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Originally Posted by ackmondual
Some of them have mental health issues, so even if you denied them drugs or alcohol, it's not like they'll "magically" find a job that can allow them to rent an apartment. Many mental health facilities have already been shut down.
Perhaps, but others see this as seeing an "opportunity and taking it". In the end, money is money. It's no different than your typical business that's managed to get their buyers to depart with their hard earned money.
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Cigarettes are also addictive. Literally. I wouldn't be surprised if it truly is hard for some of them to quit, considering those who aren't homeless and well off have had difficulty as well.
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As for giving up cigarettes for rent and food, last price on a pack of cigarettes I've got is $8. Assuming you smoke 1 pack of cigarettes a day, that's only $240 per month. I guess you could find section 8 housing, but those aren't always available. Otherwise, I'm hard pressed to figure out what you could do with $300 a month. Plus, if you're in an area that's fine to be outdoors, saving the money by not having to pay rent can go a long way.
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Homeless people do not spend $5-$10 a pack for cigarettes. I pay only $2.25 a pack, because I buy the empty filter tubes and a pound of smooth cigar tobacco and make my own, been going it for 15 years. Outside some homeless shelters there are entrepreneurs who sell single cigarettes, made the way I make them. We're looking at around 10 cents per cigarette.
When I used to walk my ferret on the Las Vegas Strip, if you looked through the cigarette receptacles outside the casino hotels, you'll find cigarettes where someone only took 2 puffs on it.