What to do about all the HOMELESS!!

[Goodman]

Is it me or is the homeless problem in Cola. only getting worse.

I work at Baptist Hosp. and we get them in here all day long, most just looking forr a free meal and a place to rest.

I feel the problem is the lack of psych. facilities to treat them. Over 90 percent are untreated psych. pts. Which usaully leads to a substance abuse problem on top of there psych. issues.

Since the decrease in funding to state psych. facilities and the closing of bull st. we've only seen the problem get worse.



The only part i dont understand is over half the homeless are not from Cola., and none of them ever seem malnutrioned.

[Lakal]

Goodman, I volunteer at the Winter Shelter in Columbia and have done so since 1999. You might be surprised to know that many, many homeless people have regular jobs. Many could afford to rent an apartment but it is really hard for them to get enough money for the month's rent plus a deposit.

The mental health services in our area are minimal and yes, there are a lot of homeless with substance abuse issues.

I would guess the majority are from the midlands area. Sadly I have seen some of them year after year. I am not sure if it is true or not but I've been told several times that the Lexington law enforcement officers drive some homeless across one of the bridges into Richland County telling them not to return to their side of the river.

There are many, many people in our country who are but one pay check away from being homeless. Homelessness is due to diverse social problems from increased unemployment to living in substandard housing. Other often cited causes are decreased unemployment benefits, destruction of traditional low-income housing, spiraling rents and other social and economic factors. Vulnerability and political problems have left people in the streets.

I have heard some tragic, tragic stories that are heart wrenching.

Don't get me started about our homeless veterans............

[better days]

Lakal if the same faces show up year after year it must be homeless by choice. Some people are apart of the system, it's their life. This life is free from the stress of the life the public have been lead to believe is necessary. Debt it seems people believe is the American way. I say freedom from debt works better, how ever you choose to live it. The homeless vets and kids are the most important, not the professional old school hobo.

[Lakal]

I said we see SOME of the same people year after year and yes, you are correct. There is a small percentage of hardcore homeless who appear to have chosen and bought into the lifestyle. I am not sure they all initially wanted to be homeless but once trapped in the life they remain there.

I am not sure it is a stress free life though. The stresses are just different.

[swampfox]

There are many departures from Nature in our ailing society. The perenially homeless are just a small part of that. I don't think anybody chooses to become homeless at least at first.

[Heresathought]

Hey I got a solution. They can get a job, keep that job, save up a months rent, and live inside. Then take a bath and pay their bills like the rest of us. Staying homeless is by choice bottom line. Its easier for them to Bum. I hope they do take them from Lexington and drop them off on the Richland side. There are more bridges to sleep under over there anyway. Chuch!!!!!!!

[Lakal]

Hey I got a solution. They can get a job, keep that job, save up a months rent, and live inside. Then take a bath and pay their bills like the rest of us. Staying homeless is by choice bottom line. Its easier for them to Bum. I hope they do take them from Lexington and drop them off on the Richland side. There are more bridges to sleep under over there anyway. Chuch!!!!!!!


Your deeply sensitive, compassionate and empathetic comments are underwhelming.

[Heresathought]

And my honesty is something you wish you had. But yet you aren't bold enough to tell it like it is!

[cuebald]

Hey I got a solution. They can get a job, keep that job, save up a months rent, and live inside. Then take a bath and pay their bills like the rest of us. Staying homeless is by choice bottom line. Its easier for them to Bum. I hope they do take them from Lexington and drop them off on the Richland side. There are more bridges to sleep under over there anyway. Chuch!!!!!!!

I would think a gentleman with all the answers such as yourself would be taking the homeless in and giving them a hand getting back into society or at least counselling them at a shelter rather than simply deriding them.

I hope you never find yourself in such a position.

[swampfox]

Among the homeless there are unfortunately many who are mentally ill. The right treatment might lead them in a different direction. This includes many alcoholics who have hit bottom, in the last stages of death by alcoholism. And I suppose there are some that are perfectly sane and somehow see the homeless lifestyle as a kind of freedom from responsibility, and for those it often is a choice. But these last ones are few.

The vast majority of the homeless (growing incredibly fast right now across the country) are not there out of desire. There but for God's grace go many of us, ruined by financial hardship or sickness that is too expensive to treat. Those people would be glad to go back to being productive citizens if they knew how. Presidential candidates, at least the Democratic ones, are talking a lot about this situation these days.

Back during the Great Depression there were so many homeless people that they lined the roads, living as best as they could in makeshift tent cities. Dependent on handouts for food. We might again be in that position ourselves. Don't think that it can't happen.

I'd give it some more thought if I were you, Heresathought. Your "honesty" comes, in this case, from being uninformed and mean-spirited. I know you may have heard your simplified version of the homeless situation on the radio, but choosing to believe it was your choice. A bad choice as it turns out.

[cuebald]

I heard a news program on the radio last week that said 40% of the homeless are families.

If that is true, we need to deal with it swiftly.

I propose summary execution as soon as the slackers are identified.

[Captain Worley]

Your "honesty" comes, in this case, from being uninformed and mean-spirited. I know you may have heard your simplified version of the homeless situation on the radio, but choosing to believe it was your choice.

Could only come from the great font of wisdom, El Rushbo, I'd wager.

