While this post addresses some actions we can take on an individual level, the fact remains that the best help the homeless can receive would be more attention from our government.

Poverty needs to become a top priority for the new Obama administration. With the economy in shambles, and unemployment on the rise, I wouldn’t be surprised if we started seeing more and more cases of homelessness.

I don’t personally like panhandling and never give money, only food and vouchers. If you do decide to hand over cash then it is theirs and they are free to spend it as they see fit whether that be on food or narcotics. No one likes to be told what they should or should not spend their money on.

‘Step two’ might be true were community support always available and accessible. Unfortunately it isn’t. Some homeless persons, particularly those with mental illnesses, need a higher level of care and assistance in order to navigate the processes involved. We are nowhere near being able to provide that in all cases as yet.

Although there may be exceptions, very few truly choose a life on the streets. Those that appear to often do so due to a lack of suitable alternatives. They may prefer to brave the cold over a shelter for fear for their safety, exposure to drugs/alcohol, preclusion of a pet, lack of facilities to store belongings and many other reasons. How would you like to live in a homeless shelter? With limited alternatives it is hardly surprising that many ‘choose’ to live on the streets.

The Blog, Homeless Tales, is all about deciding to be homeless by choice. There is some really interesting stuff there too.

Were it not for my pathetic desire to “acquire stuff” I would absolutely do just that!

It’s interesting that the choice to be homeless in a city can only come about because of the fact that city-dwellers hand out money to people on the street. If nobody gave out money to the homeless, I doubt any would choose to spend their homelessness in cities.

I think they’d go off into the wilderness where they would have a better chance of getting food.

If I ever went homeless, I’d choose the wilderness for my home and learn some real self-sufficiency…there’s something appealing about that kind of raw freedom.

You differentiate “homeless by choice” vs. “homeless by force” by actually engaging in a conversation with the individual.

Just giving money away, you’ll never ever know the truth of that person’s situation.

I advocate engaging the homeless in conversation rather than just giving them cash. If during that conversation they ask for food go help em get food. If they are sick go find them the help they need.

And, Ray, if you find out they don’t want any help and they like their lifestyle…then so be it. Let them be.

Should one feel obligated to help somone who can’t/won’t be helped? How do you differentiate between a person down on their luck and someone who is homeless by choice?