these people need to take some responsibility in their lives and not wait for some odd passer by to take pity on them.

Bob_The_Moose wrote:
> Please forgive my ignorance, but how will getting a job help a
> drug addiction?

You already know the answer to that one i feel and haven been through that myself already its down to yourself to take responsibility.

Seifer wrote:
> But there are some (Most in most cases) who have lost there
> families for drugs and drink, and have ended up on the street.
> Look at the percentage of drug users on the street, its sky
> high. They spend what little money they get on drugs. I do not
> agree with this and think that something should be done to help
> them get back into work. However there are open minded employers
> believe it or not who will hire, anything to do with loading
> trucks to restraunt work. Ask any employer of this type and they
> dont mind about your background aslong as you are capable.

Please forgive my ignorance, but how will getting a job help a drug addiction?

Seifer wrote:
> I never said all homeless people were lazy your missing the
> point.

The implication of what you said was that if you were homeless and able bodied then you had no excuse for not getting a job as all it required was some determination. If that isnt what you meant, fair enough.

> But there are some (Most in most cases) who have lost there
> families for drugs and drink, and have ended up on the street.
> Look at the percentage of drug users on the street, its sky
> high. They spend what little money they get on drugs.

Not sure I understand what you wanted to say. Do you mean some homeless people have lost their homes due to drugs/drink or most have?
And what is the percentage of drug users on the street?

> I do not
> agree with this and think that something should be done to help
> them get back into work. However there are open minded employers
> believe it or not who will hire, anything to do with loading
> trucks to restraunt work. Ask any employer of this type and they
> dont mind about your background aslong as you are capable.

But how many of these employers are there. Enough to give every homeless person a job? If there were that many they wouldnt need initiatives and projects trying to get employers to take on homeless people.

Garin wrote:
> Ok, so if there are "Lots of employers", how do you
> explain the current environment? Why do charities like
> OSW exist and need funding? Why
> do we have initiatives like
> Business
> Action on Homelessness.
> Do you really think all these exist because homeless people lack
> a bit of determination?

As i said before, certain circumstances cant be helped and i genuinely think that some of the homeless people are homeless not because they chose to be, but because of the circumstances. I never said all homeless people were lazy your missing the point.

But there are some (Most in most cases) who have lost there families for drugs and drink, and have ended up on the street. Look at the percentage of drug users on the street, its sky high. They spend what little money they get on drugs. I do not agree with this and think that something should be done to help them get back into work. However there are open minded employers believe it or not who will hire, anything to do with loading trucks to restraunt work. Ask any employer of this type and they dont mind about your background aslong as you are capable.

Seifer wrote:
> Lots of employers, yes they obviously wont get a dream job but
> its not hard to get one with a bit of determination.

Ok, so if there are "Lots of employers", how do you explain the current environment? Why do charities like OSW exist and need funding? Why do we have initiatives like Business Action on Homelessness.
Do you really think all these exist because homeless people lack a bit of determination?

Garin wrote:
> So who is it that employs homeless people?

Lots of employers, yes they obviously wont get a dream job but its not hard to get one with a bit of determination.