Here’s a Texas Public Policy Foundation roundtable on homelessness, with a focus on the problem in Austin.
I’ve cut out five minutes of nothing-at-all at the beginning.
Filmmaker Chris Rufo has produced a documentary called America Lost, and he notes it’s not a housing shortage issue. “About three-quarters of those on the street have a substance abuse problem, and about three-quarters also have some sort of mental illness.”
Michele Steeb, who ran the St. John’s homeless shelter for women and children in Sacramento, said she saw about the same ration: 80% addicted, 75% with mental illness, and 50% lack a high school diploma or GED. Neither Austin nor Sacramento has put a dent in their homeless problem. Affordable housing doesn’t do it. “Around 70% of them need deep, individualized interventions.”
Texas Republican congressman Chip Roy. “if you have perspectives that don’t involve big government programs, you’re accused of ignoring the problem.” He says that when you get the federal government involved without policy innovation, you end up with problems. Says Austin Mayor Steve Adler’s policies have made the problem a whole lot worse. “We’ve seen a 45% increase [in homelessness] from 2019 to 2020. It’s a direct result of the policies the city council adopted”
Roy: “What doesn’t work is patting yourself on the back as the leftist mayor of Austin, Texas and saying ‘Look how important I am about focusing on the homeless,’ while you’re letting the homeless suffer in the streets.”
Rufo: “If you don’t have a local government that is willing to enforce the law, create rules, and maintain public order, you’re wasting your time.”
Homeless people say they can’t get access to the services Austin provides because they fear for their safety just walking four blocks.
I spoke to a childhood friend, a pastor who runs a successful homeless organization. He explained to me people who become homeless, if they weren’t mentally ill at first, they will be, as a consequence of homeless life. Also if they didn’t have addiction issues at first, they will. Again the homeless lifestyle is either too conducive to it, and/or they seek it to self-medicate or as a form of escape.
And of course, mental illness and addiction can certainly cause someone to be homeless.
Yet … he said it’s a quasi voluntary lifestyle. Many homeless folk do not want to live in a shelter. Either they find the rules too restrictive, or some other resson.
But still … we have idiot politicians who bang on about housing, with aspirations of becoming figure slum lords and drinking in that sweet, sweet taxpayer funding for the issue they helped cause.
Housing is definitely not the issue.
I spoke to a childhood friend, a pastor who runs a successful homeless organization. He explained to me people who become homeless, if they weren’t mentally ill at first, they will be, as a consequence of homeless life. Also if they didn’t have addiction issues at first, they will. Again the homeless lifestyle is either too conducive to it, and/or they seek it to self-medicate or as a form of escape.
And of course, mental illness and addiction can certainly cause someone to be homeless.
Yet … he said it’s a quasi voluntary lifestyle. Many homeless folk do not want to live in a shelter. Either they find the rules too restrictive, or some other resson.
But still … we have idiot politicians who bang on about housing, with aspirations of becoming figure slum lords and drinking in that sweet, sweet taxpayer funding for the issue they helped cause.