A Progressive Solution To Homelessness

I have, in two threads, stated my idea for what to do about
homelessness, but since the idea does'nt always get alot of
coverage just being a post, I thought I'd start a thread about it.


The idea is this.
Large work camps, each being able to comfortably house 2,000
"labourers" and the required staff, those being counselors/social workers, cooks/nutrionists, doctors/specialists and the small amount of
security personel required.

The labourers of course would be the homeless people.

The person would have there own room, be fed three healthy
meals a day, and recieve any medical treatment or psychological
counseling they may require.

Now, the people who required no treatment would work doing
things varying from farming to factory line production to
textile work.

The individuals would spend six hours each day working, and four
hours obtaining the required education and training for the field of
work they are interested in going into.

The individuals would receive pay for there work, they would get
half to spend, since there would be a store for them to go to,
and the other half will be kept in a savings account for them.
A 100 dollars would also be put into each account by the
government on a bimonthly basis.

Once the indidual has the right education and training, they will go
to job interviews.

Once they have obtained a job, and have gotten there own housing set up, the money that was being saved for them will be transfered to there own account, and they will than become a productive member of society.



Now, initially I came up with this idea just to solve the homeless problem, but I realised it could also solve the illegal immigrant problem, that is the homeless people could do the jos the illegal immigrants are doing.



So, what do you all think?

So no one has an opinion on this?

No one feels like arguing wiht me against it,
or saying it's a good idea?

I spent a year and a half working for a men's homeless shelter in New Orleans. We had programs like the ones you mention. Many were helped, even if only temporarily and some who were motivated used our services to gain a foothold in the community and move on to bigger and better things.

When an individual gained employment, he could stay in the shelter as long as he gave a hefty percentage of his income to the shelter for safekeeping. The exact figure escapes me now. When the man was ready to go out on his own, the shelter returned his money and helped him with food and other supplies to ease his transition.

The trouble is that drug abuse and mental illness are so prevalent in the homeless community that these kinds of measures are stopgap, at best. A large percentage of the homeless population are living as they choose, from fix to fix and bouncing from one shelter to the next. For many it's the only way to live. That may be hard for some to believe, but all one has to do is spend some time working with this population to learn the truth. Most shelters are always looking for volunteer workers.


[edit on 2006/8/4 by GradyPhilpott]

It's a great idea, and I think you have a very big heart for posting it.
But as GradyPhilpott mentioned, it just doesn't work that way. For some it does, and that's why the programs keep going.
But sadly, for the majority of homeless people, it's just like Grady explained it.

posted by iori_komei

I have stated my idea for what to do about homelessness . . the idea is this. Large work camps, each being able to comfortably house 2,000 "laborers" . . [Edited by Don W]

During WW2, the Army built 2 story 42 man wooden barracks labeled “T” for temporary although they lasted until Hurricane Camille hit Keesler AFB at Biloxi. About 50 of that type would hold the 2,000 people mentioned. Small mess halls to feed about 500 men were in place at KAFB. A large combo gym, and assembly building was nearby. Other small buildings for office, supply and recreation and study sites around the area. Perhaps 10 of those. Totals, about $20 million at today’s prices, per facility.

The laborers of course would be the homeless people . . the people who required no treatment would work doing things varying from farming to factory line production to textile work.The individuals would spend six hours each day working,
A 100 dollars would also be put into each account by the government on a bimonthly basis.

“Bimonthly.” once every two months or two times a month? This sounds like a place not many homeless people are likely to attend on a voluntary basis.

Once they have obtained a job, and have gotten there own housing set up, the money that was being saved for them will be transferred to there own account, and they will than become a productive member of society. Now, initially I came up with this idea just to solve the homeless problem, but I realized it could also solve the illegal immigrant problem, that is the homeless people could do the jobs the illegal immigrants are doing. So, what do you all think?

It is not my idea, but anything is better than the nothing we do now. Just as we let the undocumented people come into the US for 50 years, until now the number is so large we cannot ignore it any longer. The homeless problem has grown slowly as our society is both broken and dysfunctional. Now the problem is so large it cannot be easily dealt with.

Posted by GradyPhilpott: I spent a year and a half working for a men's homeless shelter in New Orleans. The trouble is that drug abuse and mental illness are so prevalent in the homeless community that these kinds of measures are stopgap, at best.

A large percentage of the homeless population are living as they choose, from fix to fix and bouncing from one shelter to the next. For many it's the only way to live. That may be hard for some to believe, but all one has to do is spend some time working with this population to learn the truth. Most shelters are always looking for volunteer workers.

Whenever I read an topic like this, one thought comes to mind. "You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink" and that is the problem here most of the homeless or even those on welfare do not want to do and that is work. They want everthing handed to them on a plater and while the suggestion is a good one, it will never work for just that reason.

Not to start a ruckus here, but has it ever occured to you that homelessness might not be a problem that needs to be solved? From my perspective, the homeless are the true heros of the world. At least some of them are. They're the ones that are NOT supporting this destructive way of life. They're back to living in nature.

