r/raleigh • u/Unusual-Horse-7709 • 27d ago
Question/Recommendation Anyone else live very close to a large homeless camp?
I hope this post doesn't get too controversial, but it's getting to a point where I no longer want to work in my garden when I'm home alone. More people have been approaching our home lately. Me, my partner, and even his mom on separate occasions have been asked for things. We've had multiple things stolen, mostly small, but with kids things get left outside.
Do you have a homeless camp within a block or two of your home, and if so, how do you deal with it?
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u/Didyoureallysay 27d ago
We are close to new Bern and there has been a significant increase in homeless people everywhere here. At every corner, every fast food place, every store, some are very aggressive and will hit the car windows or kick your tires if you ignore them. It’s sad
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u/megggie Oakleaf 27d ago
There’s been a significant increase in unhoused people everywhere. Even folks with decent-paying jobs can barely feed their families and put gas in their vehicle, much less deal with an expensive emergency.
But the billionaires got their massive tax breaks at the expense of any semblance of a societal safety net, so we should all be happy, right?
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u/twitchrdrm 27d ago
Isn't it crazy that homelessness and poverty are even issues in the richest most developed country in the world?
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u/No_External_4963 26d ago
It's crazy ppl continue to be fooled by the wealthy class scapegoating homeless people when leadership could establish housing and job programs for way less than the cleanup and law-enforcement costs.
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u/DoubleEMom 26d ago
Are we really the “most developed” if this is the case? The lack of social support for citizens is atrocious.
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u/buckeye25osu 26d ago
Rampant drug and education problem.
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u/iodinevanadiumey 26d ago
Rampant billionaires problem you mean
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u/buckeye25osu 25d ago
Americans aren't homeless because of billionaires. They are overwhelmingly homeless due to crack, fentanyl, and other drugs, along with poor education rates.
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u/iodinevanadiumey 25d ago
They are overwhelming homeless because of constantly increasing cost of living with stagnant wages. Which is a result of billionaires. You’re on Reddit so clearly you have access to the internet, education yourself.
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u/buckeye25osu 24d ago
Yes affordable housing is also a major factor and should have included it with drugs and education (which leads to poverty and greater mental health problems). But to blame billionaires is way too simple. Without billionaires perhaps we'd have more affordable housing but maybe not. I'm not licking boots for billionaires either, just saying there are a whole lot of other reasons that are higher on the list.
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u/iodinevanadiumey 23d ago
I mean if we didn’t have billionaires that would be billions of dollars spread out between more people so I feel like that’s a pretty simple solution towards homelessness, hunger, etc. Better distribution of wealth is a main and major issue in the US especially.
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u/Optimal-Raspberry-24 26d ago
It IS crazy. Unfortunately, in my experiences, there are a lot of people who actually WANT to live like that. I spent a few years trying to run a small parking lot management company along Glenwood South. Approached hundreds of times and I got to know many of the "homeless". There was a wide variety of people: some with mental health issues, some with addiction issues, many were not homeless but pretended to be because they could make more panhandling than at a low wage job. Then there are those that panhandle as part of an organized group: they have "handlers" they have to pay to work certain areas. Then there was that one guy that asked my for my "story": when I told him I was working 3 jobs and raising 2 special needs kids, he pulled a big wad of cash out of his pocket and gave ME $20. Turns out, he just wanted to live this way and travelled a lot on foot or hitchhiking around the country. I stopped giving money to anyone after all those experiences; mainly because the vast majority of the paople I come across were NOT ACTUALLY HOMELESS/IN NEED.
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u/Grisward 26d ago
This can’t be a real take, that the vast majority of homeless people want to be that way…
Where were you in January with the long string of days below freezing, when a number of downtown shelters and churches opened up beds to get people out of the dangerously freezing cold? The vast majority of them were just out there for the experience? That is not my observation.
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u/IllTakeACupOfTea 26d ago
I have family that work in social services in a modern, developed country and this arguement does not exist there because their government understands that people need homes. Here, we say things like "they want to be homeless" so that billionaires and millionaires can be a little bit richer.
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u/fe-and-wine 26d ago
The whole "they want to be homeless" is just a veiled justification for the same "they deserve it" mentality that so many people have towards the underprivileged.
No homeless people want that to be their situation. That's just not a thing that occurs. What does happen is sometimes people get sucked into a tragic cycle of addiction and, when given a small sum of money, make the decision that staving off their withdrawals with another hit is worth more than putting that $20 into a nice shirt to maybe get a job interview to maybe get a job to maybe make enough to maybe solve their homelessness. Eventually.
It's sad, but it's not a crazy calculation to make - especially if you have any first-hand knowledge of how addiction can feel when you're struggling with it.
But rather than seeing this as the tragic 'between a rock and a hard place' situation it is, people like the original commenter above choose to believe it's a reflection of some kind of true meritocracy. "Well they had some money and instead of using it to have a chance at improving their situation, they bought more drugs, so they must want to be homeless. And even if they don't, they deserve it, because they made the wrong choices."
It's something that really frustrates me whenever I think too hard about it - I know plenty of people with this mindset who are otherwise very empathetic and caring individuals. It's not a mindset that is solely motivated by hate (like so many...other prevailing trends in society currently...), I feel like it's almost a subconscious need to make the world 'make sense'. Like it would be too much to accept that we live in a random, cruel, and unfair society where sometimes people just get sucked into the riptide and never break free.
