Why so

eternal

I have noticed on my short time here ,that there is a very sad attitude towards homeless people on this forum.
Its very small minded and a bit uppity to look down on people who have come on hard times.I know some people who became homeless due to their addictions and what not.These are real people.They dont deserve to be laughed at ,talked down to.
I dont see anything funny about laughing at someone who has to lie in the freezing cold streets begging for money to eat. No one knows what the future holds .When your comfort might come crashing round your ankles .I have always noticed its the people who get pleasure from laughing at others misfortunes ,will someday have misfortune themselves.

Professey Chin

Serious?

KeithM89_old

To be fair, theyll probably never get a chance to read it...

Revolution9

This is After Hours. Our primary function is to laugh at those less fortunate.

gigawatt

while i agree with the OP AH isnt the place for this!

Ardennes1944

Revolution9 wrote: »

This is After Hours. Our primary function is to laugh at those less fortunate.

And how!

hondasam

I'm laughing at you OP, are you homeless

Saila

eternal wrote:

I believe in karma

fyp

eternal

hondasam wrote: »

I'm laughing at you OP, are you homeless

Youre a really nice person arent you

hondasam

eternal wrote: »

Youre a really nice person arent you

I think so and that's all that matters to me

prinz

eternal wrote: »

I know some people who became homeless due to their addictions and what not.These are real people.They dont deserve to be laughed at ,talked down to..

It's not 'misfortune' to become homeless because of an addiction. That's consequence of your own actions.

Revolution9

hondasam wrote: »

I think so and that's all that matters to me

That and not being homeless.

Revolution9

Seriously though OP, you should know better than to express moral outrage at the After Hours community. No matter what the issue, you will not find much sympathy here.

Homelessness is an awful thing, and especially during these hard times I'm sure more people find themselves on the streets through no great fault of their own.

hondasam

Revolution9 wrote: »

That and not being homeless.

I will never be homeless

Ruu_Old

Some of them make more money than I do! Give the actual down and outs a bad name! :mad:

Saila

hondasam wrote: »

I will never be homeless

ah you'll just build another treehouse wont you

Eric Cartman

i dont mind irish homeless people who have truley fallen on hard times, but if your sitting next to an atm machine, asking for money for a 'hostel' or 'bus fare' or waiting outside a nightclub / pub smoking area or look like your on junk thn no - I have no time for you , if you ask for a bit of food or a cup of tea I have no bother, money not so much

hondasam

Saila wrote: »

ah you'll just build another treehouse wont you

I might not build it myself but I know someone who will

benjamin d

I wouldn't say I get pleasure from seeing homeless people, but i have absolutely no sympathy for the majority of them, certainly any Irish homeless people. Between work and college I do 70 hours+ a week, living off about €100 a week if I'm lucky. Every Irish person is entitled to dole money, rent allowance and whatever else, which works out at WAY more than that.

If you're too much of a fcuk-up to stay sober for the hour it takes to go to social welfare and sort yourself out with money, or if you manage to spend all your money on drink and/or drugs and not leave any for rent or a hostel for the night or food, yet still be able to buy said drink/drugs as well as cigarettes (every homeless person I see smokes - at €8.50 a pack!:eek:) well to be honest, maybe you fail at life badly enough that you deserve to be on the streets.

Ardennes1944

hondasam wrote: »

I will never be homeless

Just sleep in your car yeah?:pac:

hondasam

Deutschlandfürimmer7 wrote: »

Just sleep in your car yeah?:pac:

If that happens the OP can laugh at me :pac:

Ardennes1944

hondasam wrote: »

If that happens the OP can laugh at me :pac:

If you can afford to be a constant subscriber to boards...you won't be homeless!

eternal

benjamin d wrote: »

I wouldn't say I get pleasure from seeing homeless people, but i have absolutely no sympathy for the majority of them, certainly any Irish homeless people. Between work and college I do 70 hours+ a week, living off about €100 a week if I'm lucky. Every Irish person is entitled to dole money, rent allowance and whatever else, which works out at WAY more than that.

If you're too much of a fcuk-up to stay sober for the hour it takes to go to social welfare and sort yourself out with money, or if you manage to spend all your money on drink and/or drugs and not leave any for rent or a hostel for the night or food, yet still be able to buy said drink/drugs as well as cigarettes (every homeless person I see smokes - at €8.50 a pack!:eek:) well to be honest, maybe you fail at life badly enough that you deserve to be on the streets.

You are right in everything you say .But would a landlord give a flat to these people .I dont think so.

hondasam

Deutschlandfürimmer7 wrote: »

If you can afford to be a constant subscriber to boards...you won't be homeless!

