You can go one of two directions:
1. Criminalize homelessness out of existence
2. Support homelessness out of existence
We kind of do neither. Personally, I’m obviously on the support-side, which in my mind and in applications where reducing homelessness has been successful, starts with housing. Homeless people need homes. From there, it’s easier to deal with other issues they are dealing with. Knowing you have a space of your own to call home is critical. Safe injection, FREE and accessible mental health care (currently nobody has access to this), etc, all those things help, but ensuring they have a home to build up from matters. We throw random things that work at the wall, but our effort isn’t close to comprehensive enough.
If we were to go the criminal route, then it’s not so much about criminalizing “drugs” as it is criminalizing public drug use for certain drugs (so someone isn’t going to get tagged for having small drugs on them, but could be arrested for using in an alley. Criminalizing panhandling/begging, criminalizing sleeping in the street, tightening enforcement downtown and on transit, etc.
Half measures don’t seem to do anything. But I’d also be fine with a mixed approach, where once services reach a level where they’re accessible to all, you increase the criminal penalties for people who are refusing to take advantage.
Either way, I agree with the idea that we need to do more. I’d prefer if we lead with compassion, but it can’t just be a little bit of compassion and a few half measures.
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