I have seen some pretty sad cases.

Take one big abandon building. Ensure it is safe. Throw some cots in it and let the homeless come and go as they please. Add heat and air conditioning. I don't think it would take much from the budget at all. Homeless problem solved. Too easy.

and it least it would get the homeless out of the elements, but there will be lots of security and safety issues.

I do volunteer work at our local homeless shelter, helping to feed them. During the winter months, basically from mid-October to mid-March, we serve dinners every night and have room for I think about 80 overnight, although I don't believe anyone is actually turned away for lack of space.

Many homeless have mental health issues of one sort or another, and every so often I have witnessed someone going off, and shouting about something or another. We have separate rooms for women and men, and the rare children we get will always be with the mother.

Money is actually a huge issue. In your suggestion, who is going to refurbish that abandoned building so it is safe? Who will pay for the cots, the heat and a/c? If you hope to provide meals, who is going to pay for them? To fix them? Not all cities even have abandoned buildings that would be available.

Here in Santa Fe, with the Interfaith Shelter, the one I volunteer with, only open overnight for less than half of the year, there is still a bit of a problem getting enough people to do those evening meals. While it is possible to get food from the local food bank, often the volunteers like me pay directly out of pocket for a lot of stuff.

I am not wanting to just shoot down your idea, but there are ramifications that need to be thought through. And I am not intending snark when I say, if you know of a potentially suitable abandoned building where you live, see if you can get the ball rolling about this. It just takes a few caring people to do the hard work, and problems can be solved.

And kudos for the work you and others do caring for those in need.

and use a housing grant from the state to refurbishing it into single room only units. I do not know how that worked out because I ended up moving because I suddenly found myself homeless. I moved in with relatives.

At another time in my life I was homeless with my two young daughters living in a car. At that point I would have given almost anything to have one of those semi-private single room only units to live in. That is when I started loving the idea of small houses and to this day I would love to remodel a small garage with a bath, kitchenette and living space for myself. Many communities are trying ideas like this. I hope at least some of them are working out.

I've never heard of that program before.

Needs more exposure. Thanks for enlightening me.

where the strong would exploit the weak and feeble. Stay a night in most of the large(r) homeless shelters ... despite being staff 24/7, they can be very dangerous places.

than what we do now. But we apparently feel compelled to "punish" homeless for their plight.


Even if you don’t think society has a moral obligation to care for the least among us, a new study underscores that we have a financial obligation to do so.

Late last week, the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness released a new study showing that, when accounting for a variety of public expenses, Florida residents pay $31,065 per chronically homeless person every year they live on the streets.

The study, conducted by Creative Housing Solutions, an Oklahoma-based consultant group, tracked public expenses accrued by 107 chronically homeless individuals in central Florida. These ranged from criminalization and incarceration costs to medical treatment and emergency room intakes that the patient was unable to afford.

Andrae Bailey, CEO of the commission that released the study, noted to the Orlando Sentinel that most chronically homeless people have a physical or mental disability, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. “These are not people who are just going to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get a job,” he said. “They’re never going to get off the streets on their own.”
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/05/27/3441772/florida-homeless-financial-study/

& let them just live? Cheap housing, sure; there are lots of ways to provide that.

it was one of the first of its kind. Just starting when I was there(SF).

I'm sure it's either gone or completely different now, but that was the idea.

like India and China. There's a reason Wall Street sends millions of jobs there, and it isn't because of their freedom and democracy.

there is an entire political movement (of non-wall streeters) ... go to any conservative site and read what is being said by the vast majority of its class membership. How many of them do you think are wall streeter/the 1%? The vast majority are working class folks that, for whatever reason, are predisposed to drag others down into the mud; rather than, getting themselves (and others) out of the mud pit.

cops refering to citizens as "animals".

Working together in lock step via media ownership, Wall Street has convinced Americans to divide themselves. As long as they keep tearing us apart at the fringes of social policy, Wall Street's collective power will never be threatened. And I don't believe this strategy is unique to Republicans. It is a strategy for maintaining control that transcends our two political parties.

some, a majority, of the "blame" lies in the selfishness of humans. In the competition for resources (in this society), no one needs to "told" to hoard what little they have; nor, do they have to be told that it's easier to STOP someone from getting something than to take something from another. Lastly, this same collective doesn't need to be told that "changing the rules" now, will prevent them from benefiting from those rules ... once they winning the lottery or invent the next Microsoft or are just recognized for the genius that is them.

Doesn't care what becomes of the disemboweled 99% only that they remain such fighting among selves over week old bread and who can & can't vote.

Weren't really talking specifically about issue of homelessness were you?

Pickins' are slim hereabouts. Too many people trying to live off the Land. The Rats have been hunted to extinction.

you must know some of my neighbors.

... I’ve seen some enormous, heated, air conditioned, tax free churches – mostly empty except for a few hours on Sunday. Perhaps a starting point?

for working people, we will continue on the road downhill.

The Aristocracy and a working class that will do anything for a pittance. (see Charles Dickens).
Now That is the American way!

And the other two Roosevelts while we are at it.