Hello all!

I live in Portland, OR as a homeless person. I've been homeless for about 4 years now myself and have learned a lot about the issue behind why homelessness is getting more and more out of control. I decided to brainstorm some ideas that I could take on as projects. One of them is a secular way of getting homeless people what they need most, education on how their bodies and mind work. So my plan is to get some cannabis and offer participants 1 free joint if they attend 1 session of yoga and mindful meditation. In the session, I would instruct the class how to be more mindful of their mind and bodies, especially when they partake in the use of drugs. In my opinion, drugs are not going anywhere so we might as well just educate these people on how to be more in control of their habit and proper usage of drugs without abusing them.

Where I need the most help is from anyone that has resources for some CBT an DBT methods that I could integrate. The goal is to do these sessions with the intent that you only need to go 1 time and then from the point forward the participant and make their own yoga and meditation routine. But with CBT and DBT methods you could really make an impact on these peoples lives in a way they have never before by teaching them how to stop abusing their bodies. Sadly, most of them never had an environment where they could get structure and discipline instilled inside their thought processes. Hopefully this project will have good results

I don't have any resources but a few questions;

I live in an area where the homeless population is growing, There are havens that have opened where they can sleep and other resources, However as you mentioned drug abuse and mental health are often hand in hand with homelessness.

The question is some of these individuals are likely to have already 'graduated' for the lack of a better term to harder drugs, I'm not sure a single joint would have much effect at that point, how would you address that?

The other one would be dealing with individuals who are also struggling with mental health issues and often have a distrust of others.

(March 23, 2022 at 1:59 pm)Won2blv Wrote: Hello all!

I live in Portland, OR as a homeless person. I've been homeless for about 4 years now myself and have learned a lot about the issue behind why homelessness is getting more and more out of control. I decided to brainstorm some ideas that I could take on as projects. One of them is a secular way of getting homeless people what they need most, education on how their bodies and mind work. So my plan is to get some cannabis and offer participants 1 free joint if they attend 1 session of yoga and mindful meditation. In the session, I would instruct the class how to be more mindful of their mind and bodies, especially when they partake in the use of drugs. In my opinion, drugs are not going anywhere so we might as well just educate these people on how to be more in control of their habit and proper usage of drugs without abusing them.

Where I need the most help is from anyone that has resources for some CBT an DBT methods that I could integrate. The goal is to do these sessions with the intent that you only need to go 1 time and then from the point forward the participant and make their own yoga and meditation routine. But with CBT and DBT methods you could really make an impact on these peoples lives in a way they have never before by teaching them how to stop abusing their bodies. Sadly, most of them never had an environment where they could get structure and discipline instilled inside their thought processes. Hopefully this project will have good results

Well, I suppose luring people in with a joint is better than trying it with candy and a windowless van.

Boru

(March 23, 2022 at 2:22 pm)Nay_Sayer Wrote: I don't have any resources but a few questions;

I live in an area where the homeless population is growing, There are havens that have opened where they can sleep and other resources, However as you mentioned drug abuse and mental health are often hand in hand with homelessness.

The question is some of these individuals are likely to have already 'graduated' for the lack of a better term to harder drugs, I'm not sure a single joint would have much effect at that point, how would you address that?

The other one would be dealing with individuals who are also struggling with mental health issues and often have a distrust of others.

Those are really good questions. My focus on the drug problem is that drugs are not going away and the people who use them would best benefit from proper education as to most effectively administer the drug and exactly what that drug is doing to your body. Most homeless people suffer from a combo of mental illness and substance abuse but it is a spectrum as to how extreme of a case they may be. I'm looking for the ones who are more functional than less. So I'm not hoping a joint will solve their issues, I'm hoping that if they attend my class they may learn how to gain better control over their addiction.

As far as those who distrust... I have been around the community for some time and I'm verified not a cop, which is really important to those people. Part of my programming is centered around unwinding all the conditioning that goes in to how society views homelessness, drug addiction, and mental illness. They haven't had an opportunity to receive really support from a human without their being Jesus or Nancy Reagan involved. My motto is that drugs are the solution not the problem.

Homeless services are steeped in conservative christian orthodoxy as far as what a human believes the bare minimum you provide to another human should be. Pair that with those same christians also believing that magic Jesus is going to swoop down from the sky and rapture all the good ones to heaven and leave us heathens on a scorched earth. And its summed up to food and maybe a cot in a gym. However, its not a human problem. Its a wild animal problem. Again, those same christians also are less likely to believe in evolution. Calling it a wild animal issue is not condescending at all. Humans are animals that have become domesticated. How cool would it be if we could evolve to the point of being able to help the average human being become an enlightened being?

Call the Oregon Department of Human Services and your local United Way. DHS is likely closed on Saturday except for emergencies; you should be able to reach someone at the United Way first thing tomorrow morning. Call your local non-emergency police number for a welfare check if you feel the need.

So, I've been homeless and dealt with lack of housing and a need for mental health assistance so I can provide a little first hand experience.

Shelters should be able to find a social worker who can help you. Those can be your best friend. They can put you in touch with other services that can help you out. Some services are ONLY available if you're referred by a social worker. There can be other homeless organizations that can help you get a social worker, but usually a good place to start looking is at a shelter. As much as I'm an atheist and I abhor some of their political shenanigans, I'm going to recommend the local Salvation Army as a place to start.

Also, if you have enough internet access to get on this forum, you should be able to use resources like google, too. Look up phrases like "Portland homeless resources" or "housing assistance" or "mental health assistance" and you'll find lots of people and places that can help you. Admittedly, with the way the internet is nowadays, you'll have to filter through a bunch sites or resources that can't help you, but if you find like 10 resources and only one of them is useful, that one might just be enough.

Other suggestions: Having lived in homeless shelters and gotten away from that nonsense, I've seen the kinds of people who NEVER rebuild their lives and stay chronically homeless. They're usually the ones who care more about petty, Jerry Springer type drama and less about putting a roof over their heads. Their social group, their clique, is more important to them than improving themselves. Don't get stuck in that crowd; if you have to choose between your friends and housing or an important doctors appointment, choose the housing or doctors appointment; if your friends really care about you, they'll understand. If they don't understand, they aren't the kinds of friends you really need.

Avoid drugs and alcohol. A lot of the people who have issues with drugs and alcohol tend to be in the Jerry Springer drama group and it's hard to get out of it. Plus, a lot of homeless/mental health resources are going to drug test you and you do NOT want to lose out on an opportunity because you wanted to get high.

Any case worker, social worker, doctor, psychiatrist, therapist that you get, communicate with them well. If you're on a psych med and it's not working, let them know and see if they can find a different medication. Finding the right psych med can be tricky and it can take some time and it can involve quite a bit of trial and error.

Good luck.