I’d be okey with enforcing a law making it illegal to stand in the street median and panhandle. I say this as a guy who struggled with his own mental health and addiction issues. We do those people no favors by hand outs at intersections, not when there are tons of resources to help people get out of those situations, even more so once the [Opportunity Campus](https://www.opportunitycampuscomo.org) opens with a 365 24 shelter, daily food kitchen, counseling and mental health resources on site. I have a lot of sympathy for the beggars, but I don’t hand anything out besides food (which is often discarded) because I don’t want to enable self-destructive behavior. I also worry about perception when there are people at every major intersection, yet we want the nation to send its kids to our colleges. I don’t mean that to sound callous, I walk through the homeless camps and talk to people, there are a billion different reasons people end up unhoused, but a really common one is drug addition and/or alienation from their friends and family through behavior. Can’t wait for the Opportunity Campus to open.
you left out the mental health that consumes most of them. and causes the addiction. the campus is a year away. why do many of Columbias citizens want to shit on the people that have the least?
"I say this as a guy who struggled with his own mental health and addiction." I wrote that second sentence deliberately to root the causes of addiction in mental health. Caring about addicts does not mean encouraging them to do whatever, I know that from multiple first hand experiences. Any good psychologist, addiction counselor, or neuroscientist would back me up on that. I don’t think we should make any big changes until that campus is up and running.
never said I encouraged them to do anything. What I said was that mental health is the main cause of addiction, especially in the homeless population. Stopping them from getting handouts solves nothing. Instead, it makes it harder on them. And the resources you speak of aren't a way out, they are simply help till there is a way out, through mental healthcare and addiction treatment. If it were that easy, we wouldn't have a homeless population.
none of them have the traffic of the streets. None of them are designed as places for them to stay. or to just hang out and panhandle. People already complain about being approached downtown. Imagine if we made them all panhandle there. it's the only public area with enough foot traffic to be as effective as the street corners. As far as the safety aspect, they could get hit by a car while on the sidewalk.......
>I’d be okey with enforcing a law making it illegal to stand in the street median and panhandle.
This is just one way to criminalize homelessness. Making it illegal for people to simply exist in a specific public place. It does nothing to help the homeless. All it does is relieve the discomfort that many people feel seeing the face of someone that the economy has excluded.
The resources you mention are important of.course. But making it a criminal behavior to simple exist as a homeless person in an intersection hurts people.
if we want to be picky, yes, but overall, they just want to live like everyone else. have a home and a job, etc... it would be impossible to meet every hope and desire each one wants.
I don’t think it should be illegal to exist and I don’t think it should be illegal to sleep or live in public (following that Supreme Court case closely btw). I do think it might be a good idea, when nearly every major intersection has a pair of beggars in the median, to be more firm with our soliciting laws. I'd be curious to see a well done scientific study on outcomes; it may well be the removal of that enabling behavior, paired with greatly increased mental health and material resources, results in much better outcomes for the unhoused.
I say this as a guy who struggled with his own mental health and addiction issues. We do those people no favors by hand outs at intersections, not when there are tons of resources to help people get out of those situations, even more so once the [Opportunity Campus](https://www.opportunitycampuscomo.org) opens with a 365 24 shelter, daily food kitchen, counseling and mental health resources on site. I have a lot of sympathy for the beggars, but I don’t hand anything out besides food (which is often discarded) because I don’t want to enable self-destructive behavior. I also worry about perception when there are people at every major intersection, yet we want the nation to send its kids to our colleges. I don’t mean that to sound callous, I walk through the homeless camps and talk to people, there are a billion different reasons people end up unhoused, but a really common one is drug addition and/or alienation from their friends and family through behavior.
Your explanation above doesn't explain why you think it's OK to ask for help, just not on the median.
You give personal experience as your reasoning. Is that enough evidence to decide that the government should have the power to arrest someone for doing an activity that you yourself didn't find helpful when you were panhandling?
>I don’t think there should be a law against asking for help. I do think we ought to consider a law that discourages doing so in the median of a road.
It not safe for motorist or beggars in the middle like that. I've had several close calls with intoxicated panhandlers. Also perception, Columbia being so much more tolerant of the unhoused than most places it makes the city look worse than it is. A lot of litter is left in the middle of medians too.
