Is there a downside to a city having excellent resources for the homeless?

@Demosthenes: “Is the solution to offer less so being homeless here doesn’t seem so “glamorous”?”

Feel free to try out the glamorous lifestyle of a person without a home. Do it in CA with the beautiful weather and the “plentiful free resources”. Anyone can do it!

Seriously though – we have plenty of housing in the US. Rather than figure out what to do once we’ve created a scenario in which people are involuntarily without a home, we should deal with housing insecurity and its causes.

“Excellent resources”—you mean houses?

Anything that’s not houses is just amelioration. It seems California has natural resources that make homeless living less terrible. I don’t see how you can offer less of something that occurs naturally, or why you’d want to.

@Hamb Lol, that’s the impression I get sometimes from the NIMBY constituent. They seem to be suggesting that we’ve made being homeless so appealing, that people are getting lazy and choosing it, especially regarding the people who live in RVs here in Silicon Valley.

I agree this situation is entirely manufactured. A true housing crisis would mean there’s not enough housing period. That’s not the case. There’s not enough affordable housing.

Higher crime rates often come with homelessness, as some are addicts. With increased crime, it affects police, which affects budgets and can affect tax rates.
We had a homeless man walk into a house and hit the owner, who sat and calmy waited to be taken to jail on a recent freezing night. Shelters here do have curfews, no drugs or pets allowed, so sometimes we see crime associated with our homeless here.

I was inspired to ask this question by a story (from a couple years ago) about people being arrested for giving out food and clothing to the homeless. Part of the argument was that in doing so they would encourage more homeless people to come to that area. I certainly agree that more homeless in an area is not a good thing. But I question the narrative that providing aid to the homeless is encouraging more people to come to a place to receive that aid or preventing people from trying to get out of homelessness.

Then there’s Finland’s approach.

@Demosthenes There is a pretty 50/50 split here on helping homeless, in the aspect you describe. Some refuse to contribute because they see some getting alcohol or drugs, etc…, but there are others that continue to help and leave the rest of it to the Creator.

I have heard through homeless that our city is well-known for charity to homeless, and that’s why our homeless population has increased so dramatically in the last 10 years. I have no other research to validate, as he said they spread it via word of mouth.

Due to the rural location, they will take over small areas of the woods and make cardboard homes or tents, so they can keep their animals. That is a fact. At least until the landowner gets them evicted. :(

The downside of course is that any jurisdiction providing superior services for the homeless is certain to be overwhelmed by the demand. Of course the cost of living is above the moon in San Francisco and the homeless numbers are stratospheric. Despite what anyone tells you about people fleeing for Texas, the homeless are no more stupid than the rest of us. You can expect California’s homeless hoards to migrate to Mississippi or Kentucky as soon as google or facebook choose to do likewise.

Maybe something should be done on a national level. To help organize how the system will work in coordination with the states.

Some homeless want to work and can. Some homeless have mental illness. Some homeless are addicts. The people who want to work let’s help them get jobs.

Idealistic, but I always thought some sort of cooperative or commune setting might be one option. Maybe have a working farm, also crafts that can be sold, I don’t know if it would work. Older people can help younger people with guidance, skills, tutoring. Similar to where I live where there is a tremendous amount of volunteerism. More like a socialized society, but it’s not.

I think people would be surprised how productive people can be when given the facilities assume they are not addicts and mentally healthy or mentally stable enough to care for themselves.

Probably, we need to mix in this housing with paid housing to not create free housing areas that are basically segregated from the rest of society.

I’m in favor of providing housing. I think all people should have access to shelter and to feel safe. Safety is necessary to give the next generation a better chance. I think growing up feeling safe is a huge part of becoming a stable and productive person.

If all states have programs then hopefully one state won’t have a glut of people, because it will be a tax burden.

They have prove in the past to harbor people addicted to drugs and alcohol. The premises got destroyed by its inhabitants.

I’ve never been convinced that west coast cities, with their mild climates, “attract” homeless populations. Isn’t it more likely that the homeless survive better in warmer temperatures? Try to imagine living through a winter, living on the streets, within Chicago, Detroit, or Minneapolis.

@Jeruba Similar plans have been tried and failed, partly because the participants fail to take advantage of the resources offered, and partly because there aren’t enough services available to meet the needs.

@Love_my_doggie I’ve heard it from the homeless themselves during interviews. They die here every year.

https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/local/ozarks/2019/01/25/homeless-man-found-dead-likely-froze-to-death/2681208002/