Would like your opinion....

Do you feel that most, if not all, homeless people are drug addicts?

Re: Would like your opinion....

No - least not here in the UK.

Re: Would like your opinion....

I don't feel that most, if not all, homeless people are drug addicts. If you consider the question in a worldwide context many people are or become homeless because of natural disasters, as well as poverty, wars, famine, etc.etc.

Re: Would like your opinion....

Quite a few are but certainly not most, over here anyway. With the cut backs in health spending on the institutes, a lot of people with mental and other disorders find themselves homeless. There are of course, those who choose to be homeless for family reasons etc..

Re: Would like your opinion....

It seems that some researcher put forth stats. that claim most homeless people in USA are see drug addicts. That is so far from the truth it isn't funny.
Never once did it mentioned folks that have lost jobs and have nowhere to turn to except the shelters. The stats. went on to claim that homeless people were also into crime. That also isn't true. Why do the stats. people get off on giving out false info. to the public. Each day sees 1000s more lose jobs & wonder where next food source will be. We all are just one paycheck away from joining them.

Re: Would like your opinion....

I don't have stats to back it up, just anecdotal accounts and newspaper articles. but as far as I know a fairly large proportion of the homeless here in Washington are mentally disturbed/addicts.

Re: Would like your opinion....

No, of course not! Any one of us are only 3-4 paychecks away from being homeless.

Re: Would like your opinion....

In our city there are a lot of homeless people because the mental hospital was closed years ago due to government cutbacks and the people were turned out onto the street. I live near downtown so I really notice it every where I go. They stay around downtown because that's where the missions and soup kitchens are located. My son lives in Toronto and the homeless population is huge there. I think a lot of the homeless people have ruined their ties with their families due to drugs and alcohol, but I'm sure there are many other issues as well, such as job losses.

I agree with bobmielke, that I'm always living paycheque to paycheque and if I came down with a serious illness I could be homeless too. It's very frightening, so I try not to think about that. I'm very bad that way.

Re: Would like your opinion....

Some of those statistics maybe true, but then one has to ask which came first, homelessness or drug abuse. Some people made homeless through no fault of their own, then resort to drug abuse as a way of mental release from their desparate situation. This also equally applies to some alcoholics too.

Re: Would like your opinion....

Why, because there are lies, dammed lies, and statistics.

Not sure who that quote is from, I think it may have been Churchill, please correct me if wrong.

You can prove anything with statistics, the trick is to pick your 'sample' in such a way that the results are bound to favour your pre-conceived ideas.

e.g. If you want to prove that all Londoners are rich you wander down Kings Avenue in Hampstead and ask each resident as he / she goes to work how much he earns, add it all up and divide by the number of interviews and make an adjustment for other boroughs (Usually a guess) and hey presto statistically all Londers are rich