How would YOU resolve LA's homeless problem? (Los Angeles, Santa Barbara: apartment, rent)

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaGal

It's been well documented that many out on the streets are schizophrenics and I have read up on this. NOT ALL do not take their meds but many do not. They leave home and end up out on the streets. My cousin was a Schizophrenic (nothing to be ashamed of) and he ended up in board and care and eventually out on the streets. He died in 2004. He was a lost soul and just refused to take his medication.

I will venture to say a lot of the older folks out on the streets are people with either Schizophrenia or Bi-Polar

I haven't denied that there are schizophrenics on the streets. Of course there are. I used your broad brush comment as an example of mythology - not because there aren't schizophrenics out there, but because you are perpetuating the generalization that schizophrenics refuse to take medications unless forced. Not true. Only a small percentage refuse. And there are reasons that need to be understood in order to manage them.

Roughly 1% of human population world-wide are schizophrenic. Do some math about how many in the US. Do some research on how many homeless we have. Perform some calculations. Read and parse out who is living on the streets. How many homeless are schizophrenics?

Put some numbers and research to your sampling sub-group. Apply that to the overall strategies of dealing with homelessness.

Etc.

Instead, you have fired off a meme that is not helpful.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaGal

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 20 to 25% of the homeless population in the United States suffers from some form of severe mental illness. In comparison, only 6% of Americans are severely mentally ill (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009).

Where are the People with Schizophrenia?

Approximately:

6% are homeless or live in shelters
6% live in jails or prisons
5% to 6% live in Hospitals
10% live in Nursing homes
25% live with a family member
28% are living independently
20% live in Supervised Housing (group homes, etc.)
(Source: Surviving Schizophrenia)

Homelessness and Schizophrenia

Approximately 200,000 individuals with schizophrenia or manic-depressive illness are homeless, constituting one-third of the approximately 600,000 homeless population (total homeless population statistic based on data from Department of Health and Human Services). These 200,000 individuals comprise more than the entire population of many U.S. cities, such as Hartford, Connecticut; Charleston, South Carolina; Reno, Nevada; Boise, Idaho; Scottsdale, Arizona; Orlando, Florida; Winston Salem, North Carolina; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Abilene, Texas or Topeka, Kansas.

At any given time, there are more people with untreated severe psychiatric illnesses living on America’s streets than are receiving care in hospitals. Approximately 90,000 individuals with schizophrenia or manic-depressive illness are in hospitals receiving treatment for their disease.
Source: Treatment Advocacy Center

Schizophrenia Facts and Statistics

Well there you go now. Good one!

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

unless they volunteered to go there, your plan is unconstitutional.

Now, now lets not bring in the rights you have as a US citizen.

What some people don't realize is once you go down a slippery slope, whose to say you won't end up sliding down as well?

When blue collar jobs started going out of the country, many with white collar jobs didn't care.

Well than the white collar jobs started being outsourced.

Whose to say what is mentally ill? Who determines that?

In CA now you can call the police and say a family member is unstable and they have a licensed gun and the police can come and take it away. So anyone with something against a family member can lie and the licensed gun will be removed....sounds likes Germany to me.

So the ones who think just rounding up homeless people and just send them somewhere, guess they don't think(thinking is so rare these days) that next it could be them.

"Gee you seem to be upset, you're acting unstable, you will be going away".

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

I haven't denied that there are schizophrenics on the streets. Of course there are. I used your broad brush comment as an example of mythology - not because there aren't schizophrenics out there, but because you are perpetuating the generalization that schizophrenics refuse to take medications unless forced. Not true. Only a small percentage refuse. And there are reasons that need to be understood in order to manage them.

Roughly 1% of human population world-wide are schizophrenic. Do some math about how many in the US. Do some research on how many homeless we have. Perform some calculations. Read and parse out who is living on the streets. How many homeless are schizophrenics?

Put some numbers and research to your sampling sub-group. Apply that to the overall strategies of dealing with homelessness.

Etc.

Instead, you have fired off a meme that is not helpful.

Many people don't realize that when someone hasn't eaten in a few days they start to act " crazy", so they see a homeless person who is ranting or seems unstable, they assume they're mentally ill or on drugs.

Never occurs to many, they may not have eaten in 3 days.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

Many people don't realize that when someone hasn't eaten in a few days they start to act " crazy", so they see a homeless person who is ranting or seems unstable, they assume they're mentally ill or on drugs.

Never occurs to many, they may not have eaten in 3 days.

Another voice in the thread with a rational observation. How nearly unique Stress? Why would people without resources feel stressed and act out? Go figure.

[Leisesturm]

The solution to L.A.'s (or NYC's, PDX's, or anywhere else) homeless problem is a top tax rate of 90%, and no cap. No FICA cap, and an increase in the Capital Gains rate of 10%. Solved.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

Many people don't realize that when someone hasn't eaten in a few days they start to act " crazy", so they see a homeless person who is ranting or seems unstable, they assume they're mentally ill or on drugs.

Never occurs to many, they may not have eaten in 3 days.

The substance and alcohol abuse is much more common among the homeless versus general population.
At least according to the national coalition for the homeless..

"the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (2003) estimates, 38% of homeless people were dependent on alcohol and 26% abused
other drugs. Alcohol abuse is more common in older generations, while drug abuse is more common in
homeless youth and young adults (Didenko and Pankratz, 2007). Substance abuse is much more common
among homeless people than in the general population. "

http://www.nationalhomeless.org/fact.../addiction.pdf

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by jm1982

The substance and alcohol abuse is much more common among the homeless versus general population.
At least according to the national coalition for the homeless..

"the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (2003) estimates, 38% of homeless people were dependent on alcohol and 26% abused
other drugs. Alcohol abuse is more common in older generations, while drug abuse is more common in
homeless youth and young adults (Didenko and Pankratz, 2007). Substance abuse is much more common
among homeless people than in the general population. "

http://www.nationalhomeless.org/fact.../addiction.pdf

Yes. This is true. Very good. Now, curious: what's your point? You don't say why you are adding this information to the discussion. You also haven't added anything about how a lot of alcohol and drug abuse among the homeless occurs as a result of being homeless - not a cause for becoming homeless. Were you aware of that?

If you'd like to know more, there's a wealth of information readily available on the subject.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

The solution to L.A.'s (or NYC's, PDX's, or anywhere else) homeless problem is a top tax rate of 90%, and no cap. No FICA cap, and an increase in the Capital Gains rate of 10%. Solved.

So you think the government mishandling even more of our money is a solution?

LOL!

[Robert137]

Originally Posted by highlanderfil

Why are you so fixated on them getting arrested? How does this solve the problem? You can't hold them indefinitely for vagrancy (because the majority of them are, in fact, not violent - just annoying) and some of them, quite frankly, would probably welcome it because it guarantees them three squares and a roof. Assuming they are sane, of course.

My point isn't to arrest them just to get rid of them--it's about restoring order. Unless some order is brought to things, nothing will work. I'm all for individual rights, but there are limits and it seems that the situation is beyond those. But many seem to have a problem with any attempt to bring about a reasonable solution. Won't happen anyway, government won't do it. At least it's better than some of the suggestions here, such as shooting them or sending them to concentration camps in the desert, LOL. And it illustrates what could happen after government abandons its responsibility--people feel that the polity is broken, and resort to vigilante action.