There are good arguments for both sides here. IMO the solution would require recognizing that homelessness is not a local problem and allocating funds at the federal level for assisting the homeless. I don't see any other way of avoiding the unfair situation created when homeless people quite reasonably choose to travel to cities that provide more assistance to them.
this post was submitted on 23 Feb 2024
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I don’t see any other way of avoiding the unfair situation created when homeless people quite reasonably choose to travel to cities that provide more assistance to them.
The statistics say this isn't the case. Here, in California, they did the most comprehensive study of homelessness ever conducted and concluded that high housing prices were to blame for the overwhelming majority of homelessness...not homeless people from Idaho moving here. Which, in hindsight, seems obvious because how many homeless are even in Idaho? And how many homeless people would even have the money to move in order to improve their homeless life a tiny bit?
EDIT: Here's the study for reference: https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2023/06/425646/california-statewide-study-investigates-causes-and-impacts-homelessness
HUD could buy up vacant rental properties and act as a renter of last resort. This would also set a floor to the rental market to stop it's gallop into speculative pricing.
That's just silly though, most legislators in this country are real estate agents or married to one. They'd never stand for people getting in the way of their grift.
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If I had any faith in the prison systems of the USA to not abuse people, not make them do menial labor, and not siphon taxpayer dollars then this might actually be a cool solution: feed em, house em, give them medical treatment.
In America there's a huge problem with addiction and mental illness. These people make up a large portion of the problematic unhoused individuals.
If we could find a way to address these individuals then most of the societally problematic issues with homelessness go away and we can start focusing on helping those remaining who are unhoused due to circumstance, poverty, etc and have a meaningful ability to reintegrate.
I fully support involuntarily committing addicts and the mentally ill once we have a place to put them. If it's bad enough that they're unhoused and being a nuisance to their communities then they are obviously not in a position to be trusted to make the best decisions for themselves and others.
If only there was a way that didn't involve involuntarily committing people, whether to jail or a psych hospital...
You left out that mental illness and addiction are both increasingly acknowledged to very often result from the difficulties of coping with garbage social conditions -- even at an individual level. What came first, the chicken or the egg?
Some wild experiments have been done out there -- mostly in other countries, obv -- where it turns out that when you give these deranged people housing, access to education and/or employment, and maybe even healthy social connections, they get a lot less deranged like super fucking quickly. Just wild.
You're just huffing propaganda.
HF does not make mental illness go away and it does not make substance use go away. When controlled, HF does not lead to a decrease in substance use.
Addicts are getting money for drugs by abusing their communities. People who do crime as a living should not be left on the streets. Mentally ill people unable to meaningfully take care of themselves are no more capable in a building as opposed to outside a building.
Ignoring reality does nothing to further the cause it just elicits push back from everyone who sees the cause associated with delusional clowns.
involuntarily committing
So...jailing. I'm all for providing resources, but you're essentially suggesting forcing them into horrible asylums like we used to do.
Additionally, does addiction and mental illness lead to homelessness, or is it perhaps those that become homeless are more apt to develop addiction and mental health issues? So maybe we look more into what causes people to become homeless in the first place, e.g. lack of a social safety net.