Fact of the Day

Filed in National by on November 19, 2008

There are a lot of homeless people in Suburban Station Philadelphia.

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Comments (36)

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  1. anon says:
    November 19, 2008 at 9:13 am

    I haven’t seen so many homeless people since the Reagan administration.

  2. jason330 says:
    November 19, 2008 at 9:19 am

    This cheered me up FWIW.

  3. delawaredem says:
    November 19, 2008 at 9:21 am

    Yeap. DV… where in the city are you? I work across from City Hall in the Widener.

  4. Miscreant says:
    November 19, 2008 at 9:42 am

    Now that you’re finally working, why don’t you slip them a few bucks? You know… redistribute your wealth.

  5. liberalgeek says:
    November 19, 2008 at 9:46 am

    I spent Saturday helping out a homeless shelter in Elkton, MD. It is truly a larger problem than we (perhaps only me) think. I do plan to work on redistributing some wealth their way.

  6. h. says:
    November 19, 2008 at 9:52 am

    Where the fuck have you been? I guess you don’t get out much.

  7. Donhusseinsquishviti says:
    November 19, 2008 at 10:34 am

    19th and Market DD.

    Miscreant,
    I haven’t recv’d a paycheck yet, but when I do it will be MINE, MINE, MINE….ALLLLL MINE…MWOOHAHAHAHAHAHAH
    MINE!@

  8. liberalgeek says:
    November 19, 2008 at 10:38 am

    We certainly see the homeless in Philadelphia and Wilmington, but they aren’t quite as visible in Newark and Elkton. But they are there and their ranks are growing.

  9. Miscreant says:
    November 19, 2008 at 10:51 am

    “…I haven’t recv’d a paycheck yet, but when I do it will be MINE, MINE, MINE….ALLLLL MINE…MWOOHAHAHAHAHAHAH
    MINE!@…”

    That’s pretty sad, dude. Even I contribute to the local charities down here, and also volunteer some time. In fact, I just donated one of my surfboards. Getting too old for that.

    “I spent Saturday helping out a homeless shelter in Elkton, MD.”

    LG – Very commendable. Maybe your generosity will rub off on DV someday.

  10. Miscreant says:
    November 19, 2008 at 10:54 am

    I recently went to DC. The number of homeless was astounding. There were as nearly as many homeless as there were people canvassing the streets for Obama.

  11. Donhusseinsquishviti says:
    November 19, 2008 at 10:57 am

    my guess is they don’t work as hard as you do dude…and they deserve to be homeless. Only people that work really hard succeed, like you. right?

    they don’t deserve my money.

  12. anon says:
    November 19, 2008 at 10:57 am

    True story: I was in line at McDonalds, in front of me was a woman with unkempt hair, visible excrement on her pants… her order was ready, and she crouched down rummaging among the cluster of plastic shopping bags at her feet… rustle, rustle, rummaging…. and she comes up with a credit card.

  13. liberalgeek says:
    November 19, 2008 at 11:02 am

    Is it possible that it was one of those AMEX cash cards or something?

  14. Miscreant says:
    November 19, 2008 at 11:06 am

    “Only people that work really hard succeed, like you. right?”

    Holy sheepshit! You, unwittingly, wrote a truth. The rest win the lottery. Better get in line for those tickets, Caputo.

  15. pandora says:
    November 19, 2008 at 11:06 am

    Okay, I’ll admit it. I can’t walk by a homeless person without redistributing the wealth.

    It’s the same reason I never complain when I get stuck behind a funeral procession. I figure I’m pretty lucky and things could be worse.

  16. nemski says:
    November 19, 2008 at 11:08 am

    anon, have you ever been in line behind a DuPont . . . same thing.

  17. Miscreant says:
    November 19, 2008 at 11:10 am

    “Okay, I’ll admit it. I can’t walk by a homeless person without redistributing the wealth.”

    What a sweet person you are! Don’t go to Washington, DC, you’ll be penniless before you get on the Metro.

