Where are the homeless supposed to go?

[u/Garey_Coleman]

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?

[u/whatugonnadowhenthey]

Since no one is answering the question in good faith, I’ll give it a shot. Honestly, most cities don’t give a shit if a homeless guy is sleeping on a stoop or in a alley or something, it’s been part of living in a city for thousands of years. They care when dozens of them set up tent cities in public areas and start trashing them. That’s when it becomes a real problem because once a tent city is established, less regular folk go to the area, which leads to more homeless, which leads to less regular folk, which leads to businesses leaving, etc. etc.

So the answer to your question is out of open air drug dens and into more individual spaces that are less of an eye sore and quite frankly a danger to the community. Literally “disperse”.

[u/BeardedDisc → u/whatugonnadowhenthey]

Part of the answer here is that those “encampments” make it more “comfortable” (I get that’s it’s still a shit hole). Many people feel this removes much of the incentive to pull oneself out of this situation one way or another.

[u/Witty_Replacement969 → u/BeardedDisc]

For some encampments are safer. A single homeless female is almost always a target for rape if her sleeping place is discovered. One friend had a brick thrown at her while sleeping. I am one of the 'working poor' and do not do drugs, alcohol, and am not a criminal, and I have seizures, but I do not make enough to qualify for a safe rental (currently min. income for a cheap studio is 3x rent, plus 3 -12 month deposit, key deposit, etc.). It would currently take 2 roommates plus myself to rent a studio unit (this is all across my country). No LL will accept that. By safe I mean not filled with bed bugs, cockroaches, or a LL after sex, with a proper water and heat supply and a locking door.  Sudsidized housing is a decade long wait here. I'm waiting for medically assisted death now (available in my country), because I was doing everything the legal and correct way, and am a hard worker, but why should I >want< to work to enrich other people who want me to freeze to death in the winter while paying me minimum wage? These are the same people who would prefer I go die out of sight. I was in 3rd year of a Microbiology degree before becoming homeless. COL forced me to drop out to work. I have no family. I have no wealthy friends. I'm sick of running in your rat race and becoming worse off when I have never had the opportunities most of you take for granted. Food banks are only open 1 - 2 hours (when I work) so that I can not access them. I paid taxes from the age of 15, but to this country I am a piece of trash. 

Edit: The country is Canada.  I am not considered disabled enough for the Disability Tax Credit and Benefit. I am too old to qualify for most student programs and too young to qualify for any seniors. I do not qualify for any scholarships because I am not racially profiled, do not have dependents, am not the first person to go to university in my family, am not a refugee or asylum claimant, new immigrant, etc. and while I am a good student, I'm not a genius. If I do not >qualify< to live, what else can I do but at least have some control over my exit? For those going on about mental health: Therapy needs to be done from a place of physical stability due to issues that come up during it. A person living in survival mode should not be doing therapy other than coping skills. Also, it can cost $170/hr for proper treatment. That is not covered by provincial health.

[u/Sheraby → u/Witty_Replacement969]

I am so sorry that you are in this situation. The fact that Canada is letting people go through the MAID system rather than caring for them is terrifying and infuriating. I read the story about the person who couldn't get housing that accommodated their disability and made the choice you're making.

I have been unhoused myself in the past, but in the States; your observations about unhoused people and about the systems that keep the poor down ring true to me. I have felt just like you, that if all I am is an unwanted burden, I'd rather not be here. But I got lucky. Luck is all it was, and I knew people who never found some. I just want to say that you deserve better. You are trying your best and doing everything that anyone should ask of you.

You deserve secure housing, healthy food and clean water, clean clothes and everything else you need to be comfortable. You deserve medical care for your seizures. You should be able to finish school. It makes me so angry that you are in this situation and that we all live in a world in which some of us don't have these things. There's no good reason for it.

I really, really hope that you find a way to make a different choice. I hope you can find support and access to other resources. Your life has value. You have value. I know a stranger's hopes feel pretty meaningless, but I believe that there are people out there who could help and are in range of you, if only your paths could cross. I hope you keep looking.

And I really hope that you keep posting about your circumstances. There's one internet stranger who will be watching for updates. Best of luck to you, new friend. 🧡