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Would you contribute €2 per week to solve homelessness?

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  • 16-11-2017 12:45pm
    #1
    djPSB
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,299 ✭✭✭


    Hypothetical situation.

    Supposing the solution to the homelessness crisis was that every citizen in the country would contribute €2 per week. So hypothetically everyone would have to contribute, those on social welfare, students, low earners, high earners etc. Everyone.

    And say, again hypothetically, the money was guaranteed to solve homelessness in Ireland, would you be happy to pay €2 per week?

    Don't want to get into the 'Government would just waste the money debate'. Let's just assume for once the money was used resourcefully and solved the problem.

    So essentially, your €2 will be used to give homeless people free shelter and food and ultimately a path to recovery.

    Would you contribute €2 per week to solve homelessness? 150 votes

    Yes
    0% 0 votes
    No
    100% 150 votes


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Comments

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    #2
    Walter Bishop
    Registered Users Posts: 557 ✭✭✭Walter Bishop


    Yes.


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    #3
    Cee-Jay-Cee
    Registered Users Posts: 12,235 ✭✭✭✭Cee-Jay-Cee


    Yes absolutely.


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    #4
    sbsquarepants
    Registered Users Posts: 11,812 ✭✭✭✭sbsquarepants


    Nah, fúck them.
    That's 2 more cans of prazsky stockpiled before the armageddon of minimum pricing hits.


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    #5
    Dravokivich
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 22,360 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dravokivich


    Sounds like tax. When we pay more tax, government always needs more money.


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    #6
    Dr Crayfish
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,960 ✭✭✭Dr Crayfish


    No. We can't just build a house for everyone who's on the street. They are not all there because society failed them. Better facilities for the homeless are required. I'm sick hearing politicians on opposing sides going on about building homes for the homeless. I'm sick of the line "People are dying on the streets". Everyone dies whether homeless or not. Why do some people have to work and get mortgages and some people don't?


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    #7
    SEPT 23 1989
    Registered Users Posts: 43,028 ✭✭✭✭SEPT 23 1989


    For just €2 a week you can adopt a homeless person


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    #8
    Shurimgreat
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,133 ✭✭✭Shurimgreat


    Yes. Through my taxes. And only as part of an overall plan to solve homelessness.

    My fear what is happening to Dublin today is what happened to San Francisco. Gentrification caused by a tech and jobs boom. Thousands of new workers moving to the city allied with a limited housing stock.


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    #9
    amcalester
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,121 ✭✭✭amcalester


    So all I have to do is pay an extra €2 a week and then I can present as homeless and voila, I now have a house?

    Yeah, definitely. Cheaper than a mortgage/rent.


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    #10
    Red_Wake
    Registered Users Posts: 1,571 ✭✭✭Red_Wake


    No, it would only incentivise people to be classified as homeless.

    See; Erica Fleming.


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    #11
    munchkin_utd
    Registered Users Posts: 7,860 ✭✭✭munchkin_utd


    Ireland has bigger problems than homelessness.... like affordable homes for working people and students and others who wouldnt refuse a house given to them by the council just because the wrong bus passes their door.


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    #12
    mariaalice
    Registered Users Posts: 12,412 ✭✭✭✭mariaalice


    Yes if it was a simply as proving a house/property, bu its not.


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    #13
    c_man
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,436 ✭✭✭c_man


    Would the homeless have to pay the E2 also?


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    #14
    valoren
    Registered Users Posts: 5,462 ✭✭✭valoren


    Homeless implies Home. It ought to be regarded as Shelterless. The people who are out on the streets, sleeping rough.
    If the 2 euro was given then it would contribute to alleviating that problem. It would give people the safety of shelter. To then go through the process of getting back on their feet knowing they at a minimum have shelter, a basic human need.

    But being ireland, the 2 euro would need to be committed to up front, with no practical, coherent plan of action to combat it, with no managed budget with those responsible being accountable for managing this 'Shelterless Fund'. So another tax basically.


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    #15
    Beta Ray Bill
    Registered Users Posts: 3,585 ✭✭✭Beta Ray Bill


    I keep hearing about "The Homeless" problem

    In my eyes the only people that can help the homeless are themselves.

    There are 3 kinds of homeless people
    1: Young women in their 20's with kids and the father "isn't around"
    2: People with serious drink/drug problems
    3: People who have genuinely lost everything through a series of bad events <= These are the vast minority

    There is no helping 1 and 2, and they are the vast majority.

