Amazingly, you think because someone has a mental illness that they chose to live on the street.
No, I don’t. I’m a therapist that works at a mental health clinic, so I’d wager I have a better understanding of the psychosocial conditions affecting these people than you do. And I know the feeling psychosocial impacts have on the homeless better than you do. I’ve seen and worked with people living on the street. Can you claim to have the same experience?
Jesus Christ, do you even know what you’re talking about?
I’m not going to waste my time with you, because you haven’t demonstrated you have even an inkling of an understanding of what you’re dealing with.
I made a neutral comment, stating my opinion without any insults, and have been getting insulting comments like yours ever since. You want to throw barbs, but object to them being thrown back.
Grow the fuck up. I’m done with you in particular.
Tedesche. I really don’t think you are a therapist. If you are one, I feel really bad for your clients. Do you talk to them like that? That’s not good.
I am, and no, I don’t. Shocking, the idea that I engage with strangers online in a casual capacity differently than I do with my patients in a professional capacity.
No. But since you have experience, let me ask you: did you spend time sleeping on public benches and do you think features that attempt to prevent this are an attack on homeless people? And just to be clear, since this is a text-only format, I’m not being sarcastic or trying to make light of your experience; I’m genuinely curious.
When I was homeless all the shelters were full, and housing was a year plus wait for anything. I often slept in a concrete tube under a bridge. Then the government came in, removed the tubes, and puts spikes all over the concrete under the bridge. Yes I felt it was an attack. I was forced to move further out from where I could attain help, and do something to sustain myself, only making it harder for me to exist. Dealing with the government to maintain my place of residence, and medical treatment, is a part time job, where I spend, literally, 4-6 hours on hold with places like Jobs and Family Services, and the local housing authority. I can absolutely understand how easy it would be for me to stay homeless if I were say, schizophrenic. Luckily I am not, and I can maintain things like schedules, keep dozens of appointments per month, etc.
This is one of the worst possible ways to encourage people to seek help. it shows a deep lack of understanding what day-to-day life is for the homeless, especially ones who are very mentally ill.
As I said to another commenter, “anti-homeless” measures like these make zero sense if there aren’t resources for the homeless available. I’m sorry, it doesn’t sound like resources were available to you, and that truly sucks. Your state should do better.
However, in places where resources are available, homeless people still sometimes refuse to utilize them, and then measures like this become valid and utilitarian.
All that it does is push homeless people out of the area. That is all that you are accomplishing. This will not force those who do not seek help, to seek help, it just pushes them out of sight. No matter what you say, this is the point, to push the homeless out of the area, they do not give a single fuck about getting them help. If they did, instead of making it so people couldn’t lay down, or sit, in public, they would be putting far more money into mental health facilities, and other aspects of life that makes, and keeps, people homeless.
But no, just make it so they can’t lay down in your area, that will make it better. It also makes life worse for people who are not homeless, especially the elderly, and disabled. This type of thinking also leads to the privatization of public spaces, reducing resources to everyone, that have a demonstrably positive affect on people. Part-and-parcel of hostile architecture initiatives are also legal punitive ones, to enforce the removal of unwanted people in areas that they can’t specifically do something like put spikes on. The very morality behind “defensive” architecture is called into question, because of the line of thinking you put forward is little more than an excuse to push undesirables away from society.
There are more, if you would like, everything I have ever found on this subject has read “we can prove many negative aspects of doing, and there might be some good aspects, but it isn’t as evident, and often can possibly be explained by other factors”, so I don’t even really see research backing up this idea you propose.
Luckily, I became homeless in very late '99, where at least the area I was in, didn’t have anti-sleeping measures installed on public benches, yet. Until I secured a shitty car to live out of, on the days I wasn’t lucky to have a friend offer a spot to crash, parks were the only hope. I was removed by the police from them a bunch of times, told I cannot be sleeping there. When asked if they know any place I could spend the night, they spent zero time trying to help me. Told me to get out of there already.
It was really tempting to commit a crime, serious enough to get booked for few days, where I could catch up on sleep without freezing.
Fact those benches didn’t have anti-sleeping measures, made for a few great nights where I could get some decent rest, which wouldn’t have happened nowadays. So yeah, hard to say it’s not an attack on homeless people, specially when the public servants have zero fucks to help you out.
Sounds like the area you were in didn’t have adequate homeless shelters. Where I live, you could always have gone there. The cops wouldn’t necessarily have taken you there, but you could certainly have gotten there in your own.
I will admit that “anti-homeless” bench features don’t make much sense unless you have places and resources for homeless people to fall back on. But if there are said resources, I see the utility of these features to disincentivize homeless people from using public benches as a substitute for getting professional help.
Claiming that they have experience working with homeless, but demonstrating that they’re a callous asshole (and probably very bad at their job, if they aren’t outright lying).
No, I don’t. I’m a therapist that works at a mental health clinic, so I’d wager I have a better understanding of the psychosocial conditions affecting these people than you do. And I know the feeling psychosocial impacts have on the homeless better than you do. I’ve seen and worked with people living on the street. Can you claim to have the same experience?
Jesus Christ, do you even know what you’re talking about?
I’m not going to waste my time with you, because you haven’t demonstrated you have even an inkling of an understanding of what you’re dealing with.
Get educated before you spout off, nitwit.
Says they are a therapist and that they know better than anyone. Doesn’t know anything about me.
