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Except, the unemployment rate is very low right now. And stats show that drug usage and mental illness rates among the homeless are rather high: > The [Los Ang
by TulliusCicero 7y ago
Except, the unemployment rate is very low right now. And stats show that drug usage and mental illness rates among the homeless are rather high:
> The [Los Angeles] Times, however, found that about 67% had either a mental illness or a substance abuse disorder. Individually, substance abuse affects 46% of those living on the streets — more than three times the rate previously reported — and mental illness, including post-traumatic stress disorder, affects 51% of those living on the streets, according to the analysis.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-10-07/homeless-population-mental-illness-disability https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-10-07/homeless...
- zozbot234 7y agoThis is the flip side of the selection bias that was affecting the previous comment. Given the resources that are being put into "addressing homelessness", the homeless are heavily incented to resort to a homeless shelter. If they stay on the streets, it's likely because they have drug-related or mental issues, thus shelters would just turn them away.
- atdrummond 7y agoI’ve not been to a single shelter (Midwest US) where drug use and mental illness weren’t rampant. This in spite of policies attempting to keep a safe and drug-free environment.
- atdrummond 7y agoUnemployment is a bad metric for judging whether or not that population is having trouble with work. As a formerly homeless person, eventually we give up looking for work. We wouldn’t be counted in the top line unemployment number.