I took those pictures this past summer. I watched this guy stumbling around, nodding, and then I saw him pass out with his head in the dirt.
You know where I took these pictures? On the sidewalk in front of Boston Medical Center. You see that on the other side of the street? That's Healthcare for the Homeless.
While this scenario played out, no fewer than 2 Boston Medical Center employees walked out of the hospital and saw what was going on. One just kept walking. The other one went back into the building, hopefully to let someone know that this guy was passed out.
While she was gone, I tried to wake him up by yelling. That didn't work, so I gave him a sternum rub. He got up and then walked into moving traffic to the other side of the street.
When the hospital employee came back out of the hospital, alone, I alerted her to the guy weaving his way through traffic.
She smiled and said "That's just what they do." THAT is the true attitude of most social services toward the populations that they're supposed to help. Until that attitude changes, these systems will continue to throw away the MILLIONS of dollars and the infinite good intentions of donors, volunteers and everyone else whom that LAZY system allows to believe that the system's failures are the fault of these stigmatized populations.
Don't sweat some brainwashed people booing you. Keep giving speeches; if they never respect you, it doesn't matter. Thousands of addiction deaths are preventable; nobody realizes how much these systems don't really care.
