Homeless problem: We need to reopen the asylums.

[CaptainBoogerBuns]

I have no idea why they were closed to begin. Our cities are blighted with panhandling, begging, harassing passers by. Driving in downtown Louisville prompted me to post this.

Heck, privatize it. No one should be living on the streets. If they do it by choice, arrest them for vagrancy

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Theres a portion of society that just isnt mentally or physically fit to live out in public.

Have to come to terms with this, have these folks live in various forms of shelters, with a workforce that can monitor/control/interact with them, and that workforce can't be paid $15 an hour..

How do we get there? No idea. Taxes or some privately funded way? Not sure. But of all the dumb things my taxes go to, id be OK if some of it went to sheltering these folks so our cities can get back to normal WHILE treating them with some dignity.

I've worked in juve centers and the like, and that last part is a big hurdle. We dont pay the staff nearly well enough to keep good talent, and instead they can only afford the lowest form of workers.

 

[BC_Wader]

I have no idea why they were closed to begin. Our cities are blighted with panhandling, begging, harassing passers by. Driving in downtown Louisville prompted me to post this.

Heck, privatize it. No one should be living on the streets. If they do it by choice, arrest them for vagrancy

We just don't know who is homeless by choice. Regardless, there's some level of being mentally unstable and wanting to do that whether it's by choice or not. It's a sad situation and one of those deals where there really isn't an easy fix for it.

I do know that the homeless has stepped up their panhandling game in recent years. Some aren't even homeless. They know which corners to work and they'll do it in teams and they'll make a lot of money doing it. Louisville had that one guy a few years back that was acting like he was semi-retarded to pull at those heart strings to get more money. Even had a wheelchair. I remember seeing him one time but gave no money but felt extremely sorry for him. When he got busted I was wanting someone to kick his ass.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

We just don't know who is homeless by choice. Regardless, there's some level of being mentally unstable and wanting to do that whether it's by choice or not. It's a sad situation and one of those deals where there really isn't an easy fix for it.

I do know that the homeless has stepped up their panhandling game in recent years. Some aren't even homeless. They know which corners to work and they'll do it in teams and they'll make a lot of money doing it. Louisville had that one guy a few years back that was acting like he was semi-retarded to pull at those heart strings to get more money. Even had a wheelchair. I remember seeing him one time but gave no money but felt extremely sorry for him. When he got busted I was wanting someone to kick his ass.

They have grown in numbers in northeast cities and have become extremely aggressive. One might think, not a huge deal on the surface.. but they are so bad they are ruining otherwise nice downtown areas that attract people and businesses. So for a city like Albany, you either have to put these folks someplace, or let your city continue to rot.

The interesting thing is that there's a neighboring city about 20 minutes away called Schenectady. That city and the mayor have done a fantactic job cleaning the city up, getting out the trash, developing etc. What was once a city no one wanted to go to, is now where a lot of the money is heading.. for living, busuinesses, bars and restaurants, small shops, etc. It's a tale of two cities, really.

 

[berniecarbo]

We just don't know who is homeless by choice. Regardless, there's some level of being mentally unstable and wanting to do that whether it's by choice or not. It's a sad situation and one of those deals where there really isn't an easy fix for it.

I do know that the homeless has stepped up their panhandling game in recent years. Some aren't even homeless. They know which corners to work and they'll do it in teams and they'll make a lot of money doing it. Louisville had that one guy a few years back that was acting like he was semi-retarded to pull at those heart strings to get more money. Even had a wheelchair. I remember seeing him one time but gave no money but felt extremely sorry for him. When he got busted I was wanting someone to kick his ass.

Many years ago, I had just got out of basic training and got a chance to go to town for the day. A beggar gave me a sob story and I gave him some cash. A cop came up to me and chewed me out. He said the guy was just going to go buy booze and get drunk. A couple of years ago, I was going into the post office and a guy came up to me and said he was a vet and had just done some work for a guy who stiffed him on pay. Hadn't eaten in two days. I thought about the cop having chewed me out years earlier, but I gave the guy a few bucks to get some food. You don't know what to do.

 

[Creed Bratton]

Many years ago, I had just got out of basic training and got a chance to go to town for the day. A beggar gave me a sob story and I gave him some cash. A cop came up to me and chewed me out. He said the guy was just going to go buy booze and get drunk. A couple of years ago, I was going into the post office and a guy came up to me and said he was a vet and had just done some work for a guy who stiffed him on pay. Hadn't eaten in two days. I thought about the cop having chewed me out years earlier, but I gave the guy a few bucks to get some food. You don't know what to do.

