Found a homeless dude in my hallway a while ago...

[BabaBooey]

Originally posted by: Alistar7

Originally posted by: sjetexas
You're a good person. Sadly, you did more than I probably would have.

I just had a good vibe off him,and he did not wreak of booze or dope and there was no way I could have slept if I just kicked him out like that so I did what I could for the guy at the time and we actually had a good conversation on the way downtown,he seemed quite educated and well spoken,just on bad times.



Just glad I did what I could for a vet and a human being...:thumbsup:

 

[AnthroAndStargate]

Originally posted by: amjohns5
:thumbsup: We need more people like you in the world.

QFT. I know a lot of ATOTers bi*ch about homeless people being freeloaders and some are but this is an important example that nothing is black and white. There are TONS of people who need help and there are those few who make the rest look bad. Most of the people are Vets unfortunately They are like three times as likely to be homeless (includng Iraq/Afghan vets I believe). "Support our troops" in deed.

Anyway OP, you are a good person.

 

[AnthroAndStargate]

Originally posted by: sutahz
Homeless people have places to go to get help, and set their lives straight. If they dont take advantages of such programs.... oh well.
"illegal immigrant" police should have booked him and called "La Migra!"
"I don't think I could defend myself if something were to go wrong between him and me" you have your prejudices...

thepd7 "Doubtful." where do you get your information from?
http://www.google.com/search?h...es+government+homeless
Oh, Farang seems to disagree w/ you too... if you care.

A sales job I worked for a tad, there was a guy that was homeless by choice. Yup, he hated the rat race that much. His family helped him some by giving him food, but food is cheap, when you get down to it in the nitty gritty. He was clean, nice and didn't beg of us.

Your one experience does not equate to arcane knowledge fool.
Most homeless people (who are vets) have mental health issues that prevent them from taking the logical step like seeking shelter. Also have you ever stayed in a shelter? They aren't the best places, usually full of crime, addicts, and joblessness. Sometimes the street is the better option.

Of all the homeless people I've ever met, 90% were truly in need... see how comparing life experiences doesn't work?

(edit) As for the "illegal immigant" - I usually don't comment about this because 99% of ATOT just screams "dey tuk ur jubs" but you do realize that illegal immigrants (males- not the whole family most often if you read the stats) come to America for 3/4 a year simply to work in agriculture or construction. Are you also aware that in multiple states when farmers have tried to setup work programs for AMERICANS (i.e. kids wanting a summer job, etc.) the few that do show up quit within 1-2 days because the work is backbreaking. So as your eating your sandwich tonight just remember how good it tastes. "Illegal immigrants" don't make the system, they just participate in it.

 

[Canai]

Originally posted by: amjohns5
:thumbsup: We need more people like you in the world.

QFT well done OP

 

[Xstatic1]

To OP & NoShangriLa:

Originally posted by: amjohns5
:thumbsup: We need more people like you in the world.

u guys are sooooo awesome! :heart:

 

[Tiamat]

:thumbsup: Cold sucks

 

[Q]

Originally posted by: amjohns5
:thumbsup: We need more people like you in the world.

QFT, nice job

 

[imported_Imp]

Nice job. I'd probably never do anything like that.

 

[Q]

Well if he was a vet, why can't he get a job? I being serious, I don't understand?

 

[frostedflakes]

I'd assume after his family died he just kind of shut down. Probably quit working, quit caring about anything, and before he realized had lost his job. And then once you get in that rut I'd assume it's pretty hard to get yourself back out. I mean it's not like you can go apply for a job and say "yeah, I've been living on the streets for the last decade, but..." and expect to get it. What do you put down for contact info? It's not like he has a home address or a phone. Also as a vet/doctor don't you have to get your license renewed every so often? He might have let his license expire and this probably makes it much more difficult to get accredited again. He probably needs money to take the necessary qualification tests, but he needs to be certified to earn money (as a vet, at least).

 

[BabaBooey]

Originally posted by: Quintox
Well if he was a vet, why can't he get a job? I being serious, I don't understand?

Well gee I did not feel like tormenting the guy and dragging up painful stuff,you act like everything is so automatic,it is not when the government is involved.

I was not there to grill him,I was there to show a bit of love and compassion to a person in need,sorry,next time I pull out the rubber hose / bamboo shoots and have at it.....

Like I said earlier,I have a good sense about people when I meet them and this guy was for real and in a bad way like I was at one time,not quite that bad but still homeless for a while till I could find a place to work since I was underage.


Help,helps...

 

[Fenixgoon]

Originally posted by: AnthroAndStargate

Originally posted by: amjohns5
:thumbsup: We need more people like you in the world.

QFT. I know a lot of ATOTers bi*ch about homeless people being freeloaders and some are but this is an important example that nothing is black and white. There are TONS of people who need help and there are those few who make the rest look bad. Most of the people are Vets unfortunately They are like three times as likely to be homeless (includng Iraq/Afghan vets I believe). "Support our troops" in deed.

