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To help set the context, some, maybe most, of the homeless people I know have done some pretty stupid things, even committed serious crimes, but they aren't really like that now. The homeless people I know are generally the kinder, gentler types -- down on their luck musicians, artists, more intellectual types. I tend avoid anyone who is violent or "scammy". This is just my opinion, based my my limited experience. And homelessness is a big problem, so there will be a lot of different approaches. But I see it as primarily a problem of mental health. A lot of the homeless I know were abused, or came from shitty families, or had abusive parents, or any of a number of major childhood issues and their families didn't have the financial or emotional resources to do anything about it. So I tend to see "get tough on the homeless" programs as blaming the victim. I think that forcing people to go into any kind of program or shelter or whatever is just going to lead to resentment and more problems in the long run. Most shelters are pretty bad already, and that's with people who want to be there. Imagine how bad it'll be with people who really don't want to be there. I think it's important to keep people accountable -- E.g. Insist that if they want to be in a clean, decent shelter for three months and get meals then they need to make thrir bed, do dishes, go to group meeting daily and look for work, or see a doctor or psychiatrist, etc... What I think they really need is a long-term program for re-integrating into society, sort of like prisoners getting out, one that includes basics like a place to live for a year or two, health care, food, as well as psychological care and job training. Many will be helped by that, but not all. Hopefully, people from the local community or church or something will be involved as well. It's also important that there be a self-help group sort of like AA, but geared for the homeless, "homeless anonymous", where people could talk openly about their life and experiences and be with others who have been through similar things. |