r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Garey_Coleman • 10d ago

Where are the homeless supposed to go?

Cities have been cracking down on homeless people so they can’t have encampments or stay on sidewalks. At the same time usually the shelters are full. So those who are unable to get into a shelter, where are they supposed to go?

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u/Ban-Circumcision-Now 10d ago

Yep, America’s plan for addressing the homeless is just “move along”

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u/VolitionReceptacle 10d ago edited 10d ago

"Why don't we just take the homeless... and push them somewhere else?!"

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u/GPT_2025 reddit 10d ago

It would be nice if-- IF! Workforce offices could function like temp agencies!

hiring on the spot and sending workers to local businesses for trial periods of around 60- 90 days.

Businesses cooperating with Workforce offices can evaluate, train, and decide whether to hire candidates permanently.

This creates a win-win situation: it helps the government reduce unemployment, ensures that Workforce are effectively utilized for the funding $$$ they receive, and provides job seekers with a quick, reliable way to find same-day $ employment when needed.

Additionally, it offers local businesses the opportunity to assess candidates firsthand before making a final hiring decision, leading to better fit and reduced turnover.

(Currently, almost 76% of the hourly workforce is working at state minimum wages or slightly above that minimum.) and Ignore federal minimum wage.

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u/Zealousideal-Help594 10d ago edited 8d ago

I think the problem is that many of the homeless folks have drug or mental health issues and wouldn't be able to function to do the work. Additionally, if they're homeless, they likely have no access to clean clothes and personal hygiene which is an impediment to a work environment.

I am not in the US and not familiar with Workforce as a program or office and am even just assuming that it is a US based thing, so I may be totally wrong here, but my above statement is what I've witnessed locally.

Edit typo

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u/Code-Useful 9d ago

I have to tell you that there are MANY MANY homeless here in the US: single, families, etc, that are NOT drug addicts or have mental health issues, they are just a product of our times and lifestyles and the economy.

Just because the ones you see and remember are the crazies, doesn't mean there aren't 10x more normal people out there that you don't see, like you and me, who have fallen on hard times. Please don't 'other' them because they don't have a home. Some of these people are really good people who have literally tried their best and life kicked them in the teeth. Some of them are on the spectrum and never got the help they needed.

Nearly EVERY lower income family in the US is one major accident, health problem, natural disaster, etc away from homelessness. Without uncorrupted social safety nets that democratic representatives usually are the only ones to fight for, we are headed down the tube and can only rely on each other.. hopefully some new projects like this find success.

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u/Sorry_End3401 9d ago

Thank you. I’m currently employed and homeless. I work as a service writer in the auto center for a billionaire family that has more money than they could ever use up in several lifetimes.

I make $15 an hour. That would have been great, like if it was the 1980s or 1990s. I cannot afford an apartment plus car insurance plus food plus paying healthcare plus utilities. So that’s how nice people become homeless. Through divorce or health crisis, I never thought it would happen to me

There are no safety nets.

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u/bikinibeard 9d ago

Where do you stay? Do you not have family? Can you look for a higher paying job?

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u/Sorry_End3401 8d ago

Right now I rent a room that is temporary while I look for another room to rent. Otherwise I’ve slept/lived in my car. Rent is not affordable. I was so freaked out in the beginning. Never thought homelessness would happen to me. I’m constantly looking for jobs. I love my current job but the pay is poor to say the least. I was in car sales most of my life but that business is a bust in my area. So now I’m looking to other areas. Which is difficult.

I have to find a place to live with very little savings to apply and get hired.

I’ve met a few others like me and actively search for roommates. When things were good, I used to take in friends or people who needed a hand up in life. This good karma keeps me going. 😁

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u/Sorry_End3401 8d ago

No family. None. I took care of my mom for the past several years before her death. So that’s it. I now have 0 ties

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u/JaymoKeepIt100 9d ago

Exactly somebody said before I could

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u/Macleo142114 9d ago

Former homeless here: Not once did I ever encounter someone just down on there luck, Not once all of us were eather addicted or mentally ill. All we did was trade goods and services "free shit" for drugs all the time every time. The social handouts the politicians fight for collectively don't work. I'm sorry but there has to be a better solution.

