New Homeless Organization Nearly Formed

What difference is this going to make... zero difference!

The homeless who beg for money on the street don't use the shelters. They don't want to be bothered with rules, which is why they choose to live on the street.

It makes me sick too see what has happened to downtown Santa Barbara. I've lived here only 11 years, but it's been long enough to see this town go downhill.

It's just plain embarrassing. My fiance works at one of the hotels down on the beach. She tells me that tourists for the most part thought that Santa Barbara was a much different city, and many will not come back.

Do you hear that HELENE!!

Despite selfless service to their nation, a large group of Americans brace the elements each night, often cold, hungry, alone, and sleeping on the streets. Many of these homeless Americans are veterans, some of which have withstood the elements of combat, born the emotional and physical scars or war, only to return home, and later find themselves on the streets of America. The social injustice of allowing our men and women who have served in uniform to become homeless after leaving military service is reprehensible.

In 2010, President Obama and the Veterans Administration called for ending veteran homelessness in the next five years. The Veteran Administration’s Health Care for Homeless Veterans program clinics served over 70,000 veterans in 2008 (Homeless Research Institute, 2010, p.1). The ambitious goal of eradicating veteran homelessness cannot be the sole responsibility of the federal government. While the government does have the funding mechanisms, they often lack the personal connection so often needed in providing direct assistance. While the federal government is moving to address the growing issue of veteran homelessness there are many things at the local level that can be done. Combining the resources of local organizations, nonprofits, churches and individual citizens willing to volunteer their time we as Americans can successfully end homelessness within the veteran community.

http://militarygear.com/asp/2011/03/2...

If Helene is in charge of the military or the congress, then possibly she would be able to do something about homeless veterans.

It would be interesting to know how you think the problem can be solved, and where the money would come from - at a time when funds are being cut back for schools, colleges, firefighters, etc.

New York has a great program for helping the homeless:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/...

A ticket home.

I propose an even more efficient solution in SB, a ticket home for our mayor.

native2sb: "New York has a great program for helping the homeless:A ticket home.
I propose an even more efficient solution in SB, a ticket home for our mayor."

That would be New York. HAHAHAHA! :) henry

maybe all those committee members from the 'brainstorming summit' (seriously?) can get together....how many bodies we talking about by the way...and get some pooper scoopers, high pressure hoses and clean lower state of human excrement and piss flavored walkways to relieve the citizenry of the rank smells that permeate lower state.

thats a great start.........or you can continue to form discussion panels, share information, get feedback, bash your gums a little more......and ultimately.......do nothing.

state st, the longest toilet in the western world. yippie ki yay.

If Lawdy is implying that the homeless are single-handedly responsible for the deplorable conditions on State Street he/she has never strolled up the street in question on a Saturday night (or Wednesday, or Thursday or Friday...). The bar-hoppers and tourists, if there's a difference, are in rare form on these nights and are clearly delighted to add their share of trash, puke and urine to the general mess already existing. Of course the natural reaction to that, from those of Lawdy's ilk at least, will likely be to point out that "at least the bar-hoppers are spending money" and that's where the whole discussion will be derailed and become a true waste of time. I'll try to lessen the inevitable, coming confusion beforehand though, by framing the question this way: Is this about money or the public welfare? If it's about the public welfare then the focus should be upon ALL of us policing our filthy little habits, not just the homeless. By the way, I'm homeless myself and I make it a point to clean up after, not just myself, but others. When I enter a filthy public restroom I pick it up as best I can before I use it and give it the once-over before I leave: I'll be damned if I'll be perceived as the "dirty bum" who trashed it. I wonder how many drunken UCSB students or Serbian truck-drivers here on vacation do the same thing?
In closing, this discussion can deteriorate into a class issue or it can be framed as a societal issue or it can be punked and paraded as a "didn't your mother teach you better" issue but in the end it's really a simple matter of integrity and respect...some have it and some don't and it don't come free when you get a Master Card.

Wayne: "By the way, I'm homeless myself and I make it a point to clean up after, not just myself, but others. When I enter a filthy public restroom I pick it up as best I can before I use it and give it the once-over before I leave: I'll be damned if I'll be perceived as the "dirty bum" who trashed it."

See Wayne, here's where the difference lies. You truly are NOT a BUM. You are homeless, probably due to circumstances.
The word BUM is NOT a descriptive to a person's housing situation. It is an indicative to a behavior, a behavior you refuse to exhibit simply based on your actions.
What I get to deal w/ in IV is BUMS. They pee & poop all over the place, they get in fights, they harass people, put on a hell of a show.
Of course, I could be talking about some of the houseless denizens or the student population.
By the way Wayne, I was once homeless myself, but never exhibited BUM behavior, didn't harass, panhandle, get wasted, you know, BUM behavior. In the end I got my ducks in line & the rest is history.
Remember, being a BUM is a behavior, not a social title or designation & it really turns people off. You are NOT a BUM :) henry

I know this sounds cliche, but there is something truly shameful going on when a nation can endlessly engage in warfare with other countries--telling us how we are going to rebuild those parts of the world--while it cannot figure out a way to create a society where its people don't have to sleep outside. And as noted, many of those sent as cannon fodder for our never ending state of warfare end up homeless. I once heard 1/3 are Vietnam vets.

@Wayne: My dad was thrilled at your nice comment about his painting. I requested he do some more and hopefully as his health improves he will do some more.

And by the way, "Wayne, meet Hank, Hank, meet Wayne". You two will see it when you check your Facebook pages.

Thank you Bill, Howdy, Hank...I'm getting the idea that your dad is ill or has recently overcame some dire condition, Bill, so don't get him all worked up unnecessarily. When he's ready I'm interested, especially in the Astronomy-themed stuff...I like good art...I LOVE art with practical/scientific meaning behind it. From cells to stars and everything in between...Thanks.

Long into short, he had a two-fold deal: An irregular heartbeat, (fixed by a pacemaker) and a withdrawal (everyone take note) from twenty-one prescription meds. (I think he's down to six now)

He was almost dead this time two weeks ago, now his mind is back to 100% and physically he's getting better every day.

One of the drugs was simvastatin, which is being exposed as having many dangerous side effects.

By the way, since you are into astronomy, check out this website. www.sbau.org

This is all designed to elbow out the existing South Coast Homeless Advisory Board so I am forming http://www.causes.com/causes/660057-t... substantially modeling on http://internationalmedicalcorps.org/...

Teach Cough Hygiene Everywhere" will be a nice approach to the underlying issue which this dysfunctional "activist community" completely overlooked in favor of personal attacks which have now separated me from my friends at Trinity Episcopal. (Google Independent.com + Trinity Episcopal)

I remain sceptical that this top heavy planned new bureacratic structure will serve the base.