someone: so what do you think is the solution to homelessness?
me, socialist:
Let homeless people occupy peopleless homes, build houses for use rather than exchange, 3D print comfortable houses in a day, convert corporate skyscrapers into housing and commercial malls into publicly-accessible community centers with living commons and entertainment
When you say it to people and they break
“But the money? … we can’t just? But, Money? We can’t just… help… people? Can we? The Money. We can’t just help people? Like that? We can’t just? Money?”
The same people who balk at the idea of giving homeless people free housing and giving everyone healthcare are the same people who don’t bat an eye at spending trillions on the military and billions on a racist wall
It’s because they’re not thinking of the reality of the money. It’s because they hate poor people.
They’re driving the prices up because they’re buying all of it. Now they’re reselling it for higher and higher prices and making huge profits. Some of them are charging ridiculous prices just to let other people use it. So now there are people who can’t afford it even if some is available, because it costs so much. People are getting sick and dying because they don’t have any!
Oh wait. Did I say hand sanitizer? Housing. I meant housing. Damn autocorrect.
Photo credit: Does anyone know where this image was taken or who took it?
Starving and homeless children in Russia in the 1990s, who often became victims of substance abuse, sexual abuse and were actively involved in crime. These scary photos are reminders that the West considers Russia in the 90s “democratic, free and detached from totalitarian communism.”
The capitalism implementation in Russia during the 90’ was probably the biggest capitalism failure of all times. Yeltsin implemented the economic policies applauded by the neoliberal institutions (FMI, World Bank, etc.) With mass privatisations, welfare destruction, destatalisation, destruction of social rights etc. The results were terrifying from all point of views:
As always happens in capitalism there were cartels, trusts etc. That formed a class of oligarchs that put themselves above the State leading the policies towards their interest against the interest of the people. Mostly represented by the Semibankirschina.
-Dramatically drop of life expectancy arriving at 7 years drop in less then a decade for men.
-Dramatic rise in mortality.
-Dramatic rise in self destructive behaviours like drugs and alcohol abuse.
-Mass depression
-Low birth rates due to financial instability and uncertainty
-crime rates rise with entire pieces of the country controlled by organised crime
-Moral crisis well represented by the dramatic increase of prostitution ( Prostitution that was de facto absent during most of Soviet times especially under Stalin but that started again with Gorbachev)
Hey guys! This is in my home! It’s super exciting that we might be getting a tiny house village to help the homeless! ESPECIALLY since a nearby homeless camp is getting shut down!
But they gotta hit their funding goal in less than a month!
Next week I’ll probably be setting up donation commissions, but please take a look and if you can can throw a couple bucks their way or share this, please do!
Honest to god, it is warming my heart so much to see the notes shocked/delighted that Indianapolis is doing something like this!
In my experience, while the state itself is pretty red, Indy is developing more and more in the direction of public transportation, infrastructure, and even some social progress! I’m unironically really really hopefull!
Problem with a lot of stuff like this is… They’re heavily institutionalized. Police generally have free access to peoples’ homes, and a lot of rights are sacrificed. Government employees can come in and investigate peoples’ homes any time they want. It *seems* like a nice thing, of course, but the more you investigate these - ESPECIALLY in Red states - the more you realize that, well, no, they aren’t *just* homes for the homeless. They’re a form of social control.
This is not meant as an argument, but do you have any way to confirm this to be the case with specific locations? Do you have sites or resources we can use or just a general sense of 'dont get too excited about a seemingly good thing because this has happened before?’
Because honestly it seems like they can be a hell of a lot more openly cruel when they are homeless in the streets. Not saying that this isn’t the case, I’m not saying it’s right, and I am genuine in my desire to make sure we can research and keep parties accountable, but I am also tired of every hopeful thing be countered with despair porn.
Unfortunately they don’t actually resolve homelessness, they’re more akin to shelters than homes - in which case, yeah, there would be a complete lack of privacy (the “24 hr on site staff” part is a red flag)
The closing point of the article actually pretty much EXACTLY summarizes my feelings on this whole matter.
Hersh said she hopes that the city learns something from both programs about what services are most beneficial to people experiencing homelessness, knowing that the only true solution is permanent housing for everyone.
But, for some, tiny houses are an improvement over congregate shelters, she said, and that’s enough reason to feel upbeat about the planned facilities in Philadelphia.
“Sometimes you make the best choice you can possibly make with the information and resources you have because it’s better than the other choice, even though it may still be suboptimal and you don’t know where it’s going to lead,” Hersh said.
“I just believe you have to take risks, and you can’t sit around and criticize everything,” she added. “To me the moral imperative of ending homelessness overrides that.”
No, it’s notperfect. But it’s a step in the right direction. Just because something is not the MOST OPTIMIZED solution doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still strive to work for ‘getting better.’ I feel like a lot of people justify not caring about things like this because ‘there’s still problems with it.’ Yeah. Of course there are. But it’s betterthan what Indy HAS been doing. And that’s what’s important.
Hey guys! This is in my home! It’s super exciting that we might be getting a tiny house village to help the homeless! ESPECIALLY since a nearby homeless camp is getting shut down!