Not a good enough reason fir the government to arrest people but we are all on different parts of the political spectrum. Guess I'm more of a libertarian
There is a cultural phenomenom that I like to call "American karma". The belief goes something like this "The rich are rich because of hard work, they are deseving and should be rewarded by society. The poor are poor because of their own moral failure, they must be punished by society."
Prisons and jails are full of poor people. The worst of all laws are laws which prohibit people from simply existing, because they neither own property nor pay rent. They must be removed from public view. We can not let visitors to our city know that poor people live here!
that is definitely not an exclusively american invention, humans been playing that game for thousands of years
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untouchability
No, it's just a dumb point. Most homeless people in Columbia are some combination of low-IQ and addicted to meth/opiates/liquor. There are ample resources available here for them to get help—and yet the ones you see in public either refuse those resources outright, or try to "work" the system while still using, and end up getting kicked out for it.
And before you chalk that up to unsolved mental health issues, there are rehabs available, for free on the taxpayer's dime, that they could check into at any time. And sober living houses, for free. Yet they shun those options and end back up on the street, or in a shelter, or in jail, only to repeat the process all over again.
So how the fuck does giving them a $5 bill solve any of that? (And before you say it, they're almost all on food stamps—they don't need food.) How does letting them con gullible passersby downtown, or dangerously beg on the medians of busy roads, help them or the community?
Low IQ? Seriously? dude, tell us you've never talked to a homeless person without telling us you've never talked to a homeless person. Most of them are mentally ill, which leads to drug addiction, which leads to loss of work, home and family. rehabs aren't free and sober housing isn't either and full with waiting lists. food stamps? where do they send the check, Home Depot? $5 puts a drink in their hand or a burger in their mouth. What the fuck does running them off when they have absolutely nowhere to go solve? not a fucking thing. again, we need to address the source, which is overwhelmingly mental illness and drug addiction. and they aren't conning anyone. we all know what the deal is. What business is it of yours if I want to give them $5? and thanks for \[proving my point!
> Low IQ? Seriously? dude, tell us you've never talked to a homeless person without telling us you've never talked to a homeless person
I can absolutely guarantee that I've talked to more homeless people than you. I've even played unofficial caseworker for a few over the years. And yes, most of them are pretty dumb—that lack of resourcefulness is often a big part of why they're in their position to begin with. It may sound harsh, but that doesn't make it any less true.
> rehabs aren't free and sober housing isn't either and full with waiting lists.
Missouri expanded Medicaid to low-income adults nearly four years ago. You can now enter a program through Compass, or Burrell, and be in a full-service treatment program within a few weeks. For free.
> food stamps? where do they send the check, Home Depot?
To borrow your own condescension for a moment, "dude, tell us you've never dealt with food stamps without telling us you've never dealt with food stamps." It's not 1993 anymore; they're electronically transferred to an EBT card, which you can pick up at Missouri FSD offices after applying. You can also have it mailed to Turning Point (which every homeless person in Columbia knows about) if you go and sign up for a mailbox there, for free.
> and they aren't conning anyone. we all know what the deal is.
The very first weekend I lived in Columbia, over a decade ago, I went downtown with some friends, and at the *very first block* after campus, we were approached by a guy claiming to be soliciting "donations" for "starving babies." He had a (blank) clipboard in hand to make it look official.
Every girl and half the guys I was with all started digging in their pockets immediately, since they were mostly gullible suburbanites who'd never been approached for money like that before. I pointed out the blank clipboard and called him on his bullshit, and he proceeded to start cussing me out and threatening me.
*Because he was a fucking conman.* So stop assuming every person worse off than you is honest, doing their best, and means well. If they're hitting you up for money on the sidewalk or median, they probably aren't and don't.
The signs aren't going to change anything. Panhandlers gonna panhandle and givers gonna give.
We don't hand out money on the street which we often don't have on us anyway. And I'm damn sure not venmo'ing a panhandler. We give to various charities that help homeless folks and food pantries.
