In Seattle, there’s lack of housing, but the bigger driver appears to be easy access to drugs like fentanyl and no consequences to anyone involved in using or selling them.
I don't think we should be locking people up for years because they were minding their own business and being productive members of society and happened to run into the police at the wrong time.
At the same time, it would be nice to do something with people who are fine to beg for money on the street, do nothing productive, and be high on drugs until they die.
Most cities with these problems have resources for people who are willing to get help. Yet we let people refuse that because they'd rather continue doing drugs and not being productive and at the same time ruining all public spaces.
Something needs to change.
Hoping that those people will just change is a bad strategy. Leaving them be is an option - but it's growing less popular.