[toomuchtodo]

The evidence, from Utah (Salt Lake City also attempted and was somewhat successful with Housing First) to Finland says otherwise. Housing the homeless is cheaper and gets them stability to address the core issues (addiction, job placement, etc) with social services (which is incredibly difficult when folks are transient and sleeping rough).

With that said:

> Meanwhile, illegal immigration creates a homeless population many countries are unwilling to house. That is sabotaging the shift to housing first.

You can't house everyone who comes to your country with no means to support themselves. Resources are finite.

[lostcolony]

That same issue applies to different states. It always makes me roll my eyes when conservative pundits point to blue states' homelessness as a reason why socially liberal policies fail; no, but social policies will attract people needing them from anywhere accessible that doesn't have those policies. Hence why it needs to be done at a national level.

[Eridrus]

Not to say the general approach is bad, but I think the cost side is overplayed. It depends a lot on what the cost/structure of your existing response is, and critically, whether you can actually realize any savings after the shift. Both because it is hard to reduce staffing/infrastructure, but also because many costs are not actually born directly by the city (eg medical costs are born by the hospitals).

[cheph]

> Not to say the general approach is bad, but I think the cost side is overplayed.

Not sure why I, as an immigrant to Europe myself, should pay cover the cost for illegal aliens while I cannot provide properly for my own relatives in my home country. It is unconscionable.

[Eridrus]

We live in an imperfect world with many constraints and trade-offs. Why did you have to emigrate, while others were already born into lucky countries? Why are some people denied the right to emigrate?

Life is various shades of unfair and we're more likely to make a better world if we optimize for well being rather than fairness (of which there are multiple competing and contradictory definitions).

[cheph]

> Why did you have to emigrate, while others were already born into lucky countries?

A lot of people worked very hard to make the place I immigrated from the place it is today, most of them are still there. No luck about it.

> Why are some people denied the right to emigrate?

As far as I know all EU countries give everyone equal rights to immigrate. Maybe you should check your facts.

> Life is various shades of unfair and we're more likely to make a better world if we optimize for well being rather than fairness

How exactly is it optimizing for well being to ignore the corruption, injustice and bad governance in Africa?

Europeans should open their eyes, the world is collapsing around them while they sign treaties with China which is actively destroying Africa while committing genocide in their own country - and Europe does not care. Russia is busy oppressing their own people and it's neighbors while Germany is building a pipeline to them. This behaviour of Europe is pathetic cowardice, grow a backbone. Spending my tax money on illegal immigrants does not make the world fairer.