Homeless

After our first son was born we had to live with mom for a while. Farm work with a house was difficult to get, and we had just lost our home.

 

Praise God, I've never been homeless. There were a few times that we were a heartbeat away from it, though....but even then, we wouldn't have been forced into what I consider "homelessness" (street-living or similar), because I'm blessed with too many friends and family who would have gladly taken us in, if necessary. I am very thankful for God's provision in this regard...in a life filled with plenty of other turmoil, I've never had to go without food or shelter.

 

I am not quite sure how to answer this poll. The way I look at things we have never been homeless, but with the fire we were as close as I ever want to come to it.

The night of the fire we had to stay with Jeanne's Dad, so I guess technicly I could have answered that we had to stay with family. If we hadn't had homeowners insruance to pay for a hotel and now the apartment we would have been homeless for alot more than one night.

Bill

 

Depends on how you define "homeless". In Washington state, if you do not live in a "stick house", you may be counted as homeless. As an example, I knew a chaplain at a local prison who lived in a motor home. This chaplain was considered "homeless" by the local authorities, because he did not have a "permanent residence". His motor home was worth more than three times what my "stick" house was!

This has been brought up to the authorities several times, but they do not want to change how they count the "homeless", since they get federal money to assist the homeless based on how many "homeless" they count.

BTW, I do remember living in a 13-foot travel trailer and a tent for about a month in 1965, while my parents waited for their mobile home to arrive. If we had lived in Washington state, we would have been counted as "homeless", but I would disagree!

Bill:godisgood:

 

Been blessed here and I pray the Lord continues to provide each day.

I once went 2 and a half years without making a house payment. In the late 80's I was unemployed and really not employable since I technically have no marketable skill or trade. I never once got a call or letter in the mail.

I got a job working as a cashier at the airport toll booths, met and married my wife and prepared to move in the apartment with her when A guy knocked on the door and offered to buy me out of the house and put $1K in my pocket. I imagine the Lord would have sent a boat and a helicopter but I left with the sherrif in the Hummer... :laugh:

 

There are no homeless in the State of New York. The new classification is undomiciled. There are thousands of undomiciled individuals but no homeless. I, praise the Lord, have been neither.

I deal with several undomiciled individuals at work. One feller told me that he was living in a box and that every time the wind blew his address changed. He wasn't interested in housing until Fall.

 

I guess I was homeless for a couple of months in my twenties, but I never saw it that way.

 

Are they homeless by choice? It would suck to live in a box.

 

now thats nice little batch of pc jargon isn't it.

 

By the grace of God, I have never been in this situation, though I have worked extensively in a local agency dealing with those who've either been homeless or on the very tip of being. We usually see only the ones visible on the streets, under bridges, behind bushes, buildings, etc., but there is a huge number underground just one paycheque or welfare cheque short of being booted out on the street. Often the choice for these folks is food or a roof/heating over their heads - not both. Surprisingly, while at the agency, I learned that some folks who have been homless for years (no fixed address), don't want to 'come in from the cold'. They value their independence and freedom of choice and will fight kicking and screaming to the end if anyone should attempt to move them into reasonable accommodation.

 

I guess the undomiciled have a different defination for reasonable accommodations then we do, a box ain't my defination though.
I'm sorry, I had too...

 

Mental illness and drug and/or alcohol addiction is common among the undomiciled. Some of the folks I've spent time with are proud of how tough and resiliant they are to brave the elements. Want another interesting scenario? In the city where I work there is a spat of arrests among the homeless in mid-October. The folk get locked up for 90 to 120 days in county jail..... Lot of New Yorkers winter in Florida. A lot winter in jail: 3 hots and a cot, clean clothes and companionship. What's not to love.

 

LOL, so they got a plan, box in the summer, and cot in the winter.
I used to live in Chicago, I've seen quite a few homeless who apparenly had mental illness, drug additiction wasn't as common back then.
Is it that most people on the streets, can't take care of themselves and provide a home and food?
We don't often see someone in our little town who has no where to go, we do see people who need a little help for a few days, often someone off the interstate whose car broke down and they haven't the money to take care of themselves. But not actual homeless folks.