The government’s current solution for homelessness is to throw money at it, without tracking the results. It should no longer be legal to suffer on the street, or to squat on people’s property. For the homeless, and for the areas they occupy and take over.
Build two super centers in each state. One that gives full care to those with mental issues beyond rehabilitation. The second, a place where job skills, food, room, and healthcare are provided. People are trained, clothed, and given a chance to get back on their feet with a job.
This would require a law change, but would give officers the ability to remove homeless encampments, while also giving people their best chance to return successfully to society. For those who can’t, they are wards of the state and cared for. This is cruelty free, saves lives, creates jobs, and will cleanup the community overnight.
Does this plan take into account the nationwide drug epidemic and how to tackle that? A large percentage of homeless are also drug addicts. I agree, there needs to be better plans than just throwing money at these issues.
Government pushes funds to a problem without ever wanting to solve the problem. How does Los Angeles spend 100 million a year, or whatever the true total is, and not solve homelessness? Because solving homelessness could mean ending positions for those managing the problem. Big money in managing and not solving the problem.
I won’t offer you my opinion but I will give you a quick description of my situation to offer more perspective. I’m 38 years old. I have recently become homeless. I didn’t lose my job and I don’t use drugs. I am physically and mentally healthy. I have to sleep in my vehicle some days, the hotel when it gets too cold. I simply couldn’t keep up with all the price hikes and fell behind. I’m in a situation where I earn too much money to qualify for any type of government assistance. But I don’t make enough to afford a one-bedroom apartment. in my area. Without getting into too much detail I will also add that I work for one of the big three auto manufacturers, so it’s not actually a matter of finding employment. When people talk about the homeless they are referring to mentally ill drug addicts living on the streets… People in my situation are ignored. And there are millions of us. And I’m not complaining to you. Just offering another perspective that you may not have considered. I will also add that if I was actually on the streets on drugs, I could get government subsidized housing. Or if I was an illegal. I hope the people that dismiss the homelessness problem as mental health and drugs will broaden their perspective. If I’m not mistaken they are also living in Bidens economy, so I’m not sure why it’s surprising to anybody that people are struggling financially and that some people are becoming homeless. Sorry for my poor grammar. God bless.
Homelessness is not a federal problem, it is a local problem.
By centralizing a solution to an institutional solution, there is more likely to be institutional side-effects, such as those we see in the prison system.
A large part of this would involve rehabilitation at these super centers. Treating addiction is possible, for those who are too far gone, the other facility is there to ensure quality of life care. Bring back mental health facilities!
If you read my plan in detail, one of the facilities is a shelter with food, electricity, a mailing address, and applicable job training for a better life. It isn’t permanent. If you are mentally fit, the facility would help you save and get back on your feet. It’s not a prison, it is a second chance.
Been thinking on similar lines. I imagined creating “farms” outside the cities where you have actual farming plus trade skills like you mentioned. Then there’s a “hospital” for people who are beyond help nearby. Some people can transition from the hospital to the farm. Of course there’s a huge problem with the way mental heath care is given in this country and that will have to substituted with experimental operations (huge subject here). Then in the cities, you pass strict loitering laws and run busses from the cities to the farm. You can’t force people to take the bus or stay on the farm, but if they can’t stay in the cities either, they will end up there.
Wow nice idea! Their are a lot of holistic approaches to mental health …Nature, yoga sauna, community. Wellness centers were a thing before allopathic medicine took over and burned the witch so to say.
Give states federal loans or grants bases of population to help and provide assistance for housing and job training, along with mental health and drug rehab. In my state of Ga, so many facilities closed in 08 and 09, sparking ppl being left on the streets that were in long term treatment. The fentanyl and methamphetamine problems needs dire attention along with better and longer mental health/ drug treatment because those go hand in hand. Given grants to local jails to have a mental health/ drug rehab a start to a program in the same building. Most of the arrests are drug related. We already have State run facilities but nowhere close to our jail systems. I understand this can be a requirement for probation, what about while they are in there awaiting court dates. Have the next to each other or same building, mandatory rehad without involving the courts systems. Also bring back inmate work details. Mental health plays a huge part in drug use. We all are going through hard times.
Utilize the closed military forts with the existing barracks, each capable of housing 50 people. These facilities could be resurrected using the homeless to provide the labor.
Utilize the vacant land on these forts to grow the food to provide the homeless using their own labor. Provide the on the job training for the homeless to give them purpose and a sense of accomplishment to keep them from being drug dependent.
The infrastructure is already there and under supervision, the homeless can bring back the barracks usefulness and get the homeless off the streets and drug free. Though many want their independence, as winter approaches, especially in colder climates, they may be more willing to comply.