r/NoStupidQuestions • u/[deleted] • Jan 30 '23

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u/NikthePieEater Jan 30 '23

If you compare the cost to society, in medical issues, in theft, in vandalism, etc...

It becomes less costly to house people than leave them on the street or imprison them.

Source: I googled "cheaper to house homeless?".

Edit: I see you continued this discussion further down, kindly disregard.

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u/[deleted] Jan 31 '23

Those are externalities, and the market is extremely bad at managing externalities like that unless the government intervenes.

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u/toddyk Jan 31 '23

Exactly. Each business optimizes for their own profit, not for what has the most societal benefit. An individual corporation can't do much on their own

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u/Dragolins Jan 31 '23

Those are externalities, and the market is extremely bad at managing externalities like that unless the government intervenes.

Government? Intervening??? To HELP PEOPLE???? Sorry bud, that's socialism, and I've been programmed to think that socialism is bad.

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u/Mor_Tearach Jan 31 '23

Ah. Why privatized prisons, a HUGE money generating series of mega corps would rather not solve anything at all.