HOW EMBARRASSING IT MUST BE FOR YOU TO EXIST.
Right, the person throwing insults in all caps says I’m the one who should be embarrassed. 🙄
You still don’t get it, do you?
You have no idea how you appear to be insulting because your head is so far up your ass you smell like meconium.
I made a neutral comment, stating my opinion without any insults, and have been getting insulting comments like yours ever since. You want to throw barbs, but object to them being thrown back.
Grow the fuck up. I’m done with you in particular.
Tedesche. I really don’t think you are a therapist. If you are one, I feel really bad for your clients. Do you talk to them like that? That’s not good.
I am, and no, I don’t. Shocking, the idea that I engage with strangers online in a casual capacity differently than I do with my patients in a professional capacity.
I’m just responding with the same energy that you gave me.
“Grow up”, that is rich coming from you. Lol You made my day, thanks.
Edit: BTW the meconium statement was a dig at your maturity. I’m sad you didn’t get it but I’m not surprised.
I’ve actually been homeless. Have you?
No. But since you have experience, let me ask you: did you spend time sleeping on public benches and do you think features that attempt to prevent this are an attack on homeless people? And just to be clear, since this is a text-only format, I’m not being sarcastic or trying to make light of your experience; I’m genuinely curious.
When I was homeless all the shelters were full, and housing was a year plus wait for anything. I often slept in a concrete tube under a bridge. Then the government came in, removed the tubes, and puts spikes all over the concrete under the bridge. Yes I felt it was an attack. I was forced to move further out from where I could attain help, and do something to sustain myself, only making it harder for me to exist. Dealing with the government to maintain my place of residence, and medical treatment, is a part time job, where I spend, literally, 4-6 hours on hold with places like Jobs and Family Services, and the local housing authority. I can absolutely understand how easy it would be for me to stay homeless if I were say, schizophrenic. Luckily I am not, and I can maintain things like schedules, keep dozens of appointments per month, etc.
This is one of the worst possible ways to encourage people to seek help. it shows a deep lack of understanding what day-to-day life is for the homeless, especially ones who are very mentally ill.
As I said to another commenter, “anti-homeless” measures like these make zero sense if there aren’t resources for the homeless available. I’m sorry, it doesn’t sound like resources were available to you, and that truly sucks. Your state should do better.
However, in places where resources are available, homeless people still sometimes refuse to utilize them, and then measures like this become valid and utilitarian.
All that it does is push homeless people out of the area. That is all that you are accomplishing. This will not force those who do not seek help, to seek help, it just pushes them out of sight. No matter what you say, this is the point, to push the homeless out of the area, they do not give a single fuck about getting them help. If they did, instead of making it so people couldn’t lay down, or sit, in public, they would be putting far more money into mental health facilities, and other aspects of life that makes, and keeps, people homeless.
But no, just make it so they can’t lay down in your area, that will make it better. It also makes life worse for people who are not homeless, especially the elderly, and disabled. This type of thinking also leads to the privatization of public spaces, reducing resources to everyone, that have a demonstrably positive affect on people. Part-and-parcel of hostile architecture initiatives are also legal punitive ones, to enforce the removal of unwanted people in areas that they can’t specifically do something like put spikes on. The very morality behind “defensive” architecture is called into question, because of the line of thinking you put forward is little more than an excuse to push undesirables away from society.
https://english.artsci.udel.edu/arak-journal-article/?id=169
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b57726adb2fe4f91bd1a7356f7e74551
https://ltu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Berdan_Report.pdf
https://nchv.org/policing-and-punishment-based-approaches-a-really-expensive-way-to-make-homelessness-worse/
There are more, if you would like, everything I have ever found on this subject has read “we can prove many negative aspects of doing, and there might be some good aspects, but it isn’t as evident, and often can possibly be explained by other factors”, so I don’t even really see research backing up this idea you propose.
Luckily, I became homeless in very late '99, where at least the area I was in, didn’t have anti-sleeping measures installed on public benches, yet. Until I secured a shitty car to live out of, on the days I wasn’t lucky to have a friend offer a spot to crash, parks were the only hope. I was removed by the police from them a bunch of times, told I cannot be sleeping there. When asked if they know any place I could spend the night, they spent zero time trying to help me. Told me to get out of there already.
It was really tempting to commit a crime, serious enough to get booked for few days, where I could catch up on sleep without freezing. Fact those benches didn’t have anti-sleeping measures, made for a few great nights where I could get some decent rest, which wouldn’t have happened nowadays. So yeah, hard to say it’s not an attack on homeless people, specially when the public servants have zero fucks to help you out.
Sounds like the area you were in didn’t have adequate homeless shelters. Where I live, you could always have gone there. The cops wouldn’t necessarily have taken you there, but you could certainly have gotten there in your own.
I will admit that “anti-homeless” bench features don’t make much sense unless you have places and resources for homeless people to fall back on. But if there are said resources, I see the utility of these features to disincentivize homeless people from using public benches as a substitute for getting professional help.
You would be surprised how many areas have inadequate homeless shelters.
The time you went to Starbucks and left your keys inside your house doesn’t count, Brian
Oh, the irony! 🤣
You do realize you’re just embarrassing yourself all over this thread, right?
Ah yes, sharing they have experience working with homeless, how embarrassed they must be
Claiming that they have experience working with homeless, but demonstrating that they’re a callous asshole (and probably very bad at their job, if they aren’t outright lying).