• doingthestuff@lemy.lol
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    8
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    22 hours ago

    I work serving the homeless. We spent $10 billion for one year during COVID just to include all of the students who didn’t already get free school meals to have it during that time. Unless you’re only providing cots and Porto-johns, that number might work as an annual figure, until inflation hits, or the numbers go up because once you offer free housing, more people will try to become eligible.

    Sounds to me like you’re the one talking out your ass.

    • surph_ninja@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      22 hours ago

      Then present your data. Hell, publish your data. If you know better than the experts at HUD, and can prove it, it should be quite the boon to your career.

      But you’re not wrong that band-aids for systemic problems are much more expensive than solving them.

      • turnip@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        21 hours ago

        Most free housing doesnt allow drugs, which is the main problem homeless people have with living in them.

        Then you have the general maintenance issues, fire risk, nimbyism. Is it really that simple?

        • surph_ninja@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          4
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          20 hours ago

          You’re perpetuating capitalist propaganda. Most homeless people do not have a drug problem. At least half of homeless people in the US are employed.

          It’s not a drug problem. It’s an unaffordable housing problem.

          • turnip@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            edit-2
            19 hours ago

            Ah, that could very well be true, we really printed a lot of money during Covid. In Canada the government is already buying 50% of all mortgage bonds, inflating the debt people can take in order to juice home prices.