Homeless in Austin for 14 Years?

The Austin American Statesman posted an article on December 5th about a Bicycle shop that donated a bike and labor for the repairs to an Austin man that has been homeless for 14 years. While the bike was probably the best gift Jimmy Northern has received in a long time, it does not solve his problem of being homeless for the past 14 years. It fails to amaze me how individuals can be homeless for a long period of time and never be able to get out of their situation.

Isn’t it true that organizations like the social services are supposed to be working with individuals like Jimmy to help them get back on their feet so that they can support themselves and maybe their families? Why do we have so many individuals out on the streets asking for money or help and we see them over and over, pretty much every day of our lives?

Correct me if I am wrong but wasn't there a law a few years back in Austin that made it illegal to panhandle? And, if you were caught panhandling then you would be taken to jail? Don’t get me wrong, I am totally against taking a person to jail for panhandling.

I feel that there needs to be some sort of services for individuals like Jimmy Northern to get training and acquire new talents so that they can be out looking for a job. Giving them money and maybe food doesn’t really solve the equation of getting the homeless off the streets or making their lives easier. I do not believe in temporary solutions. I like to strive to find the root cause and fix that problem.

Not too long ago I lived in North Austin and I would see a homeless guy everyday panhandling around my apartment. Let’s call him John Doe since I do not know his name. Every so often, I would try to give him a few dollars since I felt bad for him and his situation. One day I was out for dinner with my wife and I thought of John Doe. The weather was a little cold outside and I decided to order some take out food for John Doe. I thought he would appreciate it. When I got close to my apartment, I could not find John Doe at his usual corner. I went searching around the area to see if I could find him. Guess what? I found him! I was in shock and in awe at what I saw. I saw John Doe sitting under a tree helping himself to a six pack of beer! The sight of that really upset me! He always held up signs saying that he was hungry and homeless and in need of money. The thing that bothered me the most was that he did not have enough money to buy food, clothes or even find him self a place to stay but he was spending the money that he was collecting on beer? He was drowning his sorrows in alcohol?

Since this incident, I have been thinking about finding ways to try to solve the problem of the homeless. While we cannot solve the homeless problem around the world, in America, or even in the State of Texas, we can certainly work towards helping a few individuals close to home to get them back on their feet and make them part of the society once again.

I am not asking for money or anything material. I want to know what society thinks of the homeless situation and if anyone has any thoughts or ideas on solving this problem.

A brief summary of the idea that I have been working on was to form an organization that would help the homeless by training them to develop skills they may currently have and also by teaching them new skills. The organization would then help this individual find a job once he/she had a set of expertise. This would help the homeless individual get back on their feet and earn a livelihood and eventually become a part of society again.

I feel that it is our moral duty to help our fellow humans that are suffering. Let’s discuss this topic and see what thoughts others have regarding whether there is a way to resolve this problem once and for all!

The article on Jimmy Northern can be found at the following link:
http://www.statesman.com/search/content/news/stories/local/12/05/1205season.html

New Whole Foods Store with New Ideas

Yet another smart move by Austin, TX based Whole Foods Market! They opened a new store in the Houston area (Sugarland, TX). This store has something that the others do not have - a play area for kids. Parents can leave their kids at the supervised play area while they shop around the store. The best part is that it is supposed to be an “exploration and learning” place for the kids.

As good as it sounds, I am not sure how well this idea will play out or even if parents would trust others to watch their kids in a huge play area while they indulge in the store. What guarantees do the parents have that nothing will happen to their children? I would like to see what others think about this new idea. I am sure, though, that if this works out then other chain stores will probably start replicating this idea as well.