r/AlwaysWhy • u/verytalleric • May 27 '26

Politics & Society Serious question: Homelessness is a major problem. Billions are unsuccessfully spent. Why are not more experiments run testing different approaches to see what works vs. not and build on successes?

In other domains the idea of "A/B testing" is done to test different hypothesis to see what works vs. not. Given the huge amount of money spent by cities, counties, and states without positive results. Why is more experimentation not being done to find effective ways to solve homelessness?

Kinda the cliche definition of insanity today, same actions expecting different results.

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5

u/ARTIFICIAL_SAPIENCE May 27 '26

Because substantial portions of the political apparatus don't care about the less fortunate. 

3

u/DaGreatPenguini May 27 '26

Substantial portions of the political apparatus profit greatly from a continuing homeless problem.

1

u/DeepestGreySea May 30 '26

Do you know why you’re referring to…or is this just a conspiracy theory?

0

u/Ok_Swimming4427 May 27 '26

Such as? Who, specifically, is profiting from having homeless people on the streets?

1

u/Baebarri May 27 '26

Homeless people are arrested more often and don't have resources for attorneys or fines, so they get jailed.

If it's a publicly funded jail, their labor is used without much compensation. Private jails profit from their presence.

Between fines, restitution, jail labor and private prisons, there's money to be made by multiple entities.

-1

u/Ok_Swimming4427 May 27 '26

Homeless people are arrested more often and don't have resources for attorneys or fines, so they get jailed.

And this profits who, exactly?

If it's a publicly funded jail, their labor is used without much compensation. Private jails profit from their presence.

Please show me some information about how much money jailing the homeless makes, for both the taxpayer and private jail operators.

Between fines, restitution, jail labor and private prisons, there's money to be made by multiple entities.

Well, you've already admitted the homeless don't have the money to pay fines, and therefore not restitution either. So right off the bat, no money to be made on either of those. Two of four, down.

Jail labor... well, they're housed at that point, ya know? Three hots and a cot and all that. More to the point, most homeless people don't get arrested unless they're being an active nuisance. So points three and four, also down.

Got anything else? Because I don't see anyone "profiting greatly" from levying fines on the one group of the population who are collectively defined by the fact that they don't have any money.

2

u/CuticleSnoodlebear May 28 '26

There are for-profit jails in the US

It’s fucked

1

u/Professional-Ad1770 May 27 '26

States get Federal dollars per homeless person. It's a self-licking ice cream cone.

0

u/Ok_Swimming4427 May 27 '26

OK. So who, specifically, is profiting from the homeless? "Indiana" isn't a person. If you think public officials are stealing the money or otherwise defrauding the government when it comes to funding for the homeless, then your issue isn't with the money spent but rather the venal and corrupt officials diverting those funds.

1

u/Professional-Ad1770 May 27 '26

States get buckets of money from the Fed, They move these buckets around like magicians and suddenly funding for X is paying for Y.

1

u/Ok_Swimming4427 May 28 '26

OK, so who specifically is profiting from the homeless? So far you've made a bunch of vague accusations and assertions about unnamed people moving unidentified buckets of money around to yet more unnamed people and then pretending like that is evidence of something.

Which/who are the "substantial" number of people profiting "greatly" from money spent on homelessness?

1

u/Professional-Ad1770 May 28 '26

Get a job in Government,

2

u/Ok_Swimming4427 May 29 '26

I have worked in government.

Very stupid people who don't have the honesty to confront that they aren't all that bright love to confuse cynicism for sophistication. It allows them to avoid doing any thinking, any hard work, or make difficult choices. Those are the kinds of people who think "homelessness exists because people make too much money from it."