tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post4513940542986573518..comments2023-12-10T07:53:40.265-06:00Comments on KC Bike Commuting: It kind of makes your heart ache...Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271155305943176738noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post-73278695250184834962008-02-05T09:52:00.000-06:002008-02-05T09:52:00.000-06:00For those interested, Kansas City does have a good...For those interested, Kansas City does have a good homeless shelter downtown: http://www.cityunionmission.org/Frogmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17409465076208251449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post-52650132549004647612008-02-04T08:15:00.000-06:002008-02-04T08:15:00.000-06:00Around 1975, there was a policy shift regarding an...Around 1975, there was a policy shift regarding an invisible segment of our population, the roughly 2% of our population with either schizophrenia or manic-depressiveness. According to the best science of the day, policy makers stopped subsidizing the costs of institutionalizing the mentally ill in the belief they would fare better amongst the general population. This probably remains true for the majority of mentally ill, but those without family or friends are usually out on the street. <BR/><BR/>Being out and about on the bike brings me into contact with many of my neighbors, including those without an address. It is interesting that many of them carry all their possessions on bikes. I greet them just as warmly as I do anyone else; they seem to carry a smile further down the road.Jetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12831442641095986831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post-85039221875007017712008-02-02T23:39:00.000-06:002008-02-02T23:39:00.000-06:00I'm glad you're sensitive to the issue and haven't...I'm glad you're sensitive to the issue and haven't become jaded by the presence of the homeless around you. If you want a real eye opener, volunteer and spend some time at a homeless mission or shelter. Many of them can use the help, especially if you can stick around for more than a couple of days.<BR/><BR/>A lot of the homeless have significant mental health issues. Drug problems are a result of them trying to self medicate.Yokota Fritzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04808661100114872654noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post-27190451010004068452008-02-02T10:25:00.000-06:002008-02-02T10:25:00.000-06:00A very interesting stat about the homeless - 1 in ...A very interesting stat about the homeless - 1 in 4 is most likely to be a veteran.<BR/><BR/>Who knows what demons they have floating around in their brains from their time serving our our country. But if the percentage is that much, it speaks very poorly for the support network our vets have when they leave the service.<BR/><BR/>I am with you- torn between not feeling much empathy for slackers, yet I know it is more often than not, a case of emotional or mental issues. <BR/><BR/>I once spent an afternoon with a homeless black woman in Baltimore as a teenager. I gave her some money for some MD 20/20 and we split it, passing it back and forth in it's paper bag as we sat on some back water wharf at the Inner Harbor. <BR/><BR/>It was my few hours with her so many years ago that made me realize that these folks do not necessarily choose to not fit in, something in their soul prevents it.MRMacrumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01414173517957120477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post-88564957815902781312008-02-01T13:58:00.000-06:002008-02-01T13:58:00.000-06:00Great post. And the fact that you noticed all of ...Great post. And the fact that you noticed all of this is something that I commonly hear as one of the benefits of cycling - the reconnection with society. It's too easy for drivers, in their moving isolation booths, to tune out society and ignore the less fortunate as they whisk by. <BR/><BR/>Some people say they should have the right to do just that. I disagree. If you can harden your heart enough that you can walk or bike past these folks without feeling something, that's your business. But you shouldn't be able to enable yourself to fly past quickly without even noticing them. That's just heartless.Jamiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05040231681301411948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post-68177133943938614312008-02-01T10:26:00.000-06:002008-02-01T10:26:00.000-06:00Vey sad situation,you never know what that person ...Vey sad situation,you never know what that person has gone thru,most people think they are just lazy,but what they might not know is if a loved one was lost or a addiction has overcome their ways of living a normal life.Drinking had a big grip on me years ago to the point of losing everything ! but i and like many others must fight the demons(temptations),i now just grab one of my bikes and start peddling !i now love my bikes instead of wiskey & beer! good topic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post-48457115818194586332008-02-01T09:51:00.000-06:002008-02-01T09:51:00.000-06:00My church is hosting the homeless for a week begin...My church is hosting the homeless for a week beginning in just a little more than a week now. That's certainly not the answer to the underlying causes of homelessness, but at least it can help alleviate some of the misery. <BR/><BR/>Maybe you can encourage your church to become a shelter or, if that's not practical, maybe it can partner with other churches to help. And maybe through your church you can help put pressure on your local government to do more to assist the homeless.Revrunnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01906290746860646907noreply@blogger.com