Just because someone chooses to be on the streets, does not mean they don't want to work or they want to live on handouts. Many of the homeless worked for years, and are old enough to collect social security, and DO collect it. But, for folks that are really older, social security is not very much. Maybe 500 bucks a month. (give or take). With that money, they choose NOT to collect welfare, or have a city pay for their lodging. If they rented somewhere, they would not have any money left. (given the prices of rent). They do sometimes collect foodstamps, and use them to get cheap meals at local places - they have no bills, no taxes, no financial concerns. They also have lots of crimes perpetuated against them. These are the people that hear the complaints that food stamps shouldn't be used at restaurants. If you have no stove, you cannot cook, and if you have no house, you have no stove. There are definitely the element that have given up, would rather panhandle, or whatever, but these are most often the folks who are not capable of really holding a job - whether physical, mental or medical, they couldn't keep a job. But 99% - BS.
To the guy who volunteers in the Bowery - that's a trip from the Bronx, but, I lived a few short blocks from the Bowery years ago - and I would like to thank you for your compassion. In the time I lived in NYC, I found 2 dead men - both had frozen to death, and people just walked over them. Including the police.
Mrs.O
