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Yes, drug & alcohol addiction is widespread in the general non-homeless population and makes it difficult to ensure steady income. When the cost of rent rises d

Yes, drug & alcohol addiction is widespread in the general non-homeless population and makes it difficult to ensure steady income. When the cost of rent rises dramatically, this means people with those issues are likely to find themselves homeless. Addictions are difficult to kick in the best of times (who among us doesn't know of some rich kid who's been in and out of rehab into their 30s?) and basically impossible when homeless. Not sure what your point is here.

WalterBright 7y ago
Drug and alcohol addiction leads to homelessness because nobody wants to hire an addict and addicts prioritize spending on their addiction. Cheaper housing will not fix it, because the cost of housing is not the problem. My point is that solutions will fail if they do not recognize and treat the actual cause. Otherwise you're treating lung cancer with antibiotics. It won't work. And it hasn't worked.
- ahelwer 7y ago
  Yes, all effective socialized housing programs which serve the homeless have integrated mental health services. It's impossible for such treatment to be effective if people don't have a home. To restate: without housing & mental health support, many homeless people will never regain capacity. Again, I don't know what your point is. You might be interested to learn this media focus on the prevalence of addiction in homeless populations is commonly used along with an outdated model of addiction-as-moral-failure to portray people experiencing homelessness as unworthy of support, fit only to die.
  - WalterBright 7y ago
    I infer you do understand that addiction is a proximate cause of homelessness, not rising house prices. So I've made my point.
    - ahelwer 7y ago
      Only 35% of people experiencing homelessness struggle with addiction[0], so no I don't think you have. But sure, grant your premise - it's the combination! If house prices go up then people who were struggling to make rent at the lower level won't make it at the higher level, thus becoming homeless. There are many, many people with addictions who are financially functional to a point, but rising rents can finally kick them on to the streets where things get much worse. Boiling things down to a single cause like "oh it's addiction" isn't useful. [0] https://sunrisehouse.com/addiction-demographics/homeless-population/ https://sunrisehouse.com/addiction-demographics/homeless-pop...
      - WalterBright 7y ago
        In Seattle it's much higher. Keep in mind that if you just ask people if they're on drugs, many will deny it. Many will cite other reasons for being homeless. You have to dig a little deeper to find that those "other reasons" are often a consequence of drug abuse. 35%, while very likely an undercount, is still a huge number.

WalterBright 7y ago

Drug and alcohol addiction leads to homelessness because nobody wants to hire an addict and addicts prioritize spending on their addiction. Cheaper housing will not fix it, because the cost of housing is not the problem. My point is that solutions will fail if they do not recognize and treat the actual cause. Otherwise you're treating lung cancer with antibiotics. It won't work. And it hasn't worked.

ahelwer 7y ago
Yes, all effective socialized housing programs which serve the homeless have integrated mental health services. It's impossible for such treatment to be effective if people don't have a home. To restate: without housing & mental health support, many homeless people will never regain capacity. Again, I don't know what your point is. You might be interested to learn this media focus on the prevalence of addiction in homeless populations is commonly used along with an outdated model of addiction-as-moral-failure to portray people experiencing homelessness as unworthy of support, fit only to die.
- WalterBright 7y ago
  I infer you do understand that addiction is a proximate cause of homelessness, not rising house prices. So I've made my point.
  - ahelwer 7y ago
    Only 35% of people experiencing homelessness struggle with addiction[0], so no I don't think you have. But sure, grant your premise - it's the combination! If house prices go up then people who were struggling to make rent at the lower level won't make it at the higher level, thus becoming homeless. There are many, many people with addictions who are financially functional to a point, but rising rents can finally kick them on to the streets where things get much worse. Boiling things down to a single cause like "oh it's addiction" isn't useful. [0] https://sunrisehouse.com/addiction-demographics/homeless-population/ https://sunrisehouse.com/addiction-demographics/homeless-pop...
    - WalterBright 7y ago
      In Seattle it's much higher. Keep in mind that if you just ask people if they're on drugs, many will deny it. Many will cite other reasons for being homeless. You have to dig a little deeper to find that those "other reasons" are often a consequence of drug abuse. 35%, while very likely an undercount, is still a huge number.