news More cities are throwing away homeless people's possessions despite lack of legality

[Communion]

 

[Ryan]

I deeply sympathize with those whose belongings have been destroyed. I also understand the complexities from the side of governance.
 

As I mentioned prior, I served on a task force organized by my governor to address encampments in some of our state’s largest cities. One significant issue highlighted by my team was the lack of support for public safety and health departments (which include human services divisions) in facilitating the return of these personal items.

 

Many unhoused individuals lack identification, complicating the return process. Additionally, the staff responsible for clearing these areas prioritize their own safety to avoid potential attacks, needles, and other hazards.

 

I know of a municipality on the west coast  (I believe it may have been Seattle) that established a claim area and allocated resources to ensure items were safely stored and easily retrievable. However, this will pose a significant funding challenge for other cities.

[Tropez]

I knew this would be the US before even clicking. And of course I was right. 

[Communion]

2 minutes ago, Ryan said:

As I mentioned prior, I served on a task force organized by my governor to address encampments in some of our state's largest cities. One significant issue highlighted by my team was the lack of support for public safety and health departments (which include human services divisions) in facilitating the return of these personal items.

And why exactly would a city government need to de-possess people of their rightful possessions to begin with to then even require facilitating a return? Surely the only reason to de-posess someone of their belongings is if the intended goal is to remove someone from a space without having offered them adequate housing in return?

 

I think you'll have to excuse people's doubts that governments who organize sweeps have any intention of returning people's property given that most sweep look like the below where the property is purposefully destroyed:

 

[byzantium]

This is America, if you don't punish the poor for the crime of being poor, how will you convince the middle class to work their life away at minimal pay?  

[Blue Monday]

What ever happened to compassion for one another jfc... I just don't understand how there's so many deeply religious people in this country who either turn a blind eye to this or support it. 

[DAP]

Same cops destroying their items will be the same ones eagerly protecting property of wealthy landowners. Makes you wonder, what is your purpose and who do you actually serve (rhetorical)?

Edited May 19 by DAP

[BionicWooHoo]

Boy it sure would be nice if we had money to fix this issue…oh wait we do we just chose to send it to a genocidal maniac in charge of a colonizer terrorist state 

[LCTV]

I sympathize with those who have lost extremely personal items.

However it's becoming increasingly messy and low-key dangerous (I was this close to getting attacked by a homeless person the other night)

at least in the Oakland / SF area. The government needs to get off their genocidal asses and work on solving this problem with housing and

support programs so everyone can benefit from the relief.

[TiaTamera]

2 hours ago, LCTV said:

I sympathize with those who have lost extremely personal items.

However it's becoming increasingly messy and low-key dangerous (I was this close to getting attacked by a homeless person the other night)

at least in the Oakland / SF area. The government needs to get off their genocidal asses and work on solving this problem with housing and

support programs so everyone can benefit from the relief.

Cassie was attacked by Diddy who is filthy rich. What does the financial status (or lack thereof) have to do with the person that *almost* attacked you? 

[LCTV]

1 hour ago, TiaTamera said:

Cassie was attacked by Diddy who is filthy rich. What does the financial status (or lack thereof) have to do with the person that *almost* attacked you? 

Gee I don't know maybe the TOPIC OF THE THREAD boy bye.

[Communion]

29 minutes ago, LCTV said:

Gee I don't know maybe the TOPIC OF THE THREAD boy bye.

Homeless people are more likely to be victims of violent crime than perpetrators of violent crime?

[Cheers]

The one about the letters from their grandma being thrown away made me so sad. The one thing to remember her by being ripped away. I'm sad.

 

We need to do better with housing support. It's not easy with all the money being sent to Israel/Ukraine and landlords buying up all these spaces for investment properties. Hopefully those with more expertise in Public Administration and Human Services can come up with an action plan. 

[Attitude]

Housing prices in America are downright outrages. Why is a shitty studio apartment almost $2,000 in some areas?  

I can see how people end up homeless when they have no friends/family to rely on. You basically need 3-4 people paying rent to survive. 

[Princess Aurora]

Well If cities don't want homeless people, why don't they make houses more affordable? 