To accept that is to accept that something similar could happen to you - we all make mistakes, so it's scary to believe that one unlucky mistake could land you in the same dismal place. So instead they make themselves believe it's some kind of character flaw or lack of willpower.
Ugh. Didn't mean to type out a novel here but this whole back and forth just put such a fine point on it that it got me thinking. Now I'm sad.
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u/Cutemama14 26d ago
What country is this with no homelessness? I’ve traveled a lot and I can’t think of a modern developed country I’ve been to where I haven’t seen homeless people, so I’m curious.
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u/IllTakeACupOfTea 24d ago
I never said there was no homelessness, I just said the arguement was not part of the discussion of homelessness. I think that the US is a country that uniquely blames the poor solely for their poverty without taking any look at the way that our society as a whole works only for a limited spectrum of people. We do not function as a modern, developed country in many aspects and this one of them.
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u/mxrider108 26d ago
Man, you should try going to LA. I lived in Venice for years, and yes many of the homeless there absolutely WANT to live that kind of lifestyle (or, at least, have zero interest in working a job or becoming a productive member of society. I'm sure they'd take a free home if you gave them one).
To be clear: I'm not saying there isn't a societal issue, or that there aren't good people who are homeless, people who are down on their luck and need a hand, etc. But to act like a lot of these people aren't just lazy/love drugs, hate being told what to do, or have severe mental health issues, is also ignoring the reality.
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u/Grisward 26d ago
I don’t deny some people are disconnected from society to the point that they don’t see a way back, or a motivator to get back.
I commented elsewhere, maybe warm weather changes the dynamic, makes it more visible when there are people cosplaying as a homeless person. A lot of people “choosing” (apparently to some) to be homeless are actually avoiding something else more difficult. Aren’t there people living in cars, or worse, while they have a job?
Mental health I feel like doesn’t deserve to be added to the same category. Mental health problems warrant proper mental health care. Idk how, but it seems we can do something better than homelessness.
Anyway, I’m not denying there are people who may choose for some reason to be homeless, I’m questioning to you and myself what fraction of homeless fit this category. My observation, granted it was in freezing winter weather, was that none of them “chose” that, or very very few.
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u/Then_Home1399 26d ago
Agreed. Posted in the wrong sub tho. You r gonna get flamed here. Most of these people defending homeless have a very whimsical idea of who and what they are. I have met tons of ex addicts who were homeless after they got sober. Two things are true at once. The average person is not doing great financially but homeless is not a result of the economy it’s almost entirely just drugs or lifestyle
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u/iodinevanadiumey 26d ago
That is not true, homelessness is in fact, statistically, a major result of the economy. Rent gets raised and you can’t afford any other place so you couch surf with friends a bit, then you live in your car “temporarily” until you get back on your feet, but you don’t have access to running water whenever you need it so you end up losing your job, now you have no income, now you sell your car to have some money for food and supplies, now you’re “living” (staying) in a homeless shelter but you can’t have your pets and you can’t keep your belongings because it’s a temporary situation and people are in and out so it just doesn’t work so you go to the street instead to keep your pet and your belongings, maybe you become an addict while you’re on the streets because you have nothing to distract you from the pain or sickness you now have from being in the elements 24/7 and obviously you can’t afford a doctors visit
Yeah it’s definitely not the economy right? Jobs that pay living wages, housing that’s affordable and permanent, accessible physical and mental healthcare, none of those things would drastically decrease homelessness right?
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u/iodinevanadiumey 26d ago
If someone is choosing to hitchhike around the country, they’re not homeless, they chose that lifestyle. The overwhelming vast majority of the 600,000+ people who sleep outside every night are NOT doing it because they want to. They’re “doing it” because their rent was raised and they couldn’t find another place they could afford. They’re “doing it” because they wore out couch surfing with their friends. They’re “doing it” because they lost their job because they didn’t have access to constant running water anytime they need. They’re “doing it” because they had to sell the car they were living out of to have money for food after losing their job. They’re “doing it” because homeless shelters are temporary living situations. They’re “doing it” because they can’t keep their pets with them in a homeless shelter. They’re “doing it” because they can’t safely keep their belongings in a temporary shelter space with hundreds of other people in the same situation. They’re “doing it” because after months and years of being on the street drugs are the only thing that distract them from their situation. They’re “doing it” because they haven’t been to see a therapist in years and have trauma from their living situation. They’re not “doing it” because they want to. Shut the actual fuck up.
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u/tabbikat86 26d ago
I've come across many sleeping outside down town over the years .. I'd argue the overwhelming majority of them are actually unhoused...
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u/Didyoureallysay 27d ago
Ok? We aren’t doing amazing financially either but I’m still entitled to complain about someone hitting my windows and kicking my tires (has happened many times by different folks) .. I’m not sure why your comment is directed at me. I understand the struggle as I grew up in severe poverty and hope to eventually be above treading water every month. I’m not mad at these people, I too am mad at the circumstances. I just wish I’d not have to be afraid to go get gas outside if my neighborhood.n
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u/megggie Oakleaf 27d ago
Apologies; my comment was meant as an extension to yours, not as an attack or argument and not directed specifically at you. I agree with what you said and was attempting to expand on it.