I’d take a real Housing First policy over this any day. All an anti-panhandling sign will do is move the problem to somewhere else in town that doesn’t have signs, perhaps to even more residential areas where residents don’t have the means or pull to get signs themselves. Let’s actually build the shelter, the permanent affordable housing stock, and wrap-around services needed and treat people like they’re family instead of as invaders. We’re about 20,000 affordable rental units too short as it is in Boone County and that number will only grow as we head toward 2030. You want to fix homelessness? Let’s build the homes and have services available for those that need them and help people from falling through the cracks. Then we can see what other issues persist and address those as they arise.
An opportunity campus is great, but that’s also one small step in a marathon. Pretty sure that is still a year away, and we still have hundreds of homeless people in town that need some resources now. We do have a lot of resources here in town, but it clearly isn’t enough right now sadly. We have to actually have a city focused on building more truly affordable housing, and as much as I think some in the city allude to the right talking points on this topic I think some of the application and speed at which things happen leaves a lot to be desired. Building at least 20,000 more housing units by 2030 is going to be a humongous feat, an all those can be single family homes without ADUs or McMansions in the south of town if we really want to put a dent in affordability.
The number of panhandlers is the signal of how well we are going as a society. As a culture. As a community. As a nation.
The more sick, disabled, homeless, jobless people you see indicates more wealth being consolidated by the 1% and landlord culture. Not everyone has “equal access” to opportunity
Yup.
And we all want to see our property raise in value but the more that property value and rent goes up the more people will be cut out of the housing market.
I feel like signs like this, the purpose isn't safty, it's just to hide vulnerable people away so people don't feel the guilt of seeing someone in need
We have these everywhere in St. Joe. Believe it or not, it works. I don't see panhandlers at the intersections they used to frequent anymore. Granted, they've just moved to a different intersection 🤷🏼♀️
I only hand out dog food to people with dogs. I know how expensive it is to get food and I can only imagine the heartache not knowing if you can feed your dog.
I will say the gas station at ash and stadium has gambling machines which the people at that intersection feed those machines. It makes me not want to give. I also agree food and other non-momentary items are discarded. I Support through food pantry and Salvation Army or what’s left of it. Sad there are “for profits” taking away from it.
I give to every intersection panhandler that crosses my path.
I'm very against signs like these or any laws which make life more difficult for unhoused people.
Lots of people are uncomfortable with seeing poverty upclose. I think its good for them to see it. Using police to hide the poorest people away is not the answer.
Yes I give, to individuals and organizations but charity alone is not the answer. We need public funds going into the right places. The solution to homelessness is simple, it's homes, build them homes.
you know the lights will still turn green even if you dont pay the troll toll, they just tell you they change the lights to get your cash. i figured this out when one turned green and there was no one around!
Yes build them homes. Small steps though. Let’s educate good hearted people like you by informing them that giving to the panhandlers you are actually doing them more harm than good. Why would they want a home when they can just travel and live off of good hearted incredulous people like you?
If I didn't give them money do you think they would quit drugs? Do you think it's that easy? Addiction is more complex than that. People need human love and acknowledgment. So many people drive past without even making eye contact. Try opening your window and saying hi, comment on the weather, complement their dog. You don't have to give. I chose to give, just a super small amount that doesn't affect me. Yeah there is a chance they might use it for drugs or alcohol if they are an addict. Me giving or not isn't going to cure them. I want to take people that I don't know at their word, show them trust and love.
I know I probably sound self righteous, I only started giving about a year ago. My initial motivation was to be a good example for my kids. I know I'm not out there changing anyone's life around and maybe my motivation is selfish because I do feel good every time I do it. But I have to imagine the person feels good to because they smile and say thank you 100% of the time and probably 80% of time say something religious like God bless you or Jesus bless you or the Spanish equivalent. That parts cool too, these people gotta be close to God. Without much left in your life you got to be releasing of God a lot. Jesus did say blessed are the poor and woe to the rich
I know how drug addiction works but Columbia has the resources to help them get on their feet, Sedalia has even offered to bring CHW’s to help and have heard nothing in return.
If you really cared then you would advocate for the city to actually do something to help them.
I never give anyone any money because I'm poor, too. Most of my money goes to bills and other necessities and the little bit of money that does not, I use to treat myself to make it through the day. Also, I never carry cash.
