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Well, I am very familiar with the workings of local govt homeless enforcement. Within 10 miles of my home are homeless encampments along a river. These poor people often end up with dozens of citations and fines. The only way to escape that, in the absence of money, is jail time, or go somewhere else and repeat the experience of more citations elsewhere. It is a "doom loop" - at some point, they'll need permanent shelter and services. So we need a solution. What is your proposal?


It is better to put them into some kind of home than a camp. Down the road from me is a village of small chalets (as you could call them) where homeless people have been housed. They have gardens around them, and some responsibilities, but they don't have a fence around them and guards. These chalets are small but they look good, and I wouldn't resent living in one myself. These chalets have been funded by donations and some local government funds. As far as I can tell, it seems to work well, although I have no stats to hand.

Homeless people often need support for addiction recovery, mental health issues and transitioning away from this lifestyle etc. Many have been badly hurt by domestic troubles, state care systems or even poverty traps created by ill-conceived laws. Some can be exmilitary and have been let down by their former employers.

I agree homeless encampments can be nasty environments and cause issues, but this proposal sounds like it is halfway to a jail. I know a few homeless people prefer being in jail, but for some the idea of being imprisoned like this may cause a persecution complex.




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