3 ms·

Staff enforcement is much easier in the US since losing your job results in homelessness.

• mainstreemm 6y ago
  This is a common meme but it isn't really true, there are safety nets, though fewer than other countries. A lot of chronic homeless in the US have mental illnesses and don't trust authorities enough to accept the help that is available, and involuntary commitment of these people is considered beyond the Overton Window. And the places with the biggest safety nets at the state level in the US, like California, Oregon, Illinois, and New York, also have the largest homeless problems. Figure that out.
• tedivm 6y ago
  The US has a homelessness rate of 6.2%, while the UK has a homelessness rate of 7.7%.
  • pjc50 6y ago
    That is astonishingly high and may be counted differently (people living insecurely on couches)
    • hexedpackets 6y ago
      Not sure about the UK, but any kind of insecure or temporary housing is counted for the US - including people living on couches.
  • OJFord 6y ago
    One in around fourteen? I don't need to look anything up to know that's way off, in both countries. I doubt that can even count as 'misleading'.
  • rootusrootus 6y ago
    Using what metric? To use a local(ish) example to me, Multnomah County in Oregon has about 815K people, and 3800 that are either living on the streets, in a shelter, or in temporary housing. That's 0.4%. Portland is known for having a homeless problem.
  • mjbeswick 6y ago
    That's actually nonsense for the UK, as the real figure is 280,000 which includes people in temporary accommodation, which is provided by the government. In the UK if someone is on the street and needs a place to stay there are shelters in every town. Nationally there are about 4,000 people that sleep rough, although most of the people that do suffer from addiction or mental illness. Many choose not to go to shelters because you have to be sober to stay in them.