Addicted To Homelessness: Homeless Addicts & Their Suppliers

The former relates to chronic 'outdoor citizens', both male and female who are caught up in the culture or lifestyle of being an outdoor citizen. They either won't, or cannot seem to divorce themselves from 'the lifestyle' of being outside or homeless. Some of you are thinking, “I knew it along, that all of them, homeless people, are addicted to drugs - and that's how they landed where they are in the first place”. However, you are wrong in both contexts, Don Pardo! For in fact, we were speaking of homeless addiction within a completely different context. We were not talking about drug addiction or being chemically dependent, as you might have inferred.

Now having said that, there are a number of homeless individuals who do in fact self-medicate. Many of them are participants in recovery programs in and around the county, and there are some who are not. How did they get that way, and, why do they do what they do, you ask? They do so for a myriad of reasons to include easing the pain of loneliness, isolation and separation from loved-ones, also to stay warm on a cold day or night, to rise above their pathos, to engage in outdoor citizen group-speak or simple pleasure.

For example, at the infamous People's Park in Berkeley where I began my work with the homeless population, shortly after returning from a 8 year hiatus in the nation's Capitol, I frequently engaged the homeless,or as we refer to homeless people at HOP as, 'outdoor citizens'. The group that I visited with the most would sit at a massive solid wooden picnic table in the park and pass around a palm-sized pipe filled with sage. These outdoor citizens could not afford the more customary street ... drugs at the time, however, they found another way to smoke and 'to pass the peace'. Get it, 'pass the peace', similar to do what we often do at church!

Smoking the pipe, and everyone sucked on the same pipe (without washing it off and without regard to race, color or gender I might add) was a part of fellowship. Rosie, my friend and initial contact had been a long-term resident of the park, having been put out of the house by his estranged wife. He was an excellent artist, and held a bachelor's degree from a local University. We frequently spent time together, just the two of us, in the park or in a nearby coffee shop on Telegraph Avenue.

Now getting back to 'the peace pipe' and fellowship, because I won acceptance by the group - I was permitted to sit at the massive wooden picnic-like table with them. On one occasion, they also passed the pipe to me, the Rev.I declined, given that I had never inhaled or injected any substances in my life, and I didn't intend to start that day!

On one memorable occasion, I brought my keyboard over, and to my dismay, practically every person at the table and other park dwellers were musicians and could play my keyboard. Well, even though she tried, there was one minor exception, it was the bikini-clad 'hoolah hoop lady', as she was affectionately referred to as in the park. Her contribution, hoolah hooping to an audience of mostly smiling males, was a satisfactory Outdoor Citizen Addiction for her apparently. And, her performance by the way was very satisfying to the men who watched her hoolah hoop (including the Rev).

I sat, transfixed, with a group of men on the ground as we watched this beautiful, shapely, gorgeous and statuesque 'female outdoor citizen', who with music playing on her nearby boom box, hoolah hooped. At the same time, her lingerie hung, piece by piece, spread around the circumference of a nearby bushel basket while drying in the sun. Men are so weak aren't we? I had to tell Satan (not the woman) several times to: "get thee behind me Satan". Hmm baby!

Again, I declined when it was my turn to imbibe on the pipe, but at the same time I recognized that sharing chemicals, and the passing and sharing of the pipe along with its contents was a part of the park resident's cultural ethos. Among other things, and similar to the manner in which native Americans do and have done in their past and current ceremonies, it was the manner in which outdoor citizens socially interacted while in a quasi-euphoric state.

And while being engaged in a euphoric or semi-euphoric state, the outdoor citizens shared the daily news, laughed, danced, meditated, talked, and interacted while literally taking in the earth in the form of herb. In other words, these earth creatures inhaled a portion of the earth along with other earth creatures. But having said that,permit me to divest my readers of the notion that 'outdoor citizens', are all either chemically dependent or substance abusers, for that is not the case, and neither are their service providers.

What I am in fact referring to is an often overlooked and growing phenomenon that is occurring within a dynamic and growing subset-group, in the 'outdoor citizens sub-culture'. Homeless addiction, in this context, is a subset and occasionally a by-product of outdoor citizens getting everything for free as a result of being a part of the culture of homelessness individuals. It is not a street or psychotropic drug that they are addicted to, on the other hand, the drug that they are addicted to is the drug of being outside (day and night) while depending on their indoor supplier-counterparts to supply them with their fixes. Their fixes include necessities and luxuries like medications, health-services, food, clothing, bus passes, clothing ...The indoor suppliers support their habits and addictions, typically by using other people's monies, selling what has been provided for them, gratis …

Their counterparts, the home service-provider addicts, have their own interests in mind when providing fixes for their co-dependent addict-clients, who would otherwise lapse into withdrawal and perhaps get up on their feet again and take care of their own wants and needs: however. It would appear,that their service-provider supplier addicts is really don't want that to happen. Or, what would they have left to do themselves in order to earn a living, or to cause their unmotivated clients to cause them to feel good about themselves inside?

I like referring to the latter group, the suppliers, as their"helping-care professional service-provider addicts".For in most instances, the addicts are paired with 'care-giver suppliers that work for or volunteer at legitimate agencies or charitable organizations typically. Some suppliers are also individual citizens who supply their fixes in the form or money, food, shelter, or whatever else the 'outdoor citizen addicts' need or desire, in order to support their bohemian lifestyles. All of us have likely been guilty at one time or another of believing that we were helping some outside begging, when we provided them with money ... Some of us, having worked directly with outdoor citizen-addicts and outdoor citizen addict-suppliers (both represent addictive personalities I suspect), understand the chemically dependent, neurotics, psychotics, dual-diagnosis clients ..., we know better. It would appear that in many instances that it is both the service-provider of the recipients of the free services that are addicted and need an intervention.