True but It will hardly break the bank

s3129

prinz wrote: »

It's not 'misfortune' to become homeless because of an addiction. That's consequence of your own actions.

While I agree that everyone makes decisions and has to live with the consequences, there is a point where the addiction turns into a disease if you will, and by the time a person is homeless there is nothing they can do to turn the addiction around. Its sad really.

God I'd hate to be homeless. Just listening to the rain outside there afew minutes ago (even though it was sunny today, nice one Ireland) I'm really grateful for my bed....

How does anyone end up longterm homeless anyway? If you put me on the street, I guarantee I'd have saved enough money to find an address so I can claim dole in 3 months.

prinz

prinz wrote: »

It's not 'misfortune' to become homeless because of an addiction. That's consequence of your own actions.

Yeah I wanted to say this as well

enda1

For every 20 "homeless" people there is one genuinely homeless person I think.

Ireland's welfare state and countless charities make sure that there are opportunities for everyone who wants one.

Those who give money to beggars make me seriously depressed that they can fall for such an obvious scam. It seems they are trying to purchase peace of mind, such a selfish act ultimately.

RichieC

Heard about this homeless guy, used to pull up to the ha penny bridge in a Ferrari and sit there all day in a suit and top hat with fking monocle on scabbing money off folks as they walked by, then, jumped back into his Ferrari drove to the airport and flew his private jet back to Florida... every day this fking guy was at it.

It makes me sick.

sbsquarepants

eternal wrote: »

You are right in everything you say .But would a landlord give a flat to these people .I dont think so.

Of course they would. Lets face it, they'd probably still be better tenants than students:D

fakearms123

Why give homeless people money when they're just going to spend it on drink... sure isn't that what I was going to do with it :pac:

colinod0806

fakearms123 wrote: »

Why give homeless people money when they're just going to spend it on drink... sure isn't that what I was going to do with it :pac:

Exactly why should i share my money with them so we can both drink cans of strongbow when i could just keep it all and drink cans of bulmers :pac:

sbsquarepants

prinz wrote: »

It's not 'misfortune' to become homeless because of an addiction. That's consequence of your own actions.

This is also the problem i have with homeless people. Practically nobody in Ireland becomes homeless through no fault of their own, save maybe a handfull of mentally ill people for example. The vast majority are on the streets due to addiction - and despite any amount of politically correct bullshít telling you the contrary, addiction is NOT a disease or an illness. You can't sit beside a junkie on the bus and catch his addiction - it is a lifestyle, no more and no less. Granted it can be a massive struggle to kick should you find yourself in its grip, but ultimately it is your own fault, you are not a victim - you are an idiot.

prinz

s3129 wrote: »

While I agree that everyone makes decisions and has to live with the consequences, there is a point where the addiction turns into a disease if you will, and by the time a person is homeless there is nothing they can do to turn the addiction around. Its sad really....

There are many reasons someone could wind up being homeless. Caused by you own idiocy through addiction is at the back of the queue for me when it comes to the sympathy line.

Studies have also shown that drug use is a symptom of homelessness and not the other way round. Also, the vast majority of officially homeless people actually do have places to call "home" and are not sleeping rough.

sensibleken

prinz wrote: »

There are many reasons someone could wind up being homeless. Caused by you own idiocy through addiction is at the back of the queue for me when it comes to the sympathy line.

Studies have also shown that drug use is a symptom of homelessness and not the other way round. Also, the vast majority of officially homeless people actually do have places to call "home" and are not sleeping rough.

prinz there are also many reasons why people can become addicts, be it heroin addiction, or alcoholism. It is not necessarily because they are 'idiots'.

prinz

sensibleken wrote: »

prinz there are also many reasons why people can become addicts, be it heroin addiction, or alcoholism. It is not necessarily because they are 'idiots'.

Whoopsie. Don't believe I have used the term 'idiots' on this thread ken.

Newaglish

Why is it that during the day I see homeless people all over the place, but at night-time I would rarely see any actually sleeping rough?

I figure the majority of them have a place to stay, mostly in hostels and some just aren't homeless at all.

prinz

Newaglish wrote: »

Why is it that during the day I see homeless people all over the place, but at night-time I would rarely see any actually sleeping rough? I figure the majority of them have a place to stay, mostly in hostels and some just aren't homeless at all.

Your figuring matches the fact. A small fraction of the overall "homeless" figure are in effect homeless 24 hours a day. With that in mind there really is not much excuse for people to remain that way long-term in this country.

sensibleken

prinz wrote: »

Whoopsie. Don't believe I have used the term 'idiots' on this thread ken.

prinz wrote: »

There are many reasons someone could wind up being homeless. Caused by you own idiocy through addiction is at the back of the queue for me when it comes to the sympathy line.

