3 ms·

It's way worse on the west coast than most places and I think it's probably somewhat of a "boiling a frog" scenario. Rather than a single big influx upsetting

It's way worse on the west coast than most places and I think it's probably somewhat of a "boiling a frog" scenario. Rather than a single big influx upsetting everyone, the homeless situation has been slowly getting worse every single year to the point where we now have tent towns that stretch literally for a mile [1]. The problem is there are no clear solutions that anyone can agree on. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04Z3Rd0rD_I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04Z3Rd0rD_I

drak0n1c 8y ago
Rhode Island (where I used to live before Seattle) is a blue state with functioning prosecutors that actually prosecute charges for misdemeanors and crimes, but they offer sentenced individuals the alternative of entering the drug court system for mandatory interned rehab, or the mental health system. People going through the system say it saved their life. Intervention works. West coast states do have similar drug courts, but since crimes are not prosecuted and misdemeanor charges are routinely vacated there is no incentive for people to actually be helped. For helpful information on Rhode Island's program I recommend the last 20 min of this documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpAi70WWBlw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpAi70WWBlw
- mdorazio 8y ago
  I don't think criminal law/enforcement explains enough of it. The west coast has a somewhat unique combination of fair weather, public services, people willing to give money to the homeless, and cultural acceptance of vagrancy that you don't see many other places. The result is that we kind of vacuum up a bunch of homeless people from other states, which then don't have to deal with the problem themselves.
  - lazyasciiart 8y ago
    Do you mean "lack of public services"? Try New York, for instance - you don't see people camping in tents because they spent billions of dollars building shelters, to meet the constitutional requirement for shelter. Massachusetts has the same right in their constitution.

drak0n1c 8y ago

Rhode Island (where I used to live before Seattle) is a blue state with functioning prosecutors that actually prosecute charges for misdemeanors and crimes, but they offer sentenced individuals the alternative of entering the drug court system for mandatory interned rehab, or the mental health system. People going through the system say it saved their life. Intervention works. West coast states do have similar drug courts, but since crimes are not prosecuted and misdemeanor charges are routinely vacated there is no incentive for people to actually be helped. For helpful information on Rhode Island's program I recommend the last 20 min of this documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpAi70WWBlw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpAi70WWBlw

mdorazio 8y ago
I don't think criminal law/enforcement explains enough of it. The west coast has a somewhat unique combination of fair weather, public services, people willing to give money to the homeless, and cultural acceptance of vagrancy that you don't see many other places. The result is that we kind of vacuum up a bunch of homeless people from other states, which then don't have to deal with the problem themselves.
- lazyasciiart 8y ago
  Do you mean "lack of public services"? Try New York, for instance - you don't see people camping in tents because they spent billions of dollars building shelters, to meet the constitutional requirement for shelter. Massachusetts has the same right in their constitution.