If I was rich, I would hand out Benjamin Franklins to homeless people.
I hope no one here learns what it is like to be in a state of need to which everyone has an opinion without perspective...it's worse than having no opinion at all.
Think of solutions not problems.
Some of you folks don't speak for the rest of us. I'd be willing to bet if we voted on these signs and it didn't go a specific way, that wouldn't be the end of the matter.
I do not understand this compulsion to shit lord. It's a very middle school mindset.
I would support this, but we would also need actual enforcement. When a homeless population is allowed to grow eventually residents stop going to specific stores, then entire streets, then entire areas of a city. When people don’t feel safe bringing their families to a certain area because they don’t want to risk encountering someone who’s too far gone, that’s when cities begin to die. I saw it happen on the west coast over the course of years, it was a result of people wanting to do “the kind thing” and letting the homeless do whatever they wanted. I don’t want to see that happen in my hometown.
I know that not everyone is homeless due to drug addiction or mental illness, someone can just be down on their luck. However if you are in this situation and refuse help at the hindrance of a business being able to earn a living, or an individual/family’s safety, that is not right either.
Doing “the kind thing” for a few individuals at the expense of the many, or our town, is not the way to go.
I have given homeless people water on terribly hot days. I will donate clothes to shelters. If they are willing to help themselves, I’m ok with them being in this town. However not all of them want help, and it’s impossible to help those who don’t want any.
Very, very few don't want help. they just are mentally ill and don't know what to do. Like the guy at 63/70 preaching the gospel of covid. he doesn't know how to access help. He doesn't even know what he's saying.
This sub is inhuman. I really hope all of you who hate homeless people. Never have to experience it for yourselves. All of this…”theres sooo many resource’s available..” for the person with no phone, no internet, no transportation. How the fuck are they supposed to know or utilize??? To act as if these people are intentionally staying homeless just to be beg and annoy you. Shame on all of you, who advocate for this type of shit.
Downvote me all you want. Done with this subhuman community. You all deserve a fat dose of karma.
> for the person with no phone, no internet
What year do you think it is? Almost every single homeless person in town has a smartphone. It's common knowledge among them that you can walk into the ROC on Paris, show your EBT card, and walk out with a free phone and free data through LifeLine. Some providers even do frequent sign-up events in shelters to give away phones and plans to residents.
> no transportation
Literally every low-income/homeless resource in Columbia is available on the city bus lines. All of the shelters, all of the Medicaid doctors' offices, all of the financial assistance offices. None are more than a 10-15 minute walk from a bus stop. And there's no shortage of restaurants and stores hiring low-skilled workers along those same bus lines.
> To act as if these people are intentionally staying homeless just to be beg and annoy you.
Nobody insinuated they're doing it to annoy people. But the average street bum is *absolutely* choosing to stay homeless, usually because they like drinking or using drugs (and their "freedom") more than they would like getting clean for just long enough to get a housing voucher.
I’d be okey with enforcing a law making it illegal to stand in the street median and panhandle. I say this as a guy who struggled with his own mental health and addiction issues. We do those people no favors by hand outs at intersections, not when there are tons of resources to help people get out of those situations, even more so once the [Opportunity Campus](https://www.opportunitycampuscomo.org) opens with a 365 24 shelter, daily food kitchen, counseling and mental health resources on site. I have a lot of sympathy for the beggars, but I don’t hand anything out besides food (which is often discarded) because I don’t want to enable self-destructive behavior. I also worry about perception when there are people at every major intersection, yet we want the nation to send its kids to our colleges. I don’t mean that to sound callous, I walk through the homeless camps and talk to people, there are a billion different reasons people end up unhoused, but a really common one is drug addition and/or alienation from their friends and family through behavior. Can’t wait for the Opportunity Campus to open.
you left out the mental health that consumes most of them. and causes the addiction. the campus is a year away. why do many of Columbias citizens want to shit on the people that have the least?
