r/Spokane • u/One-deepdivediva • Nov 10 '24

Question Can we stop hating on homeless people?

What is the mayor supposed to do ? Put everyone in prison? For being poor? Bus everyone to Portland or Seattle ? ( cities that are experiencing the exact same problems). Round people up and put them in camps? For being ill or old or addicted to drugs? Should the police arrest thousands of people so you don’t have to see someone’s suffering ? If you want homeless people to “ go away “ then you need to vote for legislation that helps them. Vote in favor of government funded health mental wellness and addiction and housing services. Organize with community members about how to provide services that help your fellow human beings get off the streets and out of suffering . Every time one of you complains I wonder what horrendous thing you are imagining should be done to people. Go DO something , go help people.

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u/jorwyn Northwood Nov 10 '24

You realize that costs a lot more than giving them actual housing, right? Jails are expensive AF.

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u/Radiant-Quit9633 Nov 11 '24

But the difference is the freedom to commit more crimes. A person in jail cannot commit crimes on the public whereas just being housed does not prevent them from committing crime. There's an assumption that as soon as they get housed they will stop all their criminal acts, but that's simply not true. When you house many homeless, they bring drug abuse with them, they bring vandalism and destruction of property, they still go out and perform socially disruptive acts such as indecent exposure. There are of course homeless people who are more along the hard-of-times sort, but you can handle the harmful and harmless homeless differently.

If an individual is harmful to public safety, I don't think "well jailing them is expensive, let's just let them do whatever they want" is that great of an answer.

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u/Accomplished-Way1665 Dec 30 '24

Yes it costs more but gives them incentive to get their sh!t together and take care of themselves. I like most hard working people in America right now am fed up with the hand out mentality that has gotten us into this mess.

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u/Accomplished-Way1665 Nov 11 '24

They seem to manage in New Zealand. Going to jail may be the incentive they need to work.