[mountainplus]

>Are they allowed to cook meth in the place they are given? What about renting it out so they can get some money to buy drugs? Do they have to ever clean it to avoid bug and rat infestations? What happens when their dealer comes to collect? And will neighbors tolerate a dramatic uptick in porch piracy and prowling needed to get money to buy those drugs?

Most of the comments here makes me incredibly upset and disgusted just by their nature of inhumane scape-goating and denigrating from a privileged position. But its not just that, I lost some hope that people here would be curious enough not to bring up these shitty panels. But these questions are especially wrong, not just by the attitude but also because it is totally irrelevant to homeless of Houston.

All these questions you ask apply to sheltered people with addiction, or sheltered people dealing to people with addiction, and mind you old people (elders, grandparents, who you might think much of and respect [rightly so!]) who can not take care of themselves anymore, as well.* Why would you need to differentiate let alone lump all of homeless people under the label of "addict." Some are addicts yes, however have you thought that this might be not the cause but the effect of their state? They are easy targets for blame, wouldn't you agree that it is intellectually quite an easy way out of interacting with part of our society? Why would you point fingers at those who lose for the whole slew of issues with how modern societies are priced and functioning? For me your comment comes off as an example of ignorant and narrow-minded attitude: assuming the worst and pointing out all the why-nots. I encourage you to study this issue and read upon it, just here for example on HN if you search for homelessness there is a nice study on how Finland provides for them. I hope you can develop some empathy towards these people who are behind the veneer of urban filth just the same as you or me or ancestors from 500 years ago.

Disclaimer: I have been homeless while sober and have been an addict while sheltered and working.

* As far as I know, the contract between old people and society is to move them to homes for the elderly. Which makes me think that while there is more love and money involved, the motives and solutions are the same to both problems

[seanmcdirmid]

I’ve had neighbors with substance abuse problems and it was hell until my lease expired and I could get out. I’m glad you were functional when addicted or homeless, but that is the exception, not the rule.

I get it, I’m just another NIMBY becuase I’ve experienced someone trying to cook meth in their apartment next door, or a rat infestation overflowing from a hoarder. There are simply a lot of people out there who can’t live alone without lots of help. To think otherwise is insanity.

Houston’s approach is going to have blowback (I f it hasn’t already) if they are just throwing people in housing in the community. Again, housing first simply doesn’t work, you need to throw in a lot of additional social services if you don’t want the place to burn down. We also want to avoid slums where we just concentrate all the unhoused together, making the problem even more difficult.

I get the ideal that everyone deserves housing regardless of their lifestyle choices, implementation is much more complicated than that.

[pseudalopex]

"In 2019, 20.4 million people aged 12 or older (or 7.4 percent of this population) had an SUD in the past year, including 14.5 million who had an alcohol use disorder and 8.3 million who had an illicit drug use disorder (Figure 46)."[1] How many cook meth do you think? Probably you had neighbors whose substance abuse problems didn't affect you.

Housing 1st doesn't mean no social services. Providing social services is easier when people have homes actually.

[1] https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2019-nsduh-annual-nationa...

[goodpoint]

> I get it, I’m just another NIMBY

No need for strawmanning.

> There are simply a lot of people out there who can’t live alone without lots of help

You seem to keep labeling people as being intrinsically "homeless", "addicts", "unable to live alone".

This can happen to anybody, just like mental and physical illness can come without warning and without asking for permission.

"housing first" does not automatically imply "housing first and zero social services".

[mountainplus]

> There are simply a lot of people out there who can’t live alone without lots of help. To think otherwise is insanity.

> housing first simply doesn’t work, (...) implementation is much more complicated than that.

Thanks for sharing your experiences as well which helps understanding your position. However by your comment you seem to be arguing with yourself. I totally agree that they need support that's what I'm advocating for. You are the one in our discussion advocating against (or, at least, pointing out fairly hypothetical and broad-scoped reasons for possible failure) any advancement on giving that "lots of help" (eg. basic human decency). Surely you can't mean that leaving these poor people on the street, or moving them to an island for some zoning law schenanigans or just general sociopathic disregard (if they need it -- shouldn't they be consulted what is that they need?) looking through them or commenting here how giving them housing won't work, is a way towards giving them that?

Just for the fun of it you might try to imagine a situation where your home gets broken into you are robbed of your posessions, your sense of security but worse follows, a misinterpreted word on your interview with the kind insurance guy, or a mail never delivered makes them mark you suspicious and stall on paying you. You have no friends or ones you have are out of town, your parents can't pay for your accomodation, you spend a few nights at a hotel but then you might not have more cash, you are out of options and spend a few nights strolling or staring in a McDo, stressed out and tired. US has this stupid no-notice firing thing, so let's say after a week of no-show you get to charge your laptop to see you have been terminated. Now imagine how would you like others and the society to handle you and your situation. In one world you are now described as an addict, homeless person that might be unable to live alone on some webforums.