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Eugene OR

Description

Tonight was one of the hardest ones I've ever came across. As I was wrapping up dishing out some homemade enchiladas to some people out there on the streets in the cold I came across an elderly man who was stuck pulling a sweater over his head he couldn't get it over his head his hands were shaking so bad he's freezing cold he's wet in a wheelchair he's disabled and he's missing a leg. So I stopped because I'm confused at what I'm looking at because this is right in front of the Lindholm center at St Vincent de Paul on hey 99. He could barely talk he's obviously freezing it's lower than 32° outside. So I give him my sweater I go home grab some blankets I get some hand warmers and get back to him real quick. Try to get him warmed up and I'm waiting with him for the LTD bus to take him to his campsite. Under Jefferson bridge. So we're waiting on the 41 barger bus. Bus comes and doesn't even stop at the stop. This gentleman completely has a meltdown gets his arm stuck in his own wheelchair wheel. He almost breaks his arm as he's completely just having a complete meltdown. It took 40 minutes to get through to anyone for help. In his 60's, disabled, in wheelchair due to having one leg, Literally freezing, infront if Lindholm Center and now bleeding from his injuries from getting his arm stuck in his wheelchair wheel and no warm or dry clothes. People always assume theirs help for thise in need. Assume taxes are paying for homeless and the very little they get help with. Did you know that tax payers spend less than 1% on helping those in need in America. Did you know that these programs that help are all federally funded. After all the budget cuts after all the resources that have been cut the only ones that really get help now are ones with kids families etc. yes the Lindholm center lets people take showers and if they have clothes, they can wash some clothes and even gives them two meals a day. That does not keep them warm, does not give them decent clothes to wear. Everybody assumes that if they donate to these places that they're going to go to those in need. most of the time it goes to a different facility and helps different programs. If you are an individual and you are in need on the streets, you are the least likely to receive any help. I checked into these resources for homeless. Once a month they get five items, literally five items. Did you know that Goodwill if you donate anything that's actually worth something it never hits the floor in the store? They have a private entity that sells the good stuff online under a different name as to profit more from it. Yes I'm aware of their jobs program yes it does help some people. But it's more like a temp service than anything and it gives employers the right to get little bit of help without hiring an employee and most of it's not long-term. Were you aware of that in America right now there is almost seven empty homes per one homeless person? Were you aware of that every 10 seconds a child who's 5 years of age or younger dies of starvation or starvation related health symptoms? How about how 80% of Americans are two paychecks away from being homeless? Or that 85% of all Americans die in debt. How about on any given night there's over 300,000 honorably discharged veterans on our streets and homeless in America? Were you aware from the beginning of America's existence, 246 years ago we have been at war 224 of those years? Were you aware that statistically, America leads the world in only three categories? Number of adults who believe angels are real, defense spending where we spend more than the next 25 countries combined, and people's incarcerated. We literally only lead the world in those three statistics.