Think Tank Homeless

Recently, a homeless man (Johnny Bobbitt) got tied up in a GoFundMe scam to bring in cash for himself and his (what I call) housed pimps. What was the scam? He said he rescued his female pimp from having to get out and walk to fill her own gas can while she was stranded on the side of the road. He was legitimately homeless. That wasn't a lie. But, in today's world, it's not enough to just be homeless or to just be a homeless veteran (which he was). Homeless people have to do something super in order for us to care about them. These pimps knew this. All three used the power of marketing and publicity to get the public really excited about The Beast rescuing The Damselle in Distress - just like in a fairy tale. And man, did it work. This one homeless guy got $400,000 in donations from frenzied people who thought they could really make a difference with the simple click of their donation buttons. See, we all want a good story, we are all followers, and we are all too busy ...

I've been telling stories about the homeless since 2010. I am always intrigued by the irony of who we as the public think homeless people are versus the reality of homeless people's daily ingenuity, coping powers, and life skills. At the same time, I want to let homeless people know that they are people worth my attention because if you value a person, they are likely to value themselves. And obviously, the opposite is also true. I've been hoping that these stories will resonate with the public - that the public will see that the homeless person is just like them and that that realization will inspire people to do something to get their neighbor off of the street. Instead, the public pays little attention until something about the homeless makes them angry (like poop in the streets), sad (like homeless people getting killed by sociopaths), or impressed (like a homeless kid getting into Harvard). My publicist says people work on emotion and judgment. She wants me to ...

One thing that prevents the homeless from moving out of homelessness is the weight with which the government and certain businesses place on a permanent address to define legitimacy. I understand the historic position of a person's address denoting their findability and therefore trustworthiness in society, but in today's age of everyone carrying trackable GPS telephones on them, I wonder if those policies can be relaxed to provide a pathway back into society. The government won't send mail to a PO Box. This means a person cannot get a new license if they don't have a home. If a person doesn't have a valid driver's license, often times businesses won't hire them. Other places (such as gyms) won't let a person use their facilities if they don't have a valid address. Can we develop an official communication channel for homeless people? Could we have a federal e-mail address? Also, can people have options apart from a permanent address that could bu...

Proposed Basic Truths Homeless people don’t have family or personal network support.   Homelessness is about movement and instability. Proposed Basic Solution a) The best option is the most direct option: People in communities around the homeless need to support them. b) Instead of supporting them with standard charity, in order to make their efforts sustainable, the community should support them with actions that directly benefit all involved. Each community needs to develop their unique strategy. c) ‘Move along’ policies should be ended. Abstract The only way to solve homelessness is community, capitalism and direct action. 1.Community: As a volunteer, work with local homeless in your local area neighborhood, on your street in front of the stores you shop at, (and not miles away in some other community) but in your own backyard. Become the community for the homeless person. Become their support system. Become the person they can count on to care...