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It's not housing that's the issue. It's mental health. Most homeless people are suffering from mental health so giving them a place to stay won't solve anythi

It's not housing that's the issue. It's mental health. Most homeless people are suffering from mental health so giving them a place to stay won't solve anything.

cbhl 9y ago
I've spent a few nights in the psych ward at Zuckerberg General. There were quite a few homeless people. There were people that faked being crazy to get a bed and a hot meal, and the psychiatrist had to kick them back out onto the street. Mental health services are ineffective if a person's basic needs aren't met. Giving homeless people a home is far from enough, but you can't expect a homeless person to get better if they are stuck out on the streets.
- cal5k 9y ago
  In Toronto many people who were formerly institutionalized are now living on the streets. I walk through an area with a high concentration of shelters on a daily basis, and I can tell you that most of these people suffer from some kind of mental health disorder ranging from mild to severe. It's certainly not helped by addiction, but I can't help but feel like homeless shelters or the streets are not the right place for these people. Nor could most of them be expected to look after their own needs if they were given enough money - we already have a reasonably generous welfare system in Canada.
oblib 9y ago
That's not entirely true. There are a lot of working homeless living in cars, nightly and weekly rental motels, tents, staying with family, friends, etc.
- prostoalex 9y ago
  Those ones are actually quite rare in LA. People who are down on luck have access to shelters, church outreach efforts and government assistance. They also have access to a fairly large job market and a public transportation system that's pretty reasonable for the US, so being rational people they are generally off the street pretty quickly.
  - oblib 9y ago
    That was certainly true in LA when I lived there. That's been awhile but I suspect it's still true where I lived there, mostly in the SF Valley. I did recently see a video of two guys biking on trail in Orange County (I think) and it was lined on each side for miles with tents and makeshift shacks. I never saw anything like that when I lived there. It was impressive.
    - prostoalex 9y ago
      I live nearby, and my knowledge comes from a local Nextdoor group. Someone affiliated with local church mentioned that their shelter is actually low on occupancy, and any attempts to help more homeless were met with distrust, outright refusal to be affiliated with "the system", and a bunch of crazier reasons. Someone from Anaheim local government also chimed in and mentioned that although that's not the city's official position, a lot of city efforts were turned down by the homeless, and any rational person has been helped and can get help through existing agencies.
      - scruple 9y ago
        I'm in the area, as well. My brother-in-law is an infrequent guest of places like Skid Row and the sprawling tent city along the Santa Ana River Trail. I'm actually not sure what state the tent city along the Santa Ana River Trail is in these days, I had thought that I had read recently that there were attempts to break that party up. Anyway, from where I stand, here's the rub. My BIL needs to be medicated to not succumb to his delusions, his extreme mania, and extreme paranoia (he is diagnosed schizoaffective). When he is medicated, he can hold down a (part-time, minimum wage) job, help with chores, and can generally be a fairly reliable person in the family. Yet, he is an adult. If he chooses not to take his medication, that is his right. But, when he chooses not to take his medication, he ends up homeless, self-medicating, and will eventually find his way back in to a state run mental health facility through crime. He has been stuck in this cycle for half of his life, he will be turning 30 in a year or two. I want to make a distinction here that this person has never served time. He probably should've, given some of the things he has done that have gotten him arrested, but he's in the system and so he seems to get a get out jail free card for the types of crime he commits. He always has a place to live (though he doesn't like some of these places, like my home, because of the rules that come with it). He has SSI that is deposited directly to his account from the state once a month. He has access to health care and mental health professionals (Medi-Cal). What he doesn't have, and what I suspect many folks in his condition don't have, from years of talking to others in our situation, is a genuine desire to, or the ability to, confront their illness. We are waiting patiently for that to change. We're not very optimistic, but we are hopeful. We've learned through counseling, education courses, etc... myself over the last decade, my wife has been at it even longer, that he has to be in control (with the obvious exceptions, like when he's locked up). Trying to force him to do what is in his own self-interest is a self-indulgent and self-serving behavior that just makes everything worse. It's a very hard reality to live with, especially so when it's your family, but there's nothing that anyone can do to help a person who doesn't want to help themselves.

