Letter to the editor
Published: Fri., Nov. 3, 2006; Globe and Mail.
Plight of the homeless
PHILIP STERN
Toronto — The Facts & Arguments essay (Designer Java For A Regular Joe — Nov. 2) straightforwardly asserts that people are homeless because of “their own choices.”
This is not the reasonable proposition that it purports to be. People who make decisions that lead to and perpetuate their own homelessness are already wracked by suffering. The brutal facts of homelessness include frequent violence, perpetual humiliation, and stench. This is their lot, even if some of them treat themselves to grande vanilla lattes.
Aside from those designated as mentally ill, homeless people can suffer from psychological blindness to cause-and-effect relationships that are obvious to most of us, or believe that they must help strangers before helping themselves. Others have had their morale broken by terrible loss. There are those who, when adolescents, were preyed upon by corrupt adults. The list is long and ghastly.
Finally, we need not make either/or choices when helping the various categories of the poor. They are all destitute, whatever the reason.
© Copyright 2006 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20061103.LETTERS03-10/TPStory/?query=homeless
Homeless Man Speaks 
October 20, 2011 at 9:07 am
It is true that people became homeless because of suffering including the denial of Ontario Works benefits.or Ontario Disablilty Support Program benefits. If no money at all, what’s more can be done? No money = no homes and no food – that is a commn sense. Even people who have part-times are homeless because they cannot afford high rental costs of apartments. They had to choose between food and rent. So they choose food!! SAD!!!!!