Homeless, How do towns deal with it?

[pacoalcracker]

half the population are just a few paychecks from homeless, and thats the sad truth.

 

[307]

Homeless burned down an empty house this past Sunday morning in my town.

Now they’re even more homeless.

 

[IdahoElk]

We get very few homeless people in my town, It's just too cold most of the year but in the summer there are people that camp in the woods.

 

[AK Troutbum]

We get very few homeless people in my town, It's just too cold most of the year but in the summer there are people that camp in the woods.

You would think the same thing in Anchorage. We just spent the last month or so in mostly subzero temperatures (several nights -20°), and it doesn’t seem to phase them. Although, a few do freeze to death every year.


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[Customweld]

We get very few homeless people in my town, It's just too cold most of the year but in the summer there are people that camp in the woods.

I’m not sure they’d be tolerated for very long , where you are.

 

[Customweld]

My crew was on a homeless camp cleanup this morning. The guy had only been there for a few weeks and we filled a dump truck and 8 yard roll off dumpster with garbage. The stuff that is in some of these camps is absolutely bizarre.

 

[IdahoElk]

I’m not sure they’d be tolerated for very long , where you are.

So funny, Glitter gulch isn't for everybody

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

Quck, maybe helpful search about the underlying reasons for homeless. Obviously, no hard and fast numbers exist because, it's complicated. But this is at least a reasonable guestimate.

1. Lack of housing, economic hardship. Approximately 50%

2. Drug/alcohol abuse. Approximately 30%

3. Mental Health issues. Approximately 20%

Any proposed solutions would likely need to be aimed at the underlying cause(s) to be most effective and efficient.

You'll find that many of the homeless are those who aged out of foster care.

 

[Mangata]

The homeless just need to join Rokslide…

Not one of the previous #208 posts has someone reported their descent into homelessness. So is owning firearms or posting on the forum is in some form protective to individuals from housing insecurity…

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I’ve worked West Virginias only female prison last 5 years.
We average 600 females daily doing time
My estimation 85% are in for drug crimes. I have them tell me all the time, the minute they get out they are going to get high and they will see me in a month or so.

We pass out suboxone like sweet tarts to “treat addiction”. We also have a huge buy,sell trade for suboxone. Girls buy it from other girls. They have thier family put money on the dealers books. It’s legal because the donor of the money doesn’t have to say what it’s for. And you as in anyone here can put money on an inmates books, anywhere.

Horny old men join prison pen pal sites and give some of these girls a lot of money.

Rotten teeth come in handy as they pack the suboxone in them and dig it out in their cell, dry it and sell it. It’s a loosing battle for corrections staff. Catch them, they beg forgiveness and get put back on it.

This suboxone and all the other “addiction drugs” are big dollars. Medical is told to put anyone on it that wants it. I’ve seen girls in 20 years for murder get on it. No drug history.

They want to call drug use a disease. I have never met anyone cured of cancer say I want some more of that !

I agree, cut out the narcan. There was a time when I was on the squad, we couldn’t get it because it was being given for free to abusers.

This is a good point. Years ago I had an injury that required surgery to fix some broken bones. They sent me home with a bottle of 180 OxyContin pills, when I went in for the actual surgery about 10 days later they gave me another bottle with 180 pills in it, I’d probably taken 10 in the time between so in effect I had 350 OxyContin pills, they gave me other pain killers as well.

In parts of Alaska (maybe all of it?) At one point they wouldn’t charge people with drug possession at overdose scenes in they had narcan on hand. So in effect they police and public health handed out narcan to thousands of junkies thinking it would save lives when in reality they were just handing out get out of jail free passes.

For awhile I was driving ambulances and working as an emt for a small fire department, we would show up for an overdose call and there would be like 8 people passed out on heroin, the cops wouldn’t/couldn’t do anything because they all had their free narcan kits on hand.

And it is an addiction issue, during that time I’d say that 80% of people we dealt with were frequent flyers. Repeated overdosers, alcoholics, people smoking meth and not sleeping for a week, people just drinking-passing out-drinking -passing out for days on end then calling 911 because they don’t feel right. They always say they are having trouble breathing. Then you see them doing the exact same thing a week later. It’s sad, went to one place and a guy was all cut up because he was drunk and punched a window and cut himself badly, he was so drunk he was slipping and falling all over the blood on his linoleum floor while his kids watched there wasn’t anywhere in that kitchen that wasn’t covered in blood. He swore he was quitting and getting help…..died of alcohol related causes a few months later.

We definitely have a substance abuse problem in this country and I don’t mean people having a few too many drinks on a Saturday, I mean people really causing damage.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Southeast Asia was brought to its knees due to heroin addiction. They resolved their problem without compassion, morality, or humanity. They simply kill drug dealers.

Last time I flew into Thailand, the customs form that you fill in before you enter had a note at the bottom saying, to the effect, if you are smuggling drugs into Thailand, we will hang you.

Not saying that right or if it’s wrong…..

I also believe smuggling drugs into some of the Arabic nations has some pretty horrific penalties.

