• shalafi@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Housing the homeless has been shown to work for a good percentage of folks. But no one wants to talk about where they are to go. And keep in mind, housing has to be in a city to provide job opportunities, access to counseling and social workers. Also, what about the ones for whom temp housing doesn’t/can’t lift them to their feet?

    The ugly truth is that many (most?) are addicted to drugs or alcohol and/or suffer mental illnesses that often include antisocial behaviors. You want those types of people roaming your neighborhood? If you say you’re fine with that, you’re either lying or have never spent time around the homeless.

    Worked downtown for 7-years and they were a constant hassle. One guy was pestering my wife and I told him to fuck off, about got jumped but his buddies didn’t look interested in backing him. Another guy wanted to fight me at lunch one day, in the middle of a huge crowd, because I told him, sorry, I don’t carry cash. On two occasions, same night, two guys got upset when I wouldn’t give them money and followed my wife and I through the French Quarter.

    Aside from potential violence, they trash everywhere they go. At my last job, another downtown, the office was surrounded by liquor bottles and filth. And yes, there was more than one dumpster, like the one they slept next to.

    Anecdotally, I knew two guys who had a clean place to stay and just said fuck it, living with people is too much pressure, rather live on the streets. What about people like them?

    Feel sorry for them all you want, I do, but we have to figure out where to put this housing. One upbeat note, if you can call it that, many of today’s homeless are victims of our housing prices. Those are exactly the sort who just need a leg up and for whom free housing would work best.

    • rockSlayer@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Put the housing where they are. Fuck NIMBYs. It does not matter if a couple people take advantage, as long as the program overwhelmingly assists people in need.

    • PwnTra1n@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      they already roam my neighborhood, why not house them? why not get them help? the ones that the temp housing doesnt work for? those ones need more help. they come to my work. a lot. sure some homeless cause problems, but so do some homed. they are people the same as you are. would you want a warm bed if you were homeless? you wouldnt be homeless right? shit happens sometimes. maybe they were homeless first and alcoholics and drug abusers second. addiction changes people and sometimes they dont change back

      • shalafi@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        These are people accustomed to living outside. You really think they will just happily sit around the shelter? Would you?

    • MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml
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      2 months ago

      The ugly truth is that many (most?) are addicted to drugs or alcohol and/or suffer mental illnesses that often include antisocial behaviors. You want those types of people roaming your neighborhood? If you say you’re fine with that, you’re either lying or have never spent time around the homeless.

      Yes, social welfare is the next thing you guys have to fix. And no, that’s not communism.

        • linkhidalgogato@lemmy.ml
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          2 months ago

          supposedly thats what politicians and lawyers and consultants are for, asking random people for the details of massive social programs, as a general argument against said programs seems kinda fucking stupid. Not saying most people are dumb to be clear we arent, its just that by the very nature of expertise most people dont have it on any particular area.

      • shalafi@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Yes? All true, and there are logical reasons for not wanting the homeless around your home and work, exactly as I wrote about.

        • mindaika@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          2 months ago

          None of the arguments you posited are “logical”: they’re speculation based on your personal feelings about what you think homeless people are like

    • Dragon Rider (drag)@lemmy.nz
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      2 months ago

      Drag has lived in a homeless shelter. Drag wants the homeless to be housed and would be happy to have them in drag’s neighbourhood.

    • JaggedRobotPubes@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      The people who don’t want the free house get the chance to refuse it, and the next person who didn’t have one gets offered it. Complete non-issue.