Just how long have we been supporting addicts? Well, just look around you? Have you noticed the growing number of outdoor citizens, including the ones who moved outside before either of the two recessions of the past 11 years, in Silicon Valley. Many caregivers have been, unwittingly, supporting sophisticated and undeserving seasoned homeless beggars and this habits. I am not suppose to saying that am I, liberals? Funny, I am saying it and I am neither a liberal or conservative - I am simply saying it, because it is true!

Is There Such A Thing As Realistic Help?

Think of it this way, and ask yourself this question: Am I helping a person who overeats to combat his or her problem, by continuing to supply them with food and foodstuffs that they don't relay need, especially the one's who lack impulse control and overeat ? So why is it that we believe that we are helping outdoor citizen-addicts by supplying them with all of what will likely result in keeping them locked into their addicted states of being homeless, beggars, moochers, irresponsible, wanderers ...

Care-giver addicts, behave in much the same manner as street-drug suppliers often behave. They acquire the supply, from their suppliers, in order to meet the Outdoor Citizen demands, typically from federal, state and local governments. They also depend upon corporate, faith-based groups and citizen suppliers. Many addicted service-providers and their agencies, are always available and ready to provide a fix for the outdoor citizen-addict, even without being asked.

It is not uncommon for the outdoor citizen-addict to be contacted by their outdoor citizen service-provider or their agency ..., to inform them of the new gifts that they will receive, totally unsolicited! "Okay, I will come and get it, the outdoor citizen-addict will often say", I am, "in fact I'm busy now, but I will stop in later in the week, and by the way, can you get a bus pass for me, and have it ready when I arrive"?

The latter is something that the outdoor citizen addict in many instances should be pursuing themselves, but refuse to do. And to boot, the addict service-provider or addict service-provider institution does not want the addict to go into withdrawal. God help if one of them were to get a job or create an organization like Facebook, and put all of their friends to work, or volunteer and work for what they get for doing nothing. If that were to happen too often, many of the supplier addicts would be out of job. Or even worse, would if some were to garner a conscience, and inform their Outdoor Citizen-addict counterparts, that I am not accepting anything else you or the organization, unless I can volunteer and do some work to earn it.

This quid pro quo relationship is not a positive one, no matter how it seems to be. For in fact, what the service provider addict or service provider addict agency misunderstands is this, that she or he is simply prolonging the outdoor citizen's addiction, addictive behavior and therefore, agony. If we are ever to help the outdoor citizen addicts, we will have to engineer a strategic moratorium on giving, while reconsidering whether or not we have become either co-dependent, or suppliers of the needs of addicted individuals. And we all know that addiction is typically unhealthy.

As promised in our previous article, let's consider how the Apostle Peter handled addiction, when dealing with a physically impaired beggar, who was addicted to begging at the entrance of the Temple in Jerusalem. 

Acts 3:1-11 1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; 3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. 4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. 5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. 6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. 7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. 9And all the people saw him walking and praising God: 10 And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.11 And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering.

What can we learn from this brief encounter between a religious leader and a a man who had spent 4 decades, begging outside at the Temple,that could be helpful to 'homeless addicts and their addicted care-giver suppliers', given the epidemic that is facing our nation? Here is what 'the helping community of suppliers', needs to understand is that there are limited about of resources, due in part to globalization, and its impact on the American economy, also:The incapacitated, the lazy, the addicted ... are typically not alone. Normally, they have a support system, an individual, or a group or service to support them. In this context, the lame man had individuals to carry him to the temple entrance daily, so that he could beg. Today's co-dependent helper addicts will carry, provide transportation services ... never stopping to evaluate whether the 'Outdoor Citizen Addicts', could get up or walk, or if he or she has ever tried.

• We are using our limited resources, personal and community, to benefit shiftless individuals as opposed to the ones who truly need a hand up! Peter waited, apparently, until he understood the power that he had to help this man (money was not the answer), and for the man to be ready to get up if assisted. Initially, the lame man looked upon Peter, like many in our shiftless group do today to you, me and an institution, in hopes of 'getting something', as opposed to doing anything for themselves.

• We also understand that what was required at the time 'by the beggar' was for him to cooperate with the help that he was receiving. something that our hard-core chronic homeless addicts have been conditioned not to do by their addicted supplier service-providers and provider services agencies ...

• When an addict who has been helped, refuses to get up and walk, he or she dishonors all of the truly handicapped individuals in Santa Clara county, who work to help themselves and their families. Many of the outdoor citizens have received all that they need in order to get up and walk, however,they refuse to walk.

• That conditioning our 'outdoor addicts' to simply go and lay down at the doors of the churches and other institutions in the Valley, so that they can beg is also something that we should not tolerate any longer Peter neither gave the handicapped beggar what he expected nor did he offer to go and bring the man some of his normal catch of fish for the day.

• Similar to Peter, we need our homeless addicts to do something for themselves, and afterward we should meet them half way. For example, we should ask them where is the proof that you have looked for work, or tried to create an income producing opportunity for yourself. And if he or she has not done anything to help themselves (unless they are incapacitated), then we should ask why not? (We can also obey the Apostle Paul's instructions, and remind our would be beggars and addict, “that if you don't work you won't eat”). Not eating, is a powerful incentive that can motivate the worst malingerer to get up and get going again!

There are 3 classes of 'homeless addicts in the valley, in my opinion.  And of the 3, there is one group that I respect more than the other. many of whom are drug free, even though some are not. All they want is to live alongside 'housed society', or to be be left alone and treated as citizens of the United States of America, who are entitled to all of the rights and protections of the United States Constitution. They don't consider mooching to be a condigned right!