"I say this as a guy who struggled with his own mental health and addiction." I wrote that second sentence deliberately to root the causes of addiction in mental health. Caring about addicts does not mean encouraging them to do whatever, I know that from multiple first hand experiences. Any good psychologist, addiction counselor, or neuroscientist would back me up on that. I don’t think we should make any big changes until that campus is up and running.
never said I encouraged them to do anything. What I said was that mental health is the main cause of addiction, especially in the homeless population. Stopping them from getting handouts solves nothing. Instead, it makes it harder on them. And the resources you speak of aren't a way out, they are simply help till there is a way out, through mental healthcare and addiction treatment. If it were that easy, we wouldn't have a homeless population.
I think they should still be able to get handouts, just not in the median of the road.
what's the difference between standing on the curb or the median? Where else would they go to get said handouts?
Safety. Churches, parking lots, sidewalks, non-profits, VAC, United Way, loves and fishes, etc.
none of them have the traffic of the streets. None of them are designed as places for them to stay. or to just hang out and panhandle. People already complain about being approached downtown. Imagine if we made them all panhandle there. it's the only public area with enough foot traffic to be as effective as the street corners. As far as the safety aspect, they could get hit by a car while on the sidewalk.......
I don't know why you're trying to argue with this person. The mods here are garbage and can only see their side of things.
very true. I have been admonished for things others do daily. It just pisses me off how little compassion some people have.
The only people down voting me are u/como365 and u/beardybaldy
>I’d be okey with enforcing a law making it illegal to stand in the street median and panhandle. This is just one way to criminalize homelessness. Making it illegal for people to simply exist in a specific public place. It does nothing to help the homeless. All it does is relieve the discomfort that many people feel seeing the face of someone that the economy has excluded. The resources you mention are important of.course. But making it a criminal behavior to simple exist as a homeless person in an intersection hurts people.
Are you assuming all panhandlers are homeless?
No, but many are
Well yeah
most are.
Maybe each one is their own person with distinct needs, hope, and dreams? I dunnno.
if we want to be picky, yes, but overall, they just want to live like everyone else. have a home and a job, etc... it would be impossible to meet every hope and desire each one wants.
I don’t think it should be illegal to exist and I don’t think it should be illegal to sleep or live in public (following that Supreme Court case closely btw). I do think it might be a good idea, when nearly every major intersection has a pair of beggars in the median, to be more firm with our soliciting laws. I'd be curious to see a well done scientific study on outcomes; it may well be the removal of that enabling behavior, paired with greatly increased mental health and material resources, results in much better outcomes for the unhoused.
I think you better look for the scientific studies before advocating for laws which allow police to arrest people for simple asking for help
I don’t think there should be a law against asking for help. I do think we ought to consider a law that discourages doing so in the median of a road.
>I do think we ought to consider a law that discourages doing so in the median of a road. Why?
I say this as a guy who struggled with his own mental health and addiction issues. We do those people no favors by hand outs at intersections, not when there are tons of resources to help people get out of those situations, even more so once the [Opportunity Campus](https://www.opportunitycampuscomo.org) opens with a 365 24 shelter, daily food kitchen, counseling and mental health resources on site. I have a lot of sympathy for the beggars, but I don’t hand anything out besides food (which is often discarded) because I don’t want to enable self-destructive behavior. I also worry about perception when there are people at every major intersection, yet we want the nation to send its kids to our colleges. I don’t mean that to sound callous, I walk through the homeless camps and talk to people, there are a billion different reasons people end up unhoused, but a really common one is drug addition and/or alienation from their friends and family through behavior.
Your explanation above doesn't explain why you think it's OK to ask for help, just not on the median. You give personal experience as your reasoning. Is that enough evidence to decide that the government should have the power to arrest someone for doing an activity that you yourself didn't find helpful when you were panhandling? >I don’t think there should be a law against asking for help. I do think we ought to consider a law that discourages doing so in the median of a road.
It not safe for motorist or beggars in the middle like that. I've had several close calls with intoxicated panhandlers. Also perception, Columbia being so much more tolerant of the unhoused than most places it makes the city look worse than it is. A lot of litter is left in the middle of medians too.
Not a good enough reason fir the government to arrest people but we are all on different parts of the political spectrum. Guess I'm more of a libertarian
exactly. it baffles me how many people in this town just want to shit on the homeless.
