Lawmakers split on how to solve homeless crisis in Phoenix

The debate over addressing homelessness is complicated, but it boils down to some lawmakers wanting to focus on housing and others wanting to prioritize treatment.

[@toledosan]

Start paying mental health workers, low level medical workers, and teachers better. That'll not only boost the current helping system, but also prevent future hobos, and also make current workers more effective at doing their job.

[@notthensa8507]

Open the mental institutions/ rehab areas. Ship them there, majority of them need to spend couple of years there.

[@sarbantz]

Fentanyl and Tranq

[@ChrisRoxDuhh]

Ship?

[@user-bt8uu8yu2e]

Simple. First you address the underlying issues that have caused the homelessness. Drug rehab, mental health rehab, physical rehab. Qualified professionals with the resources needed to house, feed, care, and most importantly watch over the homeless. But society as a whole especially most government agencies do not have the real desire to fix the problem.

[@susanabrown1736]

Nowadays the main reason is the astronomical increase in rent !! who in hell can rent a $1200 for one bedroom apt.?

[@kelvinharris4921]

Multiple solutions are needed. The main one must be a safety net that catches people before they hit the street. All homeless people know they are headed that way long before they get there. Most of them are employed and see themselves failing but don't know what to do. They search for low cost living arrangements. But only fine laws that prevent them from achieving it. If they tried an RV live it's doomed to failure for multiple reasons. The answer lies in the 230,000,000 homeowners in the United States. If a law could be crafted nationwide that allowed every homeowner to rent out one or more rooms in their home and get a complete tax break in every conceivable way to do so. When people would never hit the street homeowners would seek out anyone who's having trouble that they know and can trust and will immediately want to move them in while they are still working. We must catch people before they hit the streets at that point they will quickly slide downhill and become unemployable and more indigent by the day. The upside also on this would be that homeowners who are in financial stress would get some much needed relief. And could take advantage of tax breaks on improving their homes for this purpose. As well as a complete tax write off for the income earned.

[@aikanae1]

Being homeless causes addiction. Treatment without a home is futile. There are 4,000 to 8,000 evictions per month.

[@DM-lc2cf]

There are many who are in the situation because they were playing around with drugs, it became a habit and they couldn't work, take drugs, and pay increasingly high rent. There are so many different homeless categories...many have mental health issues and are a danger to themselves, they need to have hospital care. Don't give them a dollar, give it to agencies that know from years of experience that they need to get off a drugs and alcohol, so they can get on with their lives.

[@austinhobson5489]

100%

[@EvanIEvan]

Treatment needs a home and distance from the people who contributed. Realistically most of these people need to be in a living facility outside the city in order to distance themselves from the environment that got them addicted to begin with.

[@aikanae1]

@@EvanIEvan for many, getting a home will be the biggest step towards sobriety and mental health. This is where differing needs become apparent. Some were attempting to self medicate due to a fractured mental health system, some were numbing pain due to circumstances, some have a hard core addiction problem that could benefit from a sober living home with long term treatment and some were priced out due to being on fixed incomes. The largest growing demographic is over 55 and not addicted. The most visible have addiction and mental health unmet needs but they don't represent the whole.

[@susanabrown1736]

...and the City Manager does not care,,,, what else can we do?

[@pagosa1040]

Ah, yes they are throw away people, they threw themselves away years before and now the taxpayer is on the hook to keep them from the final drop off the cliff which they daily edge towards. END IT. This stupidity will go on forever because the policies are weak and enabling.

[@sarbantz]

Fentanyl and Tranq

[@Joe-no7gs]

How Christian of you. I. Sure Jesus would say the same.

[@riskyron1416]

Each homeless in the US costs taxpayers $135,000 mostly in medical care caused by drugs, alcohol as well as living conditions. That means the total income of 2 average US workers to support just one homeless. As for housing involve government and it costs $250,000 to house just one. That is also very insufficient

[@Chano601]

None profit companies ceo make 100s of thousands. Drug problems is the issues.

[@clancep]

Something needs to be done. All over the Valley is looking dirty and trashy due to all the trash the homeless are leaving behind. The exits all along the I-17 need to be patrolled and cleaned on a weekly basis. No sense in our exits and freeways looking like they do. I understand people have fallen on hard times but when people are slumped over due to heavy drug use, screaming random curse words AND REFUSING help after Phoenix Cares has been dispatched, then roaming the streets and leaving filthy trash all over shouldn’t be an option.

