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Comment by meowtimemania | Hacker News Reader

I'm quoting a tweet from the president of Y Combinator. I'm not against giving people housing, but I think there needs to be a sobriety requirement. Why would putting someone in a house cure them of their addiction? Put them through rehab, then give them a house when they leave rehab.

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They use drugs because they live on the streets.

Treating a symptom instead of the cause is stupid, especially if the symptom (drug use) will likely return as soon as they return to the streets after rehab/prison.

A lot of them uses drugs because they are mentally ill, and this is their way to cope with it. People that aren't dangerous to anybody but themselves would not get treated involuntarily, and they would not follow voluntary treatments because drugs are easier. Living on the streets is a consequence too - it's hard to hold a job while being mentally ill addict, it's hard to pay rent while having no job, and it's hard to follow any rules framework which would be in place for a housing solution while being all the above.

I'm not arguing that the homeless should only receive housing, I'm saying that any other help you give them likely won't help unless you provide housing.

And that help should include mental healthcare and a support structure.

The social culture in our society (and especially in circles that would be implementing the support structure) leans heavily towards "it's not your fault, you are magnificent, you do you, there's no consequences whatsoever whatever you do". This approach is not going to work for the vast majority of these cases. There would be consequences, but since the "support" people will refuse to be the bad guys and implement the consequences, the consequences will come in the form of these programs turning into disastrous nightmares - just as various "housing hotels" turned into disastrous filthy drug-filled rat-infested nightmares. Throwing billions at the problem might provide a nice income to a number of GONGO staff and make them feel excellent because "they are doing something", but otherwise will not do much.

Parent didn’t suggest returning them to the streets after rehab. They said give them free housing after rehab.

That being said, addiction is not easily cured with or without free housing, if the substance of addiction is easily available nearby (alcohol, drugs, casinos) without additional support systems.

> They use drugs because they live on the streets.

Have you ever used drugs? Drugs are fun. Until they aren't anymore, then they cause problems, like becoming homeless. That drugs are mostly just a symptom of homelessness is such a weird assertion that keeps getting tossed around.

This person likes doing drugs and has no intention to quit: https://archive.ph/wnTq6 But she'll happily take all the free stuff you want to give her. I'm not saying this is every homeless person. But let's not pretend like it's none of them either, and create policies accordingly.

I'm all for housing first. But there needs to be a filter imo to pick only the people with an actual chance of success (which so far turns out to be a pretty low % in LA's program, but still great for those people and I'm all for it).

Also there has to be some consideration for the working/lower class people who live in these neighborhoods. If the people making the policies and those making loftiest arguments online actually had to live amidst all the chaos, I think we'd see a very different approach.

In many cases the drugs came before the homelessness.

This is completely naive. They end up on the streets because of drugs. I’ve had friends from my youth and young adult life end up this way.

Drugs put you in a place where you prioritize getting high over paying rent. And so it goes.

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