Why wouldn’t we as Americans want to help our fellow citizens overcome drug use, treat mental illness, and help rehabilitation efforts on their behalf?
It’s kind of a two-part question, that.
Do we want to spend the money to get fellow citizens off drugs and treat their mental illnesses?
That’s a pretty easy question if you have a soul: Yes.
If those fellow citizens refuse any and all help because they have a fundamental mistrust of the system. What do we do?
That’s the more difficult question. Forcing them to get treatment breaches their human rights and only stokes further mistrust in the system. Leaving them just leaves them open to exploitation and doesn’t make their lives better.
Homes are easy, it’s all the support that comes with it that’s difficult, especially if the person you’re trying to help either refuses to engage or actively fights you every step of the way.
Absolutely, and thank you for your reply. Learning and expansion of ideas and thoughts only comes from good conversation and discourse. That’s what makes this such a complex and difficult issue.
There is an inevitability of homelessness in a country is unavoidable, yes. Just like the inevitable need for criminal justice programs to detain, deter, and rehabilitate those who break the law.
No argument from me on the facts, there WILL be homelessness and crime in any society.
(This is for my sunshine and rainbows friend up top also).
Finland currently has a homelessness rate of .06% (2023) of their population. So let’s say that’s the baseline when you give people a fair shot, benefits, and treat them with care, and the remaining of those people that won’t take help when offered.
The United States has a rate THREE times that at .19% homelessness. Despite having a GDP output, 83 times as large as the US.
Since I went to public school, percentages make me woozy so let’s put it in whole numbers.
636,500 fellow citizens are homeless in the US (.19%).
If we adopted Finland’s (already proved 35+ year plan) we could get that down to 201,000 over time. Heck if it takes 35 years as well, at least we’re helping them.
That’s 435,500 fellow citizens (Or a city the size of Cincinnati) that are sleeping on the street tonight, so that ONE MAN Elon Musk can pay less taxes.
Fellow Americans, until we vote these billionaires out of office and tax them (oh I don’t know, at least as much as you and I pay) we are either ignoring the issue or complicit and I for one don’t want to be either.
TL;DR: This is just one example why we should lift up those below us, and not be pessimistic about our fellow man.
Most of our homeless want a fair shot, mental health counseling, and rehabilitation.
We need to advocate for them and help them just like if we were reading this sleeping on the street.
No arguments from me about giving them somewhere to live and the healthcare they need. If you have any kind of soul, that’s the least you can do. In an ideal world, there should be enough service to cover 100% of the homeless population (plus some buffer to cover any sudden increase) whether they take it or not. The question I have is do you have the right to force them to take it?
That’s a good and thoughtful question, with no easy answer.
My opinion is I don’t believe you can force someone to receive help, but you can incentivise them through rehabilitation, job training, counseling and housing.
At the end of the day, we need to respect their rights and not infringe on them. If they don’t want help, then they are part of the .06% that chooses homelessness.
It’s kind of a two-part question, that.
That’s a pretty easy question if you have a soul: Yes.
That’s the more difficult question. Forcing them to get treatment breaches their human rights and only stokes further mistrust in the system. Leaving them just leaves them open to exploitation and doesn’t make their lives better.
Homes are easy, it’s all the support that comes with it that’s difficult, especially if the person you’re trying to help either refuses to engage or actively fights you every step of the way.
Absolutely, and thank you for your reply. Learning and expansion of ideas and thoughts only comes from good conversation and discourse. That’s what makes this such a complex and difficult issue.
There is an inevitability of homelessness in a country is unavoidable, yes. Just like the inevitable need for criminal justice programs to detain, deter, and rehabilitate those who break the law.
No argument from me on the facts, there WILL be homelessness and crime in any society. (This is for my sunshine and rainbows friend up top also).
So let’s figure out how much that SHOULD be:
https://www.greaterchange.co.uk/post/which-country-handles-homelessness-the-best
Finland currently has a homelessness rate of .06% (2023) of their population. So let’s say that’s the baseline when you give people a fair shot, benefits, and treat them with care, and the remaining of those people that won’t take help when offered.
The United States has a rate THREE times that at .19% homelessness. Despite having a GDP output, 83 times as large as the US.
Since I went to public school, percentages make me woozy so let’s put it in whole numbers.
636,500 fellow citizens are homeless in the US (.19%).
If we adopted Finland’s (already proved 35+ year plan) we could get that down to 201,000 over time. Heck if it takes 35 years as well, at least we’re helping them.
That’s 435,500 fellow citizens (Or a city the size of Cincinnati) that are sleeping on the street tonight, so that ONE MAN Elon Musk can pay less taxes.
Fellow Americans, until we vote these billionaires out of office and tax them (oh I don’t know, at least as much as you and I pay) we are either ignoring the issue or complicit and I for one don’t want to be either.
TL;DR: This is just one example why we should lift up those below us, and not be pessimistic about our fellow man.
Most of our homeless want a fair shot, mental health counseling, and rehabilitation.
We need to advocate for them and help them just like if we were reading this sleeping on the street.
No arguments from me about giving them somewhere to live and the healthcare they need. If you have any kind of soul, that’s the least you can do. In an ideal world, there should be enough service to cover 100% of the homeless population (plus some buffer to cover any sudden increase) whether they take it or not. The question I have is do you have the right to force them to take it?
That’s a good and thoughtful question, with no easy answer.
My opinion is I don’t believe you can force someone to receive help, but you can incentivise them through rehabilitation, job training, counseling and housing.
At the end of the day, we need to respect their rights and not infringe on them. If they don’t want help, then they are part of the .06% that chooses homelessness.