    I saw on RTE news earlier in the week some woman living in a hotel for the last few years with 4 kids, the youngest of which was only a couple of months old, finally got a house off the council.

    WTF was she doing having another kid when she already had 3 and was living in the hotel?
    Her eldest child (7 or 8 years old maybe) had to be put up in a separate room because for insurance reasons the hotel can't have more than 4 people in a room.

    No sign of the Dad (Dad's)

    I know a Homeless guy in Raheny, He lives in St Annes park. His family don't want anything to do with him as he a terrible alcoholic.
    He needs to sort himself out before anything can be done to sort him out with accommodation.

    There is a reason as to why people are homeless, and generally the reason is because they have serious antisocial/substance abuse/addiction issues.
    No amount of money will be able to help them.
    There's no helping someone that won't help themselves.

    I know the above is harsh, but it's very true.


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    #16
    Odhinn
    Registered Users Posts: 8,071 ✭✭✭Odhinn


    djPSB wrote: »
    Hypothetical situation.

    Supposing the solution to the homelessness crisis was that every citizen in the country would contribute €2 per week. So hypothetically everyone would have to contribute, those on social welfare, students, low earners, high earners etc. Everyone.

    And say, again hypothetically, the money was guaranteed to solve homelessness in Ireland, would you be happy to pay €2 per week?

    Don't want to get into the 'Government would just waste the money debate'. Let's just assume for once the money was used resourcefully and solved the problem.

    So essentially, your €2 will be used to give homeless people free shelter and food and ultimately a path to recovery.

    Yep.


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    #17
    corner of hells
    Registered Users Posts: 8,365 ✭✭✭corner of hells


    grahambo wrote: »
    I keep hearing about "The Homeless" problem

    In my eyes the only people that can help the homeless are themselves.

    There are 3 kinds of homeless people
    1: Young women in their 20's with kids and the father "isn't around"
    2: People with serious drink/drug problems
    3: People who have genuinely lost everything through a series of bad events <= These are the vast minority

    There is no helping 1 and 2, and they are the vast majority.

    I saw on RTE news earlier in the week some woman living in a hotel for the last few years with 4 kids, the youngest of which was only a couple of months old, finally got a house off the council.

    WTF was she doing having another kid when she already had 3 and was living in the hotel?
    Her eldest child (7 or 8 years old maybe) had to be put up in a separate room because for insurance reasons the hotel can't have more than 4 people in a room.

    No sign of the Dad (Dad's)

    I know a Homeless guy in Raheny, He lives in St Annes park. His family don't want anything to do with him as he a terrible alcoholic.
    He needs to sort himself out before anything can be done to sort him out with accommodation.

    There is a reason as to why people are homeless, and generally the reason is because they have serious antisocial/substance abuse/addiction issues.
    No amount of money will be able to help them.
    There's no helping someone that won't help themselves.

    I know the above is harsh, but it's very true.

    I work in a hostel , no it's not very true.
    Their reasons for homelessness vary from economic right up to chronic mental ill health and everything in between.


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    #18
    HONKEY TONK
    Closed Accounts Posts: 779 ✭✭✭HONKEY TONK


    I would donate €2 a week but........

    It depends who im donating too. This is Ireland and it seems there are load of Groups and Charities and the Government, but none of them work together.

    If you donate €2 to charity, How much of that is actually used to help that homeless person.

    If im taxed €2 with the guise of helping the homeless, I could just be paying for a bonus of some TD.

    If I hand €2 to a homeless person. I know they got 100% of my donation.


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    #19
    Agricola
    Registered Users Posts: 6,547 ✭✭✭Agricola


    In a purely hypothetical situation where I was absolutely certain (as night follows day) that my contribution along with everyone elses would solve the issue, yes, I'd be happy to.

    In reality, another levy imposed by government where they collect the money first and THEN think about how to administer it, or probably use it as a slushfund for some other completely unrelated area.............. not a hope.


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    #20
    Beta Ray Bill
    Registered Users Posts: 3,585 ✭✭✭Beta Ray Bill


    corner of hells wrote: »
    I work in a hostel , no it's not very true.
    Their reasons for homelessness vary from economic right up to chronic mental ill health and everything in between.

    I'd imagine you've seen and heard many stories about homelessness.

    Realistically speaking though, if I had a family member or friend in serious need of somewhere to stay, I'd put them up until the got back on their feet. (On condition that they do try and get back on their feet and not mooch off me indefinately)

    I find it very hard to believe that any more than a very small percentage of homeless people have absolutely no friends or family that can put them up.