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u/Maximum-Extent-4821 9d ago

Yeah but think about it. Why would someone who has a family with them, go interact with your homeless community? Not every homeless person is going to want to join the drug addict economy.

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u/Macleo142114 9d ago

Well then where are they going? Section 8 housing? I'm only coming on what I seen with my own eyes. Saying that there's thousands of people out there just down on their luck that are not addicted or homeless and living on the streets is bullshit never saw it at least not where I was.

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u/Vegetable_Permit_537 9d ago

Those people, assuming they are there, are not spending their time around drug bartering homeless people. They are living in their car, showering at the gym or living in at their place of work. You only saw drug addicts because you were wherever the drugs were at and so were they. The non-addicted homeless are staying away from the drug addicted homeless or they would have been in your group.

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u/Maximum-Extent-4821 9d ago

They are going wherever they go. Some have housing programs to lean on. Some go stay with family. When you have kids with you and not addicted to drugs, you go where it makes the most sense, instead of where you can get your fix. It sounds like your situation you were doing what didn't make sense, but still fulfilled your addiction.

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u/Macleo142114 9d ago

Exactly my point! Housing programs, and staying with family is not the same as living on the street. They're not effected by homeless encampment pogroms (maybe not the right word...yet) were seeing these days. All I can witness to is my experience and what I've seen, and to say that there are vast numbers of homeless people that are NOT eather addicted or mentally ill is straight bullshit. Living in subsidized housing or with family is still living indoors.

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u/Maximum-Extent-4821 9d ago

It's not though, because you ran to drug dens and shit. You have no idea because you are literally living a different situation.

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u/Macleo142114 9d ago

You've obviously never been homeless

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u/Maximum-Extent-4821 9d ago

I have been homeless twice. But I don't do drugs.

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u/bikinibeard 9d ago

I have and same; never saw anyone who wasn’t trying to get and stay high unless they were severely mentally ill, to ill to even think about drugs.

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u/_ArkAngel_ 9d ago

You don't recognize them because they don't want what you wanted.

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u/Abombasnow 9d ago

You used way too many negatives. Are you saying all of them are addicts or not?

Not once did I ever encounter someone just down on there luck

So, they're all addicts, right? As no one is there purely because they are down on their luck?

eather addicted or mentally ill.

So they're all addicts or mentally ill?

All we did was trade goods and services "free shit" for drugs all the time every time.

So... 100% all addicts, right?

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u/Curious-Author-3140 9d ago

Sickeningly true. Once lived in apartments that would allow a tow agency to troll for cars not registered to that address. Realized that the cost of lost work, tow fee and impoundment charges until car was registered correctly probably allowed them to make a little money on late rent, and I know they filed eviction multiple times on neighbor families who didn’t have the total by whatever the cut off was. I was disgusted that they would accept full payment, plus court costs before the hearing, multiple times. They didn’t care, they just got a judgement and evicted if not. They were not cheap rents to start with, took about 2 weeks to realize they were just fancy slum lords.

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u/BootyfullTrans 9d ago

THANK YOU!!!♥️

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u/Subbacterium 9d ago

They want charity to take care of all of it. I want the government to do it because it’s a result of government failure. These people will always exist but when there are too many people getting screwed by excessively unregulated capitalism something has to change politically. Unions have to come raging back for starters.

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u/Jabroniville2 9d ago

He did say "many", not all

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u/pinksocks867 9d ago

He literally said many of the homeless, have drug addiction or mental health issues, nowhere did he say all of them, or even most

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u/Super_Mario_Luigi 9d ago

And do these people need to sleep in the street?

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u/Zealousideal-Help594 8d ago

Just because the ones you see and remember are the crazies, doesn't mean there aren't 10x more normal

I'm sure you're right. It's a fucked up timeline we live in.

