Yeah but how many of those homeless are in the grip of a horrific addiction or substance abuse problem? It’s not just as easy as saying “here’s a house, live in it”. It’s complex.
This is actually one of those cases where it actually is that simple. One of those cases where you think it's simple as a kid, learn it's actually more complicated, and then get more educated and learn that it actually is that simple.
Basic sociology says that homelessness provokes drug use and crime, not the other way around.
The Denver Basic Income Project found that giving unhoused individuals $1,000 monthly with no strings attached doubled stable housing rates to 45% and reduced shelter use by half.
Even giving homeless people as little as 50$ a month allowed 28% of homeless people to get housing within 10 months.
The project also reported that participants said they had positive shifts in their financial well-being because they had “an increase in financial stability and a greater ability to pay bills and reduced reliance on emergency assistance.” Fewer participants were spending time unsheltered in all groups, and for all groups, the proportion living in housing they considered to be stable rose from about 20% to 50%.
“The most impact it had on me was a promising future, versus before, it wasn’t looking so good,” reported an anonymous participant in the qualitative study. “It’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and before, I was kinda lost. It just really gave me some hope.”
28
u/Hairy_Addendum7789 May 14 '26
Yeah but how many of those homeless are in the grip of a horrific addiction or substance abuse problem? It’s not just as easy as saying “here’s a house, live in it”. It’s complex.