  18. delawaredem says:
    November 19, 2008 at 11:13 am

    Anon…

    Was that at the Concord Pike McDonalds? There is this homeless woman who spends her day walking up and down Concord Pike, dressed in white sweatpants and sweat shirt, sometimes covered in a clear plastic poncho when it rains, carrying 2 plastic bags, and wearing duck tape shoes. I have heard that she has money, but is just insane.

    Indeed, many of the homeless can afford to be in homes or with relatives, but they are mentally ill and for some reason refuse to. Indeed, the population of the homeless rose dramatically in the 1980’s after Reagan closed down all the state hospitals. I wonder why that is.

  19. xstryker says:
    November 19, 2008 at 11:19 am

    There’s a homeless guy who hangs around my building in Wilmington. He’s plainly in need of mental and speech therapy that he’ll likely never be able to get. Sometimes I give him my change, but he’s learned not to ask me after 10pm because I find that creepy.

  20. cassandra m says:
    November 19, 2008 at 11:33 am

    DD — I’ve seen that woman and she walks not just on Concord Pike, we’ve seen her on Pennsylvania Ave a and downtown too. Have also heard the legend that she has money. She never seems to talk to anyone, she just keeps walking.

  21. h. says:
    November 19, 2008 at 11:37 am

    What if it was 9:45, would that make a difference?

  22. jason330 says:
    November 19, 2008 at 11:40 am

    I’m really not looking forward to all the bullshit “I heard that he makes $30K a year on that corner tax free and quit a job at Lowes to panhandle full time” stories that my in laws will be telling me in a few months.

  23. pandora says:
    November 19, 2008 at 11:42 am

    DD and Cassandra, I know that woman as well and she’s not homeless. She lives in the high-rise (elderly only and partly subsidized) near my house. She’s not a big talker, but we have greeted each other as she leaves the building. Don’t know about her money situation. Do know that she spends a lot of her time at libraries.

  24. xstryker says:
    November 19, 2008 at 11:51 am

    H. – I would look at my watch, decide it’s not 10 pm yet, and signal with my body language that I am relaxed and open to the request.

  25. Von Cracker says:
    November 19, 2008 at 11:54 am

    Wow! You all have seen the bag lady too!

    I think she’s a DuPont.

    …but she’s no Basin Road Betty!

  26. h. says:
    November 19, 2008 at 12:21 pm

    Thanks for clearing that up!!

  27. Annie says:
    November 19, 2008 at 1:22 pm

    The homeless in Elkton/Newark wind up here in Wilmington.
    It is a SERIOUS problem. There is NO WALK IN shelter for women. Sunday Bkfst Mission has walk in for men (100 beds). Sal Army under construction 21 beds. I’ve been begging them to give us the ARMORY that sits empty so we can have a walk in for women. Many are drug-addicted, evicted, doubling up, foreclosed, living without electricity or water. Delaware had 8 years with their proposed b/s plan of ending chronic homelessness in 10 years. Ain’t happening. Do you realize there are only two long-term rehab programs in Del? Gateway Foundation (LONG WAITING LIST) and Salvation Army Rehab (again few beds) others have criteria of 30 days clean. How can you stay clean on the streets living in tents down by the Riverfront and in abandoned houses? What you need to do is DEMAND services to help people get COMPRENSIVE help so that they receive addiction treatment/services/medical/psychological attention, job training and congregate housing that is affordable to transform the homeless person into the viable person they can be. Ask me. I’ve done it. And that lady you speak of has a name…You should get off your high horse ass and speak to her. She doesn’t have rabies…

  28. Von Cracker says:
    November 19, 2008 at 2:25 pm

    Bag Lady won’t talk to anyone. She just keeps on movin’ along….

    Geez…High Horse?
    Presumptuous.

  29. Susan Regis Collins says:
    November 19, 2008 at 3:30 pm

    When a ‘panhandler’ approaches (frequently outside a fast food/convienence store) me for $$$ I respond by asking if they are hungry. If they say ‘yes’ I offer to buy them something to eat. But no money….

