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Colorado Marijuana Legalization and Rise in Homelessness (Article)
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<blockquote data-quote="Tanya M" data-source="post: 708047" data-attributes="member: 18516"><p>I worked in downtown Denver for many years and saw first hand, everyday homeless people on the 16th street mall panhandling. I have not lived Denver for closer to 15 years now but do go to visit family. With more people moving to the area the homeless population will also rise. It was heartbreaking to see people who were strung out begging for money. There are also scammers who pretend to be homeless. You also have groups of homeless teenagers who will gang up on people trying to get money. When I saw a group of teens I always crossed the street. I learned quickly not to give money. If someone was truly hungry I would walk them over to one of the many hot dog vendors and buy them a couple of hot dog and a bottle of water. </p><p></p><p>I was out there last year and was amazed at the growth of the city and surrounding towns. The pot industry has created a huge rise in the cost of living. A small 850 sq. ft. house can sell for $400 thousand dollars. My niece who works in downtown Denver pays $2000 a month for a small one bedroom apt.</p><p></p><p>One must have a very good paying job to be able to afford housing and I'm sure this contributes to the issue.</p><p></p><p>I think the article is spot on in regards to people thinking they are going to move there and have a great job in this industry and find out it's not as easy as they think.</p><p></p><p>To say that pot is the reason for the rise in homelessness is a far reach. I'm sure that it has contributed. Those that have moved to the area in hopes of making it big by working in a pot store have found themselves unemployed or under employed. Couple that with high cost of living and some homelessness will result.</p><p></p><p>I think the bigger factor is the mindset of so many people in that they do not embrace a strong work ethic. Far too many people live with an expectation that they should not have to work and instead expect someone else to foot the bill for their life. My son is included in this category. The mindset of not taking any personal responsibility but instead blaming others for the mess they have made of their lives. This of course is only one part of the homeless population. Those who are capable of working, just not willing. These people, like my son just want to be high all the time. This is where pot can be a gateway drug. Trying to "recreate" that first high, you smoke more and more pot and when you don't achieve that euphoric feeling it's easy for some to move onto stronger drugs.</p><p></p><p>Many of the homeless population are mentally ill. Many are veterans who once they came home found it difficult to acclimate back into civilian life. There are also people who lost their homes when the housing bubble burst.</p><p></p><p>I also know that the Denver Rescue Mission does a good job reaching out to the homeless but many are reluctant to go to the shelter. One year when I was still working in downtown Denver, it was a brutally cold winter. The Rescue Mission sends people out to find homeless people to bring them in out of the cold. There was a man who did not want to go and sadly he froze to death overnight.</p><p></p><p>Bottom line, I think are many different factors of how people end up being homeless.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tanya M, post: 708047, member: 18516"] I worked in downtown Denver for many years and saw first hand, everyday homeless people on the 16th street mall panhandling. I have not lived Denver for closer to 15 years now but do go to visit family. With more people moving to the area the homeless population will also rise. It was heartbreaking to see people who were strung out begging for money. There are also scammers who pretend to be homeless. You also have groups of homeless teenagers who will gang up on people trying to get money. When I saw a group of teens I always crossed the street. I learned quickly not to give money. If someone was truly hungry I would walk them over to one of the many hot dog vendors and buy them a couple of hot dog and a bottle of water. I was out there last year and was amazed at the growth of the city and surrounding towns. The pot industry has created a huge rise in the cost of living. A small 850 sq. ft. house can sell for $400 thousand dollars. My niece who works in downtown Denver pays $2000 a month for a small one bedroom apt. One must have a very good paying job to be able to afford housing and I'm sure this contributes to the issue. I think the article is spot on in regards to people thinking they are going to move there and have a great job in this industry and find out it's not as easy as they think. To say that pot is the reason for the rise in homelessness is a far reach. I'm sure that it has contributed. Those that have moved to the area in hopes of making it big by working in a pot store have found themselves unemployed or under employed. Couple that with high cost of living and some homelessness will result. I think the bigger factor is the mindset of so many people in that they do not embrace a strong work ethic. Far too many people live with an expectation that they should not have to work and instead expect someone else to foot the bill for their life. My son is included in this category. The mindset of not taking any personal responsibility but instead blaming others for the mess they have made of their lives. This of course is only one part of the homeless population. Those who are capable of working, just not willing. These people, like my son just want to be high all the time. This is where pot can be a gateway drug. Trying to "recreate" that first high, you smoke more and more pot and when you don't achieve that euphoric feeling it's easy for some to move onto stronger drugs. Many of the homeless population are mentally ill. Many are veterans who once they came home found it difficult to acclimate back into civilian life. There are also people who lost their homes when the housing bubble burst. I also know that the Denver Rescue Mission does a good job reaching out to the homeless but many are reluctant to go to the shelter. One year when I was still working in downtown Denver, it was a brutally cold winter. The Rescue Mission sends people out to find homeless people to bring them in out of the cold. There was a man who did not want to go and sadly he froze to death overnight. Bottom line, I think are many different factors of how people end up being homeless. [/QUOTE]
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