The only arguement that i can propose to my own theory is that they all seem to live in the city, not the country, where they can still feed off the land, however they obtain it.

Forcing them to go to certain places is just morally wrong and oppressive.

I walked away from this current life im living for a while...hell, i wasn't even counted in the last census (2000?99?). Never was i more liberated. Yeah, a lot of the reasoning behind it was i didn't want to work. And if i didnt want to, then why should i have to, after all, its the land of the free (which i still say is false advertisement). But i have never felt so liberated in my life being out there and living without concern for tomorrow. So much so that I know own 8 acres of land in the middle of nowhere, and I'm free to go there at any time i choose. And having that choice makes it easier to deal with working, because i know i can leave at anytime i want and never have to go back to supporting a system that i see failing everyone around me.

but seriously, work camps? Sounds like prisoners to me, either that or that I've slipped into nazi germany.

“Bimonthly.” once every two months or two times a month? This sounds like a place not many homeless people are likely to attend on a voluntary basis.

I meant two times each month, so $200USD each month.
I honeslty think that enough would voluntarily go to them, t
hat nationwide two or three could be filled to maximum capacity.
Primaril families who've for whatever reason become homeless,
people who've fallen down on there luck and want a fresh start and veterans.

Whenever I read an topic like this, one thought comes to mind. "You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink" and that is the problem here most of the homeless or even those on welfare do not want to do and that is work. They want everthing handed to them on a plater and while the suggestion is a good one, it will never work for just that reason.

In the current system your right, and it is just as Grady and the
others above have stated. This leads me to think it's high time
we reformed the system.

Forcing them to go to certain places is just morally wrong and oppressive.

If it's giving them a better life, and a chance to be someone and
make something of there life, I don't think it is.

but seriously, work camps? Sounds like prisoners to me, either that or that I've slipped into nazi germany.

Yes, that is the main thing I figured people would think with this.
There is however a big diffeerence between the NAZI work/death camps,
and homeless rehabilitation facilities.



I do realise that the way things are, that this would'nt solve the problem.
Hence why things would need to be changed.

I think that if people want to live with nature, than they should go into nature, since cities are not nature, I doubt very many are living that way.
I think, that to solve this, we would have to suspend the rights of homeless people to a point, that being forcing them to go to the facilities.
And I know that sounds so horrible, but it really is a sensible solution.
And just so no one thinks I'm a fascist whow ants peoples rights taken away,
I'll say this; I believe in rights annd freedom whole heartedly, in fact I'd be willing to die to protect my rights.


Thank you all for the constructive criticism, comments, opinions and points of view.

I'm interested inw hat others think as well, and of course responses to this post by the above posters.

as someone said earlyer "you can lead a horse to water but can't make him drink". a few years ago a condo corp. held a "job lottery" for the homeless. they gave a job as a superintendant. the responsibility was mainly cleaning and light work. he was given a nice appartment fully furnished as well as money. well within a couple weeks he didn't seem to be doing anything, so they went into the appartment. they found a note saying he just couldn't hack the lifestyle of working and he had left.

in fact many of the homeless actualy make good money pan handleing and just spend the money on drugs. i personaly know one such person, he has done some work for a friend of mine. he admitts that he can make a couple hundred a day pan handleing and he spends most of it on crack. he has even refused to work for my friend who pays $100/day as he makes more begging. he even refuses to bath as it hurts his pan handleing. he won't get a real job as he wouldn't make enough for his crack. this is what one has to think about when dealing with the homeless. they make too much money being homeless to get a job where they aren't even paid enough to live half decently, forget about paying for their habbits.

we had one homeless guy who died on a new years eve. there was a big hue and cry about how he should have been given food and a place to stay, then it was announced that this man had enough money on his person to pay for a lavish appartment for a year plus a good sized bank account.

many homeless are homeless because they CHOSE the life after being stressed out at home or at their old jobs. others say why work when you can make more money begging. there ARE those who want real help but the systom has HUGE crackes in it. the "safty net" has huge gaps that many of these people fall through. i personaly know about that as i was injured and unable to work. wellfare doesn't even give you enough to rent a real crappy place like a ten by ten room, forget about things like food. if it wasn't for haveing parrents i would have been on the street. and once on the street there is little chance of getting a job as they want an adress and phone, if you don't have these you can pretty much forgett about getting a job.

on top of these things many companies have signs saying " if you use drugs don't even bother to apply". now many people end up on drugs because they feel like there is no help and the drugs make them forget how bad off they are. this leads to a bitter circle as because of pollicies like this the can't get work even if they want to. so they end up destroying themselve through more drug and alcohal abuse.

I'm thinking along the same lines as a few here. Do the homeless really want to work? Are they capable of working or are they suffering from mental illness, drug dependency and/or other problems. There's probably a reason they became homeless in the first place and that may be why they lost their job and home or don't have a job. I can imagine many of these people would have no interest in going to a work camp. They just want a free hand out to get whatever they think they need for the day in my opinion. The homeless are probably a mixed bag of people in my opinion. I do believe it is good to try to help them.

