Post by Merge on Jul 27, 2024 0:44:58 GMT
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Fun fact: Texas outlawed sleeping/camping on public property in the last legislative session. It did not provide any funding for cities to do something with the homeless people they're supposed to remove from public sight. Guess what? Still homeless people camping out. The police don't have the manpower to round them all up, and the city jail doesn't have capacity. We literally see people sleeping underneath the signs that say it's illegal for them to do so in that spot.
Houston does have a housing first program that has actually been very successful and is considered a model for other cities. We have reduced the number of homeless on the streets by about two thirds. But it has required coordination between the entities providing housing and those who provide other services - mental health, addiction, job training, clothing, and food, among others. But still, some people remain on the street.
www.cbsnews.com/news/how-houston-successfully-reduced-homelessness/
And I can't find the article right now, but it's also been reported that a good chunk of those the city helps are employed and on their own feet within six months or a year.
That would be awesome. I thought there was a similar program in Utah years ago but then whenever other programs were shown they all seemed to fail. If there is a program that works why not expand it. I know one program won’t work for all but it would be nice to figure out something to help the most people. The housing first program seems like a good program or at least the best to date.
Houston and apparently San Diego have had good success with this kind of program. I don’t know what is holding other cities back. We managed to do it in a red state where they’re not exactly throwing money at the problem.