But they gotta hit their funding goal in less than a month!
Next week I’ll probably be setting up donation commissions, but please take a look and if you can can throw a couple bucks their way or share this, please do!
Honest to god, it is warming my heart so much to see the notes shocked/delighted that Indianapolis is doing something like this!
In my experience, while the state itself is pretty red, Indy is developing more and more in the direction of public transportation, infrastructure, and even some social progress! I’m unironically really really hopefull!
Hey guys! This is in my home! It’s super exciting that we might be getting a tiny house village to help the homeless! ESPECIALLY since a nearby homeless camp is getting shut down!
But they gotta hit their funding goal in less than a month!
Next week I’ll probably be setting up donation commissions, but please take a look and if you can can throw a couple bucks their way or share this, please do!
“Among the throngs of homeless people in the streets and shelters across America, the severely mentally ill are arguably the most vulnerable. One in every three homeless people suffers from a mental disorder that is both severe and disabling. People in this group are more likely to remain homeless on the streets and in shelters for longer periods and suffer from multiple health problems that incur high social and economic costs to society. While it is widely acknowledged that the decline of the mental asylum led to the emergence of homelessness in this subgroup, there has been significant progress in finding solutions that warrants greater recognition at the public policy level.”
“oh homeless people are just gonna use your money to buy drugs” and? and?? the government uses my tax money to buy bombs and cops, you think I care if someone in a shitty situation uses money I gave them to feel marginally less shitty? fuck off!
I’m looking at a lot of replies to this and some people really don’t get what this is like.
For context; I’m a recovering poly addict (somebody who was addicted to multiple different substances). For those who are nosy, it was alcohol and opioids.
I was also *technically* homeless for a period. I was lucky to be able to couch surf but there was definitely days where I had no idea where I was going to stay, and constantly had to rely of the kindness of others. I was on welfare at the time, but not much.
I was trying to get sober while couch surfing and holy fucking shit, it’s hard, I don’t think anyone understands how hard it is. I was fortunate to be able to lay on a warm couch and have withdrawals and even then, it was hard. That added stress of knowing that I was going to have to move on to the next kind person in my life was an extra layer to add onto how fucking sick I was. A lot of people don’t understand the physical aspect of drug use. My first night I spent violently shaking and clinging to a toilet bowl, wondering if I was dying.
I cannot even begin to fathom what it is like for those living on the street going through withdrawls. Hungry, cold, sleeping in a tent or on a cardboard box or on the god damn ground. I do not blame a single person for using money I give to avoid that. That is not a situation where it is reasonable to ask people to get sober. It’s just not.
Support homeless addicts, unconditionally, or don’t bother pretending like you care about them. Take the niciesties out the fucking door. If your criteria for helping homeless people includes “sobriety” then you don’t actually care.
World hunger, homelessness, disease research, poverty, healthcare, student debt… There are so many better ways to spend 44 billion dollars than making twitter safe for hate speech and false information.
“oh homeless people are just gonna use your money to buy drugs” and? and?? the government uses my tax money to buy bombs and cops, you think I care if someone in a shitty situation uses money I gave them to feel marginally less shitty? fuck off!
I’m looking at a lot of replies to this and some people really don’t get what this is like.
For context; I’m a recovering poly addict (somebody who was addicted to multiple different substances). For those who are nosy, it was alcohol and opioids.
I was also *technically* homeless for a period. I was lucky to be able to couch surf but there was definitely days where I had no idea where I was going to stay, and constantly had to rely of the kindness of others. I was on welfare at the time, but not much.
I was trying to get sober while couch surfing and holy fucking shit, it’s hard, I don’t think anyone understands how hard it is. I was fortunate to be able to lay on a warm couch and have withdrawals and even then, it was hard. That added stress of knowing that I was going to have to move on to the next kind person in my life was an extra layer to add onto how fucking sick I was. A lot of people don’t understand the physical aspect of drug use. My first night I spent violently shaking and clinging to a toilet bowl, wondering if I was dying.
I cannot even begin to fathom what it is like for those living on the street going through withdrawls. Hungry, cold, sleeping in a tent or on a cardboard box or on the god damn ground. I do not blame a single person for using money I give to avoid that. That is not a situation where it is reasonable to ask people to get sober. It’s just not.
Support homeless addicts, unconditionally, or don’t bother pretending like you care about them. Take the niciesties out the fucking door. If your criteria for helping homeless people includes “sobriety” then you don’t actually care.
This is the hardest time of year to be homeless. You’re homeless for the holidays. You have to watch everyone else who can afford things and who has a family and a home celebrate and enjoy themselves when often you’re alone. It’s cold and if you don’t have a place to stay that’s rough and it’s rubbed in extra by the holidays this time of year. Sometimes people are homeless due to a series of unfortunate life problems, and it’s not their fault. Remember that if you see someone homeless this time of year. Maybe get them a small gift, or just say hello. They might not get anything and they may feel forgotten and extra lonely this time of year. I’ve had homeless family members and homeless students and it’s really tough to be homeless around Christmas when it’s cold and everyone is celebrating and you’re alone and don’t have basic needs met. They might spend it on things they need, or gifts for their friends, or a treat for themselves because of the time of year. Poverty is tough. Every homeless person has different needs and wants. Maybe they are homeless from a divorce, or addiction, a health condition, a job loss, a foreclosure, an ill family member. They might have a family to visit but no home for themselves. There are lots of homeless Veterans as well. So often it’s painted as those people must have done something to DESERVE to be homeless. Often that isn’t the case. Well, forget often. People don’t deserve to be homeless.
