r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Garey_Coleman • 9d 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/HeKis4 9d ago

The situation we put people in causes crime

Society is nothing but a set of rules we impose to live together in peace. If you give people no reason to live as a society (or worse, actively push them away), surprise, they stop following the rules. Insane, I know.

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u/Raptor_197 9d ago

That’s why banishment used to work so well back in the day.

It gave people that didn’t fit within the society a chance to find a new one, but if they couldn’t they simply got recycled back into the ecosystem.

Before the well that sounds cruel comments, should a society bend for an individual or should individual bend to fit in a society?

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u/HeKis4 9d ago

should a society bend for an individual or should individual bend to fit in a society?

Moral considerations aside, on the pragmatic side it depends on the damage the individual (or group of individuals) can make. There are many many cases where it costs less to do the "wrong" thing than the "right" thing. For homeless people, if you have a functional healthcare system, preventing them from becoming dangerous addicts that will take up police and hospital time is economically sound.

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u/Raptor_197 8d ago

Totally depends on the society’s values.