I’m sorry it came across differently!
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u/Didyoureallysay 27d ago
Thank you for clarifying and my apologies to have snapped. I get what you’re saying and I agree
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u/megggie Oakleaf 27d ago
I get it. We’re all on edge right now.
I hope you have a restful evening!
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u/Perry_lp 26d ago
A misunderstanding on Reddit that was handled with respect??? Better buy a lotto ticket it’s my lucky day
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24d ago
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u/Didyoureallysay 24d ago
We’ve been here ten years, off of new Bern ave, the decline in this area is remarkable. I’m not complaining, it’s just honestly very sad
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u/eyesofthewrld NC State 27d ago
Not much you can do other than make sure you are always aware of your surroundings. I always make sure to have my phone on me at all times when I'm outside. I've also gotten really comfortable with saying no and holding my ground. Although, if I see someone walking down the street I'll go inside well before they notice since I don't want them to follow me to my door. As a woman I'm just hyper vigilant about my surroundings anyway.
Tbf the homeless camp near me has always been there it's just gotten a lot bigger over the last few years so it isn't something so shocking to me. Not much you can really do though, just lock your stuff up and get comfortable with saying no and never answer the door when someone knocks.
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u/Unusual-Horse-7709 27d ago
I think a couple of us here might be in the same area and y'all's comments got me thinking these people might not be from that camp.
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u/__SEV__ 27d ago
Not much you can do… If only there were some sort of governing body with people representatives and the power of the law. 🤔
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u/eyesofthewrld NC State 27d ago
Yeah, not much. It's crazy you think that casting a vote or contacting your representatives is an immediate solution to this problemm. Like I don't understand, if someone harasses you do you just stand there and say, "hey I voted!" while they pick your pockets? Like what?
OP is facing this dilemma right now. It's an immediate concern to them.
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27d ago
Trouble is the solutions aren’t popular with any loud constituency:
(1) Legalize housing: build more affordable housing, preferably close to the city center.
(2) Provide housing vouchers to people who qualify.
(3) Hire more police.
(4) Strictly enforce vagrancy laws.
(5) Build more public spaces and keep tents out
(6) Build shelters
(7) Build mental health and drug treatment centers.
(8) Allow institutionalization
(9) Mandate rehabilitation for drug crimes
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u/raziridium 27d ago
The homeless camps have definitely been expanding and they're feeling bolder than they used to be. Like others have said, you have to get comfortable saying no and standing up straight. The overwhelming majority of these people are not dangerous They just know if they keep asking eventually somebody will cave and say yes.
If you can put up some type of fencing that would go a long way. Along with obvious cameras (even fake decoys would do), and no trespassing or soliciting signs (You can find some more aesthetically pleasing versions on Amazon or Etsy).
But if you firmly say no enough times they'll eventually figure it out and leave alone. There's only so much law enforcement can or should if they're not actually being dangerous and they'll likely be gone by the time they show up anyway.
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u/Parody_of_Self 27d ago
There IS only so much cops can do, because it is not really a law enforcement issue is it!
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u/bananagod420 27d ago
The ones along the greenways around Lake Raleigh have gotten worse, seemingly as well. Recession indicator, I guess. It really breaks my heart but some people are on drugs and have been violent to women along the trails. It's really a hard catch-22, because I believe everyone deserves resources and help, but it can be scary, and multiple people have been injured.
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u/northraleighguy 27d ago
If only something could be done
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u/bananagod420 26d ago
*if only something WOULD be done. Feels like something could be. There are definitely ways out community could work to create programs for people who are currently residing in these camps. I doubt many of them are happy to be living in tents having to knock on people’s doors for help.
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u/inthemood4ham 26d ago
Something could be done, you would just get down voted or banned if you say it here.
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u/therealfuckderek 26d ago
What, your good ideas aren’t actually good?
Or do you have real solutions that involve robust problem solving and empathy?
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u/inthemood4ham 26d ago
The truth gets you down voted or banned here. That's as far as I can go. I find it funny how every solution here is to take defensive measures like hey, that's just how your life has to be from now on OP. Get a dog or gun and cameras and live life on the defense. Lock up everything. It sucks but what else can you do, other solutions don't have enough empathy. Instead, OP just needs to make sacrifices for the shitty things happening.
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u/therealfuckderek 26d ago
If my “truth” has to be whispered in the dark on this matter, I’d be rethinking it. I’m worried you’re talking about state sanctioned violence on a group of people. Is that it?
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u/thelostewok 27d ago edited 27d ago
Nothing to do but be very aware of your surroundings at all times, clean up and put away inside anything that you want to keep, and be very comfortable with saying no as people talk and soon you/your house will be the “ones you can get something from”.
Sadly, living in a “fun” part of Miami has taught me this very hard lesson. Also nothing is ever truly bolted down or can’t be leaned against/slept on, especially while desperate or altered.
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26d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Plastic-Inspector363 27d ago
Steps you should take if you aren't leaving anytime soon:
1) Don't leave anything outside and make sure you have well lit areas outside your home. Invest in some motion lights.
2) Get a camera surveillance system to give you full coverage outside your home. Personally, I'd look for solar powered cameras that can connect to my wifi and keep the footage stored with mobile access.