It's not housing that's the issue. It's mental health. Most homeless people are suffering from mental health so giving them a place to stay won't solve anything.

cbhl 9y ago

I've spent a few nights in the psych ward at Zuckerberg General. There were quite a few homeless people. There were people that faked being crazy to get a bed and a hot meal, and the psychiatrist had to kick them back out onto the street. Mental health services are ineffective if a person's basic needs aren't met. Giving homeless people a home is far from enough, but you can't expect a homeless person to get better if they are stuck out on the streets.

cal5k 9y ago
In Toronto many people who were formerly institutionalized are now living on the streets. I walk through an area with a high concentration of shelters on a daily basis, and I can tell you that most of these people suffer from some kind of mental health disorder ranging from mild to severe. It's certainly not helped by addiction, but I can't help but feel like homeless shelters or the streets are not the right place for these people. Nor could most of them be expected to look after their own needs if they were given enough money - we already have a reasonably generous welfare system in Canada.

oblib 9y ago

That's not entirely true. There are a lot of working homeless living in cars, nightly and weekly rental motels, tents, staying with family, friends, etc.

prostoalex 9y ago
Those ones are actually quite rare in LA. People who are down on luck have access to shelters, church outreach efforts and government assistance. They also have access to a fairly large job market and a public transportation system that's pretty reasonable for the US, so being rational people they are generally off the street pretty quickly.
- oblib 9y ago
  That was certainly true in LA when I lived there. That's been awhile but I suspect it's still true where I lived there, mostly in the SF Valley. I did recently see a video of two guys biking on trail in Orange County (I think) and it was lined on each side for miles with tents and makeshift shacks. I never saw anything like that when I lived there. It was impressive.
  - prostoalex 9y ago
    I live nearby, and my knowledge comes from a local Nextdoor group. Someone affiliated with local church mentioned that their shelter is actually low on occupancy, and any attempts to help more homeless were met with distrust, outright refusal to be affiliated with "the system", and a bunch of crazier reasons. Someone from Anaheim local government also chimed in and mentioned that although that's not the city's official position, a lot of city efforts were turned down by the homeless, and any rational person has been helped and can get help through existing agencies.
    - scruple 9y ago
      I'm in the area, as well. My brother-in-law is an infrequent guest of places like Skid Row and the sprawling tent city along the Santa Ana River Trail. I'm actually not sure what state the tent city along the Santa Ana River Trail is in these days, I had thought that I had read recently that there were attempts to break that party up. Anyway, from where I stand, here's the rub. My BIL needs to be medicated to not succumb to his delusions, his extreme mania, and extreme paranoia (he is diagnosed schizoaffective). When he is medicated, he can hold down a (part-time, minimum wage) job, help with chores, and can generally be a fairly reliable person in the family. Yet, he is an adult. If he chooses not to take his medication, that is his right. But, when he chooses not to take his medication, he ends up homeless, self-medicating, and will eventually find his way back in to a state run mental health facility through crime. He has been stuck in this cycle for half of his life, he will be turning 30 in a year or two. I want to make a distinction here that this person has never served time. He probably should've, given some of the things he has done that have gotten him arrested, but he's in the system and so he seems to get a get out jail free card for the types of crime he commits. He always has a place to live (though he doesn't like some of these places, like my home, because of the rules that come with it). He has SSI that is deposited directly to his account from the state once a month. He has access to health care and mental health professionals (Medi-Cal). What he doesn't have, and what I suspect many folks in his condition don't have, from years of talking to others in our situation, is a genuine desire to, or the ability to, confront their illness. We are waiting patiently for that to change. We're not very optimistic, but we are hopeful. We've learned through counseling, education courses, etc... myself over the last decade, my wife has been at it even longer, that he has to be in control (with the obvious exceptions, like when he's locked up). Trying to force him to do what is in his own self-interest is a self-indulgent and self-serving behavior that just makes everything worse. It's a very hard reality to live with, especially so when it's your family, but there's nothing that anyone can do to help a person who doesn't want to help themselves.