If only thru our actions with Gods' will a person just changes one life then its worth it esp. when that one person may change many more lives simply because they have been in the trenches and know first hand what makes the heart of the beast tick.

My Grandpa used to say it was better to try and fail than do nothing and succeed !

In our work with the homeless here in Dallas, we differentiate between those,
A. who by their choice, earn their living at the curbsides,
and
B. those who by circumstance are homeless

They are all humans, made by God, but those who panhandle are living life choices of their own choosing.
There are MANY who do not choose to be homeless.
Does anyone have any idea how much depression, anger, grief, and shame has wrecked havoc on the souls of our fellow citizens?
I lived in a glass house for most of my life but real life is 360 degree from what is flashed on the news.
Get popped by cancer, have an insurance provider muck up your health care coverage, and have a million dollar + bill hit your mailbox and see what happens in short order.
For the judges and jurors on Tman who are pounding gavels, if you are a believer, brother to brother.... you are not following the way of our Lord.

Dallas Life is a wonderful example of over less than 5% recidivism (meaning >>> of those who admit to the one year program, how many return in years to come) that Ben Carson, under the Trump administration visited often, attempting to template what is done here to other places. The current administration has sadly not contacted Dallas Life in any capacity.

It is a wonderful example of a Christian based ministry that heals with compassion yet strict guidelines. Both are required.
https://dallaslife.org

Likewise OurCalling is a Resource organization that has been innovative in this area as a Christian ministry for the homeless (started by another DTS grad).
https://www.ourcalling.org

Blessings,
Mark

In a LIBERAL city close to me all you see is commercials wanting to help the homeless and abandoned dogs. If I were homeless and hungry, I'd be stopping by the adoption shelters once a week. This city is buying hotels to house the homeless now and it is a pure catastrophe! Also some people need to learn the difference between a necessity and a luxury. An Iphone is not a luxury!!

Those mountain men need to come work for the man
and live like the rest of us.
I'll now remove my Mrs Olsen social architect bonnet.

I've met a few and known a couple. Not one size fits all.
I gave one a fishing pole.
I do know that it is cold here right now.

Tip my hat to one guy trying to do something. Good luck.

I agree, being able to save lives should be worth more than how fast you can run or throw a ball.

If I was homeless, I would have 2 jobs. I would get as much of my day sheltered as possible. Heat and air conditioning 2/3rds of the day off the plate. That leaves 8 hours to worry about, hopefully most of it rest and sleep. How long would you have to do that to dig out of homelessness?

My daughter in law is homeless because she is scizophenic and won't take her meds. My son and I spent quite a bit of time looking for her on the street and found that a lot of hurting people are homeless because they couldn't get their mind right or a lot of other mental illness issues, which is worse than ever. I'm telling you from experience that a lot of people have no idea what the homeless population really looks like and what they go through. Including just about everyone who is posting on this thread. How is a homeless person going to get money for drugs??? Geeez.

A lot of people on here are pretty darn heartless in their ivory towers.

Priceless!

A friend of my daughter is homeless. Mom is a drug addict. No family to help. Lives in rural area with no jobs. No car to get to town. No money to pay for phone for feeling out applications and such. Eighteen years old and a rough row to hoe. Going to try to find her some kind of help if there is any out there.
As for panhandlers, that's just a job for most of them.

I think an Iphone IS a luxury.
I stayed a night in a Super 8 in Omaha. It's close to a homeless shelter and when the shelter is full they will put people up in the motel. This guy had some means of paying. The cameras caught him smoking in the hallway just outside the room door....with the door open. They charged him an extra $100 for smoking in the room. He spent an entire day there complaining and arguing and waiting for the manager to come. He argued with the manager loudly in the lobby and I left before they came to any conclusion. Even getting help they have to abuse the system all they can.

And we were just handed the keys? NOT!

It’s the result of decision making including bad decisions, suffering through them and learning from them. Everybody can do it.

"How is a homeless person going to get money for drugs??? Geeez."


Is this a serious question? They spend the money they could be spending on a place to stay on the drugs, it is often WHY they are homeless. How they get the money varies.

I'm confused. If she is homeless how does she "live in a rural area?" Definition of homeless is having no home, therefore she doesn't "live" anywhere that she is tied down to. I do appluad your decision to help.

Well she ain't "dead in a rural area" That would make her lifeless, not homeless.

I would agree.

My judgement is not relivent Mark i could have been me easy enought. I used to love drunk driving. Go out to the hall roads( gravel very wide coal mine roads they drive those big dump trucks on like 6 + lanes wide for those that have not been in strip mine country)

His life changed but he was alive so he did not loose everything. I can understand being down. I cant understand being down very long.

Finster I'm assuming you have never had an addiction to anything. if for some reason you got sick in an accident and needed pain killers that lead to an addiction that consumed your every thought and you acted on it just to feel what your new normal is.
that leads to losing your job, house , family that doesn't understand why you just don't quit.
Next they pull away from the ones that used to show compassion and lean on others with the same or similar problem. and so on it goes.
The ones i have spoken too hate every day of life but are to scared to end it. they get high or drunk and then don't feel sick for the moment until it wares off then the whole thing starts over. maybe this is the mental illness you speak of or mental weakness

I'm not asking you to change your mind, go out to a homeless hang out and talk to them, see what its all about.

This thread shows why-o-why we need a perfect judge when the time comes.
The path of life being filled with balconeers and travelers is helpful imagery by J.I. Packer and others.

You're either walking with the folks on the trail
or
you have grand stand opinions and comments about them.

We have a bad habit of painting other people with broad negative brush strokes.
I wonder if the antis do that with us trappers? .
Yepper.

Blessings,
Mark

They are eager to share when you are sitting sympathetic, the minute you start sharing how you climbed out to success they leave. Not all, but a large percentage.

Reagan,? elaborate.