I know of people who are currently in jobs or the education system but keep hearing about how they just want to be a bum and sponge off of someone else. In fact I would like it if I didn't have to work either but keep doing it to support the way of life I enjoy.

So, in essence, a large number would have to be forced to do this.

In this case, I really am not opposed to forcing them to work and go to rehabilitation facilities. Even if it does take away there rights.

So, what do you all think?

Some bums like being bums and do not want to change their ways, a lot of which are mentally ill.

It's a novel idea but who are you to force someone into something they don't wish to do even if it's for what you consider to be in the best intrest.


Each bum has a different story.

Some are homeless because they can't do any better, some prefer this way of life.

Now to have it so there was a place so if they were down on their luck and wanted to change their lives, a place like that would be cool, but if you were meaning just roundin' them up and sticking them there... not cool.

Plus if you stuck them all in camps who would be on the street with amusing signs for me to gawk at?

It would be nice if the homeless who wanted to help themselves could easily get an address and phone number thanks to charities so that they could have a better chance at getting a job. Perhaps if the charities could even help them interview for the job of their choice and provide a clean change of clothes. It would be nice if there was a fast track at getting a home and job back for those homeless people who want that.

The other people might need stronger encouragement. I rarely see any homeless people where I live at. Either charities are doing a better job or the homeless aren't making very much money by panhandling. I remember seeing a sign that read "will work for food." I believe he was trying to improve his situation.

Someone keeps beating my posts of what I'm thinking about.

[edit on 5-8-2006 by orionthehunter]

Well..... in America it's about 500,000 people who are homeless.... 1/3 by choice, 50% by drug and alcohol abuse, the rest will recover on their own.

I've seen some very inflated numbers but these seem about right. It's kind of like the numbers of those without health insurance.... way overblown mostly because they include teens and young adults who think they'll live forever, or who haven't yet procured insurance through work, etc.

I recall one sign: "Will Trade Sex For Food."

[edit on 5-8-2006 by zappafan1]

I'm just thinking about this a little bit. Forcing everyone to work sounds a bit like a communist system. Everyone has to support the society. Am I right or does communism allow people to be bums and get handouts? I believe most of us have all been programmed that communism is a bad thing. Of course this would assume that the government or someone had jobs available for everyone.


Amazing, now I read in the post above me what I was thinking about in the signature.

[edit on 5-8-2006 by orionthehunter]

Um, just ignore my last post, I'm, let's say not in my full mental state right now, I think inebriated is the word, well whatever the word is, just ignore my last post.

When I read this concept of having "work camps for the homeless", I was immediately reminded of the German Concentration camps during WWII and the catch phrase, "Arbeit Macht Frei". "Work will make you Free".

I believe that most homeless people fall into three categories; the mentally ill, drug addicts and, finally, people who, because of some family crisis (job loss, financial failure or personal catastrophe), find themselves homeless.

The mentally ill should not be in a "work camp". These people need treatment not to be shuffled around and placed in camps where they would be forced to work. The same, essentially, goes for those who are drug dependent. Drug addicts, however, need treatment and education. Perhaps, instead of work camps, drug addicts could be sent to treatment centers where they also learn a trade or continue their, often interrupted, educations.

As for healthy people who, for whatever reason, have lost their homes, this might be a good idea. However, work camps might not, necessarily, be the best avenue. Again, re-education or simply continuing their education might be the best course to take. To paraphrase an old saying; "make a person work and he will work for that day, teach a person to work and he will work forever".

posted by zappafan1

“ . . it's about 500,000 people who are homeless . . 1/3 by choice, 50% by drug and alcohol abuse, the rest will recover on their own. [Edited by Don W]

Gosh, ZF1, that’s about right for Florida, but how many do you think are homeless nationwide?

I’m thinking more like 2 million. I can’t accept your three categories either. Do you think mental illness or just being poor contributes to homelessness? Are you suggesting being poor drives one to drink? Surely not Chavis Regal, though. Or Makers Mark for you America first types. What about long term unemployment? Or horrendous medical bills. Oops, those would only hit teenagers. Discount that.

I’d add another 1 million to cover those people who pass into and out of homelessness. That’s my impression. Between 2 and 3 million at any given moment. The number of homeless is equal the population of Chicago or Houston, by my reckoning. About Tucson or Albuquerque by your estimation, ZF1.



[edit on 8/5/2006 by donwhite]

[link]http://action.web.ca/home/housing/resources.shtml?x=67219

Lots of good info here as to the numbers, and the differences in what it actually means to be "homeless."

Fire the illegals, and get these homeless people working.........

I'd rather trade the hardworking illegals looking for opportunity for the lazy, good-for-nothing whiners, one for one.

[edit on 2006/8/6 by GradyPhilpott]