Studies have also shown that drug use is a symptom of homelessness and not the other way round. Also, the vast majority of officially homeless people actually do have places to call "home" and are not sleeping rough.

here

prinz

sensibleken wrote: »

here

Ah yeah just saw that. Mea culpa. Still I'll stand over that. Like I said a small number of homeless people indicate addiction as a factor in their becoming homeless to begin with. Anyone who goes down the drinking and drugging route so far that they lose their home because of it IMO has only got themselves to blame.

mconigol

Why don't you see homeless people in the countryside? Must be a townie thing...

sensibleken

prinz wrote: »

Ah yeah just saw that. Mea culpa. Still I'll stand over that. Like I said a small number of homeless people indicate addiction as a factor in their becoming homeless to begin with. Anyone who goes down the drinking and drugging route so far that they lose their home because of it IMO has only got themselves to blame.

fair enough. I hope you never have to deal with it because a member of family or close friend has ended up in that situation. you may see that its not so black and white. drinking and drugging is not always done because people like to have a good time

RedXIV

I used to feel sorry for homeless people until i did some research into it. Do people realise the huge amount of supports out there for homeless people? Seriously, if someone doesn't want to be homeless its not hard to get out of it, all you need is a bit of willpower and some work.

As such, I've NO respect for anyone who is homeless, you're there on your own choices and for anyone that brings a child into that life, you're the worst kind of scum on the planet

Gunsfortoys

I wouldn't look for any sympathy here OP as you can tell by the answers given.

Some people aren't homeless by choice, they are brought into it or have been living on the streets from an early age.

Yes there are supports available, but still not enough to cope with the addictions some of these people have and it isn't like they are being offered homes to go to.

Son Of A Vidic

Edgeware, North London - A homeless man was a regular in and around the Northern Line Tube station. He lost his family in a car accident and the poor guy lost the plot and lost everything over the next 2 - 3 years. He used to work in a London hospital I worked in at the time. He used to be a well respected Doctor, so some people shouldn't point fingers, denigrate and pass sentence on homeless people. You know nothing of their past or their circumstance, it is only through luck perhaps that we ourselves are not homeless.

Dudess

Never heard "Ah but it's their own doing" type pontificating about homelessness til Boards - always only ever heard people saying it was awfully sad.
And so what if it's their own doing? Can't see why that makes them undeserving of sympathy - plenty of people **** up royally in life and DON'T wind up homeless. The coldness of some people here is baffling...

conorhal

prinz wrote: »

There are many reasons someone could wind up being homeless. Caused by you own idiocy through addiction is at the back of the queue for me when it comes to the sympathy line.

Studies have also shown that drug use is a symptom of homelessness and not the other way round. Also, the vast majority of officially homeless people actually do have places to call "home" and are not sleeping rough.

Most people that are homeless have a place to sleep that I would hardly call a home.
Most live a twilight existence spending their days on the streets until they are allowed back into a B&B, or (mostly the men) a shelter or hostel opens that evening, to which they have no gaurentee of access.
Many of the hostels are 'dry hostel's' and so the hopless alcoholics often choose the streets (few of them make it out of their 40's), others prefer the streets from time to time because they can't face the theft of what little they have or violence they can be subjected to in the shelters. Would you call a place where you roll up your notes and stick them up your ass to avoid getting robbed a home?

I'm not surprised that so many homeless never conquer addiction, if that was my existence, I'd want to be permenantly off my tits too, just to cope with the crushing tedium, insecurity and hoplessness of my reality.

I don't think people understand how close to homeless many people are, there are no shortage of men that have lost a job, then a wife and with her their home, only to end up drinking their misery away in some bedsit until eviction puts them on the street.
There's no shortage of teens that start out spending a night or two on the street rather then face the hell of their home life and end up prefering that 'lifestyle choice' to one that includes a roof over their head with a violent or addict parent.
I'm not saying these are necessarilly easy people to help, the first may have puked on your shoes and second tried to rob you at some point. Many become (or start out) far too dammaged to ever recover. But don't we have a duty of care to help? Have you never asked youself how many misssed house repayments or rent due dates would I have to miss, how many real friends do I have that I would not be to embarrassed to ask for help and how far from homeless am I really?
If you want to give money in an effective way that helps people:

http://www.focusireland.ie/

Sinfonia

Dudess wrote: »

Never heard "Ah but it's their own doing" type pontificating about homelessness til Boards - always only ever heard people saying it was awfully sad.
And so what if it's their own doing? Can't see why that makes them undeserving of sympathy - plenty of people **** up royally in life and DON'T wind up homeless. The coldness of some people here is baffling...

Yes, but if we don't convince ourselves that it's all their fault, we might actually have to care about it.