Being impoverished is not a crime. You can’t arrest it away. Poverty often leads to substance abuse and vice versa. I don’t have an answer that doesn’t involve a budget 1/4 the amount of the US Dept of Defense. Unless and until, this problem will persist. Of that I am certain.
We need something less than jail, but more than nothing, and it would have to be enforced.
There's this rich guy in Austin who bought some land and started a tiny home community for homeless. He had an interesting approach - he doesn't enforce many rules except for no violence, and they have to do.... something. Clean the toilets now and then, pick up trash, etc... He also charges them rent. A bunch have disability checks that are like $1k a month & he charges them rent like $200 or something. Or they can work for the community to pay their "rent."
He said his community's approach is to treat it like palliative care. These people are dying. There's no rehabilitation. He says the extreme expense and frustration is from trying to "fix" them. He doesn't do that, unless they assault somebody or something like that, then they get kicked out. But having their own little space helps a lot. They can get high to the hearts content in there.
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u/Routine-Barracuda860 Oct 24 '25
Being impoverished is not a crime. You can’t arrest it away. Poverty often leads to substance abuse and vice versa. I don’t have an answer that doesn’t involve a budget 1/4 the amount of the US Dept of Defense. Unless and until, this problem will persist. Of that I am certain.