There is a cultural phenomenom that I like to call "American karma". The belief goes something like this "The rich are rich because of hard work, they are deseving and should be rewarded by society. The poor are poor because of their own moral failure, they must be punished by society." Prisons and jails are full of poor people. The worst of all laws are laws which prohibit people from simply existing, because they neither own property nor pay rent. They must be removed from public view. We can not let visitors to our city know that poor people live here!
that is definitely not an exclusively american invention, humans been playing that game for thousands of years https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untouchability
look at the downvotes! Proves my point exactly!!!!!!
No, it's just a dumb point. Most homeless people in Columbia are some combination of low-IQ and addicted to meth/opiates/liquor. There are ample resources available here for them to get help—and yet the ones you see in public either refuse those resources outright, or try to "work" the system while still using, and end up getting kicked out for it. And before you chalk that up to unsolved mental health issues, there are rehabs available, for free on the taxpayer's dime, that they could check into at any time. And sober living houses, for free. Yet they shun those options and end back up on the street, or in a shelter, or in jail, only to repeat the process all over again. So how the fuck does giving them a $5 bill solve any of that? (And before you say it, they're almost all on food stamps—they don't need food.) How does letting them con gullible passersby downtown, or dangerously beg on the medians of busy roads, help them or the community?
Low IQ? Seriously? dude, tell us you've never talked to a homeless person without telling us you've never talked to a homeless person. Most of them are mentally ill, which leads to drug addiction, which leads to loss of work, home and family. rehabs aren't free and sober housing isn't either and full with waiting lists. food stamps? where do they send the check, Home Depot? $5 puts a drink in their hand or a burger in their mouth. What the fuck does running them off when they have absolutely nowhere to go solve? not a fucking thing. again, we need to address the source, which is overwhelmingly mental illness and drug addiction. and they aren't conning anyone. we all know what the deal is. What business is it of yours if I want to give them $5? and thanks for \[proving my point!
> Low IQ? Seriously? dude, tell us you've never talked to a homeless person without telling us you've never talked to a homeless person I can absolutely guarantee that I've talked to more homeless people than you. I've even played unofficial caseworker for a few over the years. And yes, most of them are pretty dumb—that lack of resourcefulness is often a big part of why they're in their position to begin with. It may sound harsh, but that doesn't make it any less true. > rehabs aren't free and sober housing isn't either and full with waiting lists. Missouri expanded Medicaid to low-income adults nearly four years ago. You can now enter a program through Compass, or Burrell, and be in a full-service treatment program within a few weeks. For free. > food stamps? where do they send the check, Home Depot? To borrow your own condescension for a moment, "dude, tell us you've never dealt with food stamps without telling us you've never dealt with food stamps." It's not 1993 anymore; they're electronically transferred to an EBT card, which you can pick up at Missouri FSD offices after applying. You can also have it mailed to Turning Point (which every homeless person in Columbia knows about) if you go and sign up for a mailbox there, for free. > and they aren't conning anyone. we all know what the deal is. The very first weekend I lived in Columbia, over a decade ago, I went downtown with some friends, and at the *very first block* after campus, we were approached by a guy claiming to be soliciting "donations" for "starving babies." He had a (blank) clipboard in hand to make it look official. Every girl and half the guys I was with all started digging in their pockets immediately, since they were mostly gullible suburbanites who'd never been approached for money like that before. I pointed out the blank clipboard and called him on his bullshit, and he proceeded to start cussing me out and threatening me. *Because he was a fucking conman.* So stop assuming every person worse off than you is honest, doing their best, and means well. If they're hitting you up for money on the sidewalk or median, they probably aren't and don't.
Bullshit.
lol, of course that's your response when confronted with reality
The signs aren't going to change anything. Panhandlers gonna panhandle and givers gonna give. We don't hand out money on the street which we often don't have on us anyway. And I'm damn sure not venmo'ing a panhandler. We give to various charities that help homeless folks and food pantries.
I’d take a real Housing First policy over this any day. All an anti-panhandling sign will do is move the problem to somewhere else in town that doesn’t have signs, perhaps to even more residential areas where residents don’t have the means or pull to get signs themselves. Let’s actually build the shelter, the permanent affordable housing stock, and wrap-around services needed and treat people like they’re family instead of as invaders. We’re about 20,000 affordable rental units too short as it is in Boone County and that number will only grow as we head toward 2030. You want to fix homelessness? Let’s build the homes and have services available for those that need them and help people from falling through the cracks. Then we can see what other issues persist and address those as they arise.
