If we are to address the housing crisis and the homeless epidemic, we need to provide basic shelter and more. You can't just throw a couple hundred people into a gymnasium or a city shelter and not expect trouble.
Shelters in NYC are notorius for being dangerous. Most people in the know would rather take their chances on a park bench than a city shelter. This herding of people like cattle to slaughter does more harm than good. Yeah, you might be in from the cold night but what awaits?
Homeless people are not a monolith. They aren't all mentally unhinged people. Some are just down on their luck or another victim of 2023 capitalism. But everyone of them, and every one of us, deserve housing that isn't a dangerous cattle barn.
It's hard to get a job when you don't have access to a hot shower and clean clothes. It's hard to keep a job if you're sleeping on the streets or in your car because you're homeless. If you want everyone to be productive in this country, we all need a base of operations.
Here's what I propose as basic needs in 2023 for housing (and feel free to add your own or dispute mine):
1) A studio apartment with a kitchen fridge, stove, microwave, sink.
2) Basic internet service. Everything is done online. Rent a laptop from the public library.
3) No electric, gas, water, sewage bills for the first year. Second year you pay half. Third year you pay full.
4) Guranteed job, and not always a shit one. Match skills to job openings. Career counceling. Resume help, etc.
5) Monthly food stipend until employed. First year of employment, stipend full, second year stipend halved, third year stopped.
6) Clothing budget for job interviews, job uniforms, replacement or duplicates for working attire. Full first year, half 2nd year, none 3rd year.
If the powers that be were serious about doing something about the homeless crisis, they would try to treat these folks as human beings needing a hand up, not a hand out. I'm sure there are better ideas than these, but basic housing and support should be a high priority.
fin