Mike McCaffrey 

I'm sorry, but you've got hundreds of people sitting around in a shelter doing nothing but staying warm, and the thing you say the situation needs is additional people?

Just because someone doesn't have a home, or their home doesn't have heat, doesn't mean that they are helpless and can't contribute to improving things around them. Can we please stop infantilizing anyone who needs any sort of assistance?

https://www.koin.com/weather/multco-adds-more-shelter-locations-asks-for-additional-volunteers/

#Portland #Multnomah #Shelter #WarmingCenters #Homelessness

Jan 14, 2024 at 10:32pmWeb
Show threadCyJan 15, 2024
@mikemccaffrey B-but the smelly hobos might start fighting!
Show threadHomer 💻 🎮 🎣 🍔🐈Jan 15, 2024
@mikemccaffrey I think I agree, but don't know all the details.
Show threadMike McCaffrey Jan 15, 2024
@homerhomer Well, they certainly didn't provide details in the article where they are asking folks to volunteer. They just referred to the people in the shelters as "guests", as if they were some passive vacationers waiting to be served.
Show threadripMabryJan 15, 2024
@mikemccaffrey that’s what you took away from this article? i had to re-read it a few times. referring to the folks as guests and (presumably—nowhere in the article did it say one way or another) not asking them to work within the shelter is something to complain about? that is not infantilizing, this is an emergency situation where the city is actually trying to do something for once. how is asking for volunteers bad? am i missing something?
Show threadMike McCaffrey Jan 16, 2024

@ripmabry I don't think they should require or pressure anyone to work, but with a bunch of people just sitting around with nothing to do, I'm positive that there are more than enough folks looking to keep busy by helping out.

Human brains are wired to take action in an emergency, and expecting people to just sit around seems more cruel in some ways, but maybe that is just my ADHD speaking.