Well, I’ve been thinking about the men and women and especially, kids, who, mama says, live out on the streets here in Nice, and in nice neighborhoods, and everyone in the quarter seems to give them change or food or just tolerate their presence and walk on by and nothing can be done for they have no place to go.
“The concept of family has broken apart,” says Jean-Luc, a shelter worker in Tournon, just north of Valence. “Kids end up on the street with every reason not to make it: no connections, no jobs, no experience and no qualifications. These young people are let down by social policies. It’s as if they were told, ‘We don’t care about you.’ We need a youth policy big bang.”
There is a group very near to our big shopping center on the main street of this town, and they hang around in back of a grocery called Casino where the food bins are located and so are probably waiting for things to be thrown out so that they can eat.
There are more and more everywhere, it seems. In Italy, in France, in the USA, and mama remembers many on the streets of Santa Monica, California years ago. But there was a shelter for them during the winter, even though many of them chose to stay on the street.
What can be done? Many of these men and women are not well, mentally, and many turn to alcohol, become alcoholics who simply must drink and so cannot get any kind of menial work anywhere. Who can blame them? Often a passerby will give them food, or in one case, a friend of mama took a homeless person to MacDonalds to get him something to eat, but he didn’t want to go. He only wanted money for liquor.
Mama says she saw one altercation between a supermarket guard and a homeless man, just the other day, but he was drunk and not able to stand well and so wandered off, and stopped trying to enter the store.
“I am hungry.”
There seems to be no easy solutions to the problems of those who sleep and wake on our streets. Mama spoke to a toothless man the other day who was kind and smiling and charming and who explained that there was no recourse for him but to beg. He was not a drinker, just a man who came on hard times and needed to eat. He had a very neat backpack and sleeping roll with him and at night he sleeps in an uptown neighborhood in protective doorways.
Like the homeless Emilia in Rome. I wrote about her some blogs ago (Upheavals). I watch her from my window and she talks merrily with everyone, especially the attractive businessmen, saying “Ciao” to all and they wave and smile back as if she were a dear, old friend. Mama bought her some tennis shoes because hers were so tight and painful, but mama thinks she sold them. We’ll never know.
Just something to think about. I wish I could come up with more answers.
But I just don’t have any that seem to work…
Dat was very nice of yous mommy. Mommy sez most peeps are a pay check away from livin’ on da streets and//or goin’ hungry. Mommy used to live in a big city dat had lots of car dealershps and businesses. Every weekend all these places wuld have things like open houses where they wuld give away hot dogs and hamburgers to peeps who came to the event. Mommy wuld go to as many as she kuld so she kuld have food to eat fur da week. Another time she wuld go to da local bar durin’ happy hour and sing karaoke so she kuld eat from da happy hour bar. She’s not so crazy ’bout hamburgers and hot dogs anymore, but she sez at least she ate. We now live in an area dat be so small they don’t have any of those kinds of things, so peeps are just outta luck. We have a local restaurant dat mommy was able to get sum leftovers from once. But they told mommy to never come back cuz it didn’t look right peeps goin’ thru da trash. They was worried da neighbors might get mad and wanna shut ’em down. nd then they started mixing da food garbage wiff da baffroom garbage in da same bags, so it isn’t safe. There’s too many peeps out there who take advantage of da system so there’s not enuff help fur those who don’t. And you have to have an address to get help in da furst place, so da homeless fur sure can’t get help. We don’t have any answers eever LouLou, but it wuld be nice ifin sumfin’ kuld be done. Anyways, You look absolutely gawjus. Have a pawsumly blest day.
Luv ya’
Dezi and Lexi
I am so sorry for your mama if she has to go through the trash to eat. That’s not right. In Italy, people who have little money or none at all are given food a certain restaurants. Why don’t we do that in America?
It’s okay LouLou. We don’t know why they don’t do those things here, but of course it’s da land or purrlenty right? MOL We didn’t mean to write a whole posty, mommy just kept typin’ and then when we saw it all, we kuldn’t delete. MOL But it’s wunnerful dat da peeps in Italy can get food. And such yummy food it purrobly is. Hope you have a gweaat week.
Luv ya’
Dezi and Lexi
Well, we love everything your mommy writes so keep at it. And yes, if only there were places for all the homeless to eat and sleep.
That was very kind of your Mama to help. There are so many people and animals in need all over the world. If everyone did something like your Mama did, some would be helped. It is very sad. Praying is a good thing too.
Well, if only our friend, Emilia, would have used the shoes…her feet are pinched by her old tennies. And I guess every little bit helps if one cannot do big volunteer things.
You aren’t alone. So many have answers but they don’t seems to work either. It’s sad that anyone should have to live on the street. 🙁
You are right. And so many who live on the street feel cramped when given a closed place to live. So interesting. It’s a way of life that some actually feel more comfortable with, but it’s hard to imagine.