Homelessness

[.Rai]

Brought on by a recent story over defensive architecture: homeless spikes (http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/08/metal-spikes-london-flats-homeless). In extent, this is also a thread regarding human kindness and altruism.

What to do about homelessness? There was understandably outrage over this story. I certainly don't approve of the practice, but it's not surprising to see; there's clearly a large stigma regarding the homeless.

These were outside a flat block, but imagine if they were outside a business. Is it immoral to do this, knowing that, due to the public image of homeless people, you're guaranteed to lose business if one were to sleep there? We're all selfish, consumerist beings, so why are there double standards?

Clearly spikes are not the solution, but what should be done? A social media rant isn't helping anybody: of anything, it just says homelessness is an issue for us only when we want it to be.

How altruistic do you believe yourself to be? Are you aware of homeless charities? Volunteered, offered your house, a bed?

[Zauls]

Homelessness is caused by society and the economy failing to provide people with opportunities and support to get a job and a place to live. Increased rent prices, lack of house building, falling education standards, increasing job competitiveness and inequitable benefit systems are to blame economics-wise (in the UK at least) and solving these problems is the way to stop homelessness, therefore stop people sleeping on the streets. Social problems include poor family support and lack of domestic charity.

Putting spikes in the street to stop them sleeping in specific areas is akin to killing poor people to decrease poverty and is completely inhumane, especially given that most of the time, homeless people are not to blame for their homelessness.

[.Starrk]

We've basically started looking at the homeless like they aren't even human beings. Have we really become so savage?

[Cin]

Why not spend the money on, I don't know building places for these people to live, or working on getting them into a home.

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

We have a lot of places that the homeless stay around where I live (well, to be more precise, near the capital/in tourist destinations).

 

Lately, some of them have started making treehouses on the sides of the road, since people don't like them being in the street. However, city told them to take it down because lack of permit to build on City & County property. In my opinion, the government really needs to do something about it (they are, but this kind of stuff should've been dealt with earlier). Then again, land is limited here in Hawaiʻi, considering it's an island state so the price of housing will be higher.

 

The city is trying to get people to go to shelters, but many of the homeless here say that living on the streets is much safer than spending it at the shelter. That being said, most of the homeless I've seen congregate around parks/in front of stores on the sidewalk. A few of them live out in their cars however.

 

 

In reference to the article, putting spikes in the streets to block homeless is pretty inhumane. As Yin mentioned, you're better off spending the money to actually put said homeless into a home of some sort instead of these.

[Kyng]

Why not spend the money on, I don't know building places for these people to live, or working on getting them into a home.

Because, at least regarding building shelters, based on the number of homeless such a project could cost whoever so happens to be paying it a fortune and a half.

[ＳＯＮ ＧＯＫＵ]

The Government is too busy dealing with trivial shit and not focusing on the larger problems.