Eber: Dealing with the Homeless today

Tens of billions have been spent by government and the taxpayers to finance the Homeless Industrial Complex.  The more we spend, the richer the non profits become and it staff—and the more homeless we get.  Instead of tearing down tents and encampments, providing rehabilitation, job training, treatment for alcoholism and drug addiction, the give money for studies and to save bankrupt flea bag hotels.

1. “Reduce local zoning restrictions, permits, water, sewer and electric hook-ups can be put in place to build needed homeless housing can be constructed. Existing condemned, or rundown buildings (often military) can be quickly converted to house the homeless. Using temporary housing can often get people off the street before more permanent quarters can be found.

• When facilities are available to house the homeless, they must move to this place. Relocating to another illegal dwelling or camp simply is not an option.  This is not democracy.  Those who choose or are forced to live on the streets do not have the right to formulate housing policies in the towns they live in.  It does not matter if drugs or alcohol are permitted. Either relocate or hit the road. “

Our current efforts are not compassionate, they harm the homeless.  It is time to fix the problem, not make a few people rich.

Dealing with the Homeless today by Richard Eber

Richard Eber, Exclusive for the California Political News and Views,  2/23/23

It has come to the point where those of us who reside in Suburbia are reluctant to visit the big city any longer. From San Diego to Oakland it has proven to be unsafe to shop and seek entertainment in these places where homeless encampments and street people block normal commerce.

For me as a native San Franciscan, I seldom visit the land of my birth. If I drive there it is almost certain a ticket or break-in will occur.  Transiting by BART is expensive and has been found to be an environment where Covid-19 has been frequently spread.  Dirty streets and homeless enclaves inhabited by junkies scare visitors.

It appears that it is better for me to live with many of the same problems in Concord on a lesser scale.

I am not alone in my fears of the homeless invasion.  Tourist and convention trade in San Francisco, Los Angeles and the rest of the state have been adversely affected. Office vacancies and small business closings can be associated with the un-housed population in urban areas.  There are indications tax revenues for big cities are falling like a brick.

It all comes down to what can be done to deal with the rising homeless problem that billions of dollars in government assistance on all levels has failed to mitigate.  Areas of concern include:

• The poor and those who depend on welfare programs have in many cases lost their ability to put a roof over their heads thus find themselves homeless. As long as alcohol, hard drugs, or mental illness are not involved, providing food, shelter, and clothing is easier to provide than other homeless segments.   With backing from the state and Federal governments, housing can be found for those in need.

• People with mental illnesses. It is said that if someone is not crazy when becoming homeless, they soon are.  By and large, a major segment of this population failed to survive in normal society because of conditions such as paranoia, bi-polar, schizophrenia, and estrangement from society. It is estimated that approximately 45% of the homeless need to be treated in order to become a useful member of society once again.  Ex-military comprise a major segment of this group.  Those who believe providing housing will solve homelessness ignore legitimate mental health concerns

• Those with alcohol problems: There is a major part of the homeless population who often live under freeway ramps stricken with alcoholism.  These folks have often drunk themselves out of marriages and normal family life.  They are often depressed and need 24 hour a day treatment in order to return to normal society.

• Junkies and drug addicts:  This is the most difficult segment of street people to deal with.  As it takes a significant amount of money to pay for methamphetamines, heroin, cocaine, and Fentanyl and other addictive substances; aggressive often violent crime inevitably ensues.  From residential burglaries to armed robbery and car break-ins, drug addicts are a constant source of worry of law enforcement.  Outside of costly drug treatment programs, not much can be done.  Things are so serious that in San Francisco, so called  safe shooting  galleries have been set up to reduce the influence of hard drugs.

Now that we have isolated some of the basic causes of homeless (I am waiving my normal consultants’ fee) we can proceed with configuring solutions to this problem.

Here is my list:

• Whenever possible government agencies on all levels should delegate program administration to private enterprise. Such a policy will cut costs and help eliminate bureaucracy. Churches, non-profit foundations, the Salvation Army, Goodwill, Delancy Street, etc. bring to the table a needed spiritual quotient governmental agencies are not allowed to provide.

• Reduce local zoning restrictions, permits, water, sewer and electric hook-ups can be put in place to build needed homeless housing can be constructed. Existing condemned, or rundown buildings (often military) can be quickly converted to house the homeless. Using temporary housing can often get people off the street before more permanent quarters can be found.

• When facilities are available to house the homeless, they must move to this place. Relocating to another illegal dwelling or camp simply is not an option.  This is not democracy.  Those who choose or are forced to live on the streets do not have the right to formulate housing policies in the towns they live in.  It does not matter if drugs or alcohol are permitted. Either relocate or hit the road.

• Whenever possible the homeless population should be encouraged to be taken back by their families.  To facilitate this appropriate counseling for mental illnesses along with rehab for alcohol and drug abuse should be provided before and after entering normal society.  In addition, to encourage this transition, the Federal Government should subsidize those homeless people they are taking back in.  This might sound expensive, but next to the cost incurred by local communities from law enforcement to medical assistance, it’s a bargain.

• For the homeless that have migrated to communities in different places across the country, free transportation back to where they came should be provided.

• Local communities need to do their best to keep hard drugs away from their homeless population.  This not only involves strict enforcement of law by the police but also special courts of law to deal with this segment of the population.  Along with this approach, dealers of large amounts of narcotics need to go to jail for their actions. No more sympathy for bad childhoods or hanging out with the wrong people.

Ironically, China’s system of justice where offenders of non violent crime are let go for their first offense and receive five years of hard labor for the second one, seems to work.  With such a system there are seldom repeat offenders.

• The Federal government needs to do a much better job at the border impeding the import of dangerous drugs.  They can’t even begin do this until the immigration of millions of illegal aliens is halted allowing Homeland Security and  Border Control to do their jobs.

1. Dealing with the homeless epidemic does not allow for a one size fits all solution.  Every community that is plagued with this problem needs to have the latitude to solve this problem on a local level.  Fixes should be mandated by government; not by intervention in courts of law by so called homeless advocates.

1. This is a no brainer. Unless an illegal alien is subject to real peril in their homeland, being homeless in the USA citizen should mean immediate deportation. No need for long legal proceedings.  Free lodging should be provided in government facilities until their departure. American’s are generous people, but at some point in time we can’t be taken advantage of all the time

1. Finding answers to homelessness is not solely a Democrat vs. Republican issue.  If ever there was a need to have a non-partisan approach, this is it. In California where Democrats have a stranglehold on power, it might be time to stop playing Santa Claus and take a more militant approach towards making our streets in large cities safe again.