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I was really surprised by the article's premise and conclusion. I'm pretty sure the likes of Google and Facebook have extensive datasets that can be mined which

by yarou 12y ago

I was really surprised by the article's premise and conclusion. I'm pretty sure the likes of Google and Facebook have extensive datasets that can be mined which provide useful insights. It seems to me that since the definition is so unclear, perhaps we should do away entirely with categorizations like this. Rather than have homeless shelters for specific categories, why can't we just have homeless shelters for human beings, no questions asked? From a public policy and economic standpoint, $1 spent on a homeless shelter for men is equivalent to one for women. There is a fortune at the bottom of the pyramid [0], and I'm surprised there aren't more entrepreneurs tackling social issues such as these. [0] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fortune_at_the_Bottom_of_the_Pyramid http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fortune_at_the_Bottom_of_...

jholman 12y ago
In the case of the shelters, the problem is not how to allocate the funding; the problem is what dorm to put them in. I agree that it is clear that the socially-desirable action is to give shelter independent of gender; it's also clear that some existing systems for support do not allow that without effort, and so far the effort has been allocated elsewhere. Ugh, just think about being trans and using a public restroom. Now think about being of high-school age, and being trans, and needing to use a bathroom. And yet if (more than) 0.1% of Canada is trans (dunno if that's true), then all of my high schools had (at least) one trans person, presumably closeted. Poor bastard. But on the other hand, what action can the administration take that isn't worse than nothing?
learc83 12y ago
>Rather than have homeless shelters for specific categories, why can't we just have homeless shelters for human beings, no questions asked? Even if you have a shelter for men and women, the dorms are still separated by gender so it's not that easy. Unisex dorms don't work for obvious reasons--Many homeless women aren't going to be comfortable sharing bunk beads with men, especially at women's shelters that are set up to provide support for women with small children. I'm sure there's a solution (a 3rd gender neutral sleeping area?), but it's not as easy as just building one big "human shelter".

by yarou 12y ago

jholman 12y ago

In the case of the shelters, the problem is not how to allocate the funding; the problem is what dorm to put them in. I agree that it is clear that the socially-desirable action is to give shelter independent of gender; it's also clear that some existing systems for support do not allow that without effort, and so far the effort has been allocated elsewhere. Ugh, just think about being trans and using a public restroom. Now think about being of high-school age, and being trans, and needing to use a bathroom. And yet if (more than) 0.1% of Canada is trans (dunno if that's true), then all of my high schools had (at least) one trans person, presumably closeted. Poor bastard. But on the other hand, what action can the administration take that isn't worse than nothing?

learc83 12y ago

>Rather than have homeless shelters for specific categories, why can't we just have homeless shelters for human beings, no questions asked? Even if you have a shelter for men and women, the dorms are still separated by gender so it's not that easy. Unisex dorms don't work for obvious reasons--Many homeless women aren't going to be comfortable sharing bunk beads with men, especially at women's shelters that are set up to provide support for women with small children. I'm sure there's a solution (a 3rd gender neutral sleeping area?), but it's not as easy as just building one big "human shelter".