3) Consider placing chimes on your doors.
4) If you are open to having a dog I'd consider getting one.
5) Get yourself a firearm, some training, and a small safe since you have kids. Remember the police are there to respond to a crime, not come save you like Superman. You are your family's first responder and protector.
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u/Unusual-Horse-7709 27d ago
Other than some things getting left outside, we have 1, 2, and 3 covered. The last guy didn't seem to care about the doorbell camera or when the motion lights came on.
We can't really afford a dog atm. And no guns with the littles.
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u/Plastic-Inspector363 27d ago
It's not about them caring. It's about you being notified of some crazy lurking around your home so you can be prepared if necessary.
As far as no gun or dog, at least make sure you have something for protection. A biometric safe only opens with your or the other adult's fingerprints and can be had for under $75 on Amazon. A drug addict, desperate, or mentally ill person with ill intent won't be persuaded from doing harm to you and yours with strong language.
You made this post because whatever is happening is concerning enough for you to make it (relatively) public enough to seek advice. They aren't leaving anytime soon. Stay safe.
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u/Unusual-Horse-7709 27d ago
I have pistols located elsewhere. I agreed with my partner that I'd not keep them at the house. A shotgun does make more of a deterrent, but a guard dog might be easier to convince him of. And the kids would love a dog. We'd have to diy the electric fence and of course the time to train it.
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u/Itsdawsontime 26d ago
Is there a reason why you would do an electric fence and not a regular fence? A regular fence seems like it may deter both the people who are bothering you and the possibility of a dog in the future.
You also DO NOT want to leave a dog outside, in a fenced in yard, with people coming into your yard and stealing things from it. A small dog isn’t going to do anything, someone may steal a purebred, and I’ve had homeless threaten my dogs when they’ve barked at them.
Nonetheless - a dog would likely further complicate the same scenario with the above details, and you are going to be taking the dog on walks and being out in the yard more often with them.
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u/Unusual-Horse-7709 26d ago
I've had dogs at my parents house and we had an electric fence that was buried. It kept the dog in the places they were allowed and out of the garden and food beds.
We're unlikely to get a dog in our current situation either way. The thing that bothered me most was the police telling me people are getting more desperate.
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u/Itsdawsontime 26d ago
I completely understand all of that - never thought about putting up an electric fence within the fence around the garden/food beds as well which makes A LOT of sense for a dog that's a mooch. Thank god mine leave them alone.
I'm really sorry to hear all of this going on, and definitely wishing you the best of luck. It's also sad to hear the police saying people are going to get more desperate.
My other thought was that the fence could also keep your property more private from them. I didn't know if a wooden privacy fence on the side they may be bothering you was a possibility; though I don't know if it's the front of your property (vs. side or back) that is the issue, in which case makes sense why you couldn't do it.
My greater reason was definitely the homeless interacting with the dog, and possibly not being able to let it out unsupervised because of that. I've heard horror stories of them throwing things to them they shouldn't have, yelling at dogs, and that one incident where the unhoused person threatened my dog he yelled at it to shut up then dig the "finger gun" pointed at it and went "pow pow pow".
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u/Unusual-Horse-7709 26d ago
Oh lord, you just brought a memory to the surface. My father had dogs as a kid in a city, and people would poison them! Definitely cannot leave them outside on their own.
We have a fence in the backyard but the front is a wall of hedges for privacy. We have a camera on that too after being approached in front of that hedge facing the street.
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u/Itsdawsontime 26d ago
I can’t believe people do anything like that to animals 😞 it sounds like you’ve got a good number of measures being taken.
I definitely feel for the unhoused in this current weather we’re having, but we desperately need to figure something out. Where I’m from in Pittsburgh they just removed the final BIG encampment of unhoused - but they also help with housing after the fact -
500 in 500 is an initiative, launched in June 2024, to help people out of homelessness by making 500 affordable housing units available in Allegheny County in 500 days.
[if anyone reads the article, just know that “Jail Trail” is the nickname of a running / biking path that goes past the city jail, not something negative]
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u/Zikkafoos 26d ago
Pistols that are located elsewhere don't help you in the event of a home invasion.
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u/Greedy_Big8275 27d ago
Instead of a dog you can get something like this
https://a.co/d/234BV92 (Amazon link)
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u/Unusual-Horse-7709 27d ago
The kids want to make their own. They want to make something rustle the bushes by the porch while this goes off. It's definitely on the list of to-dos.
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u/rickissick60 27d ago edited 27d ago
Hey OP, you should look into fostering a dog! Usually the place you foster from covers all the expenses of the dog!
https://spcawake.org/get-involved/foster-care-network/
Homeless Camp Reporting Tool: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/de4e79556ecd400887729dfe1e6cee3a
Edit: added the link for foster care at SPCA here in Wake County
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u/Supacoopa3 27d ago
Guns and littles are fine as long as you get an appropriate safe and utilize trigger locks. The sound of a pump shotgun will deter a vast majority of what you’re concerned about. Keep an unloaded pump action around for the literal sound and keep anything dangerous locked up?
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u/JoeStyles 26d ago
What a moron.
