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How could the United States end homelessness? It is a mix of federal government, state governments, and local/county/municipal governments. The level of governm

How could the United States end homelessness? It is a mix of federal government, state governments, and local/county/municipal governments. The level of government best suited to do the actual work is hamstrung... if any one city fixes homelessness (somehow), more homeless will show up. If they do that again for the new arrivals, more homeless show up. The first to solve it is punished with tens of thousands of newly arriving homeless who, as you might imagine, will find a way to get there if it means not being homeless anymore. But budgets are finite and the cost per homeless must he higher than zero, but in a practical sense the number of homeless aren't entirely finite. If you start from the other end, with the feds, then you might as well hold your breath. Homelessness is so far down the list of priorities, that even if it somehow did bubble to the top, the polarization in Congress will sabotage any effort, and we'll end up with boondoggles that both sides can criticize and that won't really help any homeless at all. This isn't a choice being made, it's just the complexity of the real world that some are still blind to even after graduating college and (theoretically) turning into grownups. There's actually a technical solution too, but since it's dry and boring, most leftists (and quite a few of the rightists) find it too boring to ever want to try. Obviously the solution is either love and compassion (from the left) or maybe "pulling themselves up by their bootstraps" (from the right).

wormlord 2y ago
This argument is so lame. "Actually the overall structure of the USA is designed so that its basicalyl impossible to solve the crisis". You're not wrong in the fact that America is a shit country designed to intentionally to use homelessness as an implicit threat against the working class. You are wrong in the sense that all the things you listed aren't reasons, just excuses to cover up the intentionality of homelessness, and that homelessness could be solved if there was the political will to do so. Which there will never be in the USA because again, the homelessness crisis is intentional. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_purpose_of_a_system_is_what_it_does https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_purpose_of_a_system_is_wha...
- enaaem 2y ago
  Yeah if you really want to end homelessness you will find a way, if not, you will find excuses.
segasaturn 2y ago
Create a federal jobs program to build apartments in large quantities, not just in cities but in rural, suburban and exurban areas as well. Anybody who's an American citizen and able bodied (including ex-convicts and felons) can apply and get a good paying job with health insurance. Use the federal government's power of eminent domain to override zoning laws and seize land that's being sat on, and finally pay for it by heavily taxing the tech giants, cutting military spending and legalizing (and taxing) cannabis. Will politicians ever do it? No, they're in the pocket of the military and the 1%. Will voters ever vote for it? No, they're fed a steady stream of propaganda that tells them that this would be "socialism". But that's how the problem would be solved.
- Avicebron 2y ago
  I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought of this, pour government money into taking anyone unemployed and give them solid jobs building/improving/managing infrastructure like housing, any public good, parks, roads, train tracks, whatever it is as long as it's a net positive.
bryanlarsen 2y ago
70-80% of homeless people are local. Fixing homelessness in your community does not attract large numbers of additional people.
- throwawayq3423 2y ago
  Not in California. The fact that 80% + of the local homeless come from other states is the one thing that makes the problem unsolvable.
  - bryanlarsen 2y ago
    90% of the homeless people in California lived in Californa for over a year before becoming homeless. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_California https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_California
    - throwawayq3423 2y ago
      That can mean any number of things. A lot of people move to LA to "make it" with no plan B, they didn't have a plan B where they came from either. California has 30% of the US homeless population, but 11% of it's total population. It is dramatically disproportional, period. https://shou.senate.ca.gov/sites/shou.senate.ca.gov/files/Homelessness%20in%20CA%202023%20Numbers%20-%201.2024.pdf https://shou.senate.ca.gov/sites/shou.senate.ca.gov/files/Ho...
      - bryanlarsen 2y ago
        California has the most expensive housing in America. That is the primary reason for its larger homeless population.
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
        throwawayq3423 2y ago
mmooss 2y ago
> The first to solve it is punished with tens of thousands of newly arriving homeless I've seen nothing to support this claim. It does fit the right-wing disinformation pattern of demonizing people, encouraging division and hate between people, undermine social programs, and making baseless claims to put others in the defensive position of having to disprove them. Can you support that claim? Here's some evidence to the contrary, from another comment: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30739834/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30739834/
- sugarplant 2y ago
  you should carefully reread what he wrote and reread what you linked

wormlord 2y ago

This argument is so lame. "Actually the overall structure of the USA is designed so that its basicalyl impossible to solve the crisis". You're not wrong in the fact that America is a shit country designed to intentionally to use homelessness as an implicit threat against the working class. You are wrong in the sense that all the things you listed aren't reasons, just excuses to cover up the intentionality of homelessness, and that homelessness could be solved if there was the political will to do so. Which there will never be in the USA because again, the homelessness crisis is intentional. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_purpose_of_a_system_is_what_it_does https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_purpose_of_a_system_is_wha...

enaaem 2y ago
Yeah if you really want to end homelessness you will find a way, if not, you will find excuses.

segasaturn 2y ago

Create a federal jobs program to build apartments in large quantities, not just in cities but in rural, suburban and exurban areas as well. Anybody who's an American citizen and able bodied (including ex-convicts and felons) can apply and get a good paying job with health insurance. Use the federal government's power of eminent domain to override zoning laws and seize land that's being sat on, and finally pay for it by heavily taxing the tech giants, cutting military spending and legalizing (and taxing) cannabis. Will politicians ever do it? No, they're in the pocket of the military and the 1%. Will voters ever vote for it? No, they're fed a steady stream of propaganda that tells them that this would be "socialism". But that's how the problem would be solved.

Avicebron 2y ago
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought of this, pour government money into taking anyone unemployed and give them solid jobs building/improving/managing infrastructure like housing, any public good, parks, roads, train tracks, whatever it is as long as it's a net positive.

bryanlarsen 2y ago

70-80% of homeless people are local. Fixing homelessness in your community does not attract large numbers of additional people.

throwawayq3423 2y ago
Not in California. The fact that 80% + of the local homeless come from other states is the one thing that makes the problem unsolvable.
- bryanlarsen 2y ago
  90% of the homeless people in California lived in Californa for over a year before becoming homeless. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_California https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness_in_California
  - throwawayq3423 2y ago
    That can mean any number of things. A lot of people move to LA to "make it" with no plan B, they didn't have a plan B where they came from either. California has 30% of the US homeless population, but 11% of it's total population. It is dramatically disproportional, period. https://shou.senate.ca.gov/sites/shou.senate.ca.gov/files/Homelessness%20in%20CA%202023%20Numbers%20-%201.2024.pdf https://shou.senate.ca.gov/sites/shou.senate.ca.gov/files/Ho...
    - bryanlarsen 2y ago
      California has the most expensive housing in America. That is the primary reason for its larger homeless population.
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
      - throwawayq3423 2y ago

mmooss 2y ago

> The first to solve it is punished with tens of thousands of newly arriving homeless I've seen nothing to support this claim. It does fit the right-wing disinformation pattern of demonizing people, encouraging division and hate between people, undermine social programs, and making baseless claims to put others in the defensive position of having to disprove them. Can you support that claim? Here's some evidence to the contrary, from another comment: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30739834/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30739834/

sugarplant 2y ago
you should carefully reread what he wrote and reread what you linked