homeless

[Guest guest]

Ok. Time to throw my two cents in...

I work with the homeless everyday. The clinic I work for provides medical

services, counseling, crisis intervention and case management for people who are

homeless, indigent, and? working poor.? There are many reasons that people

become homeless. Many people are just a paycheck away from it all the time.?

BUT, the long-term homelessness is frequently due to addiction and/or mental

illness. Those who are on the street long-term learn to survive by being

manipulative scam artists. I listen to them discuss the " good " corners and the

places to " camp " .? For the newcomers, the teenage runaways, women whose

husband/boyfriend (whatever) has kicked them out there is a huge danger. Sexual

assault and physical violence is prevalent. The older guys get beat up a lot

too. Usually it is other homeless who do it. More frequently though, we are

seeing them get beat to a pulp from teenagers and young adult males.

Those who are addicts have already burned through all their family and friends.

Recovery houses that are funded for them are always full, and frankly, most

aren't interested in going. They hate their lives, but are always looking for

money for the next fix or the next bottle. The ones with mental illness are

usually pretty severe paranoid, delusional. They are in denial, whether through

some? unconscious choice or because their illness prevents them from ever

thinking clearly. As far as they know people just want to lock them up. They

don't seek help, they stay away from the agencies that could best help them

because of the paranoia.? Clients that I see that finally get medicated, get SSI

and are working with case management still have a hard time getting housing. As

much as they want to not be on the streets, they don't have the skills to save

money, pay bills and get away from the only family they have, which is other

street people. I see it all the time. Someone starts to get SSI and all of a

sudden everyone is his friend, he gets beat up and it is all gone. Or, he goes

on a weekend tooter and parties until it is gone.

I talked to one of the corner dwellers and he told me that he makes about $7 per

hour sitting on the corner. Others collect cans, but say that they are too proud

to panhandle. Some live at the mission for YEARS. They pay a certain amount per

day. They may get day-labor jobs, but it isn't enough to get stabilized

somewhere.

On the flip side: there are people that I see that over the last year that I

have been working here have moved from the street to the mission. They got

clean, got medicated (whatever needed). They got work. Slowly but surely they

HAVE gotten out of it. One 28 year old female that I talked with a few weeks ago

was so happy. She just got into a studio apartment. She was on the streets for a

year, mostly due to addiction. She spent 3 months in a recovery house and 9

months at the mission. She is determined, she is proud and she is one of the

lucky ones. She got out. During that time, though she was raped, beat, and

robbed multiple times. Life wasn't easy. She was messed up and she knew it. She

is starting the local Jr college this semester. She wants to be a alcohol/drug

counselor and help others. She wants to give back. I am proud of her.

I try not to sit in judgment. I don't like what I see many of them doing. But,?

I praise, encourage and even scold them. If I see them near the store when I

shop I tell them hello. They are the unwanted and outcast. Some are there

because they put themselves their through their own issues with alcohol and

drugs. Some just fell through the cracks. Some are so ill that they run from

help because the voices in their heads tell them not to trust and that people

want to hurt them.

ok. Off my soap box and leaving my two cents behind.

in OR

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