Homelessness

ThatOwlWoman said:
I think this idea is a good one, except, as pointed out by other posters, a large percentage of the permanently homeless are suffering from mental illness and/or substance abuse. We used to fund mental health facilities where this population could live out their lives and receive regular food and medical treatment. Unless their underlying issues are addressed, they probably are not going to be trainable. How should we help them in that case?
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Not all redundant military facilities need be used for the same purposes of shelter and re-training/employment.
I imagine that some would provide the basis for quite revolutionary hospitals . There must be thousands upon thousands of distressed vets. who could chip in their expertise.
 
moon2012 said:
Not all redundant military facilities need be used for the same purposes of shelter and re-training/employment.
I imagine that some would provide the basis for quite revolutionary hospitals . There must be thousands upon thousands of distressed vets. who could chip in their expertise.
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What an excellent idea. By helping others, they help themselves and find self-worth again.

How would we pay for this?
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
What an excellent idea. By helping others, they help themselves and find self-worth again.

How would we pay for this?
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The budget for the redundant military base should be available to put to its new use. Voters could eliminate politicians who would oppose that- and return those who would support it.
It might even cost less than maintaining it for the military.
 
moon2012 said:
A more moral government wouldn't be so short-sighted.
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We have a massive housing shortage in the state due to government policies and NIMBYISM which has helped contribute to the homeless problem so for a change the government is actually taking a long term big picture view here
 
cawacko said:
We have a massive housing shortage in the state due to government policies and NIMBYISM which has helped contribute to the homeless problem so for a change the government is actually taking a long term big picture view here
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It appears - from what you've said- that the government is putting those who can afford to buy before those who have nothing.
 
moon2012 said:
It appears - from what you've said- that the government is putting those who can afford to buy before those who have nothing.
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It's not an either or scenario. There needs to be a lot of services available to homeless people to help them not only get off the streets but get back into regular life. Cities like SF have that infrastructure already in place so it makes sense to try to house homeless people around it as opposed to starting from scratch at a military base and having to build it all out.

Most people in California can't afford to buy homes (many can't afford the rent). The supply/demand balance is out of whack. I know one of the favorite words of the day is holistic. A holistic approach would be both attacking the housing supply shortage to bring down current costs as well find housing for the homeless. Again in SF's case we spend hundreds of millions a year on it and the situation only seems to be getting worse.

The unfortunate reality of life is there will always be some people either down on their luck or who don't have the ability to care for themselves. But when we spend the amount of money we do with the results we have it question our approach. Using a military base is good outside the box thinking. In California's case its highest and best use is market housing.
 
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