• logicbomb@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    The stupidest part is that both Republicans (in Utah at least) and Democrats have seen, first hand, that Housing First initiatives are actually less expensive for the government than just ignoring, then displacing inconvenient homeless populations.

    Research in Seattle, Washington, found that providing housing and support services for homeless alcoholics costs taxpayers less than leaving them on the street, where taxpayer money goes towards police and emergency health care.

    Both morality and fiscal responsibility agree on certain issues, and this is one of them.

    I’m not saying that housing first is the ultimate best remedy, because I don’t know all of the alternatives. Just that clearing homeless camps is proven to be expensive and ineffective.