Hacker News Reader

Comment by landryraccoon | Hacker News Reader

High housing costs are probably a causal factor in all of the problems you mention.

When housing costs are as exorbitant as they are, everyone is much closer to homelessness than they were before. If someone is laid off in the bay, they have significantly less time to find a new job before they cannot afford housing compared to more affordable areas.

Once you are actually homeless, mental problems and drug issues can become a self fulfilling prophecy, especially if you moved to the bay from out of state and have no local support network.

> Homelessness is - for the most part in San Francisco - a choice and/or a result of mental illness and drug addiction.

This is.. a very harsh take. Mental illness and drug abuse I can see, but a choice ? That is a serious claim that requires serious evidence.

View on HN

> a choice

This claim is stronger in San Francisco specifically than it is nationwide. The city has been a Mecca for drug culture for a long time, and its current public policy barely recognizes the drug abuse of its homeless persons as a problem, except when it’s time to mitigate the spread of HIV with needle exchanges.

“Used needles on the playground equipment” is a very-specifically San Francisco complaint.

Perfect, if we determine that housing is an important cause, then can we:

* Enact consequences for those that do refuse housing when available (ie, banning homeless lifestyle).

* Arrest illegal aliens that are making the lack of housing even worse.

* Stop open-air drug dealing and abuse so that people can get back on their feet.

And if not, why not?

This sounds like it's based more on ideology than evidence.

> Enact consequences for those that do refuse housing when available (ie, banning homeless lifestyle).

You're saying that if someone homeless turns down free housing you want to arrest them? The obvious question is - where's the free housing you're talking about? Homeless shelters don't even have free beds, I'm pretty sure that the homeless would take a better indoor place to sleep if there was one available.

> Arrest illegal aliens that are making the lack of housing even worse.

I'm sorry, you think that migrant farm workers being paid less than minimum wage are the reason Google engineers have to get roommates, or why single family homes start at $1M and up? I really don't get it. Migrant workers aren't buying real estate.

It's funny because people like the parent comment here usually propose even more fines and restrictions on these people.

None of them want to admit that housing shouldn't be tied to employment.

You want to solve homelessness? Make homes a guaranteed right. And actual homes. Not some shitty shelters.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com