Yes let's brandish an unloaded firearm with the hopes that they don't possibly have one as well
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u/thatsanicehaircut 26d ago
adding to this good list - couple cans of bear spray on hand, self defense tools (knife pen, pepper gel, stun gun) on you when you are outdoors or coming/going.
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u/AliCat_82 26d ago
Raleigh used to be an affordable place to live. They gentrified the south side and Raleigh lifetime residents are being priced out. Things are just getting more expensive.
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u/choice_nc 27d ago
Used to live right down the road from one. Don’t leave things in your car that have value. I used to leave coins in my console for small change transactions. That ONE time that I forgot to lock my door in my driveway, they ransacked my car. The only thing of value was the coins and a bag that I kept in the backseat that had a flashlight, medical kit, air pump and a NOCO jumpstart battery. That stuff probably ended up at a pawn shop.
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u/VeganForEthics 27d ago
This sucks. Have you reported the theft to police? That's my first thought.
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u/myshitsmellslikeshit 27d ago
Trust me, they won't care unless your address is in a high income neighborhood.
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u/skyleach 26d ago
It's almost like a real-life visual representation of how unbalanced and inflexible our economic system is getting. They aren't allowed to harvest fuel, source water, build shelter, plant crops, hunt game or any other means of survival except for work. In order to work they must have skills, not be too offensive smelling or looking, not have medical or mental issues and, of course, there has to be gainful employment available that they qualify to do.
With such a tightly regulated and managed system it's a bit alarming that people who fall through the GAPING HOLES in the system are treated like they are.
It's almost like they might start to get angry at the unfairness of it.
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u/Delicious-Dress4162 22d ago
nah. as long as they have access to the internet or any other vice they'll be content to live with it.
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u/KalisKitten 27d ago
I used to work in CH off the 15-501 exit coming off of I-40, and for a couple months there was a man, woman, young boy (probably 5ish) and toddler/baby girl panhandling along the interstate ramp. A TODDLER. Walking around with the cars and everything there. I was at the stop light one day (one of the last days I saw them) and the adult male rushed up to my window and banged on it and started yelling at me asking if I took photos of his kids (my phone was in the diaper bag in the back seat). I yelled at him to get away from me and my car, and never saw them again after that day. Let me add - I have lived my entire life in the healthcare field and outside of work, have helped people in moments of crisis, I’ve given my share of food and money, taken a local transient into Food Lion for a few groceries, and usually carried little “go bags” in my car for people on the side of the road. After that, and after having my baby, I can’t risk it anymore. There’s too much violence in Raleigh-area now, it’s not like Burlington (where I grew up).
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u/KalisKitten 27d ago
(I say this because on the right side of the road by ReStore/Outback on 15-501 there was a camp set up, and again down off of Jordan Lake/Southpoint area woods).
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u/Duplicate_Recessive 27d ago
Yes! We're in the same boat. Also have kids and totally get it. The camp by our home is very established and we do know some of the people, but we haven't had any problems until more recently.
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u/lalawar 27d ago
What area are you in?
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u/Duplicate_Recessive 27d ago
I thought I answered this here, but you've asked a few times. Caraleigh area. It sounds like op might be in that general area too.
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u/Ultravagabird 27d ago
I lived in Sputh Africa a couple decades ago, and esp in cities there was a big homeless population, and a number of folks became ‘car guards’ if you parked on the street you’d give some coin to them for watching your car.
Also supporting training programs that people could get training to do lawn service or other maintenance and then helping some get there- then hiring them….
Sadly the situation in the U.S. will only get worse, and it will take a long time for things to get better when and if there is a successful effort to turn things around.
People may want to increase their awareness, do what one can to enhance security, work with non profits and mutual aid orgs to help in ways one is able, and get involved locally.
It was sadly common in cities & suburbs of metro areas for homes to have barred windows esp on first floor, and sometimes to have gates at driveway entrance and wall around the garden.
One gets used to it. Keeping purse in the glove compartment, etc just being aware.
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u/Strong-Interview478 27d ago
I think a whole lot of people in Raleigh live closer to a homeless camp than they might think. I'm homeless in Cary and live in my easily mistaken for still running CX-7. For the record, this is not the vision I had for this phase of my life.
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u/KalisKitten 26d ago
I think there is a difference though between someone in a temporary or emergency situation versus someone who has chosen to live on the street for year(s).
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u/Strong-Interview478 25d ago
I agree/disagree here. Until you have been homeless you aren't aware of the number of built-in roadblocks to getting homelessness behind you. I didn't have any idea but now that I do, trust me, I wish I had never become homeless. You can have a great plan to re-enter "proper society " but good luck with that unless you have access to all kinds of resources that, if you did, you likely wouldn't be homeless in the first place. A job? Yeah, I'm trying. I'm no spring chicken, not by any stretch, and with my crushed T-12 vertebra, spinal arthritis, and advanced lung cancer, well, let's say some jobs I could have done well at in my younger days are simply no longer possible. A lot of employers do not want to take a risk on someone in my position, and I understand why that is. Disability? Not likely with no address (not to mention I can simply be waited out at this point, it's not like I've got decades of time left to figure out how to fill in some way).
