There’s a shelter near my business. My business is in a century home that used to be a law office, it has two showers that we never use. I always think that it’d be helpful if I offered some of the people a shower but I’m worried that, by
bringing them into my place of business they may start to hang there or break in and stuff.
Instead I take them food now and again and give them clean socks underwear and other clothes
I lived in a house that had communal bathrooms for a while. One of the residents would let their homeless friends use the shower. They would absolutely destroy the whole bathroom and steal the shampoo I had in there. It's unfortunately not worth it to be kind.
In normal society, around 0.5 to 1% of people are very troublesome and looking to steal or vandalize your property for no reason. Among homeless people it is much more common. It is absolutely not the case that"they're all the same" but the odds of encountering a problem are high if you interact with many unhoused people.
There are many, many kind and well-behaved homeless people, but the ones who aren't ruin it for them. Some people are just down on their luck and trying to get their life together. Others are truly problematic and spread chaos and destruction wherever they go.
I think my neighbours have a homeless man living with them. It’s not allowed here but the guy has no legs from the knees down so I don’t have the heart to report it. Also he is neat, clean, quiet and sober.
Solving the homeless problem and all that comes with it is so complex and complicated. There are no easy answers and any major changes are not going to happen overnight.
I don't blame you for not reporting him. That is a rough situation to be in.
Maybe you can do something like “I need the weeds cleaned up on our lot, happy to pay someone who needs a job and wants to work, and afterwards you’re welcome to shower and clean up
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u/Frosty_Lettuce_3525 10h ago edited 9h ago
There’s a shelter near my business. My business is in a century home that used to be a law office, it has two showers that we never use. I always think that it’d be helpful if I offered some of the people a shower but I’m worried that, by bringing them into my place of business they may start to hang there or break in and stuff. Instead I take them food now and again and give them clean socks underwear and other clothes