Quote:
Originally Posted by PepsiFree
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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I don't think criminalizing it helps.
Maybe we need a new classification...or revive an old one. I think we need to institutionalize people who are severely addicted to hard drugs and force our help upon them after giving them an opportunity or three to claw out themselves.
I don't think a home will help. I believe homelessness comes
after drug addiction; not before. Helping with housing once they're clean works for me, though.
I'm fine with a tax increase to cover this. Even, say, a 3% sales tax or something to directly pay for it.
Are we as bad as Vancouver or LA? Probably not yet, but my taste of these ####ers over the past week has been enough to want to hit this problem hard and fast and with a greater concern for society at large than for the individual drug users whose interests we seem to be prioritizing (to no avail) over the interests of the rest of us who are operating within the boundaries of normal and trouble-free behaviour.