The Triangle

Issue date: 5/9/08 Section: Ed-Op

Media Credit: MCT Campus Yolanda Radzewicz, 55, homeless since 2000, pan handles in Philadelphia. Radzewicz said she would like to get off the street, but refuses to stay in shelters.

Should you reward a disobedient child with candy? No - at least, you aren't a good parent if you do. So, should you reward a bum for his laziness with your spare change? No - at least, you aren't a good citizen if you do.

You may ask yourself, "What does this guy know about kids?" or, "Why does this guy not like homeless people?"

To begin with, I have always known there are a lot of homeless people in Philadelphia; you see them around 7- Eleven all the time. But, until I started co-op this spring, I didn't realize how many bums actually live and beg on the street. There are actually 4,000 homeless people in the city at any given time. When I come out of work, there they are, waiting for my change. I don't usually give to bums begging, although that isn't always the case. I once gave five dollars to a man who spoke to me for 20 minutes about his whole life story, and how he needed the money to buy a bus ticket to see his mother.

But here are two cents I've saved for you, readers.

First, I don't dislike homeless people; I just dislike some things about them - they bother me when I'm late for work and when they pee in the subway, mostly. But I believe there is a critical difference between those who are homeless and those who are just bums. Homeless people are homeless for a number of reasons; they may choose to be homeless, they may be mentally unstable, they may be down on their luck and perhaps just got kicked out of their home. These people, I feel, need and deserve to be cared for by the greater part of society, which should watch over them and treat their problems or provide them with the necessary arrangements they need to re-start their lives.

There is a woman who I see most days around City Hall who looks for food in trash cans. She has almost reverted to an animal-like instinct of collecting food. I feel terribly sad in my heart when I see her. She is the kind of person that deserves to be given a safe place to live. I do not think we should allow her to live this way in our country. However, it is a sad fact that many homes for mentally challenged people are under-funded, and some close down, forcing the patients to live on the street, unable to find a new home. Rep. Kathy Rapp (R-Pa.) has been working diligently to pass a bill to prevent the closing of state hospitals, but it has been a tough fight and may not be enough.

Continued...

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