Yeah, I know, cry me a river. I didn't want this thread to become a "woe is me" pity party but I do want people to know that haven't experienced it that once you find yourself off the Capitalism Superhighway for any reason it's not so easy to get back on it. Believe me, I'm trying. Thank goodness I do not have any felonies. At least I have that going for me. I've never stood at an intersection with a sign but if you ever see someone with a sign that reads "Will program your REST API for food" a smile and a wave is all I ask, unless you really do have some programming that needs attention, in which case pizza.
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u/LadyArcher2017 25d ago
People do not choose to live like that, not like people make other “lifestyle” choices. A large percentage of the homeless are people who aged out of them foster care system. Nobody chooses that. And addiction is not a choice anyone consciously makes, ether.
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u/Strong-Interview478 25d ago
>And addiction is not a choice anyone consciously makes, ether.
I can honestly say I have never encountered a person who set out to become addicted. I've known plenty who ended up that way, and more than a few that were introduced to drugs for the purpose of getting them addicted (people, females especially, who aged out of foster care end up in this terrible scenario all too often), but never have a met a person who set out to become addicted.
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u/LPsandhills 24d ago
I agree. Not one of us as kids were like 'I want to live in a van down by the river.'
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u/Strong-Interview478 24d ago
A full-size domestic van? One where I am able to stretch my entire body out while sleeping? One that is also down by the river?
I dare not dream of such luxury.
LOL..
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u/LPsandhills 24d ago
You got a point. I forgot that is actually the dream for most. Now that I think about it, I would love to trade my semi truck bed that bounces down the road while I'm trying to sleep for a nice stationary van bed down by the river. Chris Farley was ahead of his time.
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u/Strong-Interview478 22d ago
Back-in-the-day my ex-wife and I were in fortunate financial circumstances to own a Class A RV (looks like a bus, for those curious). One nice thing was being able to sleep in the rear bedroom while the other person drove, except it wasn't ever a deep, restful sleep. Anyway, the question I had was isn't the entire cab of a sleeper attached to the frame of the truck with its own air suspension of sorts? I always thought the sleeper cabs would have a smooth ride, is that not the case?
Having typed that the memory of driving the RV on I-40 through Arkansas came to mind with its rythmic "ba-boom-ba-boom-BAM!". I am not sure there is any type of technology that could smooth that ride for anyone.
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u/Ok-Replacement8538 25d ago
Clear sign Raleigh needs more affordable housing and the minimum wage raised. Nobody can afford Raleigh making minimum wage. Our economy and mentality towards those struggling are dangerously sick.
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u/BetMobile2621 27d ago
Our neighbors and us kept calling the non emergency line. Eventually the camp was removed unsure if was because of that though or the many murders
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u/Budget_Computer_427 27d ago
Have you considered adopting a large dog? Not to keep outside all the time, but one that could go out in the yard with you while you garden.
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u/Zippered_Nana 27d ago
That is a very good idea. We adopted a huskie/collie mix. She had been fostered so there was someone to vouch for her temperament especially around children. She’s very gentle and loves visitors, but outdoors she is Yertle the Turtle: her territory is as far as she can see, lol, and she barks up a storm if someone enters it. Most dogs are territorial like that.
I agree with y’all. I have nothing against homeless people, and it grieves me that they are homeless. But there is substance abuse and unfortunately mental illness among the homeless people in encampments. Your family needs to be safe.
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u/Unusual-Horse-7709 27d ago
I've always wanted one. I currently have 2 elderly cats and one very active senior cat and my partner doesn't want another animal. Financially it'd be hard.
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u/Vi_Loveless 27d ago
We have to find a way for a city as prosperous as ours to provide for our more vulnerable population. We need not only housing but a path ro recovery and eventually falling back into the fold for those who want to seek out that stability.
You, the person reading this much like myself, are statistically an emergency or so away from being in their spot, so remember to start with empathy.
OP I don't live near a large homeless population, but you're valid. I'm worrying about safety, especially with children around, even if most people aren't dangerous.
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u/Double_Compote_5011 26d ago
It's increasing in Brier Creek. From the shopping center all the way down to the Harris Teeter at Corners Parkway.
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u/Scared_Donkey9520 26d ago
The Brier Creek shopping center to Harris teeter is literally a traffic light away from each other. Surprised the homeless walk that far?
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u/Double_Compote_5011 26d ago
The shopping center starts at BJs....far more than one traffic light away. Thanks.
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u/panannercant 25d ago
I’m guessing anyone complaining about SE Raleigh is new here. This area was rapidly gentrified and rents tripled. I could afford a house at 28 but not at 40. I live downtown and deal with homeless on a daily basis but this city is doing nothing about it. It’s bad and it’s only going to get worse.
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u/hobofireworx 25d ago
Those are your neighbors now. You should write to your elected officials demanding things like raised wages and lower housing costs to combat this. Also extending the social safety net instead of cutting it.
Those things will help you too. Both directly and indirectly. The economy is 2/3rd consumer spending. And it’s clear consumers are out of money to spend.
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u/TheRamblerX Elon 27d ago
What area of Raleigh are you in? I'm in NE Raleigh and it seems most camps got removed or they are deeper in the woods and don't really see people coming from there.
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u/KristianoNeutono 27d ago
Our neighborhood had a very big camp in the woods next to our development. We never had many issues (at least my family personally), but I will say there was a looot of trash being left in our streets and yards. RPD eventually got involved and they were relocated. Not sure where.
