As with any difficult problem we first must identify what the actual cause of the problem is, and what is the desired end result. Often this is no easy task as political correctness and “woke” culture don’t allow for honest exploration of the issue and many times there is a preordained solution being pushed to fit a narrative involving government. I’ll save you the time of reading examples as you already know this is true. The current and prevailing ideas are to get the homeless off the streets, and to put them into housing. Sounds like a government solution to me. Not thought out, and plenty of room for tax payer money to be funneled to government programs.

The assumption being made is that the homeless don’t have homes thus if we provide homes the problem will be solved. The error in this line of thought is that is doesn’t explore the reason or cause for people being homeless in the first place. Furthermore it supposes that the prevailing cause is poverty which the statistics do not support. As many are aware (and this includes those working to solve this issue) the major causes for homelessness are mental health issues and drug use. So in short all that the “housing first” agenda will do is take homeless mentally ill, drug addicted people and turn them into mentally ill, drug addicted people with a roof over their heads. So the question is, are we really helping these people? This is because the housing first concept doesn’t require sobriety or treatment to qualify for housing. In many instances in the larger cities where this is being implemented there is even a push that sanction drug use by providing the needed equipment and paraphernalia.

In San Fransico the government from 2004-2014 spent some $2 billion on 3,000 units. The cost was $666,000 per unit and that was more than double the nations median cost of a home of $319,000 at that time. The problem other than just another bloated bill to the taxpayers, manifests by a loss of services and help for the very people this is supposed to assist. In other words that money was not spent on helping people to deal with the issues of mental illness or drug addiction. A study released by the federal department of housing and urban development showed that since support services decreased the number of homeless increased by 15%. In another seemingly compassionate move in these larger cities like Dallas, street camping or living was made legal, which led to people leaving the shelters and help centers literally giving them free reign to use drug and alcohol as they so desired. As a result, Austin Texas saw an increase in homeless deaths by 25% in mere months.

Government using “woke” doctrine sends mixed signals which are counter productive to the goal. That goal being to help individual people to live full and fruitful lives again. In many cases there are laws or regulations that require places that are there, conceivably, to help folks kick addiction to provide the users with info that explains how to “shoot up” safely, the equipment needed to do so, and how to get Narcan and use it. So how can someone who is trying to get clean and sober succeed with this being place in front of them, daily, in the places that are supposed to be helping them to quit their addictions?

As local discussions go on here in my hometown of Laconia people are exploring their options. One such option that must be avoided is using the government as an enabler. The people don’t need money handed to them. These folks don’t need a free house to shoot up in. They need support. Help people get off the dope, provide counseling and mental support services, but require sobriety, the attainment of gainful employment and begin to save up money for rent for their next step, their own housing. These people who will help them get away from these demons, someone who will not give up on them. When these components have been used together results have been positive. Bridge Projects in San Diego, California have seen such results. The project provides a place between the street and independence that is clean, safe, sanitary and supportive but that also hold people accountable so that people get off the streets not just for a night or a week, but perhaps for good! The choice is clear, we either allow people to publicly kill themselves without dignity or we as a society can say “No! you have worth and are better than this! We are better than this!”

Gregg Hough