In your humble opinion, are the majority of the homeless people responsible for the situation they are in? IOW: do they deserve to be homeless, because it is their personal failure or do they not, because they are a victim of the circumstances (the reasons they are where they are are largely out of their control)? Have you ever talked to homeless people? Are they really just “bad people” and “will never change” or are they hardworking individuals who’ve just had a punch by life that they were unable to stand after?

  • YoFrodo@lemmy.world
    20·
    1 day ago

    No, statistically most of them suffer from psychological issues and society has failed to support them. We have enough wealth and resources to support everyone, the fact that we do not is a choice society has made to prioritize the concentration of wealth and let others suffer and starve.

    76.2% of homeless individuals in high-income countries have at least one current mental disorder (per mhstats.org)

    • Over three-quarters of people experiencing homelessness in high-income countries have a current mental disorder, a rate significantly higher than the general population. 76.2%
    • Serious Mental Illness (SMI) affects approximately 22% of homeless adults, a rate nearly four times that of the general population.
    • Substance use disorders are exceptionally common, with alcohol use disorders affecting 36.7% of the homeless population—a rate nearly 10 times higher than housed individuals.
    • Access to care is severely limited; only 30% of homeless adults with a severe mental illness receive adequate mental healthcare, and up to 60% struggle with medication adherence.
    • Homeless youth are a particularly vulnerable group, with nearly 40% identifying as LGBTQ+ and suicide attempt rates reaching as high as 33% for those who have also run away.
    • The ‘Housing First’ model proves highly effective, with over 90% of participants remaining stably housed by prioritizing permanent housing with integrated, voluntary support services. >90%
    • TimeRonin@lemmy.world
      1·
      8 hours ago

      22% isnt even 1/4th how is it fair to say that most people who are homeless have a mental health issue?

      • YoFrodo@lemmy.world
        2·
        3 hours ago

        22% is Serious Mental Illness only, not mental health issues in general. Different classifications.

      • missingno@fedia.io
        8·
        23 hours ago

        It means step one is to provide housing, no questions asked, without it being contingent on drug or mental health testing. People need shelter and basic survival needs met first before you can even begin to try to address issues like addiction or mental illness.

      • unmagical@lemmy.ml
        1·
        17 hours ago

        Housing first means to provide housing as the first step to ending homelessness. No means testing: if you need a home you get a home. Shelter is imperative for survival and housing is the best type of shelter. Once housed, everthing else becomes easier. Rehab is easier. Getting a job is easier. Staying healthy is easier. Avoiding violent crime is easier. Because it has so many positive knock on effects–more than any other approach–it should be the first step to reintegrating in society. It’s important to note, however, that it puts housing first and not only. Other wraparound services are still required to lift people out of poverty. For instance, it makes rehab easier, but if there’s no rehab options nearby healing from a drug addiction is harder than it needs to be.

        Ideally it would be housing for all and society wouldn’t let people fall to the point of living in the streets, but we failed that and so housing first is what is needed to get back on track.

        Housing first does not mean everyone gets a free single family home, it means everyone has access to reasonable shelter and privacy. That could be served by hotels, retro fitting empty office complexes, or tiny homes. Something enough for people to be safe and dignified.

        And hey, like UBI, whenever it’s been tried it works.