Comments on: Fresno’s “Nouveaux Pauvre”

By: Tank Removal NJ

Tank Removal NJ — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 05:01:30 +0000

Thank goodness some bloggers can still write. My thanks for this piece..

By: Jose V

Jose V — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:00:58 +0000

Most people think that homelessness is due to drug addiction and plain laziness, but that is not necessarily the case. I believe that it will take a lot of hard work on the behalf of anthropologist to help the homeless community. They would have to start by understanding the individual issues that lead a person to becoming homeless, like alcohol or drug addiction. But there are many other reasons that people turn homeless for example mental issues, such as traumas or depression, criminal evasion, or simply out of work. It would take a team of experts in anthropology just to understand the individual fundamental issues that are leading people to homelessness. I truly think that if anthropologists combine their filed work along with other medical, psychological, and sociological professionals they can help the homeless community diminish. By addressing the fundamental issues of each individual person, whether it be as simple as finding the individual a job, or helping them clear their criminal history so that they too can be a productive citizen of the community.

By: Lisa C

Lisa C — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:06:54 +0000

The homeless have been in Fresno all of my life. We have used different programs to help these people that are down on their luck, whether that be joblessness, drugs, addiction, or runaways. I do like the idea of Viet T of offering jobs and ways that the homeless could earn money and self-esteem to get out of the problems. The Poverello house is a great option of helping people and families to find personal services and food, yet many are too proud to go there. There is no one answer as to how to solve this issue, but it will take a lot of people to get out of their comfort zone to help either with money, time, or services.

By: CelinaG

CelinaG — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:57:37 +0000

In order for anthropology to solve Fresno’s homelessness problem it would also have to take on individual lifestyle choices, Fresno’s economy and mental disorders. There’s really no cure for homelessness and even shelters have their problems. The homeless with mental disorders would have to be helped through our health care system which is as big a problem as homelessness. Drug addicts and other criminals living on the streets need rehabiliation centers which due to our economy there are not enough of and typically funding is scarce. Those people living on the street because of recent unemployment need some sort of subsidized homes or apartments designed specifically for people recently affected by our economies downturn. Good luck anthropology in solving all of societies problems, unfornately you also need funding on your side.

By: Joseph A

Joseph A — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:17:06 +0000

I have seen homeless in many places all my life because I lived in the bay area near San Francisco, where there are many homeless people. It is something that is hard to deal with, but I feel that we should be able to help in some way. MayM you bring up some really good questions about why people don’t get involved in helping the homeless and I fell that if those questions were answered then we could possibly help in some way. To answer some of those questions yes i would be willing to help more if I was guaranteed the homeless person wasn’t going to use drugs, but that’s why when I do help out a homeless person I always give them food rather than money. There are multiple times where I have driven down blackstone after going to the store and given a homeless person some food from the groceries I just bought. I also know that many people are afrraid to approach homeless people. But actually if you go up to a homeless person and offer them something to eat or have a conversation with them, they are more than happy to talk to you and are thankful for the food.

By: mayM

mayM — Mon, 25 May 2009 02:07:21 +0000

I like the idea JaredLong had about setting up hotel like shelters, and the idea about drug testing those who want to utilize them. However, I have to disagree with his statement, “The largest injustice done to homeless people is done by middle-high class folks. Most people tell them “get a job, get off the drugs”.
It is the middle to middle-high and the upper-class folk who donate the majority of the funding to keep facilities and services running for people in need, including the homeless. I believe it is human nature to want to help others who are down and out. I think one of the major factors more people don’t jump in with both feet, to help the homeless people, is fear based. The fear of getting hurt by a criminal or drug addict, fear of being conned, or fear that their donation will be used to buy drugs are all obstacles for people who want to help. I’m not saying these fears are unhealthy or bad, on the contrary I think people should be cautious and knowledgeable about what they will or will not support. I also think we should be careful not to judge individuals who have intolerance for those suffering from addiction. Their intolerance may be based on knowledge from first hand experience with an addict and choose not help, for good reasons.
Anthropologist research may need to branch out to reveal difference types of barriers that cause dissonance. Knowing reasons why people are unwillingness to help the homeless community may shed light on a new approach to get people involved.
Some questions I would want ask would be:
What keeps you from giving to the homeless?
Would you be more willing to help, If you were guaranteed the homeless person or family did not use drugs?
This knowledge could help when making a plan to get people involved, in helping the homeless.

By: peterv

peterv — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:20:47 +0000

Hello everybody,
Viet T I like the idea you have of starting a business that would help the homeless people. I know that there was a business in S.F. that would hire the homeless to advertise on street corners I think this was the original street sign business. Maybe this project could be done here in Fresno. Also,
there was a homeless newspaper that the homeless would write and sell on the street corners. I think this would be a very good idea because it would teach the homeless very important business skills. They would learn how to write and edit a paper. They would learn how to promote and sell papers. They would learn how to approach businesses to get people interested in advertising. They would learn how to work as teams with other people. They
would learn how to develop budgets and manage money. I think the best part of this idea would be the sense of empowerment it would give the homeless. The only negative aspect of this is that some of the homeless may not be interested in doing this type of work or may not want to work. Also, there is the fact that some of the homeless have mental disabilities that make it impossible for them to work. I think it will take more then one solution to solve this problem.
Take Care, Peter Vojvoda

By: BPlatt

BPlatt — Fri, 22 May 2009 10:46:38 +0000

Anthropology can be employed to understand the cultures represented in the new “Hoovervilles” of Fresno. Hopefully with a better understanding of why some of these people are homeless and make the decisions they do we will be able to address the adversity they face.

I agree with Jared Long’s assertion that such simple slurs as ‘get a job’ do do an injustice to many of the homeless as several would be unable to hold a job due to mental or other medical conditions that go unchecked because of limited access to doctors or medication.

By: Viet T

Viet T — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:22:31 +0000

I was thinking about how the homeless community is not very well organized. Here we have an opportunity to be organized for them. This may sound crazy but I feel like sharing it because there is nobody here for me to ask right now anyway. Thinking along the “give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, teach him how to fish and he’ll feed himself” lines, I wonder if a non-profit style of company making widgets could be set up on behalf of the homeless community. And suppose the widgets are a cereal. Could the government subsidize such a thing? Like making the grain a little cheaper for a good cause? Anyway, while I’m out here, the cereal company could provide some jobs for those homeless people, and all of the proceeds beyond costs go towards providing energy efficient housing to a numerical waiting list of people in those homeless communities who sign up. If the cereal is good and people support the cause and continue to eat it or use any widget, the number of people on the list will decrease. As opposed to an outright donation, people who donate to this cause get something material in return. Right now I wish I knew a businessman, a lawyer, an economist, and a congressman. Thank you anthropologists for your inspirational comments. P.S. I live in Fresno and anything that could come of this would start here. Thanks again.

By: JaredLong

JaredLong — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:02:37 +0000

I agree as well, but I think they need to take it a step further. Why are many people homeless in the first place? Is it drugs, or is it something else? Many people I knew that were homeless were so because of the Vietnam war. They served their country and came back unappreciated and some were actually assaulted. In some cases this caused severe trama to them and many have not been able to socially adapt since. Anthropologists need to examine all the issues before society can make any interpretations.