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u/JT_Hemingway 27d ago
I have lived in North Raleigh for over 30 years.
It feels like we have entered the Biff Tannen presidency timeline from Back to the Future 2 . Surreal.
Just trash from homeless everywhere in pleasant valley and Town ridge. It's like a whole other timeline.
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u/lalawar 27d ago
What area are you in?
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u/Duplicate_Recessive 27d ago
Caraleigh area
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u/eyesofthewrld NC State 27d ago
It's really just gotten worse over the last few months here. It doesn't really seem like there's more people, as it's always been this way here, being between two shelters and near a soup kitchen and all. But there has definitely been more people acting out in more unsettling ways. Maybe it was the excessive heat idk I'm definitely more vigilant now
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u/Unusual-Horse-7709 27d ago
It has! And they're renovating a park down the road. I thought maybe the rise in the last week was from that?
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u/Duplicate_Recessive 27d ago
I don't think that camp is going anywhere. Some of those people work and are doing their best. It's the ones on drugs that are the likely problem. I don't know anyone who works with the camp (we see meals getting dropped off, people who pick up some for work) or any of the campers personally.
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u/wind3284 26d ago
Rent has just risen so substantially in this area and there’s no signs of it subsiding. Also could be unrelated to the issue you’re facing currently, but I think you’re completely reasonable in your feelings given the situation. Maybe calling Raleigh PD and asking for a patrol to pass once or twice a night might help
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u/nunyabizz62 27d ago
Well sadly this is only going to get far worse as more jobs are lost and 1000s more lose their homes. And when the dollar drops in value and hyper inflation hits the entire country might be a Mad Max homeless camp.
The US is in self imposed late stage capitalism and the only way out of it the country simply isn't going to do, so gird yer loins and get ready for it.
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u/tzulover 27d ago
Oh shut up and get a clue. These encampments aren’t due to people down on their luck and laid off from their job. The majority of homeless that are approaching people at their home and stealing things are on drugs and/or alcohol or suffer from mental illness.
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u/Elegant_Effort1526 27d ago edited 26d ago
Just to give my opinion on it, don’t be so judgmental. I lost my job in 2023 out of no where. Been there 10 years, top performer, they shut my whole department down of 300 employees out of nowhere and no warning. If it wasn’t for the fact that I spent years saving a little here and there I would have been out couch surfing in 6 months. It took over 14 months to find a new job to pay enough to keep rent/bills paid. And that took most of my savings I worked so hard for. If it happened again, I’m toast.
My mom just got laid off after 22 years in a mgtm position last month. They decided to hire a new manager that would accept half her pay, and said bye bye. She has quite a bit more savings and will be fine. Point is, shit happens.
Hard working, good people that DON’T Have the savings i did, lose their job, lose every thing, end up on the streets, hot, wet, hungry as shit, and turn to drugs for a slight escape from their misery. It happened to a friend of mine in cali. He died in 2024 from an overdose, laying on the damn street. He was an amazing hard working guy. His place burned down, no where to go, no money, eventually picked up a bad habit and it took his life. It’s fucked up out here for a lot of people.
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u/nunyabizz62 27d ago
Talk about getting a clue. People don't live out in the heat and mosquitos for shits n giggles. You're utterly clueless
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u/tzulover 27d ago
Yeah you’re absolutely right. They do it because they live for heroin or meth. That is the most important thing and just about the only thing that will make a person live like that.
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u/Shy_Limp_Dick 26d ago edited 26d ago
Well I mean the stats of people on heroin that started on prescribed medication is crazy high. Above 70 percent in some cases. These pharma companies ravaged America 10 years ago with little repercussions, and with no affordable health care I don't see people getting the help they actually need.
But yeah fuck the homeless it's always their fault
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u/tverskayablvd 27d ago
A large unfriendly dog makes a great companion
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u/Unusual-Horse-7709 27d ago
I wish I could. I looked up electric fences and various rescues for such breeds. I just can't afford another pet.
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u/FroyoStatus9876 27d ago
The dog doesn’t have to be real, maybe just get a sign that says something like Beware: Large Dog on Premises
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u/Electrical-Bar-6766 26d ago
Is it off Poole rd? I heard a homeless woman was found dead in a tent a few hundred feet behind a Valero at the very end of April. It didn't make the news. Anyone have any more info on it??
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u/Cutemama14 26d ago
We have a small one near us, sort of hidden in the woods off Crabtree Creek Greenway. We haven’t noticed a lot of people coming down our street lately. I definitely have to keep my car locked at night (I’m terrible about this and have had my car tossed a couple of times), but there’s no way to know if the person doing it came from the camp. Other than that, what I notice mostly is people from the camp walking around on the greenway all day. We stumbled on someone pooping in the woods when we went for a walk recently (we know this because she informed us). I’ve never felt like anyone was aggressive in any way, but I do hesitate to go by myself down that area the greenway.
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u/ClickElegant6180 27d ago
Only thing you can do is vote for people who prioritize affordable and supportive housing!
