Questions about the homeless

In case you've ever wondered, I posed these questions to Pastor who works closely with the homeless (in Denver):

---

My questions:

I have a couple of questions about "the homeless" that center around "who are they?", "why are they (there)?", and "why are they homeless?".

The first observation (that leads to my second question) is that homeless seem to gravitate (do they migrate?) or they seem more prevalent in some areas. Eg. Denver, San Francisco, etc. Minneapolis seems to have a much smaller homeless issue (I suppose it is because of the bitterly cold winters, but I am not sure).

This is not a cynics question (although it may seem that way). In our drive downtown we often stop at a light near the end of I-394. A homeless (I presume this the case) is often stationed at this strategic location where thousands of cars pass and many stop every morning. I often look at the man (not always a man, but generally; and not always the same man) and wonder why doesn't this able bodied person work? I'm almost 60 and am handicapped. I cannot do physical labor at all. But when I look at these persons they appear physically healthy and able. I know the recent economic downturn has made finding work more difficult but for years there has been abundant work in the Twin Cities. Recently I had a lot of construction done on my house as a result of hail damage. All of the workers (roofers and siders) were Spanish speaking men. Why do these jobs go to immigrates (either legal or illegal) and the able-bodied homeless seem to not work?

Another question I have is "where are the families of these men?".

---

His answers:

In short, most of the "sign-flyers" do not want to work. They are professional homeless. They do not want responsibility, only handouts.

I don't think the domain thing here is a real issue. It's first-come, first serve.

I'm unsure as to the migration patterns. I know that very few of our homeless are natives.

Most of them have alienated their families or vice versa.

You can do a web search on the Denver Road Home and get a lot of stats and info there. My biggest gripe with the sign guys is that they tend to get all the attention whereas the single mom camping out on her sisters living room couch doesn't.

---

Further comments: If you've ever been to San Fran ... wow there are beggers everywhere! Step into a shop and many times you are stepping over "p". Makes me glad for very cold winters here in Minnesota.