[@geekedmedia]

It's simple. If they refuse treatment they should be placed into a facility.

[@chucksucks8640]

Create a 'zone' in the middle of Scottsdale. This way they get some nice stuff.

[@kelvinharris4921]

The government could create a more organic safety net by simply giving very generous tax breaks to homeowners who rent out a room, For mother-in-law cabin On their property, Or possibly a regulated RV in their home. The income the homeowner gets from it would be non taxable. As well as they could take advantage of home improvement tax breaks. This would mean that they would rent out their rooms to people before they actually hit the street and fell into a state of non employability. It's important to catch people at that point while there's still employed but realized they are heading into homelessness for whatever reason. Of course many will still fall short of this safety net. But by making it a national program Homeowners will be encouraged financially to seek out candidates who are still employed and in somewhat good health and condition. This would also lower the cost of renting apartments due to have fundamental migration from high priced home and apartment rentals to low cost room rentals. Of course local regulations would be needed to fit each geographic area. But formalizing it in this way would help homeowners who are on the brink of losing their homes as well as the homeless and then near homeless.

[@kineticmeow9242]

UBI for all the homeless. Don't force office workers to physically come into work just turn all those tall office building into housing for the homeless. Repeal the Right to Work law. Go after RealPages for bumping up the prices for rent continuously.

[@CurtisSandoval712]

Shouldn’t have POCKETED all that FED money to fix it! Maybe right? Instead of building a low income complex, you built yourselves bigger houses

[@ScottMore]

Gas an matches

[@Serenityfor1]

Pretty soon it will be Be too hot to sleep outside in summer.

[@notthensa8507]

Right! They need to get shipped to California, since they have better weather.

[@Chano601]

Hold these scams companies accountable for tax payers funds. We had this before in the 90s and we created laws stopped people doing drugs openly

[@ElizabethVenable-us1ii]

Go Amy Schwabenlender

[@bsfishing7073]

OK I would like to weigh in on this subject and the reason I would like to it’s because I’ve been on the street for 10+ years I don’t do drugs I don’t smoke I don’t even drink my issue is that I never had a family dynamics and I realize something they are no different than we are sure you might look upon them with a different pair of eyes after I give you some advice the people who you see on the streets went to high school maybe they even got a degree but then something happened that made them feel like they weren’t worth anything and that’s why I wanted to weigh in on this subject because I think the only way to stop homelessness worldwide is to help them believe in themselves again even the ones that we call critical do you know the ones that talk to themselves when they’re on the streets because honestly some of them are not as bad as one might think. If you actually sat down for a moment and talked with one of them ask them what it would take for them to get off the streets their first answer to you would be at home I don’t believe they’re talking about an apartment they’re talking about a family dynamic they’re talking about a program that even if they’re screaming at the top of their lungs and make a mess it’s not gonna turn their back on him I should know I have seen firsthand what can happen when people believe in themselves so once you start getting someone believing in themselves everything else will fall into place but we don’t have any programs like that we don’t have programs to make people feel like family I have never seen a program where if you came off the street made you feel like you were at home because to them it’s all about money it’s all about funding but what if it wasn’t what if there’s a program out there for the people now I know what you’re thinking you’re thinking I’m crazy nope if you seriously want to end homelessness you can ask me how to do it

[@riskyron1416]

If SSA would allow those on SSI and SSDI to live outside the US all year much of the homeless problem would be solved. $1000 USD would spend like $3000 in Mexico where basic private rooms with a twin bed, chair and dresser, kitchen, bathrooms and TV room down the hall and includes Wifi and utilities for $104 a month. Drug addicts not welcome of course. For that you need other solutions. And not send too many to any region as it typically raises rent and other costs for Natives if too many Americans come. So not a complete solution but a start.

[@sarbantz]

Fentanyl and Tranq

[@thetrainwreck1469]

They won’t hire anyone whom they think is homeless. The homeless can’t get a place if they have no job. The place has to be reasonably priced.

[@sarbantz]

Fentanyl and Tranq

[@thetrainwreck1469]

@@sarbantz Not all homeless are druggies and there are a lot more homeless people than you think because they stay away from people and try not to be seen.

[@sarbantz]

@@thetrainwreck1469 Where I live all street homeless are fentanyl and Tranq addicts literally 💯

[@KrustySnax]

You have to make everything the price it was in 1950. That’s how.

