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It's 20 degrees outside. The low last night was in the low teens. Who would choose to sleep in a box or under a bridge in such conditions willingly? The mentally ill might.
What has Obama done for them? Nothing. Funny when it is an election year the homeless seem to get attention, not before that. 8 years have passed and not a shelter built.
The feds give the money to state and local governments. The problem is that many cities don't seem to think they need to spend the money on homeless, but instead they pass insane laws like 'illegal possession of a shopping cart' and spend the money arresting and jailing the homeless rather than providing assistance. This 'diversion' of federal homeless assistance has gotten so bad that the Feds are starting to withhold funding from jurisdictions that pass these crazy laws. Another little dirty trick that some cities pull is to hire a private firm (usually someone with political connections to local government) and all them to administer homeless programs but they don't limit how much of the money has to go to direct aid to the intended recipients.
Homelessness is a complex problem and is far bigger than we think, homeless families living in their cars are almost never counted, neither are families living in inadequate housing like motel rooms without a kitchen. Most of the homeless refuse to go to shelters and with good reason, they are more afraid of being assaulted or robbed in a shelter than they are on the streets. Also, most shelters refuse to allow the homeless to bring their property or their pets with them.
I've worked with the homeless and I believe that the only feasible solution is to offer supportive housing like the Housing First program in SLC .
I'm assuming that you are implying that if the homeless don't like where they are, they should just move- right? Fair enough but tell me how they might be able to do that.
True. Life choices led to being homeless.
Life choices led to many of the refugees becoming refugees. What makes them our responsibility? Or what makes them more our responsibility or more deserving of our compassion than our own?
I think most know that I am a center right leaning libertarian. I believe in accountability for ones actions/ choices. That said I am also compassionate towards those who are truly in need. We are too great a nation to allow our citizens to freeze to death or starve to death on our streets.
Once homeless your options to recover are minimal. How do you apply for a job with no address or phone number? How can you go to a job interview smelling like a sewer and dressed in rags?
Good people have ended up homeless due to being laid off or loosing their business.
In my opinion before we spend a dime in foreign aid, or to help refugees (homeless) from other countries we need to take care of our own first and always.
The feds give the money to state and local governments. The problem is that many cities don't seem to think they need to spend the money on homeless, but instead they pass insane laws like 'illegal possession of a shopping cart' and spend the money arresting and jailing the homeless rather than providing assistance. This 'diversion' of federal homeless assistance has gotten so bad that the Feds are starting to withhold funding from jurisdictions that pass these crazy laws. Another little dirty trick that some cities pull is to hire a private firm (usually someone with political connections to local government) and all them to administer homeless programs but they don't limit how much of the money has to go to direct aid to the intended recipients.
Homelessness is a complex problem and is far bigger than we think, homeless families living in their cars are almost never counted, neither are families living in inadequate housing like motel rooms without a kitchen. Most of the homeless refuse to go to shelters and with good reason, they are more afraid of being assaulted or robbed in a shelter than they are on the streets. Also, most shelters refuse to allow the homeless to bring their property or their pets with them.
I've worked with the homeless and I believe that the only feasible solution is to offer supportive housing like the Housing First program in SLC .
How about the President do what he did for the refugees who flooded across our borders?
How about he do what he's doing for the Syrian refugees?
He doesn't seem to have a problem finding shelter for those people.
Now the Dems in office seem to only care about illegals and refugees.
Do you research that, or just assume it?
Housing for the homeless, either in apartments or group homes, is financed by a bewildering number of federal programs, most of which are losing funding. One crucial federal program, HOME, had been cut by Congress from $1.2 billion to $900 million and then again to $66 million. The homeless languish on waiting lists for months, sometimes years, before getting an apartment paid for by a federal voucher.
“In recent years, Congress has made deep cuts to many programs,” the Center on Budget Priorities and Policy, a progressive Washington research organization, says on its website. “The federal government spends 2.8 times as much on tax subsidies for homeownership—more than half of which benefits households with incomes above $100,000—as on rental assistance.” Bill Boyarsky: Helping the Homeless in the Face of GOP’s Brutal Funding Cuts - Bill Boyarsky - Truthdig
And keep in mind, a good number of the homeless are veterans, take a look at just some of the programs for vets that the GOP blocked
So everyone that's homeless suffers from mental illness? mkay...
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