Anyway OP, you are a good person.

and how do we possibly know whether the person is a panhandler, someone genuinely in need, or someone who's going to try and steal from us (or worse)?

if i gave a guy $5, how do i *know* that he's going to use that to buy himself a subway token like he said he would?

many, in fact, want your money, not what they ask for.

 

[Ns1]

Originally posted by: NoShangriLa
Good job!

The world needs more good samaritans.

I was driving back from south CA to BC Canada on Jan 2000, and picked up a 53 year old homeless that has been wandered all over the US for 9 years. He became a drunk and he left his son with a neighbor at the age of 14, because his wife and daughter died in a car accident while he was at work as a mechanical engineer (he still had his ring, lost touch with the son for 7 years, and looked more like a weathered 80 year old).

He was glad to hitch a ride from me at around 7 am because he has been walking & sleeping on the I5 for 3 days with out anyone stopping by to give him a lift. I stop for fuel and some food just before noon and he was going to wait for me outside, however I invited him in for a meal and I never have seen a person the gulped down a large burger, fries, salad, and an orange juice so quickly (I have to tell the waitress in north CA that the man was with me because she tried to tell him to leave the establishment). I was going to stop for some food and the night at 5 or 6 pm, however he mentioned earlier during the trip that he have a son in Portland OR and wanted to patch things up with him, therefore I press on till 11:40 pm (I still remember because the gas station was about to close) after we had a meal however he ate a little slower this time even those it was 1/2 of a perfectly grilled chicken & pasta.

He declined my offer for a lift to his son house because he didn?t want to intrude on his son & would like to contact him before showed up on his door. I tried to give him some pocket money & cab fare but he refuse to take it, however he took about $2.50 of quarters so that he could call 411 and/or anyone that he could remember so that he could get his son phone number & address. I waited for him to make the calls and at times he seems to have difficulty expressing him self (I was watching from afar to give him some privacy), and at around 1 am with tears of mixed feeling he told me that everything is okay and his son is coming to pick him up. He thanks me profusely and told me to go and get some rest (I was up before 5 am), and I drove off and waited from a distant to make sure that he was okay before being pick up by a ecstatic young man and a young woman in a dark blue pickup truck.

Funny thing was that he thought I was a good Christian, and was surprise but totally respected me when I told him I?m agnostic. He also said that he is sure that many people that claims that they are Christian however they don?t live a Christian life because many time he hitchhiked/walks for days and thousands for vehicles passed by and no one stop to help (and in his words, California is the worst of all the states that he have been too).

wow, that's definitely some story.

 

[Throckmorton]

:thumbsup:

 

[Q]

Originally posted by: bababooey

Originally posted by: Quintox
Well if he was a vet, why can't he get a job? I being serious, I don't understand?

Well gee I did not feel like tormenting the guy and dragging up painful stuff,you act like everything is so automatic,it is not when the government is involved.

I was not there to grill him,I was there to show a bit of love and compassion to a person in need,sorry,next time I pull out the rubber hose / bamboo shoots and have at it.....

Like I said earlier,I have a good sense about people when I meet them and this guy was for real and in a bad way like I was at one time,not quite that bad but still homeless for a while till I could find a place to work since I was underage.


Help,helps...

No no, I didn't mean that in a mean way at all. I think what you did was very nice. I was just asking in general, I didn't mean that you should have asked him.

And NoShangriLa, that was an awesome story.

 

[thepd7]

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon

Originally posted by: AnthroAndStargate

Originally posted by: amjohns5
:thumbsup: We need more people like you in the world.

QFT. I know a lot of ATOTers bi*ch about homeless people being freeloaders and some are but this is an important example that nothing is black and white. There are TONS of people who need help and there are those few who make the rest look bad. Most of the people are Vets unfortunately They are like three times as likely to be homeless (includng Iraq/Afghan vets I believe). "Support our troops" in deed.

Anyway OP, you are a good person.

and how do we possibly know whether the person is a panhandler, someone genuinely in need, or someone who's going to try and steal from us (or worse)?

if i gave a guy $5, how do i *know* that he's going to use that to buy himself a subway token like he said he would?

many, in fact, want your money, not what they ask for.

So you justify not helping people because some might not acutally need help? Awesome.

 

[thepd7]

Originally posted by: sutahz
Homeless people have places to go to get help, and set their lives straight. If they dont take advantages of such programs.... oh well.
"illegal immigrant" police should have booked him and called "La Migra!"
"I don't think I could defend myself if something were to go wrong between him and me" you have your prejudices...

thepd7 "Doubtful." where do you get your information from?
http://www.google.com/search?h...es+government+homeless
Oh, Farang seems to disagree w/ you too... if you care.

A sales job I worked for a tad, there was a guy that was homeless by choice. Yup, he hated the rat race that much. His family helped him some by giving him food, but food is cheap, when you get down to it in the nitty gritty. He was clean, nice and didn't beg of us.

There definately are people homeless by choice. I get my information from homeless people, btw. No I don't care who else agrees with you/disagrees with me.

Like I said try it for a while, if it's that easy to get out.