Drug and alcohol abuse is a big part of the homeless life in general, in older people alcohol abuse is prevalent. Among the youth both alcohol and drugs play a big part in their daily lives. Mental illness, for whatever reason seems to affect many homeless people. Met a bloke on Wednesdays, nice fella Michael, about 27, said he was an "artists", wanted to borrow a broom to clean up his flat, but I think he had some real mental issues, although he does have a place to live, so these who know him said.

"that's why we need to make the bureaucrats who cause this accountable" Indy you are so far off the track its unbelievable.

Indy you are so far off the track its unbelievable.
Paul1405,
Really ? Sounds more like I'm too close to the bone in giving you a deserved guilt complex !

Paul1405,
If it's not bureaudroids making these dreadful & costly decisions, who then makes those decisions ?
Something tells me that no non-experts get to say in them let alone un-indoctrinated ones !

Hi Foxy,

A great day for our charity at the "Bunno's Barbecue" yesterday, it was a hot one, both for the weather 32C, and the sales, we sold close on 60 dozen sausages with or without onion on a slice of bread (no butter) @ $3.50 each gives us a margin of about $2.50, plus 70c from each drink sold, giving the charity about $1800 net. T will give me a full report when she returns from church this morning.

Can't stop the wife, last night it was off to the 'Halloween Parade' T get right into it dressed as witch, complete with broom, about 5,000 people there, many in costume. A Parade down the main street, cars and all, even a pipe band, ha, ha.

Substance abuse...

I remember years ago in the 90's, the days of my youth

I remember being so drunk I was passed out on the floor and quite possibly laying in a puddle of my own spew.
I was just conscious enough to be able to reach my arm out to present my vein.

15 seconds later, I'm up off the floor and about as perky and wide-eyed and awake as one could be...
- with my mind now racing at double the normal speed.

"Thanks man, what did I miss?"

I wonder if the experience of taking drugs is itself completely different to that which other people (who never did it) think it is.

I even remember shooting up acid trips, (vaguely) and the feeling one gets from heroin, like a whole world of inner peace.
- or the feeling of powder dropping down the back of your nasal passage after you snorted a line of speed.
- Kind of pleasantly irritating if there's such a thing.

All long distant memories... but memories nonetheless
Things of this world I'm not likely to ever experience again.

You want to know why people take drugs?
It's a feeling one cant describe, and one that others will never know.
These things are only mysteries to the uninitiated.
- Been there, done that - and not planning on ever going back -

"A friend's son is a pastor and works with the homeless. In his experience, the single biggest cause of homelessness is substance abuse."

Yeah well, he's right - but what is the cause of substance abuse?
The outsiders will never be insiders.

Until they've had a syringe in their vein themselves, (if you want real experience) the most you'll get from them is speculation based on outside observation.
- But you've got to walk the walk and live that life to know these things, for real.

but what is the cause of substance abuse?
Armchair critic,
Lack of basic culture, excessive mindless culture, a culture of irresponsibility, a culture of entltlement etc etc are the causes of substance abuse & of course a poor mentality from early schooling by people with a just as poor mentality themselves. Role models have become troll models !