I live in Seattle, and I would say that homelessness there is also reaching a state of crisis. Sometimes I see people in pain, sometimes I ask them about how th

I live in Seattle, and I would say that homelessness there is also reaching a state of crisis. Sometimes I see people in pain, sometimes I ask them about how they are doing or if they need anything or if there would be something that can help them; sometimes I can help them a little. Most of the time I don't understand what's happening. You've obviously thought about this a lot more than I have so I'd like to gain some insight from you. I won't ask you about what the solution should look like since you didn't claim to know what it would be, but I'd like to learn more about what you think it would look like to actually address it as a serious problem? Honestly I don't even claim to understand what the problem actually is, just that there seems to be some sort of problem and it seems to be growing rather than getting better. Could you write a little more about this? I'm curious about your thoughts here. Here are some contrasting viewpoints I consider: - Some believe that the US does not have much of a social safety net; some believe this to be by design; some believe this to be beneficial - Some believe the US to be an individualistic society; some believe this to be beneficial in that it promotes the strong, the efficient, the productive, etc, to outcompete the weak, the wasteful, the lazy, etc. - Some in the US believe that everyone should get therapy, psychiatry, etc under the guidance of a licensed professional; some in the US believe that psychiatric issues are just excuses made by the lazy to avoid work; some in the US believe that religion will save you and it's all the work of the devil; in some well-to-do places in the US, waiting lists for psychiatric care are months-long even with really good insurance; some believe that we are also in a worldwide pandemic that has had deleterious mental health consequences for everyone, and that many have been pushed to the brink - Some believe we should increase taxes and have the government do things for people, or force people into doing things for themselves; some believe in reducing taxes and government interference; some believe people should fend for themselves and if they are losers, so be it; some believe in charity and doing good deeds; some people donate to virtue signal, some use donations for tax write-offs, and some people donate anonymously and never tell anyone and nobody else ever knows of what they did - According to some studies, the US ranks #1 in charitable giving, or generosity towards strangers; contrast this with other countries that some believe have better safety nets and more direct government action, though perhaps higher taxes - There's a saying that goes something like "charity begins at home"--some take this to be a call-to-action for your daily interactions with others you come across, including strangers since that would have the most immediate impact; some believe in a utilitarian mode of action where energy/time/money should be directed where they'd have the most effect or return the greatest value; some believe charities to be scams; some believe charities to be ineffective