November 27, 2012

Shelters: Why the Homeless Avoid Them

By tjmcfee

This is a good read about why homeless people avoid living in shelters:

http://www.squidoo.com/why_homeless_people_avoid_shelters

In my experience, shelters are extremely filthy and crowded. I end up with respiratory problems and have to go on an inhaler to catch my breath when I lived in shelters. There is also an increased risk of catching TB and Hepatitis in shelters.

One of my friends told me recently that a shelter he knows of gets deliveries of cleaning supplies, but hardly uses those and the stock keeps piling up– until a staffer carts some away for home use. Don’t get me wrong, wouldn’t want to clean up any icky mess that someone carelessly left, but if you catch them in the act, glove them up and give them a mop and pail. Otherwise, they won’t learn to respect the place they are living in.

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About tjmcfee

Freelance writer. Activist on homeless issues. 48 years old. I write about subjects that need to be examined closely and thoughtfully. The idea for Brain Sections came from reading a book about abandoned asylums. I wanted to set a suspense story in that setting. The inclusion of crazed scientists turning homeless people into zombies is what makes the story unique. View all posts by tjmcfee

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 27th, 2012 at 12:06 am and tagged with Affordable housing, experiences on the streets, homeless, Homeless shelter, homelessness, Organisations, Poverty, survival, United States and posted in Homeless Issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.