JaniceM
Well-known Member
- Location
- still lost between two shores..
I didn't say I have solutions to everything. Was just a comment.Great. Now how do you plan to do that?
I didn't say I have solutions to everything. Was just a comment.Great. Now how do you plan to do that?
This squares with my (decidedly unscientific) observations. The majority of homeless people I see have addiction or mental illness problems, often both.Harvard Health Newsletter -- a quarter to a third of homeless people are mentally ill
The homeless mentally ill - Harvard Health
About a third of homeless people have substance abuse or addiction problems
As to alcohol/drugs:
Substance Abuse & Homelessness: Statistics & Rehab Treatment (americanaddictioncenters.org)
- Most research shows that around 1/3 of people who are homeless have problems with alcohol and/or drugs, and around 2/3 of these people have lifetime histories of drug or alcohol use disorders.6
When I add one-third and one-third, I get two-thirds. Even allowing for some overlap between the categories, it's more than half. And advocates for the homeless tend to play down these figures, because they lessen sympathy for the homeless, which shouldn't be the case.
That's where I got my "facts". Where do you get yours?
Says who?You can't make them "address their addictions" unless you make everyone NOT homeless do the same. Its discriminatory.
And trying to do that only leaves them homeless, so you STILL have a problem. Even the homeless have rights.Says who?
It's not discriminatory to require clean drug and alcohol tests of homeless people who are given free housing. That's why a lot of them don't want to go into shelters. They don't want to follow the rules, namely that they have to be sober.
You can't make them "address their addictions" unless you make everyone NOT homeless do the same. Its discriminatory.
And trying to do that only leaves them homeless, so you STILL have a problem. Even the homeless have rights.
So some people's rights are more important than others? I was referring to their right to have their addictions, but you twisted that. Perhaps if there were less NIMBY self interest, a better solution could be found.Sorry, you don't have the right to sleep on the street or in a public park. Or let me say, you shouldn't have the right to sleep on the street or in a public park. What about the rights of others to live undisturbed by needles, human waste and other bad things?
I think we just have to accept that there are a certain percentage of folks who are going to take the path of least resistance regardless of what society tries to do for them. That's why I say give them a subsistence level living environment in one of these economic refugee camps, and, as long as they don't cause problems, leave them be. Just don't let them do it anywhere else.And what about when "the homeless" are given and accept housing.. but are not required to do anything in their own behalf, not even required to address their addictions? "Self-determination" and "rights" can go too far.
Camps would only work for people who want to work and improve their lives. Those that don't would remain on the streets. Of course, many of those who would remain on the streets have severe mental health problems. Why else would someone want to live like that?I think we just have to accept that there are a certain percentage of folks who are going to take the path of least resistance regardless of what society tries to do for them. That's why I say give them a subsistence level living environment in one of these economic refugee camps, and, as long as they don't cause problems, leave them be. Just don't let them do it anywhere else.