I wasn’t aware they executed drug dealers in Thailand. I know Malaysia is pretty tough in that they have courthouses at border crossings. If you are caught you go to trial immediately and are often hanged . Crazy people still try it.

I thought it Thailand they just tossed you into those open air prisons and waited for you to get HIV and don’t have access to treatment. Or murdered/sold/trafficked by gangs.

Either way you are right that most Asian countries simply don’t have these problems to the extent the USA does because they deal with things swiftly and harshly.

In lots of these countries the crime rates are extremely low due to the penalties. You think getting a DWI in the USA would be rough, you should see what happens in China. Same for sexual assaults and even “petty” violent crimes (mugging etc). A DWI in China is a year in prison and they keep your car. In the USA, often you can’t even lose your job if you are going to rehab or meetings because it’s an “illness” and they can’t fire you for that.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I was stunned when I saw a shanty on the beach in Hawaii.

Go to wainae….theres a massive government built homeless camp that is so full that there’s tent cities on the beaches.

 

[ZAK13]

Unfortunately, drug use/mental health is a large problem within the homeless community. The ACA is a big reason for the mentally ill to be found on the streets, instead of institutions. As the ACA removed funding for such places. The addicts, well that's another issue that society needs to deal with. I have come across some homeless, that are quite normal people, most have jobs, although a few have part time jobs, it's just circumstances, illness, or affordable housing have left them without options. Some have asked for help, but were rejected for aid from the state for a variety of reasons, and others have refused help, wanting to make it on their own. It's a sad state of affair, when our government is taxing us, to give it away as foreign aid, or corruption, (with zero oversight), like we see in Minnesota, but yet have zero money to take care of our own.

 

[Olympics777]

I’m in Missouri right now but I live in north Idaho. It’s crazy how many more homeless people there are here, it’s very rare to see them in Idaho.

I agree that narcan should be banned.

 

[2531usmc]

I wasn’t aware they executed drug dealers in Thailand. I know Malaysia is pretty tough in that they have courthouses at border crossings. If you are caught you go to trial immediately and are often hanged . Crazy people still try it.

I thought it Thailand they just tossed you into those open air prisons and waited for you to get HIV and don’t have access to treatment. Or murdered/sold/trafficked by gangs.

Either way you are right that most Asian countries simply don’t have these problems to the extent the USA does because they deal with things swiftly and harshly.

In lots of these countries the crime rates are extremely low due to the penalties. You think getting a DWI in the USA would be rough, you should see what happens in China. Same for sexual assaults and even “petty” violent crimes (mugging etc). A DWI in China is a year in prison and they keep your car. In the USA, often you can’t even lose your job if you are going to rehab or meetings because it’s an “illness” and they can’t fire you for that.

I wasn’t aware they executed drug dealers in Thailand. I know Malaysia is pretty tough in that they have courthouses at border crossings. If you are caught you go to trial immediately and are often hanged . Crazy people still try it.

I thought it Thailand they just tossed you into those open air prisons and waited for you to get HIV and don’t have access to treatment. Or murdered/sold/trafficked by gangs.

Either way you are right that most Asian countries simply don’t have these problems to the extent the USA does because they deal with things swiftly and harshly.

In lots of these countries the crime rates are extremely low due to the penalties. You think getting a DWI in the USA would be rough, you should see what happens in China. Same for sexual assaults and even “petty” violent crimes (mugging etc). A DWI in China is a year in prison and they keep your car. In the USA, often you can’t even lose your job if you are going to rehab or meetings because it’s an “illness” and they can’t fire you for that.

There is a video clip of Singapore’s elected leader floating around the internet, I think it’s the Prime Minister. He basically says if you are bringing heroin into his city, he will kill you. Heroin destroys our people, our families, and our communities. He goes on to say if I can kill a heroin dealer 100 times I would kill him 100 times.

 

[Pickettpuncher]

In the 15 years I’ve lived in the town I live in, and worked for the local govt, I’ve watched the homeless population grown from maybe 5 to well over 100. Covid ramped it up exponentially. Homeless camps scattered all over. A few times the city has tried to do a few things to help minimize it but the bleeding hearts have stopped it. From my interactions with the police, if they’re on private property the only way to run them out is for the land owner to contact LE. They’re not allowed to set up camp on city ground, but I’ve seen a few instances where it’s happened. I have had guys go clean up their spots if they’re gone. We’ve cleaned up a few camps on city land that was being repurposed. But talking with the police, most just absolutely refuse help. I know of coworkers that went to school with some of the homeless. They’ve stopped and brought them breakfast or given them money, and one guy responded with he didn’t want his money. I don’t know that it’s true everywhere, but in my area hep is available. Most that are homeless want to be homeless. But there’s also some underlying issues. Usually mental health or drugs/alcohol related issues.

 

[rogerdoger]

I have no solution for the homeless that haven’t been brought up on the thread.

The other question is what can be done to keep future people from reaching the point of homelessness. I feel this is just the tip of the iceberg, when AI starts getting implemented and replacing jobs it is going to leave a lot of people looking for work and many may not have other skill sets to change careers.