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Is this an intuitive take or a data take? My understanding is that much of the data disagrees with the idea that homelessness is driven by drug abuse. Things li

Is this an intuitive take or a data take? My understanding is that much of the data disagrees with the idea that homelessness is driven by drug abuse. Things like the strong association between homelessness and housing costs + just survey data implying most homeless people don't move to SF as homeless people, all sort of implies that. Worth noting though, unsheltered isn't the same as homeless. Many homeless people are sheltered either in shelters, their cars, or friends homes. I think intuitively it seem likely to me that drugs might be the difference between chronically homeless people and merely temporary, it also seems like it might have a relationship with the people you encounter on the street and get mad about seeing, but the studies of the overall population seem to say homelessness is causing drug use not the other way around

colinmhayes 4y ago
> the strong association between homelessness and housing costs I'd be careful with this. High housing costs are also likely highly correlated with areas that provide a lot of services to the homeless which might be the cause of homelessness.
- space_fountain 4y ago
  For sure, there's a reason I just said association, but in the absence of evidence that the cause is something else just trying to spin an argument from first principles is dangerous. For a story to sound good it need not be true and any story that sees the bad things that happen to people in the world as somehow their own fault is bound to be attractive, though weirdly also a story that removes all personal responsibility so I must admit it goes a bit both ways.