[Der_Iron_Chef]

The problem is that most people only think about when it inconveniences them. Or when they feel threatened because someone's sleeping in a stairwell, etc.

There's a difference between crime and homelessness. There's also a difference between annoying people on the street....and homelessness.

I just recently read a province-wide study that was conducted over 4 years, and surveyed young men living on the street, who used prostitution/sexual exploitation as a means for survival. Almost 86% of them left home because of abuse. Most of them started trading sex for shelter, food or clothes. Drugs sometimes became an issue, sometimes did not. Did they CHOOSE to leave home and make their way on the streets? Yes. Sure....if you call that a choice. Did they CHOOSE to have abusive families? No. Did they CHOOSE to do something about it and leave? Does that show a hidden resilience? A strength?

YES.

So that's where I'm coming from. Find that hidden resilience/strength as a starting point. Criticizing and making idiotic generalizations is not only pointless, but insulting.

And maybe I feel particularly passionate about this, because I've devoted the last half decade to it. I can tell a new story every single day....and to hear it wrapped up tidily in such superficial ways is insane to me!