They prefer anonymity, and do not want anything from society. They neither expect to be coddled, pampered and cared for like their pseudo-homeless addict brothers and sisters (who hang around the nation's thoroughfares, temples, social service agencies, expressway entrances) and beg do, nor to be pestered by addicted service-providers. And then there is the other group, the slackers, con artists and manipulators. They are the ones who simply put: Crave the opportunity to have someone to pick them up and carry them to or into the Temples of our day, Outreach, VTA ... so that they can beg. Are addicted to, and dependent upon free services and a team of service provider-supplier addicts who will get them what they want for free. Have no desire to rise or to be helped to rise, especially when an effort on their parts will be required. Are prototypical 'users'! Longing to be carried into or into a secular or faith-based organization, or to have them or their supplier-addicts to come and shower them with gifts for doing nothing. Wish to be loaded down with gifts. Do not want to be asked or required to do anything, for example to clean up their own messes after sleeping or eating at the temples..., in deference to all of the volunteer or paid workers who help them to survive, as well as to clean up after them. Feel a sense of entitlement, and that the organizations that provide food, housing, clothing, services... for them are supposed to do it. Won't attend a church service, show any appreciation or attempt to turn their lives around. Desire their 'addicted supplier service providers', to instead tell them just how wonderful they are for taking advantage of the rest of society, its institutions and its people. Remember, Jesse James and the James gang were considered heroes in some circles, even when they robbed banks! They want, finally, 'the convenience of a system and people who provides them with so much for doing nothing, without having to take on any of associated responsibilities on their own. That reminds me of something that a friend school teacher once told me about men: She said, speaking in another context: "Men want the convenience of a woman, without having the responsibility of a wife". In other words, men want the milk for free.

In a similar vein, too many of our outdoor citizen-addicts mostly male (including a growing number of teenagers) have a similar attitude about getting whatever they can, as long as the system is 'putting out'! Their attitude in some instances is, 'I didn’t ask you do gooders to do what you do, but seeing how you have made it your mission to fix my life (without being asked to), then I will take whatever you give me for free'!

Again, these addicts have little interest in recovery, there only interest is to manipulate other individuals and organizations in order to get what they want for free. And once they have benefited from the largesse (sometimes misguided) of other people and organizations, to include all of the free goodies (some of them daily) they will afterward return to their 'gardens of eternal repose', the parks and libraries to be sure, and wait for the next giveaway.

Again, if the outdoor citizen-addicts are to ever succeed and lift themselves from poverty (and not all of them are impoverished mind you), they must be involved in their recovery. And that is something that the rest of us must insist upon, or otherwise, we become co-dependent and supportive of co-dependent behaviors by both the served and the servers.

Mr. Boehner and Mitch, are not going to be sucked in by this ruse much longer. Of course Mitch and Mr. Boehner, want to preserve America's wealth in order to provide handouts for their own class group, and satisfy corporate lobbyists, and the organizations that they represent.

Ergo, the next time someone asks you for money... tell them silver or gold have I none … they watch how quickly they abandon you, especially if you quote them a scripture, or lecture them about responsibility. One outdoor addict in Palo Alto, did that to me some time ago. He stopped me in the middle of my quoting the scripture and exclaimed: "Are you going to give me some money or not, otherwise, move on"? I gladly moved on, ministered to and fed a man and a woman nearby who were trying to get up on their collective feet.

Before leaving University Avenue that day, I noticed that the rude beggar was rummaging through a trash can. Did I feel guilty when I saw him gnawing shortly after on a piece of pizza, taken from the garbage can behind a pizza shop? No, I did not, it was his choice not mine. Another college graduate, who often sleeps under the bridge on the Stanford University golf course, has chosen homelessness and begging as a lifestyle. He ought to be permitted to take care of himself then, but instead because he is so likable, everyone loads him down with gifts and money. And he has no problem with asking for what he wants, right down to underclothing, and guess what, he gets what he wants, to include his favorite beverage, wine!

The Addict Service Provider Network

Sadly, the addicted service provider network institutions and individuals in America and the Valley), are all to often staffed with 'addicted homeless service providers and managers', who have their own reasons for being in the profession in the first place. Many of them developed their praxis and mission statements independent of the facts. The service provider addicts and addict provider organizations, are obsessed with the idea of supplying the outdoor addicts, whether the identified patients (in this instance), are committed to helping themselves to recover or not. And once again, similar to their drug dealer supplier-counterparts on the streets, who supply their drug addicted users or non-addicted clients, the service provider-addicts and their agencies are determined to supply their outdoor-addict-clients with their daily, weekly, monthly and yearly fixes, typically at someone elses expense.

If necessary, they will have 'the products' brought in over the borders, city, county and state for distribution. Well, there is one caveat however, for when it comes to the providers in the streets, versus the addicted-service-provider agencies and staff: The street providers are not providing their products for free someone has to pay for their products or else! In this scenario, everyone else pays for what other people, addicted providers and their agencies, insist that the addicts must have in order to support their addiction to being users!

Many of our outdoor addict service provider organizations and staff are on a mission, and no one is going to get in their way, not even 'common sense', or Solomon over at HOP will prevail. As far as they are concerned, even if outdoor citizen addicts fail to follow the rules, whenever rules are in place, they will still get their fixes. And therefore rewarded for their aberrant behavior. And I ask again, who pays?

Answer? It is the public, faith-based groups, government agencies, corporations, naive but good-heated and misdirected citizens ... who pay the cost. The service provider addicts wouldn't treat their own children in the manner that they treat homeless addicts, that is to keep giving them what they want even though it is harmful to their health. Well, on the other hand, some of them very likely would and are doing the same with their own children. in other words, "son, here is something for you to use to buy yourself another fix today". On the other hand, erudite non-suppliers know that it is not good to leave people, who can do better, to their own devices in order to further uncompensate. This group will apply 'tough love', and simply say no to the addicts in hopes of helping them to recover one day. They understand that it is their job to help to move people forward into the direction of maturity and self-sufficiency (the ones who are salvageable, ready and have a desire to move forward).

Tough love is not a bad thing compared to helping someone to continue their downward spiral, whereby making their situations worse than it was before. The former only prolongs the inevitable, theirs, the public's and the system's problems. To the bleeding heart and misdirected provider addicts, they must learn to accept that addiction is a lifestyle for both the supplier and the outdoor-citizen-addict, agency, church ... One needs the other, just as much as the other needs them!

