4 ms·

It is my opinion that the word “homeless” is used to describe so many different kinds of people, with so many different lifestyles, situations, illnesses and/or

It is my opinion that the word “homeless” is used to describe so many different kinds of people, with so many different lifestyles, situations, illnesses and/or contingencies, that I find it difficult to even comprehend what a “solution” could look like, and how housing might even fit into that solution. It is a failure on the part of society and our leadership to try to use one word to describe the whole problem.

Tiktaalik 4y ago
From my experience talking with some people who work in housing for those on income assistance that would be homeless without subsidized housing, there are indeed so, so many different situations that a broad variety in different housing is required! Some housing is effectively not terribly different from seniors homes, for seniors who simply have run out of money and have nowhere to go. Some housing is women's only for women who have escaped dangerous abuse situations and do not want to be around men. Some housing is "dry" for people who previously had addictions issues and are trying very hard to stay that way. Some housing for people who are "hard to house" and who require a great deal more help and attention than other groups. It's all important and needed. My main takeaway is like many deeply complex problems, you have to start to break things up in chunks and tackle things independently. Some aspects easier than others, and others will take more time and money and attention. If you try to treat everything the same and lump everything together it'll never work.
- seanmcdirmid 4y ago
  Ya, there are also visibility problems: it is easy to notice (and hard not to notice) the hard to house segment, who become the problem everyone sees. This gets all the attention, and the public’s empathy gets drained quickly as the problems arise.
IshKebab 4y ago
That is a good point. It's like trying to solve poverty or illness.

Tiktaalik 4y ago

From my experience talking with some people who work in housing for those on income assistance that would be homeless without subsidized housing, there are indeed so, so many different situations that a broad variety in different housing is required! Some housing is effectively not terribly different from seniors homes, for seniors who simply have run out of money and have nowhere to go. Some housing is women's only for women who have escaped dangerous abuse situations and do not want to be around men. Some housing is "dry" for people who previously had addictions issues and are trying very hard to stay that way. Some housing for people who are "hard to house" and who require a great deal more help and attention than other groups. It's all important and needed. My main takeaway is like many deeply complex problems, you have to start to break things up in chunks and tackle things independently. Some aspects easier than others, and others will take more time and money and attention. If you try to treat everything the same and lump everything together it'll never work.

seanmcdirmid 4y ago
Ya, there are also visibility problems: it is easy to notice (and hard not to notice) the hard to house segment, who become the problem everyone sees. This gets all the attention, and the public’s empathy gets drained quickly as the problems arise.

IshKebab 4y ago

That is a good point. It's like trying to solve poverty or illness.