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homeless person keeps sleeping on my porch

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Pikachu

Pikachu

Traded his Bone Marrow for Pizza
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
6,402
like, open the front door, take a step, and you trip over their blanket "sleeping on my porch"

you feel bad, etc, but also going to work early in morning when it's still dark and finding a person two feet from your front door is not good

have called non-emergency cops to ask them to leave multiple times but they keep coming back, leaving cigarette butts and other trash each time

kinda annoying

what would you do?
 
OP
OP
Pikachu

Pikachu

Traded his Bone Marrow for Pizza
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
6,402
what does "offer them help" actually mean though

feel like giving them food and stuff just makes it clear that it's totally a good idea to keep sleeping on my porch

the cops that just came asked them why they weren't in the shelter two blocks away, and they said they got "kicked out"
 
nded

nded

Member
Nov 14, 2017
10,577
Maybe see if you can help them find a better place to sleep than your porch. Or start sleeping on the porch yourself.
 
ThisOne

ThisOne

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,938
Yeah, I would make sure the nearby shelter knows about them and then probably just start turning on your lights or whatever. Tough situation. Maybe the shelter could send someone over to talk to them?
 
Mekanos

Mekanos

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 17, 2018
44,179
Jesus fuck some of you guys have no empathy.

They're not vermin, they're a human being. Talk to them and figure out how to help them.
 
gogosox82

gogosox82

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,385
are you for real op? you talk to them like an real person and see if you can help them. this isn't hard
 
loco

loco

Member
Jan 6, 2021
5,525
When i lived in the pan handle in San Francisco this was very common but I had enough after we found a cooked cat carcass and smoldering fire one morning on the trashcan path in-between our building and the next. Yup some insane person was catching and eating cats.
 

Deleted member 3542

User-requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
4,889
If they are in the capacity to be spoken to you can try asking them to leave and explain nicely. Otherwise Call a homeless outreach office in your community and see what they can do.

Offering them help directly is not a cut and dry solution. I would avoid that if they are on your property because then you become liable for their well being and that's not on you to take on.
 
OP
OP
Pikachu

Pikachu

Traded his Bone Marrow for Pizza
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
6,402
J.W. Stillwater said:
Have you even tried speaking to this person?
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i did once when it was like 2 pm and they were chilling on the porch smoking a cigarette and said something like i'm sorry but you really can't stay here and they said "oh i didn't know" (this was after roommate had already had cops remove them one time)
 
Jogi

Jogi

Prophet of Regret
Member
Jul 4, 2018
5,452
Try calling a shelter for them, ask if they need anything and then if they are still there try a non-emergency line.

I get people saying to "help them," but if it was that easy pretty sure OP would have done that already.
 
GSG

GSG

Member
Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,051
gogosox82 said:
are you for real op? you talk to them like an real person and see if you can help them. this isn't hard
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Though I generally agree with you, the situation usually isn't this simple. A lot of, if not most, homeless people have mental illnesses and need proper mental health treatment, unfortunately this also means that they can sometimes be hostile or dangerous even if you try to help them. There are several stabbing deaths involving innocent bystanders every year in my city perpetrated by the homeless, and even more physical assaults.
 
Jaychrome91

Jaychrome91

Member
Nov 4, 2018
2,630
Ok, you've spoken to them and they keep coming back. Smoking cigarettes on your porch and leaving cigarette buds and trash. Fuck that, call the cops each time. You could also give a local shelter a call.
 
NinjaScooter

NinjaScooter

Member
Oct 25, 2017
54,169
is this like the porch of your house? Like literally right outside your front door? Empathy is one thing but I wouldn't want random people on my property either, not sure why people think its unreasonable.
 
Addie

Addie

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,703
DFW
NinjaScooter said:
is this like the porch of your house? Like literally right outside your front door? Empathy is one thing but I wouldn't want random people on my property either, not sure why people think its unreasonable.
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Your viewpoint isn't unreasonable at all.

I'd be real concerned about them getting "kicked out" of a shelter. Keep calling the cops and also try a homeless outreach line, as other folks have said.

I don't agree with the posts about "hostile architecture" and installing bright lights, but I'm not inviting a random person into my house either, and I'd absolutely want them off my property.
 
23qwerty

23qwerty

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,500
NinjaScooter said:
is this like the porch of your house? Like literally right outside your front door? Empathy is one thing but I wouldn't want random people on my property either, not sure why people think its unreasonable.
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No kidding, people being like lol just help them is like the only time I've ever seen the term "virtue signalling" actually have any merit
 
Daysean

Daysean

Member
Nov 15, 2017
7,392
I would be calling the cops deadass but thats me
Can't be dealing with random people in 2021
 
vid

vid

Sky Van Gogh
Member
Oct 27, 2017
183
Stop calling the cops.

Where do you live, OP? Maybe we can find resources to help you.
 
BringBackSonics

BringBackSonics

Member
Oct 27, 2017
45,253
Seattle
Pikachu said:
like, open the front door, take a step, and you trip over their blanket "sleeping on my porch"

you feel bad, etc, but also going to work early in morning when it's still dark and finding a person two feet from your front door is not good

have called non-emergency cops to ask them to leave multiple times but they keep coming back, leaving cigarette butts and other trash each time

kinda annoying

what would you do?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

can you get a fence put up
 
Brawndo Addict

Brawndo Addict

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,348
People saying "just help" are ridiculously naive or ignorant. Have any of you actually volunteered at homeless shelters or similar agencies or do you seriously believe we're being immoral by not offering to take people there home with us? Pervasive homelessness has a huge crossover with mental illness, addiction, trauma, personality disorders, etc. Your average person who suddenly finds themselves in dire financial straights typically finds housing with friends and family, or just needs shelter for transitionary housing.

This social injustice and the associated population is a huge struggle for the most committed and well-resourced agency or social worker and people are acting like it's a just a matter of simply showing compassion with no complications or nuance.
 
Senator Toadstool

Senator Toadstool

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
16,651
They're on your property. I'm all for encampments and homes on public spaces, but you do have a right to safety on your property. Obviously it would be nice to get help but I understand the hesitation with wanting to personally deal with someone who do you don't have training to deal with.
 

Deleted member 79058

Account closed at user request
Banned
Aug 25, 2020
2,912
I would be fucking terrified if I find a homeless person sleeping on my porch. Good thing we all have high metal fences around here.
Maybe you should do the same? Or add some traffic spikes on the ground.
 
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