3 ms·
This is directly contrary to what has been found to work in practice. Mental illness and drug addiction can take years to treat successfully, and it's impossibl
by iamnothere 11y ago
This is directly contrary to what has been found to work in practice. Mental illness and drug addiction can take years to treat successfully, and it's impossible to treat people who don't live in a fixed location. "Housing first" policies treat housing as the first priority, necessary for even gaining access to help people with other problems.
Without housing, many of these people gradually become worse off and eventually die. Housing should be treated as a human right, without any special conditions imposed.
- 20years 11y ago"we need to provide shelter along with drug rehab services"
- iamnothere 11y agoYes, but treatment should be sought voluntarily, not imposed as a condition of housing. *edit: Treatment should be readily available and highly encouraged, obviously.
- 20years 11y agoI am curious why you feel it should be voluntarily? If we are doing our part by providing resources and money for shelter/food/rehab, shouldn't they be doing their part to get & stay clean? We need to be accountable in providing shelter, food, rehab. They need to be accountable for staying clean. Otherwise, I fear it will not work. It should be a 2 way street.
- iamnothere 11y agoPeople need a home before any kind of treatment would be effective. Unfortunately, treatments for both mental illness and drug and alcohol abuse require a long time to work, and relapses are extremely common. Further, these treatments aren't usually effective unless the recipient feels that any needed lifestyle changes are made of their own volition; if they feel "forced" into it, treatment won't work long-term. This "housing first" approach, when implemented properly, has proven effective in many areas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_First https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_First
- 20years 11y agoI appreciate your view point. Thanks!