The first comment wasn’t saying that mental health care has to be provided alongside housing, they’re saying that without it a significant portion of the homeless won’t be getting all of the help they need. They’re saying that homelessness isn’t only an issue of available housing.
The second person misunderstood that to mean that housing the homeless is pointless. But ultimately they’re arguing for the same thing.
One problem I see often in discussions of the homeless issue is that people refuse to acknowledge that there are two main demographics of homeless, and each has a very different approach that needs to be taken.
The first group is people who are temporarily down on their luck and just need a hand up. Like people who lost their job in a bad market. These are people that free housing will benefit the most.
The second group is the chronically homeless. They have an issue, whether it be mental illness, drugs, or both, that makes them incompatible with functioning in society. They need a lot more help than just a free apartment. In fact, that help is often an option for them free of charge, but they choose not to utilize it (frequently because it comes with the stipulation of no drugs).
But when discussing the homeless issue, if you claim that everything will be fixed with more housing, you’re leaving out the people who need the most help.
The first comment wasn’t saying that mental health care has to be provided alongside housing, they’re saying that without it a significant portion of the homeless won’t be getting all of the help they need. They’re saying that homelessness isn’t only an issue of available housing.
The second person misunderstood that to mean that housing the homeless is pointless. But ultimately they’re arguing for the same thing.
One problem I see often in discussions of the homeless issue is that people refuse to acknowledge that there are two main demographics of homeless, and each has a very different approach that needs to be taken.
The first group is people who are temporarily down on their luck and just need a hand up. Like people who lost their job in a bad market. These are people that free housing will benefit the most.
The second group is the chronically homeless. They have an issue, whether it be mental illness, drugs, or both, that makes them incompatible with functioning in society. They need a lot more help than just a free apartment. In fact, that help is often an option for them free of charge, but they choose not to utilize it (frequently because it comes with the stipulation of no drugs).
But when discussing the homeless issue, if you claim that everything will be fixed with more housing, you’re leaving out the people who need the most help.