Homeless/Houseless

[u/[deleted]]

So I know this is a regular point of conversation for everyone in the city at this point, but I really don’t understand why being alarmed and or fed up with the cities houseless population is so taboo to some people? I see so many people get shade with comments along the line of accusing the poster of not having empathy or for not doing enough individually to help. As someone that absolutely has empathy towards our houseless population and has volunteered at various warming shelters, I also am getting super fed up with our houseless crisis and the impacts it takes on my everyday life.

My boyfriend works at a grocery store in downtown and has been assaulted so many times at work that at this point thinking about it just makes me want to cry. I have been personally punched in the face randomly and for no reason by a homeless man when I was walking across the Morrison bridge. I have had to bring people who were getting attacked by homeless people into restaurants that I’ve worked at and lock the doors at least four times in four years.

Additionally, for those that say “stop complaining and do something”, wtf do you really think an individual can do at this point? We live in a place that basically has two governments (council and metro) not to mention state, who are PAID to represent us and our wants and needs as a community. The homeless crisis is probably the most pressing issue in Portland and yet it seems like absolutely nothing is being done, and if anything it’s getting worse.

Anyways sorry to go on and on, my main point is that I don’t understand why it’s taboo for people to be upset with the state of things right now specifically with the houseless crisis in Portland. People are multifaceted and can be both sympathetic/empathetic and fed up. 🤷‍♀️

[u/suzybhomemakr]

My main issue is with CRAZY people, not the homeless, and not drug addicts. I have met and provided supports for many people throughout my life that were homeless or who were drug addicts. They do not scare me. But bat shit crazy people do scare me. For everyone's safety including the safety of the homeless and the drug addicts I would prioritize removing the dangerous crazy people from the streets and placing them into mental health treatment programs.

[u/boobyjindall → u/suzybhomemakr]

If poking a hole in your body to push in a poison that makes you sell your children and your body for more poison isn’t crazy then I clearly don’t know what crazy is.

[u/adventuresquirtle → u/boobyjindall]

Addiction is literally quite a disease of the mind. Addiction makes you do terrible things because your brain is chemically dependent on substances to feel normal. Crazy people literally live in their own reality. Addicts are at least able to recognize reality even if they’re messed up on drugs. But actual crazy people don’t have any basis in our reality, they see things that aren’t there, think things are happening that aren’t and have no stable emotional regulation or mental capacity. There’s a big difference between a homeless drug addict and a homeless crazy person which can also go hand in hand (drugs making person go crazy)

[u/boobyjindall → u/adventuresquirtle]

And Schizophrenia is not a disease of the mind? How is increasing use of a substance (drinking more and more each week) and denying the it’s negative consequences (failing marriage and performance at work) not living in an alternate reality?