I'm looking on several different rental sites right now to make sure I am not out of touch, and there are dozens of listing for under $1000, some even under $800.

On top of that there are tons of job openings for $15+ an hour. My drug addict brother just got a line cook job for $17 an hour, although he will undoubtedly quit after two weeks like he does all his jobs.

When I say there is no homeless problem I am not saying there are no homeless people. It's about the root cause.

I pay $800 a month for rent in Lewiston. Everyone I know who rents pays less than $1,000. It's also pretty easy to find a job paying $15-$20 an hour with no experience if you live in a more expensive area, but of course if you are an addict you probably wont get hired at those jobs or last long if you do.

I know rent prices suck but it's still very doable.

Sorry to ruffle your Hungarian feathers. After a quick google search it seems that they aren’t that far off in some cases but assuming you are Hungarian I’ll roll with it.

You also need a security deposit, usually that's an extra months rent, up front due on the first day. Electricity pricing has skyrocketed. Many landlords now require rental insurance. Food stamps will absolutely help, but grocery shopping also requires both the skill to cook and time to do so - which means he'll also need to buy utensils and cookware, most people working minimum wage jobs don't have the time because they work shit hours.

All I'm saying is that this isn't a simple problem to fix, just saying "there's no homeless problem" is incredibly out of touch.

Is the Kangamagus Highway open in winter?

$300 a week is not more than enough to afford the current rental prices. Yes, this person has a drug addiction. Yes, addiction causes a ton of issues with homelessness and is a major problem and hurdle for a number of people. But, it’s not accurate to say $300 is more than enough. It’s out of touch with the price of the rentals right now.

Starts the article off talking about him smoking his cigarettes, read enough right there. If he’s got enough for cigs and drugs, he can take care of Himself.

I was kind of expecting to get downvoted for playing the culinary gadfly, since I know how some people can get when it comes to traditional methods of preparing a dish (I've had this discussion several times at work and it seems I'm in the minority here). The support is a refreshing surprise.

It should be said, in my mother's defense, that she is not otherwise a bad cook. It's just her shepherd's pie and beef stew that I take exception to.

In the article it says he also receives food stamps and has Mainecare. He currently buys his food at a Cumberland Farms which is way more expensive than a grocery store, so he gets plenty of food stamps.

$300 a week is more than enough to afford rent. Yes, it sucks that most of your check will go to rent, but that's just how it is right now. There are better jobs out there, but one way or another he became an addict so his options are crap until he gets his life together.

Drugs are the problem. Most of the time they are the cause, not the consequence, of homelessness. People dont become homeless and then resort to drugs, they become addicts, alienate everyone in their life, and then become homeless.

There of course are outliers, but the last study I read reported that over 95% of homeless suffer from either mental illness or addiction.

Ironically the ones who don't suffer from those ailments are choosing to be homeless and no ammount of public assistance is going to make them move into a crumby one room apartment.

It’s sad that not enough people in this state see it for what it is like you and a few others do, this state has a pretty terrible drug problem that I’m sure accounts for a majority of the homeless we have here, especially in Portland, it’s become the “this problem has been disguised as this problem” type of situation.

My point is that he doesn't make enough money to pay for rent. The drugs aren't a factor, just his take home pay is $1200/mo. There isn't any place in Maine that would rent that amount, but even if there was, he'd still need money for transportation/food/electricity. You can't just belittle the problem down to "drugs" because it's more than that.

RT5 gets my vote as well. It’s well taken care of and has minimal potholes. Favorite stretch is the 50mph zone from Saco to the rotary in Dayton.

Yes! It adds some flavor without being overbearing, helps to thicken, and brings a little color. That being said, I imagine a beef bullion would also work, but might be a little overbearing.

You're not making the point you think you are

Blackswoods road.

He makes less than $300/wk. That's not enough to afford rent and also food/regular expenses. So he uses drugs to escape the shitty world he can't afford. I'm not saying drugs aren't a problem, but you can't just write this off as "he could afford rent if he stopped doing drugs". Because he couldn't.

Tomato paste?!

Yes, that’s the point. But actual goulash doesn’t resemble American chop suey at all. Not even a little bit.

>Moody also suffers from a condition shared by many homeless: drug addiction. He spends $40 here and there for methamphetamines,

And there is your problem. He makes enough to afford rent, or his drug habit, but not both. He choose drugs. He goes to the methadone clinic but still buys drugs, and if he tells you he spends $40 a day on his habit he probably spends $80. That's just how it is.

I come from a family of addicts. I could give my brother $1000 to pay for rent every month on top of what he makes from his job, and he would still spend it on drugs instead of rent.

There isn't a homeless problem in Maine, there is a drug/mental illness problem.

Bad bot

Yeah, strange on that. I run three small humidifiers just to add some moisture

Every picture seems to show the couple laying in bed - a visual that seems to compete with the idea that they are motivated for change.

Scenic #182 in millbridge, maybe up #200 up toward Amherst.

Don’t knock it till you try it