[LegaMyth]

This may sound bad, but the homeless on the West Coast have so much stuff, and piles of trash everywhere. It sucks, I know, but something has to be done.

[Communion]

7 hours ago, LegaMyth said:

This may sound bad, but the homeless on the West Coast have so much stuff, and piles of trash everywhere. It sucks, I know, but something has to be done.

So why not just give them housing?

[LegaMyth]

13 minutes ago, Communion said:

So why not just give them housing?

There are programs that do that. I work closely with a guy that runs the biggest program in our state. Most of the unfortunetly have drug homeless have drug issues that developed while being homeless. Also, we can't force anyone into getting mental help, but most of them need it. There are also many who would prefer to be homeless.

 

There is so much that people do not know.

[Communion]

21 minutes ago, LegaMyth said:

There are programs that do that. I work closely with a guy that runs the biggest program in our state. Most of the unfortunetly have drug homeless have drug issues that developed while being homeless. Also, we can't force anyone into getting mental help, but most of them need it. There are also many who would prefer to be homeless.

 

There is so much that people do not know.

I'm so confused by what it seems you're suggesting. Is the suggestion that people with drug addictions en masse would choose to be homeless?

Do you earnestly believe that?

 

The program your friend runs - is it one that provides *housing* for the unhoused or one that shuttles homeless people into cramped shelters with curfews?

 

Are homeless people not worthy of privacy and autonomy? Shelters are temporary, transitional spaces.

What are the unhoused meant to transition to when the solution only goes as far as the below?

 

 

 

 

[LegaMyth]

You're speaking from a perspective of an outsider looking in. I am providing you with information as someone that has relationships with many within the houseless community as well as those who are working diligently to make a difference. It's more than just "Give the homeless a place to stay." There are so many underlining issues. States like Oregon have decriminalized illegal drug use, and now there are homeless bodies on every corner or Portland. Homelessness is more than being houseless for many. 

 

That's the problem with many of you guys. You want to "Save the world" but its only threw your mouth and a few posts on social platforms. I advise you to get out there and see for yourself. Yes, a place to stay can help quite a few, but the mental illnesses and drug cases that affect many other homeless is hard to conquer without their will power to make a change. 

 

Believe it or not, there are homeless people who refused help. They've become so accustomed to the life style, that they have fears of making a change for the better. 

[Communion]

8 minutes ago, LegaMyth said:

You're speaking from a perspective of an outsider looking in. I am providing you with information as someone that has relationships with many within the houseless community as well as those who are working diligently to make a difference. It's more than just "Give the homeless a place to stay." There are so many underlining issues. States like Oregon have decriminalized illegal drug use, and now there are homeless bodies on every corner or Portland. Homelessness is more than being houseless for many. 

 

That's the problem with many of you guys. You want to "Save the world" but its only threw your mouth and a few posts on social platforms. I advise you to get out there and see for yourself. Yes, a place to stay can help quite a few, but the mental illnesses and drug cases that affect many other homeless is hard to conquer without their will power to make a change. 

 

Believe it or not, there are homeless people who refused help. They've become so accustomed to the life style, that they have fears of making a change for the better. 

Your posts reveal yourself as the outsider, because you think the in-group here are the corporations and people seeing homeless people as profit material, not the actual homeless.

 

As someone who experienced childhood homelessness and whose parents suffered with drug addiction, your gripes about drug addiction do not match reality.

 

Nearly half of all homeless people hold jobs and have some form of income. Most homeless people become homeless due to economic issues, not drug addiction. So yes, the #1 clear solution in most cases of homelessness is to house people who are unhoused. Homelessness is solved through providing permanent housing and the de-commodification of housing. No other solution can work without that as the base of any attempt to solve homelessness. Do you solve hunger without providing food?  

 

You've still not answered the question - is the work that your friend offers actual adequate housing or shuffling homeless people into temporary shelters?

If you wouldn't consider a shelter a home, why should an unhoused person? A sheltered person is not a housed person.

[LegaMyth]

^^^People that think like you are the reason liberal cities in US are falling down a non-recovery slope faster than non-liberal cities. Just handing over anything without doing the actual work will do nothing in the end. I did not say that all houseless people are on drugs. Actually, many homeless do not dable into drugs until they become homeless. Unfortunately, mental illness is at a peak Globally. The economy plays a role but there are more issues that must be addressed.

