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Most homeless people are insane (i.e. suffering from an intense mental illness). This comes up on HN all the time -- for these people, the only hope is immediat

Most homeless people are insane (i.e. suffering from an intense mental illness). This comes up on HN all the time -- for these people, the only hope is immediate, thorough medical care (involuntary if need be). For the non-mental-ill homeless... Why give them money? Serious replies please. One becomes homeless because one cannot manage money effectively. IMO it's cruel to just give a homeless person a money -- they're going to spend it unwisely again. It's better to provide the essentials (food, water, shelter, basic healthcare, hygiene) then money. The transition out of homelessness requires a re-learning responsibility. Our solutions to dealing with homeless people should focus on the fact that, fundamentally, homeless people fail in our society. We have to re-educate them so that they are productive and serve as a net positive for society.

misja111 10y ago
No doubt your intentions are good but the solutions you propose are scary. You say that mentally ill without a home should get medical care. Alright, I agree. And they will get that medical care in Amsterdam if they ask for it. But then you say, they should get the treatment involuntary if need be. But suppose I am a homeless person living on the street, who will determine that I am mentally ill and should get forced treatment? What if it is my personal choice to live on the street? Or does that already qualify me as mentally ill, in somebody's eyes? Actually it is possible in Amsterdam for people to be forced to get treatment, but that is only if they are a clear danger to themselves or the people around them. Then at the end you say "homeless people fail in our society. We have to re-educate them so that they are productive and serve as a net positive for society." I hope this will not be a forced re-education as well? And who will determine what 'our' society is? I find it really scary when a group of people defines society to be 'theirs' and that anybody who does not wish to live along their lines should be re-educated. History provides plenty of examples where this idea was put into practice, most of the time with all the good intentions, and every time the outcome was horrible.
new299 10y ago
If you're going to make a contentious statement like that (i.e. most homeless are insane). I think you should probably at least try to back it up. It probably varies significantly by country/city. But the first reference I found [1] suggested that somewhere in the region of 28% of homeless people suffer from a serious metal illness. Saying "one becomes homeless because one cannot manage money effectively" is also pretty offensive, unless you back it up with some data. I imagine there are a number of economic and other reasons someone might end up on the streets. To me your comment mostly just comes across as condescending and somewhat arrogant. It would be more interesting to discuss actual data on homelessness... [1] http://www.mentalillnesspolicy.org/consequences/homeless-mentally-ill.html http://www.mentalillnesspolicy.org/consequences/homeless-men...
whazor 10y ago
Many of those essential services are already in place in Amsterdam. The people receive such jackets are already in an improvement program. By receiving money via the jacket, supervisors can deduct money for food/shelter services. They can teach them how to handle with money.

misja111 10y ago

No doubt your intentions are good but the solutions you propose are scary. You say that mentally ill without a home should get medical care. Alright, I agree. And they will get that medical care in Amsterdam if they ask for it. But then you say, they should get the treatment involuntary if need be. But suppose I am a homeless person living on the street, who will determine that I am mentally ill and should get forced treatment? What if it is my personal choice to live on the street? Or does that already qualify me as mentally ill, in somebody's eyes? Actually it is possible in Amsterdam for people to be forced to get treatment, but that is only if they are a clear danger to themselves or the people around them. Then at the end you say "homeless people fail in our society. We have to re-educate them so that they are productive and serve as a net positive for society." I hope this will not be a forced re-education as well? And who will determine what 'our' society is? I find it really scary when a group of people defines society to be 'theirs' and that anybody who does not wish to live along their lines should be re-educated. History provides plenty of examples where this idea was put into practice, most of the time with all the good intentions, and every time the outcome was horrible.

new299 10y ago

If you're going to make a contentious statement like that (i.e. most homeless are insane). I think you should probably at least try to back it up. It probably varies significantly by country/city. But the first reference I found [1] suggested that somewhere in the region of 28% of homeless people suffer from a serious metal illness. Saying "one becomes homeless because one cannot manage money effectively" is also pretty offensive, unless you back it up with some data. I imagine there are a number of economic and other reasons someone might end up on the streets. To me your comment mostly just comes across as condescending and somewhat arrogant. It would be more interesting to discuss actual data on homelessness... [1] http://www.mentalillnesspolicy.org/consequences/homeless-mentally-ill.html http://www.mentalillnesspolicy.org/consequences/homeless-men...

whazor 10y ago

Many of those essential services are already in place in Amsterdam. The people receive such jackets are already in an improvement program. By receiving money via the jacket, supervisors can deduct money for food/shelter services. They can teach them how to handle with money.