Emergency commissions time, babey!!! I am having difficulty recovering financially
Basically I am currently homeless with my mom younger brother and dog and we’re living out of a hotel. I need to raise money to cover some bills and help pay for things like laundry, water and snacks. Ideally I am aiming to raise an initial 200 dollars by August 1st.
Emergency commissions are head or bust icons. 10 dollars for flat colors and 20 dollars for shaded.
I can draw any character you’d like, no restrictions at the moment. The icons are free to use wherever with credit, and will take about 3 days to complete. Payment is in full, you can email me at [email protected] or you can dm me through tumblr or Twitter.
If you can’t afford a commission please reblog this post to boost it!
Animal protection authorities often confiscate the pets of homeless people or grill homeless people for proof of animal ownership they may not have. But a new study reveals that homeless people with pets are drastically less likely to get depressed or engage in risky behaviors than those without animal friends. Here’s why homeless people need their pets.
My brother turns 25 this week. I guess that means he is officially a grown-up. A real one! But it wasn’t the flat, the car or the job that tipped me off. It wasn’t even the dawn of his quarter century. It was a conversation we had a few days ago about periods.
When I was about 12 and he 14, we were watching TV and a Tampax advert came on. It was awkward to say the least. I didn’t 100% understand how periods worked yet and I certainly didn’t think they were something to be discussed, except in hushed voices with the school swimming coach as a way to get out of lengths in the freezing pool… So, we’re sat in front of the TV, not talking, cringing, watching the animation of the applicator until he asks me: “but how does it come out?”
Fastforward 10 years and we’re talking on the phone. I mentioned the work some incredible charities such as AFRIpads are doing to stop menstruation from being a barrier to women’s education in certain African countries, particularly in Uganda. I said it without considering my audience and regretted it as soon as the words were out of my mouth. But I needn’t have. He replied with a considerate response about how periods can cause incredible embarrassment and discomfort for women the world over, especially women who cannot afford sanitary items (sometimes because of the goddamn Tampon Tax), and that this is still a huge issue in the UK. Yes, right at home, where we are “democratic” and “modern”, women are having to resort to stealing sanitary products, or are becoming ill from using tampons for longer than 8 hours (this can lead to TSS) or from not using hygienic products. That’s why projects like The Homeless Period are so important - they’re petitioning for shelters to have an allowance for sanitary products like they do for condoms.
Periods are still taboo but let’s be honest, they are a fact of life for half of the world.
Not only are they uncomfortable and often painful, as well as tear and insatiable hunger inducing, but for some women around the world, periods signify a “child-bearing womb”, humiliation, illness and an end to education.
I’m just so proud to have a brother who is mature enough to respect what periods mean and to acknowledge how they can impact a woman’s life. Just because you don’t share in the experience, doesn’t mean you can’t respect what it means.
Hepatitis A Vaccination Required for Herd Immunity in People Experiencing Homelessness or Who Use Drugs
In the U.S., hepatitis A outbreaks are repeatedly affecting people experiencing homelessness or who use drugs. A 2017-19 Kentucky outbreak primarily among these groups resulted in 501 cases, six deaths. Vaccination efforts likely averted 30 hospitalizations and $490K in costs, but UC San Diego and Oxford researchers say more could have been saved if initiated earlier and faster. They determined herd immunity in these populations requires 77 percent vaccinated, underscoring need for outreach.
The study, published October 18, 2021 in Vaccine, was led by Natasha Martin, DPhil, professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine, and Emmanuelle Dankwa and Christl Donnelly, CBE FMedSci FRS, at University of Oxford.
Pictured: A UC San Diego Health employee is vaccinated against hepatitis A during an outbreak in San Diego, Calif. in 2017. Credit: Erik Jepson/UC San Diego Publications
Things people should worry about and should probably fight against in a post-Covid world: the phasing out of physical money.
Even before all of this started a lot of restaurants in my area were already going ‘paperless’ aka: refusing to take anything but cards in order to buy food.
I hope that people understand just how terrible this is. How the movement to doing this was specifically a move against poor and homeless people. Against people who could not open a bank account. Who could not get a credit card. How it was a move by restaurants to not-so-subtlety ensure that the only people coming in through their doors were ‘desirable’ clients.
In a post-COVID world this is only going to get worse because now companies will have has a ‘societally acceptabile’ reason for refusing paper money. They will create an environment that is hostile towards the poor and homeless under the guise of public health.
I do not have all the answers for how to address this. I do not have answers for how to fix this or combat it. I do not know how to keep both workers safe in a public health aspect and also keep businesses accessible to people without bank accounts. I don’t have the answers but We need to be aware of this. We need to understand how terrible it is. We need to see it for what it is and how disproportionately such a move will hurt those around us.