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u/__SEV__ 27d ago
How does “affordable housing” help drug addicts without 2 pennies to rub together? Call me crazy posts like this make me think current policy its not working…
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u/kracketmatow 27d ago
you’re right in that current policy isn’t working, but it’s not because the ideas behind the policies are bad. affordable housing can help a lot, especially with preventing temporary homelessness, but chronic homelessness requires a much more comprehensive (and well-funded) approach to care than we have in raleigh at the moment. if we really want to get homelessness under control in our community, we need to be supporting affordable housing and directing resources to social services that don’t get enough right now.
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u/BuckeyeWolf NC State 27d ago
Call your city council person, get your neighbors to call them too. Tell them what is happening.
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u/NiceInvestigator8236 26d ago
We run the first pilot structured encampment in Raleigh called Outlanders. It’s peer - led and a nonprofit 501c3 organization
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u/AdvancedPlastic4183 27d ago
Maybe we shouldn’t have decided to not enforce laws
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u/Downtown-Problem-838 27d ago
people advocating for a gun in the home need to do some research. Statistically your house is less safe with a firearm, especially with kids around. Here is one example of an article with a link to the study, and there are many more to be found: https://time.com/6183881/gun-ownership-risks-at-home/
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u/FlaminarLow 26d ago
It’s less safe mostly because of domestic incidents. For this same reason these statistics don’t convince people because nobody thinks “oh man I better not get a gun or I might shoot my wife”
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u/Unusual-Horse-7709 26d ago
This is absolutely what had me not move mine into his house. I'll likely hand them off to another family member at some point but not yet.
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u/Scared_Donkey9520 26d ago
Yep there's stats and an article, must be true
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u/Downtown-Problem-838 26d ago
Thanks for your helpful comment, please explain how the statistics are misleading or wrong.
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u/Then_Home1399 26d ago
If I were you I would move. Before something bad happens or your property value plummets. IMO being around homeless people begging and stealing is no environment to raise children if you have a choice. My condolences good luck
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u/MajorDinesol 26d ago
Bro istg I was thinking there were more homeless people this year this thread is validating I haven’t had a negative encounter but I definitely also do not entertain anything. I also have not felt threatened by them either
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u/CoastalPlains451 25d ago
IF you want to scare off people bothering you start twitching your head left to right while blinking one eye like you are having spasms. Start yelling stuff like "I'm coming home Ma" while looking at the sky or some equally strange stuff. You can't break character if you do this.I can pull it off but I'm a bit of a lunatic myself. Another thing I can do is manipulate my stomach to make my pants fall down to my knees. That REALLY makes people leave me alone, especially if I'm not wearing anything underneath. If you can juggle find some life like cat furries and do a little cat juggling.
Yeah I've done all of this.
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u/LivinitupinNC 25d ago
Yes and I’m ok with it. Most of them are not drug users but the ones are paint houseless people not homeless; in bad way makes them all look the aame to anyone that doesnt know mamy of them
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u/AdStriking3657 24d ago
Honestly as a transplant from orlando Florida i rarely see homeless camps here but this is coming from someone who literally woke up with homeless people sheltering from rain on their porch so perhaps im used to it
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u/Forsaken_Process_104 27d ago
We have to stop playing politics with this stuff. All homelessness is not the same, and affordable housing will only fix one part of it. The down on her luck waitress with a kid who loses her job absolutely needs to be treated differently than the zombie drug addict or the persistently mental ill For the later two there are really no great solutions. So many of these people dont want help or at least are not willing to do what it takes to make use of the help. We need to commit necessary resources to help the first group while doing whatever is necessary to remove the later group from our city. The drug zombies need to be hassled and made uncomfortable. They need to be arrested for public intoxication and loitering and whatever other crimes we can arrest them for. Their stuff needs to be removed without notice. Up and down the East coast people on the streets need to be warning others that they should never go to Raleigh because its not a safe place to be homeless and on Drugs. For the mentally ill the laws must be changed so that long term institutionslization is an option. If they can't exist in society they need a place why out in the country with walls and land and hot meals. They can spend their time screaming and hassling each other with their psychosis. They should not be allowed under the guise of freedom to hassle folks on the street. Frankly this is not a harsh view its actually the only compassionate view. It is going to take a compassionate hard ass to make this happen but if one more elected officials answers questions about homelessness with a pat response about affordable housing im going to scream.
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u/ClenchedThunderbutt 27d ago
Show me a society that provides for its most destitute, and I'll show you a society that provides for those less fortunate who meet the basic threshold for your empathy.
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u/Zippered_Nana 26d ago
Before Reagan it was possible for the chronically mentally ill to stay institutionalized. He terminated much of that funding with little notice and created the current situation. He had the way more problematic, expensive, and often inappropriate idea of group home types of housing.
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u/CookieEnabled 27d ago
Their situations are unfortunate, but boy are they aggressive and entitled! They act as if they own them all.
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u/butcooler 27d ago
I carry a few more spare bills than I used to and try to keep the little free pantry system in mind so I can direct them to their nearest one if they need food. There’s been an uptick in homeless folks near us but I’m more worried about them than myself right now.
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u/AdvancedPlastic4183 27d ago
I’m in awe that nobody has suggested reporting the encampment to the city or asked if they already reported it.
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u/BretHitmanFart 27d ago
I wouldn’t say a camp, but I’ve noticed a sudden large increase of a homeless population at the Townridge shopping center on Glenwood.