's Blogs

When I was younger and had the time back then I took in kids who were kicked out of their homes or ran away for different reasons.  A couple of them sold themselves on the side.  I never took advantage of any of them or asked for financial help.  The one's who sold themselves moved on and kept on doing so with one ending up in porn.  He's been featured on this site. Later I took in some others who were just throwaway kids whose folks didn't really give a damn about them never offering any financial help nor did I ask for any.  I made sure those went to school and graduated high school and their parents knew where they were. They followed house rules like going to school, keeping curfew, no smoking, or drinking until they came of age, you know ....the regular type house rules. I even let them bring their friends for sleepovers.  Those 3 I raised I treated and raised like my children.  The 3 I ended up raising all had parents who didn't give a rats ass about them and they were all good kids.  Those 3 I raised as my own are all and have been working steady jobs.  One is a house painter, one is a very successful salesman, and the other a merchant marine.  2 are married with children and the 3rd has been engaged for the last few years.  I'm now like grandpa to 4 of their babies.  Helping all of them helped me grow into the person I am now.  Unfortunately I can't help like I used to since I now care for my elderly mother but it was so rewarding helping those kids.  I thank the man upstairs for giving me the chance to help all of those kids.

More typical homeless situation. Mom is on drugs out the picture. Dad is in jail for stealing to buy hI'm and wife drugs. Teenage son lives with grandmother who dies. Relatives don't want him. To old for foster program he is on the street. He uses grandmothers little life insurance to bury her.  Tries to get work but eduction means he is scraping for a minimum wage job against everyone else in a society and an economic environment where you need 3 time minimum wage to live.

@icecream.  continuing thread here so i dont have to scroll.  I love the 1% argument, its so compelling to your side to roll that out when out get into a corner.  I'll offer that supporting the 1% is wrong, but so is the games played by people who are lame.  I have a problem with both.  That you're ok with poor people committing fraud puts you in the category of vote grabbing douche bag that is inconsistent in how you tolerate immorality.  Also, do you know who the 1% is?  Its mark zuckerberg, bill gates, warren buffett, and a few others that are ALL liberals.  All of them.  Every single one of them.  Talk about talking out both sides of your ass..

I think because you are not parents you guys don't know what you are talking about. I don't mean to be patronizing and roll my eyes like an adult who's just been told by a toddler there are ghosts under the bed....but you don't.

You can't if you don't have children. 

Find a surrogate mother, have a kid, and then you will fully understand why homeless teens is not the fault of parents - until you do that you cannot know what you are talking about.

I believe that each case is different. There is a man who takes in 10 or 12 young men ( its not sexual so stop that!) from the local shelter each spring. He pays them with room and board and $100 per week to work his farm. During that time he also has a dentist who donates free work and care. as well as he helps many get a GED. He refuses to take anyone over 18 because he tried and was badly beaten and robbed. He sticks with teens, Child welfare checks in on things randomly so no monkey business.  I'm sure the kids fuck each other if they can there is always a way but its not a whore house. I applaud him for trying

i know when i was homeless i was never really hungry :) :) i guess that was a good think thou. i always had friends that fed me and if they didn't we use to have this place called shopright the moto was why pay more and mine was well then why pay at all. when i was homeless use to go into these places all the time to steal food only got caught a couple of times lol 

I had a student several years ago who came out to mother and step father.  All hell broke lose and he was thrown out on the street.  The school at time gave him no support we had devout Christian principal who gave him no support.  Lucky he had support from class mates but he quit school.  Got in abuse relationship that did not help.  Fast forward he is today happy young man in state of Florida.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/patrickstrudwick/men-are-sleeping-in-gay-saunas-because-the-housing-crisis 

@ msgboy:

"All of these homeless kids were not prepared to follow rules, not prepared to buckle down, not prepared to behave themselves, not prepared to be like everybody else growing up."
All? Do you really know all homeless kids? I was one of those when I was 10 years old. Funny, I do not remember you talking to me about it.

http://www.topbuzz.com/a/6519224955995947530?user_id=6547720373520449546&language=en&region=us&app_id=1184&impr_id=6554885950088939785&gid=6519224955995947530&c=email

please click on it 

there was a news article one time about this and most prefer to homeless. they have no bills to pay nor have to get up and go to work. they don't have to worry about getting drug tested either. and if they really need a place to stay they get arrested were they have 3 cots and 3 meals  with that said i know there are some that might not be and i do feel sorry for them and wish i could do more for them. i have helped many and will continue to do so when i can. i know my x hates it when i help especially when i bring them home with me lol 

No one case is like another. Some decisions are made by unfortunate events or choices. Some things we can control and some we can not. In 'some' cases, homelessness is a CHOICE. Try talking to some of these people before sticking a dollar in their face. You might be surprised that some are better off and chose this life. I found this out by direct interaction - Just saying...