    In terms of mental illness, yes that is a factor too, but it is heavily exasperated by alcohol and substance abuse.


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    #21
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,309 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    Yes, although i don't think it's as simple as throwing money at the problem. People seem to become homeless for many reasons and they should be looked at at a roots level, not slapping some short term fix on top. How do we help people and stop them being homeless in the first place. What even are the various reasons, misfortune, no chance from the day they were born, addiction, is there a reason for the addiction, etc


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    #22
    Gatling
    Registered Users Posts: 40,291 ✭✭✭✭Gatling


    No .

    We unfortunately don't live in an ideal utopia ,
    360_F_102352090_ie3kLjDIvgrT1sxVDknWCUh8PxgMYzM7.jpg




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    #23
    oceanman
    Registered Users Posts: 1,750 ✭✭✭oceanman


    yes would definitely donate 2euro....everybody deserves a roof over their head.


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    #24
    endacl
    Registered Users Posts: 22,261 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    I would, of course. But only if somebody could also magic up a world where lack of resources was the simple root clause of endemic homelessness.

    Caveat: I want my €2 ringfenced. My cash doesn’t go to pay for some young wan who has already been offered accommodation, but has refused it because she wants to live around the corner from her mammy and favourite chipper.


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    #25
    Rubberchikken
    Registered Users Posts: 5,083 ✭✭✭Rubberchikken


    No.


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    #26
    Agricola
    Registered Users Posts: 6,547 ✭✭✭Agricola


    Gatling wrote: »
    No .

    We unfortunately don't live in an ideal utopia ,

    And we'll never create one if people with a roof over their head don't even attempt to help those who don't.


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    #27
    Beta Ray Bill
    Registered Users Posts: 3,585 ✭✭✭Beta Ray Bill


    bluewolf wrote: »
    no chance from the day they were born

    This is the saddest thing of all.
    All the babies are born the same, I remember seeing them all in the Hospital when my son was born.
    At that point in their life they are all equal.
    It's only the people that take them out of the hospital that determine what kind of life they are going to have.

    I was on my way home from work about 4 months ago, crossing the road from Ely Place onto Merrion Street upper. There was a woman crossing the road pushing a pram while carrying the most beautiful little baby you'd ever, probably only 4 or 5 months old. New Pram, New white baby warmer.

    The baby looked at me, and I looked back and smiled. The baby coo'd and giggled at which point the woman noticed, she then turned around to me and said Spare change for the homeless?

    I was shocked.
    I took a look at the woman, missing teeth, very unhealthy looking, glassy eyed, cuts and scabs on her skin and walking funny. This woman was clearly a Heroin addict.
    I was caught completely off guard so I gave her like €5, was all I had in my wallet.
    On the train I couldn't stop thinking about it, I even got a bit teary eyed
    That little baby hasn't a chance.

    I still think about that little baby now, and what's going to happen her.
    Ultimately it probably won't be a good life.

    But again there is no helping that mother, she is clearly using the baby as a mechanism to mooch off others and feed her addiction.
    Child should be taken off her.

    Very Sad.


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    #28
    ChikiChiki
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,950 ✭✭✭ChikiChiki


    No, because it will be taking the burden off a government who in fact should be providing a solution. Its what they were elected to do. It will be a cop out for them.


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    #29
    realdanbreen
    Registered Users Posts: 8,165 ✭✭✭realdanbreen


    I would but of course the fact is that this already is a wealthy nation. There is more than enough wealth around to solve just about every problem that is out there. But greed, nothing more nothing less, ensures that not everybody lives a comfortable life.


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    #30
    HandsomeBob
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,977 ✭✭✭HandsomeBob


    Yes I would..... but I would need to see exactly where the money would be going.

    I've worked for one homeless service and one of the major things I learned about is transparency. I'd be surprised if a single person who has worked in the sector doesn't have a story about funds being spent in a questionable manner.


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    #31
    realdanbreen
    Registered Users Posts: 8,165 ✭✭✭realdanbreen


    ChikiChiki wrote: »
    No, because it will be taking the burden off a government who in fact should be providing a solution. Its what they were elected to do. It will be a cop out for them.


    So if the government(whichever government you like, FG/FF/LAB/SF/Paul murphy/Ming/ Mick Wallace/the Kerry boys, introduce a 0.2% tax rise to solve it they will be f####d out plain and simple. We are all very concerned about homelessness etc until we are asked to put our hands in our pocket.


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