Should it be a criminal offense to be homeless?C

Constantine said:

Just let the homeless be. There's no reason to put them in a circular trap. I don't understand why the homeless don't just rally together and make their own town and societies (sort of similar to great depression tent cities).

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Because even homeless people don't like/trust other homeless people - and with good reason.

No.

OTOH, IMO, every city beyond a certain size (open to interpretation) should have a facility or facility - privately or (if necessary) publicly funded - which does the following:

Provides very basic shelter (small hotel room), food (nothing fancy or overly unhealthy), sanitary (shower/bath, toilet, necessary soaps and such), and communication (time-limited computer access, phone, fax) to anyone who is homeless, so long as they meet the following conditions:
Currently have a job or be searching for a job - proof must be provided.
If they have a job, are searching for a better job to allow them to obtain a place to live, or are looking for a place to live (other than the shelter, obviously).
Are not taking any substances illegally.

Additionally, this facility will provide the following voluntary services:
Various trade skill and basic skill classes.
A library of some sort to compliment all of the above (and below).
Translation services and english language classes.
Some basic leisure and entertainment facilities.
A gym, or some form of exercise facility



That's the first bit I thought of, there are probably more things...

This functions essentially as a safety net to prevent people from becoming homeless - assuming they are willing to forgo drug use and look for a job/home.

OhIsee.Then said:

We don't need to do anything if we just follow the inherent rules of survival of the fittest.
What party supports survival of the fittest the best?

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How do you define "fit" or "best"?

What if...? said:

Seriously though, most of the vagrancy laws began during the Depression, when wandering hordes of hungry unemployed folks were everywhere.

Now its about keeping rents up.

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Apparently you haven't noticed so I'd like to take this opportunity to inform you that the USA is currently in the throes of an economic depression and has been for several years now.

It has been made somewhat a punitive measure in Hungary, but seeing as how Hungary is a country on the edge of economic collapse + political collapse, I don't think you want to mimic them.

Paschendale said:

It's a crime that we have so many homeless in the richest country in the world.

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The crime is that so many jobs the homeless could have done were given to foreigners, primarily illegal immigrants from Mexico, by a "caring" Liberal government. Along with the monetary resources we could've used to help the homeless and our own elderly.

Ray410 said:

The crime is that so many jobs the homeless could have done were given to foreigners, primarily illegal immigrants from Mexico, by a "caring" Liberal government. Along with the monetary resources we could've used to help the homeless and our own elderly.

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More than half of homeless people in this country are children. A lot of the rest are disabled. And you think they should be spending ten hours a day, picking oranges for a few dollars a day? Yeah, that's the ticket.

Paschendale said:

More than half of homeless people in this country are children. A lot of the rest are disabled. And you think they should be spending ten hours a day, picking oranges for a few dollars a day? Yeah, that's the ticket.

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I bet some of the homeless have jobs, but can't afford a place to stay.

Absolutely not.

opendebate said:

How do you define "fit" or "best"?

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Sorry to be so tardy in a reply. (Too busy trying to get a house 'flipped'.) I thought it was clear that those that have the money (or run the church etc. that is in power) define "fit" and "best".
I had posted "We don't need to do anything if we just follow the inherent rules of survival of the fittest."
You asked "What party supports survival of the fittest the best?"

joko104 said:

Should it be a criminal offense to be homeless?

I never heard anyone claim it is a criminal offense to be homeless.

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That's because you have never lived in the old good USSR. In the 1970s-80s, the price of "vagrancy" (бродяжничество) was 2 years in prison. Not too harsh, by Soviet standards.


Being unemployed was also a felony, by the way.

The fact of the matter is, we have numerous reasons for homeless people. We should be prepared to assist them in some manner. There needs to be some form of shelter to accommodate them, feed and clothe them regardless of the reason they are homeless.

Those who become homeless because of economic hardship, loss of job, leaving an abusive relationship, need help. Most are quite willing to help themselves given the opportunity and need only a leg up.

There are those who are homeless due to mental illness. There was a time when mentally ill people who could not care for themselves were given space in a facility which housed them fed them and clothed them. Then someone in their "infinite wisdom" decided it was wrong to do this and many were turned out into the cold. I believe this was the wrong thing to do.