It saddens me to see someone blaming homelessness exclusively on the kids.  Have you not ever read of physically abusive or sexually abusive parents or foster homes?  It's a shame to just blame all kids for situations beyond their control when you have no real idea what drove them to leave their homes.  Druggie parents or parents don't care.  There are multitudes of reasons for kids being homeless.

Please take your meds, then maybe we can have a conversation

Tristan - we are not living in some Dickenian novel; no one today is Oliver Twist.

All of these homeless kids were not prepared to follow rules, not prepared to buckle down, not prepared to behave themselves, not prepared to be like everybody else growing up.

And notice how they all have a story? it's the fault of the school, the teachers, the parents, poverty blah blah blah. They were simply spoiled brats who wouldn't conform.

Obviously there is fertile ground  with the old "I was thrown out for being gay" routine -(remember these kids all have a story, an excuse); that one gets you a long way.

Except it isn't true in reality any more than there are employers who fire people for being gay, or other such hysterical claims to gain sympathy from incredibly stupid people. The list of parents who threw a child out for being gay is about as long as the list of corporations with a ban on hiring gays.....(if you know what I mean?)

Makes a great story but simply isn't true no matter how much you swear at me or stamp your feet.

To those like the Welsh dude down below who claim to be homelessness - PM me with the phone number of your parents, I will call them and ask the reason.

Okay. I'll admit it. I can be hurt. Nice shot. But I will heal. I hope they will. 

When I grew up in the late 40's and 50's I remember this country having a moral standing. We were a country of law-abiding people with compassion for our fellow man. With strong labor unions, we had a strong and healthy middle class. Programs like Medicare and social security and other safety net programs were respected as a way of giving back to the community. Raising yourself up by your bootstraps was not the optimum axion rather getting a hand up was what drove the country. People caring for other people was in both parties. Eisenhower cried over dead soldiers and no one said he knew what he was getting into. I ask where is our compassion today, where is our caring if we ask boys to sell their bodies to have a roof over their heads and a place to rest their bodies. IS IT ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY AND PAY BACK. DOES THE UNITED STATES STILL HAVE A HEART.. 

wow poor guys how does one help

acefirechild I'm sorry to read of your situation. I do like what you wrote "the benefit of seeing life from the other side" While difficult times can feel like a deep dark hole that we can’t escape and we often wonder “Why is this happening to me?”, there is a silver lining to tough times. It’s through the difficult times in our life, that we are able to grow. It’s when we are tested that we are able to rise, push through and come out the other side stronger, braver and better. No one wants to struggle. No one wants to even admit their struggling. We all want to have Photo-shopped versions of our own lives that fit perfectly into an Instagram square. But life does not work like that. Every one of us will be faced with a variety of tough times in their life. It is one of the few things we can really count on. Difficult times will happen. To find the light, we have to go through the darkness and while you’re in the midst of it, try to take a deep breath and remember that the lessons you are learning will shift your view of life. You will learn what matters, who matters, how strong you are and how lucky you are to exist. That’s what difficult times teach us and they are some of the most important lessons we can ever learn.

There are people that for whatever reason get to where they have no choice but to be homeless and I sympathize with their unfortunate situations.  Both sides in this argument have legitimate points that merit consideration and respect.  In my personal opinion, the government should play no role in providing assistance to these people as everything they do ends up harming the very people they intent to help and it all ends up being a tremendous waste of money.  In fact, government involvement in most problems results in a worsening of the very social issue they’re trying to improve.  Completely cut off all government spending on the homeless to donate to private charities that can better consider woworthiness on a case by case bas

I've been there a few years ago, but never gave up hope of things getting better. There are still a few, caring humans around that help out. I was saved by one of these and have made something of my life now.
I am no longer a homeless wanderer, just someone who will give shelter when needed, and ask for nothing in return, except perhaps a smile and a thankyou.