2. Always and forever.

Grindr convention

2, please.

Thanks for sharing.

A lot of people who don’t have much experience helping with the homeless don’t realise how dangerous it can often be and tend to err on the side of optimism.

We’ve had to call police on numerous occasions because of instances of physical assault. Of course, the vast majority of people we help are lovely, but it helps to be realistic to keep yourself and others safe.

I agree that people lack compassion, but for a substantial number, it’s not ‘for no reason.’

Many people’s interactions with the homeless population are very negative, typically involving theft, drug use, and terrifying mental health breaks. Obviously, that’s very much an issue of selection bias since it’s typically the same few who give the entire homeless population a bad reputation.

I think if people gave more of their time to help the homeless and others who have fallen through the cracks of society, a lot of the cruel words and horrible treatment directed toward our less fortunate would diminish substantially. A few hours a week volunteering at your local food bank, shelter, church kitchen, nursing home, etc. Is a small inconvenience but an absolutely huge help.

Additionally, we must rethink how we treat repeat offenders and public criminality. A lot of the time police won’t even respond to a reported bike theft or incidence of public drug use. The offenders are a danger and nuisance not only to themselves and the general public at large, but also, and most substantially, to other homeless people.

This is not a US specific issue, tbh. I’ve heard this weird belief repeated by all sorts of people.

shakes fist THE DANES!

I mean, that’s basically how the entire hospitality industry operates at this point.