This was the response to a comment made as a result of a meme I posted yesterday:
The commenter indicated that a major reason for homelessness today is mental health and our failure to adequately address that as an issue. Her words are heartfelt and actually does describe a large part of the issues confronting society today.
My response:
It's (the homeless situation) a dual edged sword, and you accurately present one edge of that sword.
Some 25 years or so ago, I was on Legislative staff in Olympia. The mental health system in this state (WA) was fare more extensive and robust back then.
While I was there, the ACLU was busy in court attacking the criteria used to force mental health commitments.
Ultimately, they were successful and in this day and age, the criteria has been reduced to a very simplistic "threat to self and/or others" standard.
The issue is, what does "threat" mean, exactly?
The legal definition of that word, over time, has been watered down so much that it's become increasingly less possible to qualify for forced commitment into a mental health facility.
Fewer commitments=fewer facilities.
Mental health problems are a substantial factor in homelessness. But the overwhelming issue is illegal drug dependency.
Oregon, with their idiotic passage of I-110 is a case in point.
Since the passage of that initiative, homelessness has exploded in Oregon. SO have overdoses, primarily due to fentanyl/ Tranq is looming on the horizon as a major driver as well.
Legislatures in both WA and OR and actually, around the country for the most part, have refused to take the decisive action needed to quantitatively address this problem. The disgrace of the last special session in Olympia, which will fail to have any meaningful impact on the numbers of corpses stacking up at the King County Medical Examiner's office, (which he's loudly complained about) is a case in point.
Rehab facilities are at an all-time low in comparison to the numbers addicted. Additionally, commitment to drug treatment is voluntary at this point, so governments are setting up different kinds of warehousing for homeless drug addicts to hide their stashes of stolen property used to pay for these drugs and shoot up/smoke/snort their drugs in private with no accountability for the user vis drug testing as their goal is merely to get them off the street while getting them OFF drugs remains a non-goal in comparison.
Addressing this issue will require multiple approaches. Because the indisputable reality is that nothing we're doing now is making this issue "better." and no amount of money spent under these conditions will result in any meaningful difference.
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