Reply #13: Can you afford to maybe take them out to lunch or have them over to dinner a few times a week? [View All]

[varelse]

They might open up to you more if you can build some trust with them. Also, you have a few things that they don't have right now (like mobility, energy, and a private phone line and computer), which would make it easier for you to inquire as to available services such as food stamps and housing vouchers. If you can forge a closer relationship with them, it may make it easier for you to have a frank discussion about such things, so you can help them sign up for these services.

It really depends on how much you are willing or able to trust this person and on the circumstances which lead to their current state.

I've had a few homeless co-workers in the past, but I didn't reach out to any of them. In one case, it was clearly the person's choice to be homeless and itinerant (he stated this on several occasions). Another was a family struggling with domestic violence and drug addiction issues - they finally got into a place, only to have the husband shot in the chest (ugh - horrifying! but he survived) by police after a domestic violence call was met with (his) drunken defiance. The others were related to drug use - one family squandered an inherited home with no mortgage, an inheritance of $150,000, and another inheritance from a different relative of about 50k, all in about a year. It was horrifying and sad to watch the decline of this particular co-worker (she is an intelligent person with potential), but we were completely powerless to stop this train wreck. She chose to stick with the addictive, abusive husband and with her own addiction (I never found out what that was - I really did not want to know). She also knew and thoroughly exploited every angle of every support system, both private and public. Today, the couple is living and working at a shelter for homeless families (or at least, I hope they are still there) and last I heard from her, they were sober and pursuing employment (him) and education (her).