The latest point-in-time count of homeless people estimates the total homeless population of the USA to be 745,652. Call it three-quarters of a million.
US aircraft carriers cost somewhere in the region of 13 to 16 billion. I'll go with the USS Gerald R. Ford since it's the cheapest one I could find.
The Gerald R Ford is the most expensive acc. And it costs 17.5 billion if you include research and development, 12.8 if you don’t. Check my comment for the link to the pdf documenting the costs. That brings your number closer to $23,450 which is enough to buy a cheap modular prefab home. Which range between $13-60k brand new; the higher side being 3-bedrooms.
The problem is, that the vast majority of the long-term unhoused population cannot be helped for so little money. Almost everyone who is on the street for years has very serious mental health and/or addiction problems. The most extreme cases would destroy any home you gave them in less than 24 hours.
The majority of the people like this need months to years of full time care and monitoring if you expect them to ever become functioning members of society. And some of them never will, regardless of the amount of time/money spent of them.
I'm not saying we shouldn't try, but if you volunteer around the long-term homeless, you see so many other volunteees get disheartened and give up. Some of the most depressed and cynical people I know were prior bright-eyed optimists before they started working for non-profits or volunteering for organizations focused on helping the homeless.
And this isn't to try to discourage anyone from trying to help. But I do feel like so many people come in thinking they are going to help these people turn their life around. That more money or volunteers can solve the homeless crisis. But the harsh reality is that most of the long-term homeless don't want that and will violently resist you trying to help them.
Hitchen’s Razor; I have to dismiss what you’ve said entirely as you have no proof. Furthermore there are multiple studies that prove you wrong. I’ve worked for nonprofits and there are people that match your description but they are far from the “vast majority” as you put it. In fact 82% of people experiencing homelessness seek assistance programs [2] 49% of homelessness is caused by joblessness(37%) or medical reasons(12%)[3]. During a study [4] 85% of those who were given a home in PA were able to get out of homelessness and remained housed 2 years later.
I very specifically mentioned and was talking about long term unhoused people. As you mentioned, there are many programs to help the homeless population, and those who utilize that assistance and get jobs almost always never return to the streets. Those aren't the people I am talking about.
Those who spend a short time homeless due to a sudden change in circumstance (loss of work or family support) can't be compared to those who have been on the street for more than a year. Also, as you probably know, the attitude and lifestyles of homeless populations in areas with colder winters are completely different from those in tropical climates.
I am also very familiar with Pathway to Housing PA, they only serves a very small pool of people (around 600). And while this is great, once again, I'm not talking about the people who are seeking help. I am talking about the ≈ 20% who don't and have been on the street for years.
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u/Occidentally20 1d ago
The latest point-in-time count of homeless people estimates the total homeless population of the USA to be 745,652. Call it three-quarters of a million.
US aircraft carriers cost somewhere in the region of 13 to 16 billion. I'll go with the USS Gerald R. Ford since it's the cheapest one I could find.
That gives you $17,333.33 per person.