@jabronibaloney / jabronibaloney.tumblr.com
When someone sets their self on fire to protest the horrors that their country is funding, and everyone else pleads for others not to do the same because they know other people don't want to keep living besides people who ignore horror after horror after horror.
Strange that it never occured to me. There are times I've been so upset that I've stamped around while cussing, that I've lain flat on the floor and groaned for as long as I had breath, that I've ranted my frustration aloud in an unhinged monologue, that I've swung my limbs about in a fury. All until I'd vented enough to just ... resume my normal life.
And if I'd had not the privacy of my home, I'd either have had to bottle that all up ... or open it all up where the public could scrutinize my every move. It really is a privilege to not be constantly on display like that.
“The Council will pay to remove these words, but not to house Forest Hill’s homeless. What does our community stand for?” Seen in Forest Hill, London
THIS. I spent so much of my career working with both of this groups and you need to know? The line between them and you? RAZOR thin. A few thoughtless choices and random chances. Thats it. And for addicts? Babygirl(gender neutral), you have them in your life. Your uncle who has six beers a day, your friend who has three glasses of wine every night, your sibling who can't get through the day without getting high, the fact that maybe you can't get through the day without coffee or a vape? Whoo boy. The recommended (by medical doctors) intake levels for alcohol is fucking low you have no idea. Substance use disorder and addiction is insidious and one day, you make look around and realize that there is a stimulant, a psychadelic, or a depressant that you need to function. And babes, you are treating people like shit because you think you have superiority. But you dont. What you have is luck and better coping skills. Try kindness. Or try being quiet.
So you agree the existence of billionaires requires the existence of poverty to thrive?
Christians become fascist. #christosfacsists
Homelessness and addiction are not character flaws. They are certainly not criminal.
The only way we’re ever going to solve homelessness is by giving free housing to homeless people.
Not cots in homeless shelters. Not beds in domestic violence shelters. Real, actual, permanent housing, with a door they can lock and the freedom to come and go as they please.
It seems like a stupidly simple solution to an incredibly complicated problem, but this is the only way we’re ever going to end homelessness for good. Everything we’re doing right now is like flinging thimbles of water onto a house fire, and it’s time to call the fire department. Don’t believe me? Consider that:
We live in a society that treats housing like something you have to “earn” by proving yourself worthy of it, and that toxic thinking has put us in a position where we’re literally willing to spend more money to have people sleeping in the streets. It has to stop. Housing is a bare minimum requirement for human dignity, and it should be a human right. Everyone deserves a safe and private space of their own, regardless of their abilities, mental health or circumstances. No one is asking for luxury condos here - dorm-style settings with private rooms and shared bathroom and kitchen facilities have proven to be effective. This isn’t about who “deserves” housing; if you are a human being, you deserve a safe place to call home.
YES.
I once saw someone point out something I hadn’t really considered before- libraries are one of the only places that are warm and dry where you can stay for long periods of time if you have no money. If you’re someone with nowhere to go during the daytime, they provide a safe environment in which to keep a roof over your head for a while- and all while you can access information.
So yes. This.
It’s weird…libraries almost feel /wrong/ now. It’s like I walk in and think “This is great…where do I put my money?”
I used to work on a campus library and if you want someplace to put your money, so to speak, make sure you put books back in the designated areas. I know you think you’re being helpful by reshelving, but even if you pull something out to read a couple paragraphs just stick it in the basket for things you didn’t want. I don’t care if you know EXACTLY where you are. In academic libraries (at least in Texas) our funding was determined by how many books people looked at. So we got additional funding based on books not being reshelved. If there’s a designated shelf/basket for things you don’t want, stick things in it!
What @standbyyourmantis said about not reshelving is true for public libraries, too. Our funding is dictated largely by how ‘used’ we are, so we scan all the items that are laying about as In House Use. That, tied with Reference Count and Door Counter numbers (we have to manually put in the time we take for references) to prove we’re providing a needed service. We also have to count the number of people who come for our programs, which not only helps funding but shows that the programming/services are needed, as well. So, basically, if you want to feel like you’re making sure we’re getting paid and staying around, keep these in mind.
I didn’t know that’s why you’re not supposed to reshelf!
Wow! That’s astounding!
LIBRARIES!!!
I’ve lost how many times I get asked about how much it costs to get a library card. It’s free. Everything is free unless it’s late or you lose an item. Free. Free. Free. Free.
Hanging out at the library during my stints of homelessness helped immensely. And also, nurtured my love for reading. (As school had the exact opposite effect, and made reading feel like a boring chore)
homeless people are part of your community!!!!! get with it!!!!!!!!!!!!! they’re not outside interlopers they’re not invaders they’re not vermin. homeless people = people deprived of homes, they are Victims and you should be angry on their behalf because people are being deprived of shelter in Your Community
no one deserves homelessness and no one brought it on themself, not even alcoholics and drug addicts and unmedicated/uncooperative/“unreasonable” mentally ill people
if a person does not have access to appropriate shelter and is forced to either try to find a homeless shelter that isn’t full to capacity AND won’t abuse them/put them in danger, or live and sleep in public areas (which is literally criminalized like….. everywhere)
they have been purposely deprived. basic human needs are being used against them, the necessities for human life are being withheld from them and they don’t deserve that. if u have been or are currently homeless, you didn’t and don’t deserve that
The ONE thing every leftist, (and post leftist), group can agree on is that the homeless need to be housed.
We should all compete to see which group can open the most buildings for the homeless and ourselves.
Not only is it good for the homeless, but for the rest of us, it gets rid of the THREAT of homelessness, so that we can put more time and energy into fighting for a better world.
STOP CRIMINALIZING HOMELESSNESS
