You're Crazy, You Smell, You Must Be Homeless

[hopeful]

Originally Posted by Morningstar72

I was out stressing about finding a job after I was fired for no reason. I had been applying all day, when I decided to goto the in and out burger to inquire. I was broke. a guy asked me for some change, I asked if he was homeless, he said he was. I asked where he was sleeping and he said an abandoned building. I told him I had been in his shoes, and I wish I had a bit of change for him. he didn't seem to bothered about it, we struck up a conversation, and he said, you know, several blocks from here, there is this place hiring for """"". well, it just so happened to match my resume' brilliantly! best job lead I think I have gotten all year.but you know, he had said he wouldn't wish homelessness on anyone, because it was really hard. I have walked in those shoes, so I know it is definately hard! now, as soon as I get over this flu bug,(LOL) going down there and applying. I have learned it is best not to judge someone by their appearance, but by their character.

I really hope you get that job Morningstar....keep us informed!

[dragongirlhellfire]

Reading these forums has already educated me a heap more about homelessness. There was a homeless guy who always sat outside a Tescos in Edinburgh four years ago when i was there and i always gave him some money until once i saw him smoking. I'd had all this 'drug ed' stuff at school that said something about how much money people waste on cigarettes, and i figured that if he was going to spend his money on cigarettes it was his fault he was homeless. Now i know better (besides not buying cigarettes can hardly save up that much, surely?) and i feel really bad and i hope he got off the streets...
I wish my prejudice and ignorance hadn't stopped me from trying to help him.

[Serverian]

Interesting read. I actually had that mentality of homeless people being all smelly and ragged. Good thing I brought my school blazer, it's a little less homelessque.
Oh yeah and most of the time I go to like chemists and spray on deoderant. Works like a charm to hide the homelessness lol

[Chando]

Anyone who has ever worked a temporary job out of a labor agency would likely end up smelly,dirty and unkempt at the end of the "under-paid" day.Probably homeless as well since such jobs usually don't pay enough to buy a cheap room for a night.Probably just working people after a hard day maybe on their way back to their cardboard hovels.

[findingmyself]

The fact is that the majority of the public gets the image of a homeless person as the beggin strip, or nasty and unkept, and much like judging someone on a racail or faith based sense, its just wrong. Appericances are never what they seem...

[urchinnz]

Originally Posted by Emmerez

People who are homeless are not social inadequates. They are people without homes.


Stereotypes of whatever kind based on ignorance often lead to hatred and bigotry. Racial, religeous, social, political. But it is not always a bad thing. Stereotypes can help us understand people too, but only if we are properly informed.

In a nutshell! I nearly posted the first line on facebook .

[DrBoB]

While, schizophrenics frequently have faulty sense of smell and thus tend to run into hygiene issues. And, homeless folks can have hygiene issues due to logistics and privacy reasons. I agree that is is a really really broad jump to conclude that crazy smelly people are homeless.....

I foresee that this forum will become more and more popular in the USA....we are in the middle of a housing crisis and also in an economic mini-depression with 10 -12% unemployment rate. (during the Great Depression of the late 1930's the unemployment rate reached 25%) so, the evolution of homelessness is only going to get larger here.

I can only offer my sympathies to those who find themselves involuntarily homeless. Don't despair because things will improve ...just never seems to happen as fast as we want it to.

Aloha,

DrBoB

PS: if you know a schizophrenic that smells bad: tell them! because they aren't aware of it (they can't smell it) but tell them in as nice a way as you can. And only tell them if you can offer an immediate solution to their problem (a shower and laundry facilities) .

[possum]

i agree with your comments how do they know that these people are homeless just because they might smell doesnt mean they are homeless or just because they have a mental illness or act strange doesnt mean they are homeless you dont have to be homeless to have a mental illness and some people with homes have been known to smell at one time or another i think the old saying of dont judge a book by its cover is relevent at this time thanks possum

[Garlic Breath]

I've run into a ton of homeless ppl who were clean cut, and I was clean cut when I was homeless. Also, I know a guy with a Stanford PhD who's not homeless and I don't think he bathes, EVER. Changes his clothes maybe once every 6 months. Yeah, he's funky. Brilliant guy.