On occasion, addict service suppliers will say, in a comforting manner to the outside addict,"I know baby, it's rough out there - but don't you worry or do anything to help yourself, because mommy or daddy service provider will do everything for you.  So why don't you simply return to your garden and take a load off until I get food, clothing, medicine, housing ... for you? And by the way, here are a few more freebies that you can take along now on your way"!

Poor baby? Not all of them, not even most of them are poor babies. The fact is that too many of them are playing games and the addict-provider and recipients, are caught up with them in a never-ending cycle of getting something for doing nothing in return!

Again, recall that the Apostle Peter helped to lift a handicapped beggar outside of the Temple. However, the lame beggar had to have a desire and a willingness to cooperate with 'the man who initiated his recovery', the Apostle Peter. The latter took place when Peter helped him with what he really needed, the ability to help himself, as opposed to receiving another free handout in the form of alms.

There were other beggars in the area, I am sure, that Peter did not try to help lift at the time, because they weren't likely ready. to be lifted up. This man leaped up..., praising God. Hopefully, he went on his way to look for work or to create a business in order to support himself, that is if after decades of begging, he had any skills left. Many of our outdoor citizens have experienced skills erosion, as a result of being spoiled and doing nothing for so long!

The attitude of too many addicted service-providers and Outdoor Citizen Addicts is this: Get out of my way outdoor citizen addict and common sense for that matter, I have decided for you, just what you are in need of and I am going to fight and get it for you whether you like it or not. This group never asks, “who asked me to", or, “am I doing what is in the outdoor-citizen addict's best interest, or to fill some need of my own?” Check that!

The Begging Industry

It is the number one growth industry in America, in my opinion. And it is growing by leaps and bounds based upon what I have observed in northern California, and read about in newspapers and journals. The begging industry is being buttressed by several would be Robin-Hood individuals and organization, that are engaged in class struggle against the wealthy, and ultimately, the rest of working-class America. The addicts are often pawns caught up in a class-warfare game. Sadly, they end up supporting addictions and societal drop-outs., instead of helping to lift them out of their malaise!

There are other ways, folks, to make your point, mostly political, to the wealthy!But hold on again because Mitch McConnell just called on the other line and said, “we garnered sixty seats in the mid-term election", just kidding!  Folks, I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat, I am a pragmatist. In fact, I shocked a staunch republican conservative, who after stereotyping me during the run up to the 2008 General Election, learned that I was (and still am) happy to be black man, but one who did not vote for the nascent Mr. Obama.

Of course, I didn't vote for a Republican either. Instead, I wrote in the name of a female who was capable and ready to take on the task of being President of the USA (and to take on the Right-Winged Conspiracy in this nation). Guess who? No, not my mother! We need more informed and centered service-providers who understand a self-help value proposition. To be sure,genuine partnering between the ones who ask, and the ones who provide help, will result in progress being made, otherwise, no more free fixes that result in keeping the person or persons in the same place are tolerated. I first recognized this problem when I was a delegate to a conference held in Washington DC, as far back as 1984, when I was surrounded by about one thousand, well intentioned do gooders from all over the nation.

Looking back, 27 years ago until now, I wonder if they understand now, what I was telling them then, for the problem only worsened, giving too many of their liberal ideas. Until a sensible and informed partnership exists between supplier and recipient addicts, the beggars should be cut off.

Simply consider for example of the outdoor citizen addict(s) that you are currently supplying - some of whom are and have been getting away with murder. And you're thinking, I know that the individuals that I have been serving, have never done what they were supposed to do in the past, and that I have been complicit with them by supplying them anyhow.

It is time for you to admit that the time is come to try something different. Reflect on that old saying, “that if you keep doing what you've been doing, you will keep getting what you have been getting”. If you really care about recovery for your clients or the ones that you Outdoor Citizen Addicts for, and it doesn't matter how long you've been compromised, stop doing what you have been doing before, especially with chronic professional outdoor malingerer addicts. Explain to your former partners-in-crime, that they will also have to get back on track, particularly the professional outside malingerer-addicts, some of whom are in better shape financially than you are! Many outdoor citizens have a bankroll. Do you? Explain to your former partners-in-crime, that it is a new day, and that there is a new sheriff in town, and that you will no longer co-supply their addictions. Next, explain how things are going to be different from this day forward, no matter how things were done in the past. Let them know that you mean business, and that you will be establishing benchmarks in order to measure their progress, and that what they received in the past, from you or your former service-provider-addicted agency, will no longer be the case in the future. And, that from this day forward there will be evaluations, accountability and time-frames put into place in order to decided, whether or not any ongoing services or help will be provided. You should behave in the same manner that life-guards do, and will begin to do this summer at many recreation centers in the area ... watch, and if necessary try to help save a person who is drowning, but don't let them pull under.

At HOP, we have a vested interest in everyone else doing so, given that on occasion, we serve the same pool of clients. At HOP, we are giving it to people straight, in hopes of helping them to recover from their less than idyllic lifestyles, however, we need other agencies to support us. We believe that by all us of us working together, we can plug up the holes in the safety net in this area and afterward prevent outdoor-citizen addict malingers from running from one agency or program to another, after their aberrant behavior has been confronted.

The latter is something that too many of them are unaccustomed to doing. We also believe that it is of utmost importance, that our service provider addicts and addict-agencies be retrained, and to understand this new value proposition. There are too many unhealthy dyads and triad scenarios in place already. It is unfortunate but true, that all too often, 'the inmates are running the asylums', in this area.

Does anyone else want to see this unhealthy co-dependent partnership relationship continue into perpetuity? Many of the Outdoor Citizen Addicts' suppliers would prefer that things remain as they have been. They have established friendships with their outdoor citizen addict counterparts, and they love feeling that they are rescuing people. Having said that, they need to behave as Peter did, once he understood the new power that he had inside of him, that being the ability to help lift a person up rather than try to give him whatever else he and others really did not have to give themselves.