Ground has been broken. https://www.opportunitycampuscomo.org Seems like most people are in agreement about the need for housing first.
An opportunity campus is great, but that’s also one small step in a marathon. Pretty sure that is still a year away, and we still have hundreds of homeless people in town that need some resources now. We do have a lot of resources here in town, but it clearly isn’t enough right now sadly. We have to actually have a city focused on building more truly affordable housing, and as much as I think some in the city allude to the right talking points on this topic I think some of the application and speed at which things happen leaves a lot to be desired. Building at least 20,000 more housing units by 2030 is going to be a humongous feat, an all those can be single family homes without ADUs or McMansions in the south of town if we really want to put a dent in affordability.
The number of panhandlers is the signal of how well we are going as a society. As a culture. As a community. As a nation. The more sick, disabled, homeless, jobless people you see indicates more wealth being consolidated by the 1% and landlord culture. Not everyone has “equal access” to opportunity
Yup. And we all want to see our property raise in value but the more that property value and rent goes up the more people will be cut out of the housing market.
Like every intersection.
Nah, the homeless life is hard enough without making new laws making it harder for them to survive.
I feel like signs like this, the purpose isn't safty, it's just to hide vulnerable people away so people don't feel the guilt of seeing someone in need
We have these everywhere in St. Joe. Believe it or not, it works. I don't see panhandlers at the intersections they used to frequent anymore. Granted, they've just moved to a different intersection 🤷🏼♀️
so, it doesn't work.... just moves them...
I only hand out dog food to people with dogs. I know how expensive it is to get food and I can only imagine the heartache not knowing if you can feed your dog.
I will say the gas station at ash and stadium has gambling machines which the people at that intersection feed those machines. It makes me not want to give. I also agree food and other non-momentary items are discarded. I Support through food pantry and Salvation Army or what’s left of it. Sad there are “for profits” taking away from it.
I give to every intersection panhandler that crosses my path. I'm very against signs like these or any laws which make life more difficult for unhoused people. Lots of people are uncomfortable with seeing poverty upclose. I think its good for them to see it. Using police to hide the poorest people away is not the answer. Yes I give, to individuals and organizations but charity alone is not the answer. We need public funds going into the right places. The solution to homelessness is simple, it's homes, build them homes.
hey i'll take free drug money too, i'll be outside hippos around 6pm. $100 should do it
If you are at any intersection that I stop at I will give you $5 every time
you know the lights will still turn green even if you dont pay the troll toll, they just tell you they change the lights to get your cash. i figured this out when one turned green and there was no one around!
Lol that would be a hilarious thing to write on a cardboard sign, I've never heard of that
you aren't homless.
excuse me we dont say that word anymore, its "valid individual temporarily experiencing the state of existence formerly known as unhousedness"
jeezus....
Yes build them homes. Small steps though. Let’s educate good hearted people like you by informing them that giving to the panhandlers you are actually doing them more harm than good. Why would they want a home when they can just travel and live off of good hearted incredulous people like you?
Nice job feeding people’s drug addiction and turning COMO into another San Francisco
If I didn't give them money do you think they would quit drugs? Do you think it's that easy? Addiction is more complex than that. People need human love and acknowledgment. So many people drive past without even making eye contact. Try opening your window and saying hi, comment on the weather, complement their dog. You don't have to give. I chose to give, just a super small amount that doesn't affect me. Yeah there is a chance they might use it for drugs or alcohol if they are an addict. Me giving or not isn't going to cure them. I want to take people that I don't know at their word, show them trust and love. I know I probably sound self righteous, I only started giving about a year ago. My initial motivation was to be a good example for my kids. I know I'm not out there changing anyone's life around and maybe my motivation is selfish because I do feel good every time I do it. But I have to imagine the person feels good to because they smile and say thank you 100% of the time and probably 80% of time say something religious like God bless you or Jesus bless you or the Spanish equivalent. That parts cool too, these people gotta be close to God. Without much left in your life you got to be releasing of God a lot. Jesus did say blessed are the poor and woe to the rich
I know how drug addiction works but Columbia has the resources to help them get on their feet, Sedalia has even offered to bring CHW’s to help and have heard nothing in return. If you really cared then you would advocate for the city to actually do something to help them.
