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There are other welfare support programs besides unemployment insurance. They're just not all wrapped up in a neat bow by the central government. There's housin

by nsxwolf 13y ago

There are other welfare support programs besides unemployment insurance. They're just not all wrapped up in a neat bow by the central government. There's housing and food assistance and other programs at the federal and state levels, as well as charities, church food pantries, etc. In reality, very few people end up on the streets to starve and freeze to death.

lisper 13y ago
That depends on what you mean by "not very many." Accurate numbers are hard to come by, but as of the mid-2000's there were an estimated 750,000 homeless people in the U.S. That number is almost certainly higher now. Most of them manage to survive without starving or freezing because food and shelter are sporadically available. But it certainly doesn't extend their life span.
- bluedino 13y ago
  A large amount of our homeless are mentally ill and live on the street by choice. There are shelters in most places, and the 'smart' homeless people hitchhike somewhere warm. It's a much easier time being homeless in California than it is in Minnesota.
  - lisper 13y ago
    > A large amount of our homeless are mentally ill and live on the street by choice. Yes, that's true (though "choice" is a little bit of a misleading term to apply to a mentally ill person -- their "choice" is often between the street and some mental institution which is not much different than a prison). But I don't see what that has to do with the topic at hand. > There are shelters in most places It is an extremely rare shelter that is not already heavily oversubscribed, especially when the weather turns nasty. > the 'smart' homeless people hitchhike somewhere warm That's true too. But the crop of folks who will be hitting the streets in the next few years as a result of unemployment benefits coming to an end are probably not very street-smart. But your point is well taken: we will probably not be seeing dead bodies of homeless people being hauled away by the truckload. But (I predict) we will be seeing a lot more homeless people.

by nsxwolf 13y ago

lisper 13y ago

That depends on what you mean by "not very many." Accurate numbers are hard to come by, but as of the mid-2000's there were an estimated 750,000 homeless people in the U.S. That number is almost certainly higher now. Most of them manage to survive without starving or freezing because food and shelter are sporadically available. But it certainly doesn't extend their life span.

bluedino 13y ago
A large amount of our homeless are mentally ill and live on the street by choice. There are shelters in most places, and the 'smart' homeless people hitchhike somewhere warm. It's a much easier time being homeless in California than it is in Minnesota.
- lisper 13y ago
  > A large amount of our homeless are mentally ill and live on the street by choice. Yes, that's true (though "choice" is a little bit of a misleading term to apply to a mentally ill person -- their "choice" is often between the street and some mental institution which is not much different than a prison). But I don't see what that has to do with the topic at hand. > There are shelters in most places It is an extremely rare shelter that is not already heavily oversubscribed, especially when the weather turns nasty. > the 'smart' homeless people hitchhike somewhere warm That's true too. But the crop of folks who will be hitting the streets in the next few years as a result of unemployment benefits coming to an end are probably not very street-smart. But your point is well taken: we will probably not be seeing dead bodies of homeless people being hauled away by the truckload. But (I predict) we will be seeing a lot more homeless people.