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?

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u/PaisleyLeopard 8d ago

This highlights a really good point. The situation we put people in causes crime, not the other way around as is generally assumed. Basically, we want to think that homeless people ‘deserve’ their situation because they’re all druggies and/or criminals—that way we don’t have to feel bad for the inhumane ways we deal with them. In reality, the majority of criminals and addicts started doing those things out of desperation, because they didn’t have better options. When we take care of people, they’re a helluva lot less likely to turn to crime or self medication.

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u/clubby37 8d ago

This is such an important point. Desperation and crime are very closely correlated, because there's a causal relationship. I remember years ago, I was going through a very rough time, couldn't even afford a phone, and was behind on other bills. I was walking down a dark street in a questionable neighbourhood. I passed a well-dressed lady who was doing a piss poor job of protecting her purse. We were alone on that sidewalk. I really thought about it, man. For half a second, I thought I might actually do it. She was carrying at least a month's peace of mind in that undefended purse.

We like to punish people with discomfort for misbehaviour, but don't like to acknowledge that discomfort promotes misbehaviour. Meeting people's needs before they've done something to earn it can seem like rewarding people who don't deserve it, but I think it's crazy to see that as worse than creating criminals where there otherwise wouldn't be any.

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u/Plutonicuss 8d ago

In this world where there are trillionaires and where 1/3 of all food produced goes to landfills, it doesn’t make sense to not meet everyone’s basic needs.

It sometimes feels like they want people to live in fear and to have people to demonize for losing the imagined game of meritocracy, to tell middle class people “if you don’t get a good enough job, you’ll end up like this.” It feels so medieval that this is still a problem.

I can’t see a downside for some form of UBI. I don’t think everyone would suddenly become lazy freeloaders who sit around all day. Think about all those retired folks puttering around trying to stay busy 24/7 still.

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u/okhi2u 8d ago

It feels like it because it's true!