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u/neithan2000 9d ago

Sure, there are many. But the majority of homelessness stems from drugs or mental health issues, not economics.

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u/Code-Useful 9d ago

From what statistics are you pulling this information? Or are you just convinced it's true? Do you really think economics has nothing to do with homelessness? Do you honestly believe we have enough social safety nets available for those in need? They are being ripped away constantly, and things will get worse. It's not like there is not enough to go around, literally all of it could be resolved by taking the rich.

From : Key Takeaways from National Opinion Polling, May 2025 - National Alliance to End Homelessness https://share.google/95eVe2U4sQGke6Cxn

How Common Is Illegal Drug Use Among People Who Are Homeless? | UC San Francisco https://share.google/mQaokKHz39sGeYgPU

UCSF: Less than half of people experiencing homelessness regularly used illicit drugs in the prior six months.

Your turn.

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u/neithan2000 9d ago

From the National Institute of Health:

Although studies vary, research consistently shows over a third of individuals who are homeless experience alcohol and drug problems (e.g., Gillis, Dickerson, & Hanson, 2010) and up to two-thirds have a lifetime history of an alcohol or drug disorder (Robertson, Zlotnick, & Westerfelt, 1997).

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4833089/

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u/MollyPollyWollyB 9d ago

That study is ten years old, whereas the articles in the comment you are replying to are both from 2025. Their sources are ten years more relevant than yours.

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u/bikinibeard 9d ago

I’m so sick of this debate.

Most homeless people have or have had a serious SUD that helped lead them to being homeless and/or keeps them homeless. Among the chronically homeless, the ones who have been outside for years and only go inside when they’re hospitalized, jailed or in the rare transitional housing (very high failure rate), the SUD is extremely high.

Even if you dispute that, you should be all for separating this population from homeless families, those who are employed, disabled, seniors, etc. in fact, California has done a fair job of preventing homelessness among these populations (though this administration is going to F this up). The SUD chronically homeless cause the mist issues with theft, nuisance, sex trafficking, garbage, et. They have the most interactions with EMS and cost taxpayers a fortune. Addressing their root issue of SUD with mandatory treatment and cracking down on fentanyl dealers (severe penalties) will help free up more resources to both house people and prevent them from slipping into homelessness in the first place.

This constant argument, this saintifying the homeless literally does nothing but make people feel superior.

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u/Financial-Street9582 9d ago

I work on a daily basis with the homeless population in our city. I don’t know the stats, but I can honestly say that nearly every one of them we interact with, is drug/alcohol addicted, and also suffer from mental illnesses. Most of the people who are just truly out of home due to job loss, eviction, whatever, have a clear enough head on their shoulders to find temporary housing. I’m not saying they aren’t out there, but that’s the reality we see within the homeless population here. And the ones who do manage to get clean, or get the help they need, even temporarily, usually find themselves somewhere to stay pretty soon after. We know when we stop seeing certain people, they either got help and are staying somewhere, in jail, or passed away. And the majority just pass away, from overdoses or organ failure. It’s a never ending cycle of the old ones passing away, and new ones just taking the spot. Either way, our system is broke.

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u/bikinibeard 9d ago

When I started volunteering in a shelter, I was shocked at the age of some if our clients. Seniors! Deeper look and realized they’d been addicts for so long, none of their family would take a chance trying to help them. They don’t last too much longer. Its awful.

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u/Grand_Ryoma 9d ago

No they're not. I'm tired of hearing this sob song.. that tells me you have either no friends, or you Ostrander your family. You have no support circle. Not everyone packed up for a new job in a new state and get dumped. If you are, then either you need to work on your social skills or you may need to look in the mirror and wonder why no one's around to help when shit hits the fan.

I know from experience. One side of may family is white trash, blamed everyone for their own faults and couldn't keep their shit together. The other side was middle class, had their ducks In a row, and helped out when things got rocky.

