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> Since 2007, their government has built homeless policies on the foundations of the "Housing First" principle. > Put simply, it gives rough sleepers or people

> Since 2007, their government has built homeless policies on the foundations of the "Housing First" principle. > Put simply, it gives rough sleepers or people who become homeless a stable and permanent home of their own as soon as possible. Sorry to sound cynical, but is this an actual solution? Rather than treating the cause, they are simply spending money to remove the symptom. This type of "fix" can be done with any problem given a deep enough pocket. I have nothing against housing the indigent. I'm just constantly surprised why nobody seems interested in treating the obvious and insidious causes of such problems.

lazyasciiart 8y ago
You sound both cynical and uninformed. Plenty of organizations have found that treating the obvious causes is far easier when people are in a house, and it is rapidly becoming recognized even in America as the cheapest and most effective way to reduce homelessness. http://endhomelessness.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/housing-first-fact-sheet.pdf http://endhomelessness.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/housin...
Robotbeat 8y ago
In a vicious cycle, an effect is also a cause, so treating the symptom can go a long way toward fixing the fundamental problem. Homelessness quickly becomes the cause of the problems as well as the result. Tough to get a job without an address, without a job, no lease. Poor sleep and no place to shower, even harder to get any kind of job. Add in an arrest history due to homelessness and jobs are harder still. And around the circle it goes.
sonnyblarney 8y ago
The lack of housing may in fact be a 'cause'. Once you have a 'safe space' of stability, you might be able to start to work on those other problems. 'No home' is an impossible place from which to make any progress at all. There is definitely an issue with 'tragedy of the commons' etc. but there's also no doubt in my mind the 'home first' thing works. That said - here in Canada, means tested welfare is enough to pay for rent, food - and basically nothing more. But a considerable number of people in my neighbourhood in Montreal chose 'crack + sleeping rough' over 'flat + food'. Even in the winter. There is 2 feet of snow outside and 1 guy sleeping rough less than 100m from where I write this, outside the clinic. Less than 2 blocks away, there are flats for $450/month $CDN, and they are not bad at all. (It's a very mixed neighbourhood). I suggest it's a tricky problem and that UBI-ish solutions might not work here, and that it probably needs to be a 'programme' i.e. combined with social workers, monitoring etc..
rhizome 8y ago
Did I miss something? What is this simple and obvious cause?
deleted 8y ago
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lazyasciiart 8y ago

You sound both cynical and uninformed. Plenty of organizations have found that treating the obvious causes is far easier when people are in a house, and it is rapidly becoming recognized even in America as the cheapest and most effective way to reduce homelessness. http://endhomelessness.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/housing-first-fact-sheet.pdf http://endhomelessness.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/housin...

Robotbeat 8y ago

In a vicious cycle, an effect is also a cause, so treating the symptom can go a long way toward fixing the fundamental problem. Homelessness quickly becomes the cause of the problems as well as the result. Tough to get a job without an address, without a job, no lease. Poor sleep and no place to shower, even harder to get any kind of job. Add in an arrest history due to homelessness and jobs are harder still. And around the circle it goes.

sonnyblarney 8y ago

The lack of housing may in fact be a 'cause'. Once you have a 'safe space' of stability, you might be able to start to work on those other problems. 'No home' is an impossible place from which to make any progress at all. There is definitely an issue with 'tragedy of the commons' etc. but there's also no doubt in my mind the 'home first' thing works. That said - here in Canada, means tested welfare is enough to pay for rent, food - and basically nothing more. But a considerable number of people in my neighbourhood in Montreal chose 'crack + sleeping rough' over 'flat + food'. Even in the winter. There is 2 feet of snow outside and 1 guy sleeping rough less than 100m from where I write this, outside the clinic. Less than 2 blocks away, there are flats for $450/month $CDN, and they are not bad at all. (It's a very mixed neighbourhood). I suggest it's a tricky problem and that UBI-ish solutions might not work here, and that it probably needs to be a 'programme' i.e. combined with social workers, monitoring etc..

rhizome 8y ago

Did I miss something? What is this simple and obvious cause?

deleted 8y ago

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