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You're ignoring homeless migration, the nature of mental illness, and the fact that people can move. The majority of homeless people you see on the street in ci
by nostrebored 10y ago
You're ignoring homeless migration, the nature of mental illness, and the fact that people can move. The majority of homeless people you see on the street in cities like Seattle are not people who want help or will utilize it effectively -- they're people who have burned bridges that keep most people who are down on their luck in secondary homelessness.
- surfmike 10y agoYou sound like an expert on the homeless in Seattle. Do you actually know this for a fact or are you just speculating? Have you talked to the homeless there and seen data? Do you realize mental health issues can cause people to burn bridges even if that's not what they want to do?
- saosebastiao 10y agoI'm not ignoring any of that. Chronic and migrant homelessness exist, but they aren't anywhere near a majority of the population. The best data we have available shows chronic homelessness to be between 10-20% of the homeless population. And just because they are chronically homeless doesn't mean they don't want or can't benefit from help. Disability, mental as well as physical, is the largest known contributor to chronic homelessness and most forms of disability are treatable, but treatments are less effective when basic needs like housing are not met.