Reply #118: You've obviously never been around someone like Tom. [View All]

[eagertolearn]

Go out to a homeless camp and talk to them. Invite them into your house feed them and give them a job. They may empty out your liquor cabinet and one day you'll come home and all their friends will be helping themselves to your food and drinks. A few may be helping themselves to your stuff too. It's not "stealing" to them they always share everything they have. The mindset is completely different. I thought about going to get my brother from CA and bringing him up here to this small town in Oregon so I could "save him". But I knew I couldn't do that to my husband or family or friends. I've watched him take advantage of situations before and burn many bridges (our mom and our dad being two- but my dad never gave up) almost like to feed his lack of self esteem (drink more alcohol to take away more failures). I don't know Tom and Bill's stories but I know my brothers and many of his friends and this is not the group you can reach to "save". But there are many more out there that can be helped to stay off the streets by giving them jobs and shelter so they can do their jobs. The Bill's and Tom's and James's do need a shelter, food and medications though. Before you make comments like this go out and check it out yourself. When my brother was alive you don't know how much these simple gestures meant to him. A jacket, mittens and fresh socks and especially a hot meal were like he had been given a million dollars. You just don't get it.