 

To answer your question, my friend's program that he receives government and backing from rich people is temporary but allows for extension if people are looking for jobs, currently working, or trying to go to school. His program has multiple communities full of mini houses. Because of the huge amounts of male-on-female sexual assaults in the homeless communities, he has men on one side and women on the other. There is also physical and digital security. 3 meals per day is provided too.

[Communion]

31 minutes ago, LegaMyth said:

^^^People that think like you are the reason liberal cities in US are falling down a non-recovery slope faster than non-liberal cities. Just handing over anything without doing the actual work will do nothing in the end. I did not say that all houseless people are on drugs. Actually, many homeless do not dable into drugs until they become homeless. Unfortunately, mental illness is at a peak Globally. The economy plays a role but there are more issues that must be addressed.

 

To answer your question, my friend's program that he receives government and backing from rich people is temporary but allows for extension if people are looking for jobs, currently working, or trying to go to school. His program has multiple communities full of mini houses. Because of the huge amounts of male-on-female sexual assaults in the homeless communities, he has men on one side and women on the other. There is also physical and digital security. 3 meals per day is provided too.

"Just handing over anything without doing the actual work " - you've just described what being a landlord and commodifying housing is.

 

The way you're - for some reason - talking in innuendo doesn't do your friend's service justice; the innuendo makes it sound like your friend should be investigated by a regulatory authority. Lots of people have created non-profits to funnel tax dollars into - that doesn't mean they address the issue at hand. Do you believe your friend's service using tax dollars and having the support of rich backers makes it valid? 

 

You've still not answered whether the service provided is shelter or housing. "Temporary communities" - what? I'm not sure why this is such a hard question to answer.

 

You also try to do some weird anti-homeless smear by bringing up sexual assaults, but such makes no sense with regards to housing. Why would men and women need to be kept segregated if the service provided is housing? Housing is private. It is not communal. Even apartments are not shared spaces. Men make up 95%+ of sexual assaults no matter their economic status yet are apartment complexes sex segregated? So again, it sounds like the service offered is more akin to shared spaces like prisons and shelters. So what actually is the service?  

 

Surely it'd just be easier to provide the name and website of this alleged service you think is the right approach to solving homelessness.

Edited May 19 by Communion

[LegaMyth]

My coworker friend is only following the rules that his overhead creates, which are those who fund his project.

 

How did you get to "anti-homeless" by me mentioning sexual assault? I simply gave you an overview of his work and how his locations are ran. He's mentioned that he is able to get families into actual apartments for 6-month coverage and there is a team that works with job hunting. I'm not sure of lone-houseless people getting apartments, but EVERYONE has the option of shelter, which is small homes in a trailer park-like setting. Everyone has their own private small home/cabin. His work is valid because there are people that do turn their lives around with his help. Unfortunately, there are many who not. The only times he has mentioned people being thrown out were those who became violent and threatening. His heart is too big to just throw someone out for any reason outside of violence. You're comparing the work to prison and/or shelters. I'm not sure you know what happens in prisons. Also, if anyone wants to leave, they can. 

 

 

Have you ever been to the West Coast of USA? Yes, the economy plays a role, but drug abuse and mental illness is at a peak in US right now.

 

I am not being "anti-homeless." I am providing you with truths. Sometimes the truth can hurt, but the truth is, back to the main topic, manly homeless people (not all) are leaving messes, so I can see how their things are ended up being thrown away. When I lived in Portland OR, the homeless would have trash EVERYWHERE, and when they went to other locations, their trash would still be there. There were homeless that would literally build their own shelters on the side of the street, in front of people's homes. There are homeless camps set up right in front of schools. Needles everywhere. 

 

Of course, this isn't the case for the all homeless & houseless people. However, if those in control just let people do what they want, cities will be destroyed. Sometimes, you have to be hard on people for there to be a change. You can't be do damn soft and give people what they want all the time. The Oregon government decriminalized illegal drug use. Now, there are dead bodies piling up throughout the streets of Portland. 

[LegaMyth]

@Communion

I do apologize for saying that you're an outsider looking in. That was out of line.