And what the beggar wanted, was not what he needed after all, silver, gold or a fish. He needed help to become self-empowered and mobile again, so that he could meet his own needs. After all, Peter was a fisherman and could have made him a fish sandwich with a healthy smattering of lettuce and tartar sauce (hmm baby), but instead he helped the man to get up so that he could help himself in the future. I suspect that before then, Peter was frequently an addict-supplier himself.

Outdoor citizens know that there is no better place to make people feel guilty or to beg at than the doors of the church or temple. And why at the doors of the temples? It is because the beggars really don't want what is inside the doors, healing – some don't want to change, they prefer playing the game of being a victim of circumstances.

I had a beggar come to one of the churches that I pastored several years ago, in order to beg for help. I reminded him that he begged at the church doorsteps the previous Sunday, and that we gave him what he asked for, $5.00 to catch the train to San Francisco. He timed his next visit this time, to coincide with the time that we would be coming out of church-he had zero intentions of coming in and worshiping ... I said, "you told the same story when you came here and begged the past Sunday". 

He replied, "it was not me"! I reiterated , "it was you and you were riding the same bike and used the same alibi last week in order to garner money". He turned his bike around and while riding away said, said, "F --- you", as I stood on the steps of the temple and watched him ride away!

Think about this, Peter could have left the man where he was, or he could have stepped over him and entered into the temple and worshiped. On the other hand, he could stopped and contributed to the man's habit of begging, but he elected to do the opposite, just as all of us, in my opinion, ought to do; that is until these beggars get back on track. 

Can you imagine if each time that you visited your church, a group of individuals who refused to help themselves, were perched in front of the door just waiting to beg. It happened last Sunday in the parking lot when I exited from church into the rear parking lot. This woman who failed to come into the church, simply waited until all of us came out to beg for money.  How much did I give her, when asked? I invited her to attend the next service.

You guessed it, she didn't like me, because all that she wanted was money, when we had much more than money to offer her. Several years ago, I was about to enter a Safeway Store in San Leandro California, but instead I ended up explaining to a beggar how he needed to go home, dig up the backyard and to grow some food, if he needed something to eat. He was angry at first, however,he finally acquiesced, and agreed to go to his parents home and ask if he could plant a garden in their backyard. Did he? I don't know whether he did or not, but I put something on his mind and then gave him seed money afterward, literally!

Again, in the People's Park in Berkeley where I spent several months visiting on a bi-weekly basis, learning, socializing and taking notes from outdoor citizens in the East Bay, I learned about a system of stratification that existed in the park on Dwight Way. The newly homeless individuals that come to the park to sleep or live are relegated to a section of the park near to the Church of Scientology, while veteran outdoor citizens inhabit the other. 

Crossing that line could result, I was told, in negative consequences. And even though to the naked eye their weren't many clear lines of demarcation in the park, everyone knew their place in the park. Another thing, even if you were new to the park and straddled the imaginary line, you would soon find out where you belonged and be relegated, or how about escorted to your side of park, if necessary - by force!

So why am I hitting this point so hard? It is critical that the addict-suppliers in the helping community be reprogrammed, in order to reinvent themselves. Afterward, hopefully they will begin to teach and practice a more sophisticated paradigm, hopefully, one that leads to permanent change and social uplift for the outdoor citizen addicts. The latter is preferable to that of assisting outdoor citizens as they continue to spiral down, as too many of them are already doing and with no end in sight! 

The latter is critical for addicted-staff members, outdoor citizen-addicts, pastors, preachers, teachers .... This is the only way to help outdoor moocher addict-dependent clients to turn around, as well as to stop overcompensating.

The outdoor-citizens need leaders like me and others, to assist the ones in need (who wish to do better along with a little help), to do so. Someone has to be a catalyst, and to take away their drug of inertia, before all of us get pulled underneath the incredible weight of individuals in this area, who intend to do nothing for the rest of their lives. We also need to help addict-suppliers, who intend to support them in their quests to do nothing for the remainder of their lives, to see the light.

It is hard to teach an old dog, they say, new tricks. I've never tried with a real dog, but I have with some of the human Outdoor Citizen Addicts around here, some of these folks have zero intentions of mending their ways. Both sides depend upon the nation's, the state's, the county's or the city's largesse to provide fixes for the unmotivated outdoor citizen addicts!

Now, as I pointed out before,outdoor citizens have rules in the park. And, if they are not adhered to, there are enforcers, enforcement and sanctions that will be levied and enforced. So then, why are service-providers or their agencies against having, making or enforcing rules for the outdoor citizens who come to their agencies seeking services and handouts?  Our motivation ought to be to employ tough no-nonsense standards, and at the same time to be bold. Our outdoor citizen addicts, many of them are adept at manipulating their service provider addicts and the agencies that they work at, in order to inveigle them into getting what they want and when they want it.

I remind you again that the same homeless addicts have to pay their street drug suppliers, and to abide by 'their rules', or rules in the parks' in order to get their fixes, however, why not their addict service providers?Make them volunteer or work for food, clothing, temporary shelter. They have the whole day to do nothing in too many instances, and many of them do just that Putting pressure on them to turnaround will be good for them and help them to restore their sense of purpose in life, and motivate them to get going again. 

Some of them might threaten you, verbally or physically, if you won't give them what they want. However, if they were to do that, then simply call the police.

And you're thinking, HOP is an citizens organization that advocates for and is hellping to lift outdoor citizens? YOU ARE DARN RIGHT WE ARE - we want to help our spoiled babies to get going again, the one's who are on the dole, and to ensure the safety of other people in the area who are trying to help themselves and their loved ones!

I have had outdoor citizens tell me that they could not look for jobs in certain parts of the Bay area, because they either don't or didn't have transportation. I replied this way: When I did not have transportation, I managed to use public transportation (with my GA benefits and a Work to Future bus pass). I explained that I used the help that I received to go job hunting every day,to include going to areas as far north as Richmond in Contra Costa County, to Walnut Creek, Livermore, San Ramon, 'Oak-town', 'Deadwood City', San Francisco, Gilroy, Burlingame, San Mateo ..., you name it, I've been there and on more than one or two occasions.