[cuebald]

I dunno.

I thought he was pretty busy telling everyone to vote Democratic.

Well, not really. Vote for anyone you want, just not for McCain.

[Captain Worley]

He really has it in for McCain, doesn't he? I thought he was going to blow a gasket last week. can't wait to hear him after McCain cleans up on Tuesday. They better have EMS standing by.

[swampfox]

I've been predicting something like we have now for twenty years. The Republican party just consists of just a very few large groups with little or nothing in common, none of which could win an election without the others.

Just what is the common ground between the traditional money conservatives, the "religious right" (a contradiction in terms if that religion is Christianity), and the worst kind of dumbasses who just figure that the Democrats like minorities more? I can't think of anything.

Google "southern strategy" +republican and you'll see how this mess became inevitable.

This has been a long time coming. It's just more dramatic than I thought it would be.

[HeeHee]

I got something the Dems would do with the homeless. Put em in prison. Feed, clothe, shelter, dentist, and doctor on them and we Republican taxpayers will foot the bill. And then they can claim they made the unemployment rate go down.
I can't wait till Hussen Obama takes oath, none of us will have to work again. The government will take care of all of us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Walfare-----Hears we cumms.

[swampfox]

You know, I never even thought of taxing only the Republican taxpayers. That is a brilliant idea. I'll be on the phone to the candidates shortly. Even McCain, since most Republicans don't seem to like him either.

Congratulations on your upcoming retirement.

[cuebald]

I didn't catch all of that. When can I stop paying taxes?

[HeeHee]

Maybe I can tie a dollar on a string and lure them to my house. Then duct tape a sandwich to a rake and by the time they wrangle it off, the yard will be clean.

[swampfox]

Maybe you could stick the rake up your behind (assuming you removed it last time) and practice running from the law in your yard.

Presto!

[Captain Worley]

You owe me for a new keyboard that I just spewed coffee all over!

[swampfox]

You know, we should start a stockpile of keyboards for this sort of incident.

[Captain Worley]

Reminds me of Shroeder with his closet full of pianos.

I know some hard-core programmers that go through 2-3 keyboards a month.

[cuebald]

Hey I got a solution. They can get a job, keep that job, save up a months rent, and live inside. Then take a bath and pay their bills like the rest of us. Staying homeless is by choice bottom line. Its easier for them to Bum. I hope they do take them from Lexington and drop them off on the Richland side. There are more bridges to sleep under over there anyway. Chuch!!!!!!!

I got a better idea.

Let's round them up and deport them back to their homes.

[swampfox]

Hey I got a solution. They can get a job, keep that job, save up a months rent, and live inside. Then take a bath and pay their bills like the rest of us. Staying homeless is by choice bottom line. Its easier for them to Bum. I hope they do take them from Lexington and drop them off on the Richland side. There are more bridges to sleep under over there anyway. Chuch!!!!!!!

Beware of how you judge others. It looks like hard times ahead.

[swampfox]

And by the way, we'd just take them back over to the Lexington side. Try your luck.

[Ubuntu User]

There are all sorts of homeless statistics. For example, a family that gets evicted but is living with friends or family is classified as homeless under most statistics. That's not really being homeless though.........

What I am going to be referring to as homeless are people living on the streets during the day and either in shelters or in the streets at night.

Most of those people have either substance and/or mental issues. SC is horrible with mental issues if you don't have health insurance.

I've been in the mental health system in SC..... If you are sent to the state hospital (Bryant Center), it's almost like a prison. I've seen fistfights over the most simple things, you get maybe 5 minutes a day with a doctor, and get drugged up with meds that you can not afford to buy once you leave Bryant Center. Now in Lexington COunty, they seem to have a really good mental health system set up once you are realized from short term state hospital. They will even help you get samples of the drugs you need to take. But even with that, they can't force people to show up for treatment and in many cases, once a patient feels better, they usually stop taking their medication.... leaving us back to square one of being homeless with all the issues....

The last time I needed help & didn't have insurance, I drove all the way to Maryland in order to get treatment.

Since I do have insurance now, the last time I had a problem, I was able to get good care at Baptist.... others who didn't have insurance would have to wait 72-96 hours in the ER waiting to be transported to Bryant Center. If you have really really good insurance & plenty of money, you can get help at Three Rivers.

All this while the state keeps cutting back funding for mental health programs.

It's sad a lot of homeless get treatment is when they get put into jail. And depending on which jail you go to is a crapshot if you will get psychological and substance abuse help or not.

And when they want to build a homeless shelter or something guess what??? No one ever wants it in their neighborhood do they??? That's part of the problem also.

And yea, there are a handful of homeless who don't want treatment or anything else.

[End world hunger]

I support the Solent Green initiative thats before the senate.

[Unregistered44]

i say we volunteer swampy and snowball to give spongebaths to all the homeless .

[swampfox]

No way, freak. You and your mama would be abandoning your homes tomorrow.

Whatever it takes, get me off your mind somehow. You'll never be good enough for this.

Your mama? Well, I thought she was hungry.

[Cowboy]

No way, freak. You and your mama would be abandoning your homes tomorrow.

Whatever it takes, get me off your mind somehow. You'll never be good enough for this.

Your mama? Well, I thought she was hungry.

That's pretty funny right there!