    We had a drop in ‘homeless’ shelter in Wilmington until former mayor Frawley torn down the fire station where it was housed. Sojourner’s Place , thanks to Sister Jean Cashman and her dedicated crew, grew out of that location.

    Like Dan the underservedly 3x elected mayor Baker has turned a blind eye to most ‘social’ problems in Wilmington. He was a big Dan fan, this probably explains the large number of Frawleyites still setting polilcy: ‘I got mine; you figure it out’.

    I remember when Dan was closing the homeless shelter and simultaneously building those awful looking sculptures in the grassy circle near the train/bus station….they resemble houses!!! That’s right we could not find a place to shelter our homeless but we could build fake houses!!!!!!

    Nice way to treat our Vets and floundering families.

    Perhaps the Buccini-Pollen Group could lease (’cause, surprise, they can’t sell) some of the White Elephants they built on the riverfront to house the homeless…at least for the winter.

  30. miscreant says:
    November 19, 2008 at 3:37 pm

    “… and signal with my body language that I am relaxed and open to the request.”

    I’m getting a visual of you, as a lapdog, rolling over in submission to the alpha male.

  31. h. says:
    November 19, 2008 at 4:15 pm

    Lease to the homeless. How do you expect them to pay the lease?

    There are plenty of highway overpasses in NCC.

  32. xstryker says:
    November 19, 2008 at 4:32 pm

    miscreant – as usual, conservatives reduce everything to the idea that we are no better than animals.

  33. h. says:
    November 19, 2008 at 4:35 pm

    Are we?

  34. Graniaclewbay says:
    November 19, 2008 at 5:11 pm

    Coats are being collected at Brew Ha Ha. Donate a coat and get a cup of coffee. Also, motel vouchers are not a solution. They provide only a short-lived solution. Donations are down because the rich who usually donate in high volume during the holidays have been decimated by the economy. 59% increase in the dpl rates (thanks Harris McDowell), people can’t pay their bill and consequently lose their Section 8 voucher. There are section 8 houses available but the city won’t open them up to those on the waiting list because of money constraints. Kent County has 60 beds of shelter. Sussex 193.

  35. Susan Regis Collins says:
    November 19, 2008 at 10:27 pm

    “….the rich who usually donate in high volume during the holidays have been DECIMATED by the economy.” Yeah, and Santa is for real.

    “….the city won’t open them up to those on the waiting list because of money constraints.” Fact check: the city has a surplus (albeit not for me or thee). Also, Section 8 is a federal program probably run by Wilm Housing Authority.

    Everyone: Send McDowell a copy of your utility bills for the next four months….there’ll be a blizzard in his mailbox.

    _________________________________-

    And now for something completely callous:

    You said: “Lease to the homeless. How do you expect them to pay the lease? ” (Perhaps the city’s historic 3x mayor could spend some of it’s surplus instead of giving it to sure up Coons & Co. and the county.)

    You said: “There are plenty of highway overpasses in NCC.”
    (For this comment you should be taken to Rodney Sq. and horsewhipped. Remember what your Bible says: the sins of the parents will be visited upon the child(ren). Not wishing anything bad on your family but, in case you don’t hold w/Christian principles, here it is from the street: what goes around, comes around.)

    You ain’t nothing nice.

  36. h. says:
    November 20, 2008 at 8:48 am

    Nice. Never said I was. But I do put a roof over my head for my family.If you’re so worried about the homeless, bring some home and let them sleep on the couch. Would you do that? If all you compassionate types take one or two home on occasion,won’t that help the cause?

    Like someone said earlier, most homeless are in that situation by choice. One commenter actually said they get creeped out by the homeless. I’ve given money and clothing to the homeless and they are probably the most ungrateful group out there. Like we’re expected to give to them. It’s not my fault they can’t get their shit together.

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