And to boot, I explained that I was bankrupt at the time. Sadly, many of the 'homeless addicts' in the shelter that I stayed in on one occasion, wanted to know why I was doing what I was doing, when they would see me going out to look for work. Some of them told me, 'You don't have to do that, and that no one is hiring, and that the shelter manager didn't care if you looked for work or not".

Sadly, I recently asked one outdoor citizen, "what did they say (the addicted service-provider agency) when you turned in one job listing over a 1-month period? She said, "they didn't say anything"! I then asked, "and they gave you another $70 bus pass for free". She said yes, and showed me the pass. Hmm!

I also explained to my malingering co-shelterees from the past, on several occasions: "I don't have an income and I have responsibilities... and that I needed an income". Besides, even if I didn't find a job or pulpit to preach in, getting out there,meeting people and practicing interviewing was good for me. I met numerous individuals and built a list of prospective business contacts for the future... Should I be ashamed to tell you that I was homeless at one time. Sorry, I'm not ashamed to tell you that at all, Jesus and his wandering band were mostly homeless as well!

Frankly, I would prefer to see our scarce resources, that are being drained from the Community Chest ... be used in order to benefit the elderly, kids programs, jobs for those who want them, or helping the worthy 'outdoor citizens"and other citizens who are trying to garner an education to help themselves,rather than to provide (so many of our valued resources) to 'homeless addicts' who refuse to do anything about their 'addictions to homelessness'.

These individuals will be in the supplier lines in the year 2030, if they are still alive - that is if we don't stop supporting their addictions. It is a point of fact that someone helped me to get back up on my feet,and to get going again - but I never took advantage of their largesse.

And just as the lame man did, I got up with the help of all of the ones who tried to help me. And, I have since repaid that debt in numerous ways, and now I am trying to lift others, the ones who aren't simply looking for alms. On the other hand, I began working at Firestone Tire & Rubber Company when I was in the eleventh grade, and at a restaurant chain prior to that. I have been paying into the system from that time on, even until this day – I feel no shame. For a short period of time, I got something out of a system that I had put in to, for decades.

I love what a preacher once said on a radio program that I listened to one day, with regard to some of America's liberal values. He said: "All of the liberal experimentation of the 60's, 70's ... have failed. What we got were STDs, drug addicts ...", and I am adding to the list, unabashed beggars,if not societal drop outs.

In contrast, one day while job searching, I was so sick that the director of a church Resource Center asked me to leave because of my coughing spells (in retrospect a side-affect to medication that I had been prescribed at the time)! Now that was a twist, I thought at the time, being asked to leave for trying to help myself. In most places you get to stay for doing nothing, I was being asked to leave, for doing something, in spite of my condition But having said that, all too often, that is the way that things work in The Valley, if not America, backwards! He didn't try to lift me up, he never offered prayer, a lift or even an aspirin!

And by the way, I angered this Outdoor Citizen Addicts manager after I asked him, "are you telling me to leave"? He cynically responded, "I am suggesting it". And then he stood behind me for I don't know how long, perhaps a half an hour or so. I glimpsed at him from time to time, standing there with his arms folded, and still I refused to leave. Well, he could have offered me an aspirin, after all I was trying to do something to help myself, but he did not. I don't even think that he was embarrassed when other individuals, to include his his fellow staff-members,empathized with my plight, some even asked for and received my help in spite of my coughing spell!

Addicted Homeless Grammar School Children and Childish Addict Suppliers

To my critics, like my nemesis, and quasi service-provider addict and critic,Charlie from First Christian Church in downtown San Jose, who is reportedly telling all of the outdoor citizens, according to some of them who were asked to either comport to the rules of this program in order to help themselves, or to come back to HOP's BEU when they were ready to work, I ask: Why don't you take these individuals to your place, feed them, provide the bandwidth, invest in them... as HOP has done and is doing, in order to get them going again? 

Or, why don't you teach them to be adults, and to be responsible, rather than criticize a program that tries to help them to behave like adults again.  By sitting around, talking, playing and gossiping with them, on an almost daily basis, will not help them to get up and to do what they need to be doing. And what is funny is, Charlie often complains that the same Outdoor Citizen Addicts, won't help to clean up the dining room, after years of being fed, at FCC, his church. 

What if Charlie were to grow up himself, and all of us worked together to turn these hard-core lazy people around by working together and re-enforcing what the other side is doing? Who knows, some of them might begin cleaning up after messing up at FCC. I got 7 of our people to help clean up at a free breakfast site some time ago. The sponsors of the free feed, were elated!

That HOP has done all that it could, to include expending an incredible amount of resources only to help individuals who squandered every opportunity to help themselves, or to make excuses given their refusals to work to help themselves, grow, learn or comport to any rules is indicative of the real problem. Many of our malingerers, apparently, ran back to Charlie, a co-dependent service provider addict, and received derisive advice and support, when they were ousted (following repeated warnings from HOP). 

And there are many other Charlie-like addicted suppliers in the county (and some, ironically from the City of San Jose, who were and are co-dependent with the Outdoor Citizen Addicts), these individuals 'aren't doing anyone any good: Instead they are doing harm to every individual that they refuse to help to grow up!

Many of the lazy homeless addicts often remind me of kids in grammar school. All of us can recall when we were kids attending grammar school. For some of us, it was a time when we rated our teachers and school administrators. If the staff member or administrator was friendly and permitted us to do whatever we wanted to do, they received a favorable rating. And oftentimes we would refer to them, 'in the case of a let us do what we want to do teacher', as being a nice or a good teacher. The same rule applied to administrators.

On the other hand, in the case of a teacher or administrator who disciplined us, or tried to teach and help us; they were considered to be 'mean teachers'. Why? Typically, because he or she was in charge,would not tolerate non-sense or manipulation, and had a structured environment wherein they did what they were supposed to do, teach. The latter included requiring us to listen, study, complete homework assignments … and one teacher even made us, the boys, stand up whenever girls came in or walked out of the classroom - that was mean! They would also punish you if you misbehaved. Does anyone else remember corporal punishment? 

