PHOTO/SARAH MENEFEE
BERKELEY, CA — I would like to dispel rumors about the homeless. The main things that have been said about the homeless is that they are one or more of the following: they are drug addicts, they are alcoholics, they are lazy, or they are degenerates. These are only true for a small population of the homeless. And even then, these issues only arise as secondary to becoming homeless in most cases. The truth as to why people are homeless has more to do with issues that have arisen from government and social propaganda. Anyone who reads this should ask: “How close am I to losing this roof over my head?”
One of the biggest problems is that the cost of being housed is outstripping the incomes that people have. For instance, a person who has SSI can’t afford housing, utilities and food all at once. The COL for Social Security is only around one-sixth of what is needed for housing. Minimum wage is also no longer a viable income as well. A person would need three jobs just to survive.
Then there’s a mental health crisis in America. These people are treated like garbage. I have untreated bipolar disorder. I am only one in a whole group of people who have mental health issues and are homeless. Veterans aren’t safe, either. They are in the same boat.
Then there’s the worst crime. Elderly people are becoming homeless at a grotesque rate. These people need to be taken care of, not thrown away.
Back to drugs and alcohol. Most people who become homeless aren’t drug addicts or alcoholics at first. They only do this due to the harassment of the cities. They feel the need to escape the worst conditions that they have to live in. This is due to the harassment by cops and by the city’s leadership.
Cities, the media and others have had multiple attack strategies. In cities, they pass laws that focus on enforcement over helping. The media attacks the character of the homeless. And there are so many other items to attack or demean the homeless that it would take days to describe them.
What I have said is only my opinion. What you as the reader need to ask is: “How can this happen? Why is it happening? How can I help?” Do a little digging and you may come to a similar conclusion.
Glad to read this. Besides the problem of how to house people adequately, there is the concomitant problem of how many of the housed public condemns the homeless and want them gone from the streets and DON’T CARE how badly they’re treated to achieve these desired clear streets. This hostile attitude is probably due to fear and righteousness as well as general anti-outsider feelings. Until the economy is fixed and housing is available to all, at a minimum cities should provide ubiquitous accessible toilets. Churches are tax-free so should feel obliged to do public welfare work and provide food, necessary supplies, temporary shelter from the weather, etc.