Sleeping Bag Drive for Those Experiencing Homelessness

To A-157... Yes, all the options you suggest are viable..but, I'm from here (already receive military disability..decorated veteran) & wanted to rebuild to start again. Cancer is very difficult to heal from (head), so i'm not ready to work yet. Thanks for your kind reply.

We are supposed to be a Christian country, what would Jesus do? Based on the comments here, round them up and give them a bus ticket to Ventura?

Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.

The articles on homelessness are always the ones with the most comments. Plenty of strong and differing opinions. Here's one: it's a lot different to donate a sleeping bag or clothes than to hand out cash to a panhandler begging for money. I personally feel comfortable donating practical items such as these and will be going through my belongings to see what I can give away. If your conviction is that this enables homelessness, then don't donate. You do you.

You want to know how people from South of the boarder make it in America...They help each other they don't crap on each other like Americans do. They take each other in help each other get work, food, a place to live transportation. They go to school learn the language. When someone asks them for spare change doesn't matter what color they are they reach down deep in their pockets to help another human soul in most cases it's a beautiful thing...If you don't want to help don't it's simple, if you do want to help then do it...I know there are some folks out there that have loved ones who have chosen a different way to live by living outdoors for whatever reasons they have. I was on the streets as a kid teenager runaway because I did not like being in an institution where I did not belong I was an unwanted kid. I have a Sister who slept outdoors through the cold Winters for several years as well as the rest of the year because she had troubles. I have another Sister who is a Domestic Violence Survivor she and her children were homeless as a result of the abuse. I have a few friends who are out there I chose to help I don't need anyone's permission..I seem to recall something I read in Woody Guthrie's Biography about asking people for help..."Don't go to the wealthy side of town because they will slam the door in your face..Go to the poor side of town a poor person will give you what they can..I guess I have to read the book again I cannot remember exactly how it goes...Ever since I read it I crave peanut butter and bacon sandwiches though..If you don't want to give don't no one is twisting your arm. I remember a bunch of kids that were homeless in the 80's here in Santa Barbara they used to hang out in DLG Plaza by Silly hall most of them did not want to live at home so they slept outside some of them came from wealthy homes in Santa Barbara they had money which is funny because one day I took a bunch of them out to lunch at Alex's and gave them ten bucks each, they had more money than me...They all came around got off the streets later on went back home went back to school grew up...I still know acouple of them today...

I had a 3 bd room house, business, nice car..then cancer. Now I live in a van. I'm also 20yrs sober. it sucks..

I talk to a lot of homeless around town and pretty much all of them do not want to be sheltered/do not want to live by rules of society or they say they applied for services but that they've been waitlisted for a long time. Why are they waiting for others do something for them. One thing I learned in life is to never rely on someone else expect others to do for things for you and that one owes me anything. I'm not advocating for, nor am I here to get into arguments about illegal immigration, but how is it possible for immigrants to come here from Mexico with no education, no knowledge in the English language, work low paying jobs and still make something of themselves. I know plenty of people who came here with nothing, grew up poorer than dirt, sent money back to their families. Now they are living comfortable lives here, some are even homeowners, with no handouts. I find it hard to believe American born individuals with at least highschool educations and the ability to speak English cannot make something of themselves. Obviously there are those who fall on bad times and need the help to get back on their feet. They usually do not remain homeless. Then there are those who are mentally ill and people's who's brains are fried beyond repair from drug use. They need to be institutionalized as they cannot take care of themselves. This isn't "right wing" or "left wing" ideology. This is just common sense.

Upon reading this my first instinct is to help, to get rid of some sleeping bags that I have that are in great condition but I don't use, to donate blankets and some other warm clothing items I have that I'm not using, to help. I have a daughter who is in her early twenties and is choosing to be homeless here in Santa Barbara. She is healthy, intelligent and able-bodied and could work a full-time job if she chose but she chooses not to, she is embracing the homeless life even though she's miserable. She is actively choosing not to work a full-time job and because of it she cannot take care of herself. I am not going to enable anyone, not her, nor anybody else. I get up every day and go to work at a full-time job that I do not always enjoy but it pays my bills and buys my food and keeps a roof over my head. I did that for her and the fact that she's too uninterested in doing that for herself really upsets me to my core. yes, some of the people who are on the streets can't help it, they have mental illness or PTSD but there are also healthy and capable adults who are choosing this life. Is it our responsibility to rescue them? No, but we should help those that really truly need it by getting them medical care and housing. The ones choosing this life need to help themselves!!