I can still recall when the principal whacked my booty several times (smile)! Some of our big babies around town, need to be taken to the woodshed.  Well, it was actually a perforated leather paddle that it used.   

I kind of like being referred to as 'a mean person', by addict service-providers like Charlie and lazy outdoor-citizens, because it often reminds me of my childhood elementary school days. I was a child then and didn't know that it was the so-called bad teacher who was trying to help me the most, just as HOP is doing today with the countie's Outdoor Citizen Addicts. 

We are trying to help a bunch of lazy, spoiled grown-men who are behaving like children to grow up and get going again. And just as it was often done in grammar school, many of our outdoor citizen spoiled children-addicts, came to HOP to play, have their way, tell the teacher what to do with money that wasn't there's, look at porn, engage in prankster behavior, play chess games while I was away, raid other people's desk drawers, refuse to clean up the dishes that they used to eat the free food that was provided ... some even felt that they should have been paid for doing nothing.

However, I got the last laugh! or did I? Many of them are being paid everyday for doing nothing, while getting free food, shoulders to cry on, financial handouts, stipends, bus passes ... So why should HOP have been any different from the other suppliers, at least that is apparently the way they many of them looked at it and complained about?Once they were gone with all of their manipulations, con artistry, insubordination, vulgarities, laziness ... we looked instead for other outdoor citizens who wanted to jump start their lives. We invited them to come and use our space for free.

And where are the members of the first group? They returned to the temples, their safety nets and their co-dependent addict providers like Charlie, in addition to other places where they typically begged or received handouts for free at - some even returned to lie down in front of some of the temples just as they did in the past These were the environments where they could get what they wanted for doing nothing, as they had been accustomed to doing all along - that is until Solomon got into the picture.

Sadly, a lot of what they get at the area temples ... some for decades now,truthfully, they don't have to beg for. And, they don't have to do a thing to earn what they (able-bodied men and women) get for lying around and doing nothing, while the rest of us work to eek out an existence.

Wouldn't you think that they would offer to cut the grass, clean up, sweep, paint the parking lot, empty the trash (where they get everything for free on almost a daily basis) or perhaps even attend church services? Their way of living, has become a lifestyle!

But oftentimes, what they want and haven't even asked for just shows up, thanks to the addicted suppliers and supplier organization's complicit relationships. First Christian Church, mind you, is not the only Temple in the area that is co-dependent with the outdoor-citizen addicts. Sadly, what many of the ungrateful addicts do with what they get for free is to sell it for pennies. There is apparently a black market operating right under our noses in this area, wherein mothers, and would be mothers go and beg for diapers for their children for example - with someone's baby in tow. 

And sadly, the same individuals have a fence that they will go to afterward, and sell the diapers for profit. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. It is even sadder when sincere organizations provide free sleeping bags for the outdoor citizen addicts, and the outdoor citizens simply go and sell the bags for pennies and profit. Clearly, these individuals are not people of honor!

I had another well-intended service provider, I'm sure, tell me on onc occasion: "You can't say ... to the homeless people" I immediately replied, perhaps you can't say what I can say, because I am not only a minister, but I have lived among the outdoor citizens and I know what some of them are doing! Seeing how I stayed in the shelter myself with some of these characters, for a time myself - I saw myself as the perfect person to say what I did then, and to say and do what I am doing now. 

The latter is still to tell lazy individuals and their suppliers, both to knock it off, and to go and look for work or create an income-producing opportunity for yourself instead of mooching off of other people!

I suppose that if many of the outdoor citizen slackers, who attempted to take advantage of HOP, had stayed at a retired addicted service provider's home or Temples like Charlies, a man who wants 'to be a play friend (kid's stuff) to the homeless addicts,as opposed to 'a grown up helper change-agent'... Ah, just kidding, I have noticed that critics like Charlie never take any of the individuals home with them. Instead, they simply talk about how wrong it is for someone who is attempting to help them to get on the straight path, and to stop using other people's monies and time to supply addicts and co-dependent friends!

There are many misinformed anachronistic 'homeless addict service providers like Charlie', that need to be trained, retrained or retired. Why am I writing all of this in this paper?It is because other outdoor citizens go to our website and read what I write - some don't like it, but they read it anyway. I want them to know, and to understand the difference in our organization and the other ones (well-intentioned or not), that some of them have often taken advantage of, and to stop it. We will provide the bandwidth to help anyone to get up on their feet again, while other organizations help clothe, feed and support their habits - too many of them - in my opinion.

We want them to know that Charlie and organizations with 'the Charlie syndrome', really are misinformed, and that by listening to them or soliciting his or their advice, can only result in long-term chronic homeless addiction and further decompensation.

That man has a place to live, with a bed, kitchen, heat ... Ask yourselves, "and what do you have'? It is time that all of you stop living as dependents and social misfit-beggars and restore your dignity and a sense of pride - stop the blame game!. Now having said that, we want outdoor citizen addicts to learn what the other outdoor addicts didn't learn, who ran away from HOP: We will try to help you to get going, and to get your dignity back-however, you are going to work and follow rules when you are here. 

Otherwise,you will be turned back out to pasture until you do! The last Outdoor Citizen Addict, who was asked to leave HOP, a recent transfer from the Mid-West, put nothing into the program in terms of effort, but wanted everything out of it for free. He even expected to receive free housing in time from HUD, without doing anything to earn that either. 

People, people, people --- of course, Charlie might put him up for free until HUD comes through - naw, he won't do that!  In contrast, HOP will also help outdoor citizen female addicts to get away from their paramours, and to get their lives jump started again. However, the same conditions apply to females, (no matter how cute or meretricious they happen to be), work, or hit the road! 

Should we be afraid of outdoor citizen addicts, and the changes that need to made? Well, I had this bigger than me (I am 6-foot 2 inches) penitentiary face, linebacker looking dude jump out of a car to fight me one day. I was in the parking lot at the Target Store on Monterrey Highway, when he could have run me over in the intersection, if I hadn't seen him speeding through the parking lot first.

