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Louisiana Advances One of the Country's 'Cruelest' Anti-Homeless Bills

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Re: Louisiana Advances One of the Country's 'Cruelest' Anti-Homeless Bills

#31

Post by soraminazuki »

Schiendelman wrote: post #17
Ar-Curunir wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does this actually stop homelessness? Most homeless people, if you fine them money, won't exactly be able to find housing more easily. Similarly, if you imprison them, they aren't suddenly able to find a job more easily.

Most people experiencing homelessness are approached repeatedly by workers hoping to get them into programs that will provide them work, housing, mental healthcare. There's a lot of complexity, like people who appear homeless but do have a place to sleep, but appear mentally ill. For the most part, people in these situations are not looking for work or housing.

So what, if you lose your job, you can just sleep on the street and employers will line up to hire you? That sounds ridiculous.

Re: Louisiana Advances One of the Country's 'Cruelest' Anti-Homeless Bills

#32

Post by Gabriel54 »

sapphicsnail wrote: post #25
Gabriel54 wrote: post #9

There is homelessness, and then there is drug and/or alcohol addiction. > Those who are convicted of sleeping outdoors could be given the option to avoid jail time by instead entering into a mandatory treatment program for at least 12 months. What happens if someone is homeless and not addicted to drugs or alcohol? Why assume everyone who is homeless is also an addict? It seems entirely reasonable that someone homele…

Because this isn't about helping people. This is about punishing the homeless.

Or to be more generous, they are tired of seeing drug addicted people sleeping in the street.

Re: Louisiana Advances One of the Country's 'Cruelest' Anti-Homeless Bills

#33

Post by HWR_14 »

nslsm wrote: post #22
xrd wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, despite the biggest cause of homelessness: medical debt.

Citation needed.

Medical debt is the biggest cause of bankruptcies. I assume bankruptcy and homelessness are correlated, but I haven't seen stats on homelessness.

Re: Louisiana Advances One of the Country's 'Cruelest' Anti-Homeless Bills

#34

Post by adampunk »

Gabriel54 wrote: post #32
sapphicsnail wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because this isn't about helping people. This is about punishing the homeless.

Or to be more generous, they are tired of seeing drug addicted people sleeping in the street.

My heart bleeds for the person who sees someone sleeping in the street and assumes the sight of it is the tiresome thing.

Re: Louisiana Advances One of the Country's 'Cruelest' Anti-Homeless Bills

#36

Post by adampunk »

soraminazuki wrote: post #31
Schiendelman wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most people experiencing homelessness are approached repeatedly by workers hoping to get them into programs that will provide them work, housing, mental healthcare. There's a lot of complexity, like people who appear homeless but do have a place to sleep, but appear mentally ill. For the most part, people in these situations are not looking for work or housing.

So what, if you lose your job, you can just sleep on the street and employers will line up to hire you? That sounds ridiculous.

People tell themselves crazy lies because the truth--that they're just a few coin flips from the same fate--is scary.

Re: Louisiana Advances One of the Country's 'Cruelest' Anti-Homeless Bills

#37

Post by defrost »

LewisVerstappen wrote: post #24
UncleMeat wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And when people do professional research on the topic, they don't find that every homeless person outside is an addict.

homeless != sleeping on the streets.

> literally all of them are strugging from some sort of addiction.

This is what you found when you went out and interviewed how many people sleeping on the streets in which cities of which counries?

And _nobody_ working in the social services of any city in any country has ever found anything other to be a factor?

Remarkable.

Re: Louisiana Advances One of the Country's 'Cruelest' Anti-Homeless Bills

#38

Post by burnt-resistor »

UncleMeat wrote: post #23
LewisVerstappen wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

And when people do professional research on the topic, they don't find that every homeless person outside is an addict.

I was functionally homeless for 11 years but never used substances and wasn't psychotic.

There was a very large fraction of other homeless people who couldn't hold jobs because they were disabled, elderly, under-skilled, not presentable, or lacked the resources and support to "pick themselves up by their [invisible] bootstraps." Some had personality aggression issues that couldn't hold jobs too that didn't fall under danger to themselves or others and so they weren't necessarily able to access mental healthcare. And also some had debts, credit problems, and criminal records that presented obstacles to employment opportunities.

I knew 2 elderly retired teachers who were homeless because they lacked family and resources but were otherwise "normal", cool, and social-able.

I understand that it's human nature of privileged, inexperienced, ignorant people to scapegoat and dehumanize groups they don't understand.

Re: Louisiana Advances One of the Country's 'Cruelest' Anti-Homeless Bills

#39

Post by Gabriel54 »

adampunk wrote: post #34
Gabriel54 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or to be more generous, they are tired of seeing drug addicted people sleeping in the street.

My heart bleeds for the person who sees someone sleeping in the street and assumes the sight of it is the tiresome thing.

Your heart doesn't have to bleed for such a person but I think most people would agree it is tiresome to see homeless people in the street. It is also a public health issue. Doing heroin in the middle of the sidewalk and throwing the needle on the ground is obviously extremely un-hygienic and dangerous to everyone.

Re: Louisiana Advances One of the Country's 'Cruelest' Anti-Homeless Bills

#40

Post by SilverElfin »

Schiendelman wrote: post #19
2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. My town has a homeless problem. They say they need beds so the town adds beds and now we get homeless from all the other towns coming in. Comparatively few of our homeless are from here.

Do be careful. Everyone claims that, but it's almost always something like 80% local in every place that measures.

The measurements are always wrong. Volunteers tell people to lie on the point in time surveys so programs supporting them (or claiming to support them) keep getting funding. In the west coast cities the majority are from elsewhere and it’s easy to confirm if you actually talk to some of them and learn more about the backgrounds of people at the camp. They are there because not only are they tolerated and can break the law without consequences, but they also get free needles to help their habit.
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