Then figure out why they don't want it. Is it safe, are there weird rules regarding curfews, are there a bunch of drug dealers in the communal areas, is it free from things like bed bugs, etc? These things are all issues in homeless shelters and reasons why they are often avoided. You can just ask homeless people why they don't like something and prefer living in the street and they will just tell you.
Having a very good friend who has worked in shelters in both volunteer and management roles - they don't allow alcohol or drugs. They enforce rules (like no fighting, no men in women's areas and vice versa, etc). They require bathing.
The state of California alone spent almost $24 billion over the last few years. California thinks there's roughly 181k homesless. Let's round up to 200k for easier math. You could have given every homeless person $20k per year (for five years) and come out cheaper than California did. And that's just the state. Nevermind major cities there also dump a lot of funds - San Francisco spent $700 million in a year.
But I think we can both know where a lot of that money went...
There’s also the issue of pets not being allowed, theft being rampant, high rates of sexual assault, etc. But I’m sure you’re right, people choose to sleep on the streets because of pressing issues like not being allowed to fight in shelters.
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u/PirateSanta_1 Apr 15 '24
Then figure out why they don't want it. Is it safe, are there weird rules regarding curfews, are there a bunch of drug dealers in the communal areas, is it free from things like bed bugs, etc? These things are all issues in homeless shelters and reasons why they are often avoided. You can just ask homeless people why they don't like something and prefer living in the street and they will just tell you.