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Parent Emeritus
Let's discuss homelessness and it what it means to our difficult children
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<blockquote data-quote="Childofmine" data-source="post: 632274" data-attributes="member: 17542"><p>Just a few observations I have right now on homelessness:</p><p></p><p>***It appears that my son's "schedule" goes something like this: Go to the day shelter early in the morning (it opens at 6 a.m.). Take a shower there, wash clothes (sometimes), use the computer, eat breakfast and lunch. At 3 p.m. the shelter closes. Then they walk to the McDonald's nearby and sit outside on the picnic tables. If somebody has some money or a gift card, they might eat there. They go to the library and get on their computers. They sit on benches downtown. At night, they sleep downtown either in a plaza-like area where there are benches and bushes and grass or they go into the downtown parking garage and find a stairwell or other place to sleep. He says it's cold at night, even in the summer, so the garage is warmer. Sometimes they go on the greenway and walk around and swim in the river. They can go to the Salvation Army at night and eat dinner. This is the weekday schedule. On the weekends, the day shelter is closed so there are no showers, and no meals there. A church provides breakfast on Saturday and Sunday and the Salvation Army has dinner both nights as well. </p><p></p><p>***A social worker told me there is little incentive to get off the street in summer for a lot of these young people. The weather is good, and they can do it. In the winter, it's a different matter, she says.</p><p></p><p>***My son also gets food stamps. Last month he had $187 in food stamps. Now, in our state, to get them again, for subsequent months, they have to be drug tested and found clean.</p><p></p><p>***There is a community. They have friends. They are not "all alone." They help each other. If one gets money or a gift card somehow, they share it with the others. </p><p></p><p>***The state hands out free cell phones. You can make calls and text.</p><p></p><p>***From where I sit, it looks like you have to spend a lot of time just walking around and using the services available. You don't have a car, so you have to walk. It's hot outside so you are sweaty and sometimes you can't take a shower. You have to find places to use the bathroom. You have to carry all of your stuff with you---my son has a backpack that is crammed full. They will hide their backpacks and sometimes they get stolen. The other day the police had my son's backpack and he had to go to the police station to get it back.</p><p></p><p>***The police stop my son about every day or every other day. They ask him for ID and they can search his backpack and him any time without cause because he is on felony probation. </p><p></p><p>***For medical care, they can walk into the ER here and they will treat them. My son has health insurance through his dad and he can go to a clinic with a copay. I have paid his copay for his depression medications. </p><p></p><p>***The main problem is that there is nowhere to sleep. Then they are really tired, and if they wanted to "get something done" it would be hard because they are exhausted. </p><p></p><p>Bottom line, it's really not that bad. I mean, it's bad, but you know what I mean. It's doable. My son said the other day: "I'm sick and tired of this life Mom, but sometimes it can be fun."</p><p></p><p>There you have it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Childofmine, post: 632274, member: 17542"] Just a few observations I have right now on homelessness: ***It appears that my son's "schedule" goes something like this: Go to the day shelter early in the morning (it opens at 6 a.m.). Take a shower there, wash clothes (sometimes), use the computer, eat breakfast and lunch. At 3 p.m. the shelter closes. Then they walk to the McDonald's nearby and sit outside on the picnic tables. If somebody has some money or a gift card, they might eat there. They go to the library and get on their computers. They sit on benches downtown. At night, they sleep downtown either in a plaza-like area where there are benches and bushes and grass or they go into the downtown parking garage and find a stairwell or other place to sleep. He says it's cold at night, even in the summer, so the garage is warmer. Sometimes they go on the greenway and walk around and swim in the river. They can go to the Salvation Army at night and eat dinner. This is the weekday schedule. On the weekends, the day shelter is closed so there are no showers, and no meals there. A church provides breakfast on Saturday and Sunday and the Salvation Army has dinner both nights as well. ***A social worker told me there is little incentive to get off the street in summer for a lot of these young people. The weather is good, and they can do it. In the winter, it's a different matter, she says. ***My son also gets food stamps. Last month he had $187 in food stamps. Now, in our state, to get them again, for subsequent months, they have to be drug tested and found clean. ***There is a community. They have friends. They are not "all alone." They help each other. If one gets money or a gift card somehow, they share it with the others. ***The state hands out free cell phones. You can make calls and text. ***From where I sit, it looks like you have to spend a lot of time just walking around and using the services available. You don't have a car, so you have to walk. It's hot outside so you are sweaty and sometimes you can't take a shower. You have to find places to use the bathroom. You have to carry all of your stuff with you---my son has a backpack that is crammed full. They will hide their backpacks and sometimes they get stolen. The other day the police had my son's backpack and he had to go to the police station to get it back. ***The police stop my son about every day or every other day. They ask him for ID and they can search his backpack and him any time without cause because he is on felony probation. ***For medical care, they can walk into the ER here and they will treat them. My son has health insurance through his dad and he can go to a clinic with a copay. I have paid his copay for his depression medications. ***The main problem is that there is nowhere to sleep. Then they are really tired, and if they wanted to "get something done" it would be hard because they are exhausted. Bottom line, it's really not that bad. I mean, it's bad, but you know what I mean. It's doable. My son said the other day: "I'm sick and tired of this life Mom, but sometimes it can be fun." There you have it. [/QUOTE]
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Let's discuss homelessness and it what it means to our difficult children
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