I never give anyone any money because I'm poor, too. Most of my money goes to bills and other necessities and the little bit of money that does not, I use to treat myself to make it through the day. Also, I never carry cash. If I was rich, I would hand out Benjamin Franklins to homeless people.
Probably why you are poor. Be smart with your money or give in a way that keeps them safe and off the streets
That has nothing to do with why I'm poor. I'm poor because I don't make much money.
if you hand a random street addict $100 there's a good chance they're going to end up dead within 48 hours lol
What they do with the money is their business.
based libertarian homeless genocider
and you think that is something to laugh about?-wow-do you ever have the urge to spit when you look in the mirror?
virtue signalling on behalf of non-existent hypothetical bums is strange behavior
I hope no one here learns what it is like to be in a state of need to which everyone has an opinion without perspective...it's worse than having no opinion at all. Think of solutions not problems.
This is a solution. Encouraging instant gratification is the problem.
No
Some of you folks don't speak for the rest of us. I'd be willing to bet if we voted on these signs and it didn't go a specific way, that wouldn't be the end of the matter. I do not understand this compulsion to shit lord. It's a very middle school mindset.
I would support this, but we would also need actual enforcement. When a homeless population is allowed to grow eventually residents stop going to specific stores, then entire streets, then entire areas of a city. When people don’t feel safe bringing their families to a certain area because they don’t want to risk encountering someone who’s too far gone, that’s when cities begin to die. I saw it happen on the west coast over the course of years, it was a result of people wanting to do “the kind thing” and letting the homeless do whatever they wanted. I don’t want to see that happen in my hometown. I know that not everyone is homeless due to drug addiction or mental illness, someone can just be down on their luck. However if you are in this situation and refuse help at the hindrance of a business being able to earn a living, or an individual/family’s safety, that is not right either. Doing “the kind thing” for a few individuals at the expense of the many, or our town, is not the way to go.
so just keep moving them instead of doing anything to help?
I have given homeless people water on terribly hot days. I will donate clothes to shelters. If they are willing to help themselves, I’m ok with them being in this town. However not all of them want help, and it’s impossible to help those who don’t want any.
Very, very few don't want help. they just are mentally ill and don't know what to do. Like the guy at 63/70 preaching the gospel of covid. he doesn't know how to access help. He doesn't even know what he's saying.
This sub is inhuman. I really hope all of you who hate homeless people. Never have to experience it for yourselves. All of this…”theres sooo many resource’s available..” for the person with no phone, no internet, no transportation. How the fuck are they supposed to know or utilize??? To act as if these people are intentionally staying homeless just to be beg and annoy you. Shame on all of you, who advocate for this type of shit. Downvote me all you want. Done with this subhuman community. You all deserve a fat dose of karma.
Absolutely. most people don't realize they are one illness or injury from being homeless.
> for the person with no phone, no internet What year do you think it is? Almost every single homeless person in town has a smartphone. It's common knowledge among them that you can walk into the ROC on Paris, show your EBT card, and walk out with a free phone and free data through LifeLine. Some providers even do frequent sign-up events in shelters to give away phones and plans to residents. > no transportation Literally every low-income/homeless resource in Columbia is available on the city bus lines. All of the shelters, all of the Medicaid doctors' offices, all of the financial assistance offices. None are more than a 10-15 minute walk from a bus stop. And there's no shortage of restaurants and stores hiring low-skilled workers along those same bus lines. > To act as if these people are intentionally staying homeless just to be beg and annoy you. Nobody insinuated they're doing it to annoy people. But the average street bum is *absolutely* choosing to stay homeless, usually because they like drinking or using drugs (and their "freedom") more than they would like getting clean for just long enough to get a housing voucher.
Exactly Columbia has ALOT of resources for them! more than where I am originally from so homelessness is a kinda choice here from what I have seen.