[@Platinum3216]

If you adjust to inflation prices were similar

[@furshizzle]

"not everybody that is homeless has a substance abuse or mental health issue." You lost me, lady.

[@thetrainwreck1469]

Some people are just dirt poor.

[@sabrina.natalie]

It’s very insensitive to assume that many homeless individuals have a substance abuse or mental health issue. It can ALWAYS happen to you, never feel like you can be immune to being homeless. Some people end up homeless for a variety of reasons. Young adults age out of foster care with no resources or an apartment voucher and frequently ends up on the streets, a woman is escaping an unsafe marriage, has no place to go and ends up homeless. An elderly man with a fixed income is priced out of the apartment he’s living in, and ends up living in his car. The LGBTQ individual is not accepted by their family, gets kicked out, and ends up sleeping on a bench, because they have no other place to go. We’re all one job loss away from homelessness, so being compassionate and understanding for people’s journeys - without judgement - is crucial.

[@aikanae1]

There is no place anyone can rent on social security. It used to be possible.

[@OmarGarcia-MadeInMexico]

Lower the cost of living so people and family members can take people in and also remove everyone from section 8 who has more than 2 years using the service and start with new people who have never used section 8

[@EvanIEvan]

I think your idea has potential. Once someone gets into section 8, create a goal plan to get them out within a certain amount of time. The issue I've seen people have in section 8 is once they get their life in order they discover the financial burden that comes with trying to work and navigate in the system. If that financial burden can be lessened, accompanied with your idea of a limited time in section 8, that could make a difference.

[@susanabrown1736]

Is sad to see these homeless people in Phoenix, what to do next? Build more shelters!!!

[@aikanae1]

Shelters are not a home. Shelters do not allow people to hold a job, get mail, clean up, have a pet or feel safe.

[@JTSunriseMusic]

Corporations cause homelessness

[@anthonyzamudio7741]

I've been homeless I've had a stint being homeless for a year and 3 months. Honestly there's no excuse to be homeless. Get out there and grab Life by the horns.

[@thetrainwreck1469]

You’re full of sh1t lol

[@billkingelectric]

Bring back mental hospitals for the people that are insane. Drug and alcohol counseling. 60 million would buy a hell of a lot of RVs bulldoze land make RV pads with sewer and water. Continue mandatory counseling. Mandatory testing. If none of that is done they go to jail for a year. Yes basically you lose your rights.

[@danielgriffin8132]

Mandatory lockdown drug rehab one year . Would be a very good start. Arest drug dealers put them in prison.

[@sundager8735]

Stop adopting Democrat policies, get control over price gouging for homes and apartments, and green light more construction for apartments and housing, and work on job growth

[@crjetpilot]

Your solution sounds pretty Democrat to me.

[@David_Journey]

It’s the usual playbook of blaming parties instead of discussing policies and finding who can expand and implement them first. If you go on California local news, there will be parrots saying: you get what you vote for. This is just demonstrating low level of civic awareness and engagement and preference for tribalism.

[@westville1916]

That's what democrats are advocating for genius.

[@westville1916]

Hey

[@Dnttou0497]

All things that our whackadoodle, NIMBY-ist, Republican-controlled state legislature would never ever allow lol

[@user-wc6le2fp2n]

Make marijuana illegal

[@jesuspp5157]

The guy they showed, is over wieght, either a well fed addict or menatlly ill, what ever is done, you should not give him money,

[@EvanIEvan]

There's a documentary about a guy in England who did a 60 day homeless experiment. He gained 20-25 lbs because the only food he was getting was bread based items. I've often thought why don't they spend $1.50 on a packet of chicken at Walmart to get their protein? I think you're half right about the mental illness and well fed addict. Alcoholics gain weight because of the carbs, mentally ill can't always differentiate between ultra processed and raw foods. I agree throwing money at them isn't going to solve the problem, its going to be the long difficult path of educating them. Thoughts?

[@aikanae1]

@@EvanIEvan have you seen a food box? Zero produce or lean protein. All starch, processed (cheap) foods. This is why diabetes is epidemic. Convenience stores charge 3X's more and that's all many have access to due to transportation. They can afford items from the dollar menu but don't have enough money to buy sandwich fixings for 2 wks at once even though it's cheaper in the long run.