Homeless because you were burnt out of your house? I'll help. Homeless because you were bankrupted by our health care system? I'll help. Homeless due to job loss, death, accident, etc. I'll help. Homeless because you are some bum only aspiring to get drunk, get high or just be a leach on the rest of us - screw you.

I hope they are fire resistant.

Santa Barbara should be making it less and less easy to camp out here, not making the "experience" of homelessness more comfy.

Soft toothbrushes with covers for the bristles; most requested item is socks; gloves and mittens. You can give without getting into the sleeping bag controversy with yourself.

This may be the worst comments section in the history of Edhat. Such anger and lack of empathy and such tropes of misinformation and right wing ideology. How to respond. Here's a couple: Public Defenders do not represent homeless people in most of the "homeless" crimes charged against them as these are almost always "infractions" which do not qualify for the appointment of counsel. You do not encourage starvation by feeding the hungry. If you give a sleeping bag to a homeless person they will not sell it and if they did it would be "sold" (traded) to another homeless person needing it. Homelessness is increasing around the nation to unprecedented levels. Read today's LA Times for a discouraging but thorough discussion of the problem. Millions of homeless people cannot all be just lazy bums. So sad to see the denial and finger pointing in lieu of actual social responses to fellow humans.

Many of those afflicted or addicted are veterans who fought in ugly wars, got PTSD. No matter how someone got to be homeless does not diminish their basic need for warmth. Those of you who feels this is enabling sound overindulged with a compassion deficit that urgently needs treatment. Hopefully the spirit of the holidays will motivate you out of cognitive dissonance to some civilized action for your neighbors on the street.

They'll probably just turn around and sell them for a buck, so they can buy their booze, cigs or drugs. Then, they will try and get another freebie.....and do the same thing.

In my book this does a great disservice to some of these homeless - especially the addicts. Anyone who's had a family member or friend who was an addict - whether alcohol or drugs - knows the worst thing you can do is make life comfortable for them while they continue in their ways, i.e. enabling them. They'd be better rounding them up and forcing them into a shelter even if against their will. But this is just enabling. IS the PD's office lobbying for law changes to allow us to forcefully take them off the street and get them treatment?

I am always conflicted here. Since they are already going to be sleeping outside anyway then let’s give them what they need to be warmer. Yet, doing so enables the lifestyle that blights our community. Compassion vs law and order, it’s like a bipolar disorder. We give in ways that don’t entail direct cash that could be used for addictions.

This was probably done with the best intentions but it was obviously not thought through. The County Public Defender's office should not be involved in these issues or these types of drives. They are supposed to be non-political and as such should keep out of any and all political and social issues as a department.--------------------------------------- PDs are grossly underfunded and severely over worked and their lack of funding and resources are a direct cause of downfall for many people who are unwittingly fighting an accusation or a crime. ----------------------------------------------- Where would their good intentions be better served? I'd say by bringing much more attention to the sad fact that these hard working people at the PD office are abused and over used by the politicians that oversee their budgets. --------------------------------------- IMHO donating legal aide to the people who are stuck in the cracks of our community would help far more than a few sleeping bags. ----------------------------------------------- When the difference between someone's future and freedom in our society is based on ability to pay an attorney to defend themselves, we are missing the true cause of many people's plight who find themselves homeless. These people do not have $5000 for a retainer, let alone the funds to pay a small fine. So they are pushed deeper and deeper into the hole. ----------------------------------------- We all know that most lawyers are awful people, but Public Defenders are not. They ARE the good ones. In fact they are about as close to angels as you can find in the messed up world of our justice system. So I would rather donate $ for legal aide specifically for the homeless. But rather than either, of these token donations, I want our politicians to fund these departments fully so they can actually do their duty and help the downtrodden and the poor fight for freedom.

Love the choice of words "experiencing homelessness'. What else do you folks expect from the public defenders office? They defend the worst of the worst. This is just enabling and increasing the problem. Instead of handing them sleeping bags why don't they do something more proactive to end this problem rather than increase it?