I remember my uncle telling me years ago that he saw a guy standing at an intersection holding a "will work for food" sign. My uncle stopped and told him he had some yard work that he needed done and would stop on the way to get him food for doing the yard work. The guy cursed him out and told him he didn't want to work he just wanted money or food. 🤣

 

[berniecarbo]

I remember my uncle telling me years ago that he saw a guy standing at an intersection holding a "will work for food" sign. My uncle stopped and told him he had some yard work that he needed done and would stop on the way to get him food for doing the yard work. The guy cursed him out and told him he didn't want to work he just wanted money or food. 🤣

Yeah, I see people begging and a half block away is a business with a now hiring sign.

 

[BC_Wader]

Many years ago, I had just got out of basic training and got a chance to go to town for the day. A beggar gave me a sob story and I gave him some cash. A cop came up to me and chewed me out. He said the guy was just going to go buy booze and get drunk. A couple of years ago, I was going into the post office and a guy came up to me and said he was a vet and had just done some work for a guy who stiffed him on pay. Hadn't eaten in two days. I thought about the cop having chewed me out years earlier, but I gave the guy a few bucks to get some food. You don't know what to do.

It's those claiming to be Vets that really gets to me. This Country doesn't do much for those folks as it is. Anyway, I'll usually throw those guys a few dollars. The way I see it is that my intentions are good. Once it leaves my hands then that's on them.

 

[CaptainBoogerBuns]

I remember my uncle telling me years ago that he saw a guy standing at an intersection holding a "will work for food" sign. My uncle stopped and told him he had some yard work that he needed done and would stop on the way to get him food for doing the yard work. The guy cursed him out and told him he didn't want to work he just wanted money or food. 🤣

Please tell me the guy was struck immediately by lightning.

 

[Creed Bratton]

It's those claiming to be Vets that really gets to me. This Country doesn't do much for those folks as it is. Anyway, I'll usually throw those guys a few dollars. The way I see it is that my intentions are good. Once it leaves my hands then that's on them.

I watched a news documentary show once on panhandlers and they talked with a guy who had a leg amputated due to an accident. He would wear military clothes while he was panhandling. They asked him if he had lost his leg while in the military and he said he had never even been in the military but people are more giving if they feel there was a loss of limb while defending your country.

 

[Creed Bratton]

Please tell me the guy was struck immediately by lightning.

My uncle just drove away after the guy cursed him out. He was a minister and one of the nicest guys you would ever meet. He had planned to not only buy his food but pay him for his work.

 

[ukcatz12]

Schenectady

Were Pat Riley grew up

 

[JumperJack]

This week it was revealed that the government has wasted billions and billions in just one agency.

There should be more than enough in savings from cutting all that to afford a decent nationwide system to get these people off the streets. I can’t imagine the demoralizing affect that dealing with it every day would be like if you lived in a big city. I’m talking about the obviously mentally ill.

Panhandlers are another issue. Addiction issues usually.

 

[BMoore2]

I have no idea why they were closed to begin. Our cities are blighted with panhandling, begging, harassing passers by. Driving in downtown Louisville prompted me to post this.

Heck, privatize it. No one should be living on the streets. If they do it by choice, arrest them for vagrancy

Reagan and the ACLU. They were both completely wrong about it and threw out the baby with the bath water.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Were Pat Riley grew up

Yep, local legend. Actually wasn't born here, but out more towards Syracuse. But yeah basically a schenectady boy.

Lot of technogical advancements here. GE and Edison, American Locomotive, first television station and all that. City was boom town in the 30s 40s and 50s.. and then GE moved out. And from there it kind of just fell to shit. Then about 20 years ago they started to really revamp the place, a few blocks at a time. There's still bad areas, but the city has done a good job (or unfortunate job, depending on your outlook) of sectioning off the bad areas to the point that you really don't need to see them, go through them, etc.

 

[WayneDougan]

Seattle and SF have spent billions on the homeless problem and it won’t go away.

Oh wait, nvm, they spent billions on social workers who were incentived to make it worse.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

I have no idea why they were closed to begin. Our cities are blighted with panhandling, begging, harassing passers by. Driving in downtown Louisville prompted me to post this.

Heck, privatize it. No one should be living on the streets. If they do it by choice, arrest them for vagrancy

Not to excuse horrific local leadership, but the feds own part of this. They sued Louisville over their handling of homeless. Of course the city consented to everything the admin wanted and now bums and crazies just get to do whatever.