Question:
Joe was laid off two years ago from the auto repair company where he had worked for fifteen years. For the first year, he tried to get another job. He read the want ads and left applications at local employment agencies. After that, he gave up. He had little savings and soon had no money for rent. He has been homeless now for a year. He will not live in the shelters because they are crowded, noisy, and unsafe. As time goes by, he has less and less chance of getting back to where he was before. When he can, he drinks to forget the past and escape from the present. Other people he meets on the streets are developmentally disabled or psychologically disturbed. He realizes that the city offers some things to try to help people like him, but there is little money and the number of homeless people seem to be growing. Does society have any responsibility to do anything for people like Joe? Why or why not? What ethical principles might be relevant to this situation?