Well, lucky for him, I was not at my fighting weight at the time (tee hee) when he did a U-Turn, came back and jumped out of the car to fight, and had on my good clothes! Truthfully, the Rev punked out and walked away from the fight while listening to his threats and rantings. You see, it takes a real man to walk away from a fight, particularly, when you know that you are about to get your booty kicked!

Frankly, I knew that he was not going to do anything unless I hit him first. I never hit first, however, if I ever see him again..., just kidding. I don't want to see that big dude again. He was a 'big mama', ugly and needed to get a new hoopty! Perhaps some service-provider addict agency, or Charlie will provide him with a nicer automobile to drive around or sleep in. And, please don't tell him I said any of this. BIG MAMA might come looking for the Rev!

Seriously, going face to face with some of these individuals will take a big of courage, that is true. However, courage is the ability to overcome fear,and keep in mind that this growing demographic is still in the minority, and will be for a while longer. All of us standing together and working towards a purposeful outcome could turn things around in the valley quicker than you might believe.

Also please remember that 1 out every 8 Americans is a Californian, and by far we are the most progressive cutting-edge state in the nation - the rest of the nation needs our leadership.  Well, of course the Republicans, are filabustering our new governor, who wants to cut taxes in the state, just as they did for President OBama and company. 

Recovery: The first step in recovery for a 'homeless addict' who is currently addicted to an 'addicted homeless provider, network or agency', is to acknowledge that he, she or their agency are co-dependent, which is problematic. Next, each of the two, Outdoor Citizen Addicts or spa, needs to decide which category they fall into, especially the outdoor citizen-addict. Do you prefer to be outside, and can and will try to take care of yourself and stop mooching, ask yourself that? If so, then I say,'go for it and help is available for you"? On the other hand if you are the malingering type that is simply taking advantage of the system, while pretending to be on your own, then get a clue and admit to yourself that you really need help in other ways - for you are a bum! Immediately, go and change your way of doing things as well as your desultory behavior, and instead try to help yourself, initially by divorcing yourself from people who aren't going anywhere, and others who try to keep you from going any place (like the Charlies of the world). Afterward, seek help if you cannot make any progress by yourself. Be courageous, many individuals have been amazed at my adroitness, that is to tell them on one hand that I was once on top ... and ended up living off of food stamps and General Assistance...Frankly, I've never been one to care much about what other people thought about me, as long as I knew that I was attempting to do the right thing and to be the best that I could be (and I still don't). To be sure, I DON"T CARE what lazy people or misguided people have to say about me to this day! If you still can't figure out what you need to do after trying on your own, or when other programs aren't doing anything but helping to keep you in the same place, call HOP! We will be happy to help you, that is if you can stand some straight talk and will work to achieve some positive goals, without running back to your mommies, social service addict provider Charlie-types ... You can also go to other organizations, and seek the help of other informed providers who are actually trying to 'help you to get up and going instead of being a perpetual dependent'.Now mind you, some of you are going to be met with tough standards and love, and you will be required to follow rules. But whatever you do, don't run away! The service provider addicts and addicted service providers and service provider agencies in this area need to work towards positive social change, and to learn to be change agents, instead of co-dependents. The first question that ought to be asked and answered is this:Are we addicted suppliers, or an addicted supplier agency or faith-based supplier group? And, have we unknowingly been supplying individuals or other agencies or Outdoor Citizen Addicts that are dependent, but have not in all actuality, tried to do anything for themselves or given to us thinking that we were actually helping to stop the bleeding? Or, are you in part responsible for some of the outdoor addicts being in the position that they are in now, some for 1 year, some for 5 and others for 10 years or more, while taking from government agencies, the middle-class and working poor to distribute goods to lazy ingrates? All of us need to work, in my opinion, on a change of policy and we need to reconsider the manner in which we have done things in the past, having believed that we were helping, when in fact what we were doing was to help 'lame people' to stay the way that they were before, as opposed to helping them to walk again! I have had to learn the lesson myself, that is to not be co-dependent with people are master manipulators! When it comes to our approach towards working with homeless addicts and agencies and provider addicts in agencies, universities and faith-based groups need to work towards their own recovery first and come up with a more coherent value proposition. For what I and HOP are hoping and praying for is change, of the kind that will benefit our outdoor citizens (that want to change), and will result in turning some from addictive behaviors to productive behaviors, and to take the pressure off of society.  Change will require reassessment, and eventually reassessment will lead to a different way of doing things. I was impressed with Mayor Reed's State of the City Speech at the Civic Auditorium last week. All of us have to help, and we can do so by reassessing the methods and manner in which we have done things in the past and, some still in the present. Once change is made, remember supply and demand? The suppliers of the free supply of contraband to users (addicted-supplier agencies and providers) will have little choice but to do something for some themselves and their clients However, the pay-off will be that the truly deserving individuals will get the help that they need, in order to get up, get going again and to give something back. Afterward, we can help the ones who are truly in need. Our current policies and attitudes towards service-provider addicts and outdoor citizen--addicts, will have to go through a dramatic change, or some of the helper-addicts will continue to insist on being poverty pimps, and the Outdoor Citizen Addicts demographic, will continue to expand and to increase their demands on the rest of society! Now if anyone desires to put me on the cross given what I have written,all I can say is that I don't go good with nails, neither in my hands nor in my feet. I tried it once, having run over a board with a nail sticking straight up in it when I was kid, and that did not work for me!

The 112th Congress, Republicans in the House, plan to cut HUD funding back to 2008 levels. In other words, things are about to get worse, not better. Think about what I am saying, because Congress not the only place where budget tightening is about to exact its price. Stop over at the Harvest Food Bank, and ask them how much longer they can exist under the current weight and present conditions? We have got to get our 'homeless addicts and their service-provider addicts', back into the real world,  otherwise, the whole system will soon implode!