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These people, as anyone who has lived in a major downtown knows, are, for whatever reason, incapable of productively or even non-disruptively participating in s
by User23 4y ago
These people, as anyone who has lived in a major downtown knows, are, for whatever reason, incapable of productively or even non-disruptively participating in society. That’s an observable fact that’s not up for debate.
The popular approach to the vagrancy crisis here is akin to fighting a raging inferno with policy discussions on the fire code. Yes, root causes matter, and yes in the long run they ought to be addressed, but right now the roof is on fire.
Antisocial vagrants are shooting up, shitting, threatening, and even attacking people, all in our formerly safe public streets and parks. This blight on public spaces is an ongoing violation of the civil rights of every decent citizen and it ought to be promptly stopped.
I’m open to any workable approach, but pragmatically, putting these people who are incapable of managing their own lives into programs that manage their lives for them is the only evident immediate solution. Everything else that’s been tried, from giving them free stuff to shuttling them around has observably failed miserably. Whether those programs are permanent or transitional and the other particulars are best decided on a case by case basis by affected communities. Assuredly though some of them will need to be managed living facilities of some sort.
- Zardoz84 4y agoAja ... so something like giving money to help to get out of homelessness, shouldn't work, not ? https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/poverty/520415-researchers-surprised-by-experiment-that-gave-homeless/ https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/poverty/520415-... > Researchers behind the bold new study that kicked off in 2018 gave a one-time lump sum of 7,500 Canadian dollars — about $5,700 — to 50 people who had recently become homeless, and allowed them to choose how to spend the money while following their lives over 12 to 18 months. > Researchers found that those who received the money on average were able to find stable housing faster, maintain financial security and stability, and increased their spending on food, clothing and rent. > The study also found the funds freed up space in shelters and saved the shelter system $8,100 per person over a year.
- choko 4y agoRecently homeless is very different from chronically homeless. Recently homeless likely means "fell on hard times" instead of mentally ill and addicted to various drugs.
- pseudalopex 4y agoMost homeless are recently homeless. And often homelessness creates or worsens mental health problems and addictions.
- User23 4y agoLet me tell you about a little thing called the Pareto principle. 20% of the homeless cause 80% of the problems.
- armitron 4y agoGiving money to someone who is seriously mentally ill (e.g. suffers from near permanent psychosis) is a recipe for disaster. Same for someone who is a hardened drug addict. Money is not magic fairy dust that is going to solve these issues, even if a big chunk of polite society is deluded enough to think so. One only needs to look at SF, my home for many years before I took my kids and left in disgust, to see how bad the outcomes that this sort of thinking leads to can get.
- hnuser847 4y agoThere’s a guy in my neighborhood who literally screams at the sky. You’re telling me we just have to give him five grand and he’ll be all better?
- pseudalopex 4y agoThey're telling you the guy in your neighborhood isn't most homeless people.