r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Garey_Coleman • 8d 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?

8.2k Upvotes

91% Upvoted

4.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

38

u/Eudaimonics 8d ago

The ideal solution is:

  • More public housing for those on Social Security/SSI
  • More transitional housing for those with steady jobs that just need a place to live for a few months
  • Long Term Treatment Clinics

Ultimately this costs a lot more money than just building shelters or ensuring people aren’t needlessly dying from overdoses/dirty needles.

I feel like one side doesn’t want to spend a dime on “other people’s problems” and the other is too focused on bandaids and someone’s right to live in a tent than actual long term solutions.

Shelters, Narcan access and safe injection sites just cover up the symptoms, they’re not the cure.

16

u/Hobbesfrchy 8d ago

You'll have to convince the homeless to both accept help, accept treatment, and stop using their drug of choice. Good luck

5

u/Eudaimonics 8d ago

Drugs are illegal, so it would be pretty easy for a doctor to prescribe long term treatment to a judge over jail time. We just need the beds at treatment facilities.

4

u/Hobbesfrchy 7d ago

Sadly most homeless addicts will refuse help

2

u/Eudaimonics 7d ago

What part of court order don’t you understand?

3

u/UniqueSaucer 7d ago

Addiction recovery isn’t a one and done thing. After this jail recovery time you’re recommending they have to want to continue to stay clean. It takes effort and if you didn’t want to recover in the first place, it won’t take long to fall back into it.

I have family members with drug addictions, you can’t force them to stay clean because they don’t want to. Yes, they’ve done time. No, they didn’t stay clean.

0

u/Eudaimonics 7d ago

Yes, that’s where the long term comes into play. Right now most treatments don’t actually take individuals away from the environments that enable drug use and exacerbate mental health issues so relapse rates are high.

Way better than cycling through jail cells racking up criminal convictions making it impossible to find work or housing.

I don’t believe people are a lost cause.

2

u/UniqueSaucer 7d ago

Long term treatments only work if people WANT to stay clean. You’re assuming they all want to stay clean and that’s definitely not always the case. If the individual doesn’t have a desire to clean up and commit to long term treatment and improvements then it won’t happen.

1

u/Eudaimonics 7d ago

What’s your solution, just let them die on the streets?

Also, stop generalizing. There’s TONs of cases of people getting and staying clean. Even if some are a lost cause at least they’d be off the streets in a safe environment.

1

u/UniqueSaucer 7d ago

The reality is there is no solution. That’s just a fact, you can’t force people to change if they don’t want to. You can offer as much support as you want but until they want to take it, there’s nothing that can be done. Some people will choose that life and forcing them into rehab programs they don’t want to participate is just wasting energy.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

→ More replies (0)

-2

u/Hobbesfrchy 7d ago

What part of ... That violates HIPAA laws do you not understand? The government cannot manage not mandate medical care for individuals. Also, even if they would that would be highly unethical and authoritarian. Who gets to decide which person needs treatment? The government? Imagine you get into a car accident and someone in the government decides you are mentally ill even though you aren't. You are forced into treatment and now you cannot work to pay your bills. You lose your house, family...

Comments like yours reminds me that most of reddit has no idea how the world really works.

4

u/Eudaimonics 7d ago

What part about drug use, public intoxication and drug possession being illegal don’t you understand. The government already locks up people with addictions which isn’t helpful because criminal charges make it impossible to find a job/housing even if you get clean.

Individuals would need to undergo a medical evaluation and be prescribed the best solution, be it lighter treatments or full on admission into a long term care facility.

Don’t be dense. What we’re currently doing has been a complete failure. The longer these people are on the streets the higher the chance they’re going to OD.

The compassionate thing is to give them the treatment they need before they OD or succumb to the elements.

The only thing holding us back is funding and political will power.

1

u/kmoz 7d ago

What youre describing is forced institutionalization and/or prison btw.

2

u/Eudaimonics 7d ago

It’s the last resort option only after evaluated by a medical professional.

Many unhoused individuals find themselves in a constant cycle of being arrested and released, picking up charges that make it almost impossible for them to find housing or work even if they could.

This is the middle ground. Medically supervised treatment in a safe environment, esponge criminal charges, and assistance for finding housing (see my point about transitional housing) and work upon release.

You can’t expect people to get healthy in shelters or camps. There’s way too many ODs and deaths due to exposure.

What’s your solution?

-1

u/Hobbesfrchy 7d ago edited 7d ago

What you are describing is the government forcing people into mental institutions. Take a look at how that worked in the 1960s. If Trump had that power which states or districts of states do you think he would target right now? How many of those people he will lock up really should not be locked up?

Come back after you graduate high school and after you have lived in the real world. Then decide whether or not this is a good idea. Your simplistic solution to a very complex problem is not feasible.

1

u/Eudaimonics 7d ago

Trump isn’t even giving people due process. Totally different.

1

u/Hobbesfrchy 7d ago

So, Trump isn't giving people due process but you don't think he will force people in blue states into mental institutions if he has the power to do so? Is that your argument?

→ More replies (0)

0

u/RemoteRide6969 7d ago

Dude you're soooooooo close to getting the point.

0

u/RemoteRide6969 7d ago

Dude you're soooooooo close to getting the point.

1

u/Accurate-Fig-3595 8d ago

But that sounds like the dreaded socialism! How will rich people afford another yacht if we spend money actually helping the people of this country?