The excuse of "this can happen to anyone" is bull. It can't if you have your act together. Those that say any different are covering for their own shortcomings

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u/Professional-Tax-615 Down with Gambling ads 8d ago

Your own words aren't even making any sense are you listening to yourself? You're saying one side of your family is useless and the other one is normal and helps out when you need them. But what about people who only have one side of the family, did you ever consider that possibility?

You know that some people only contact half of their family right? For whatever reason the other side could be all dead, or they could be from another country... you're not thinking. And when that only side of the family that the person has isnt good enough and are a bunch of mentally ill evil people, then they have no one. Come on now, use logic.

You're really out here trying to say that everyone should and does have a family and friends to rely on? What are you 5 years old, are you that naive?

If you really believe that a person can choose the family they are born into (or force non-related people to adopt them) then you're just straight up crazy lol

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u/Grand_Ryoma 8d ago

I have, and I'm friends with folks who have that exact same situation. One of them fell into borderline alcoholism in his mid 20s. He alienated nearly his entire social circle. His mom had passed, and he didn't talk to his dad. You know what happened. He realized what he was doing, got his shit together, is now married, has a kid, and owns a home. He works a job he's not thrilled with, but he's happy with life and has a modest amount in savings. He had to come to that realization himself. When he came to me and asked why no one wants to be around him anymore, i.told him it's because "you're being self destructive " he told me to "fuck off" and didn't talk to me for 6 months. After 6 months, he came back to me and apologized. He told me he should have listened because he was nearly homeless and nearly lost his job. Even when being told what his problem was ,he didn't fix it until he realized what he was doing and owned up to his mistakes. He was quite drinking for 5 years until he got his act together, and now that he's a dad, he has a beer once every 5 months or so.

It can be done. He had to come to that realization and do the work himself. I and his other friends offered help early on, and he told us to shove rocks.. so, we let go because we couldn't have his behavior around our families because it was destructive. When he got everything together, he personally apologized to everyone and has been an upstanding guy ever since.

And to add to your "family and friends," I get if your family is small or a mess, that's one thing, but you choose your friends. And if your friends are a bunch of losers who don't have their act together, good chance you don't either. You do not have to be the way you are. You are in control of your life.

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u/Professional-Tax-615 Down with Gambling ads 8d ago

You sound very uncultured and very untraveled. Like you don't know about the type of people or situations that exist. Like it sounds like you don't even know what mental illness is, you can't force somebody to not be mentally ill. You should read up on that. It seems like you're just one of those people that claims that anything that ever happens bad to somebody means they deserve it, which is crazy, but okay. You're just a victim blamer and there's plenty of those out there. You literally think there's no such thing as a legitimate victim who does not deserve what is happening to them, and that is bizarre. You shouldn't spread that belief to people, just so you know... you should keep that to yourself. I can definitely tell that you don't know what narcissism or going through abuse is like AT ALL. You're just sheltered. But hopefully you'll open your mind one day. I never even said that I drank or did any kind of substance, you just made that assumption. It shows your true colors - not mine.

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u/EmmCee325 9d ago

In our local unsheltered homeless population, the percentage with severe mental health and substance abuse challenges is around 30%. Housing costs, especially in HCOL areas, have far outpaced income growth, especially for people with fixed incomes. In my county, the fastest growing homeless population is seniors. Those with substance abuse or mental health problems are the most visible, often use the most resources (hospital, police, etc), and cause the most headaches for housed people in the community (and often other unhoused people too). There are lots of homeless people that have jobs, that are doing their best to get back on their feet, that are just trying to fly under the radar, do their best not to cause problems. Those are not the ones people notice, so they assume most of the homeless population are like the ones they see.

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u/YogurtclosetFair5742 8d ago

Roughly 50% of those who are homeless have jobs. Those jobs don't pay enough to cover rent.

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u/[deleted] 10d ago

[deleted]

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u/dreal46 9d ago

Everything about this is "poorly translated." What a fucking profoundly misanthropic and incorrect view of humanity. I sincerely hope this is a bot.