I would like to share with you a crazy idea, an idea that just might solve homelessness for good. I have designed this idea very carefully to appeal to all but the most partisan partisans, and not just liberal and conservative, but socialist and libertarian too.
Liberals, my dear liberals, we live in one of the wealthiest nations on the face of the Earth, yet homelessness, unhoused-ness, not only remains but grows. This is unacceptable. We all know it is unacceptable. People are struggling and suffering and not only can we do something about it, but we must do something about it. We must come together to provide adequate housing to our entire population.
Conservatives, noble conservatives, we have seen the horrendous images out of California as they kindly and compassionately sacrifice every sidewalk and underpass in the name of battling homelessness. We know that is not working. Mental illness and substance abuse, whether you believe they are among many factors or that they are the pivotal factors underlying the epidemic, are factors that must be addressed before an ultimate solution can be reached.
Socialists, my compassionate comrades, we are all in this together. The bourgeoisie only hold the powers the proletariat allow them to. And we the people have the power to house our comrades if we work together.
Libertarians, independent libertarians, it is not the government’s role to do nearly any of the things it does, nor is it the government’s role to end homelessness. If there is to be a systemic solution, it must be strictly voluntary, funded and operated by the private sector.
Appealing to the foundational tenets of liberalism, conservatism, socialism, and libertarianism all at once does not require contradiction. But it does require each party take a step back from certain secondary beliefs. Democrats must accept that the solution ought not be taxpayer funded or government operated. Republicans must accept that beneficiaries may receive the benefits for free. Socialists must accept that some people are permitted to choose not to help. Libertarians must accept that collective action is often an important step in solving big problems.
Without further ado, here is the solution to homelessness:
FUNDING
As registered nonprofit organizations, the housing projects in major cities across the country, each independently operated, will be funded by private donation. Like sporting events, large for-profit corporations and small local businesses will have sponsorship opportunities.
And in case you’re wondering how we could possibly get enough money from voluntary sources, US charitable donations totaled $430 billion, with a “b,” in 2018, $450 billion in 2019, and $465 billion in 2020.
Like with any private organization, funding for these projects relies on public appreciation for the work, and should the projects fail to illicit public approval, they will lose funding and collapse. Therefore, unlike government projects, these projects only continue to exist if they actually do the job they were intended to.
PROJECTS
The project buildings will be based on hotels, with as great a number of individual rooms as necessary and a secure lobby to pass through on the way in and out.
Anyone is entitled to a room at no cost for as long as they want, subject to the administrative time necessary to secure an opening. But the free room does come at a cost.
All public areas of the building, inside and out, will be under constant surveillance. There will be a video record of every time a resident or guest enters or exits, as well as any activities on the premises. These recordings will be made available to law enforcement upon request.
All persons including luggage and deliveries are subject to the same level of security we enjoy at airports.
There will be a strict policy against all non-prescription drugs, including alcohol. Project administrators have the right and responsibility to require drug testing of any resident or guest deemed suspicious as they pass through the lobby. And a failed drug test, including an alcohol breathalyzer, leaves residents or guests subject to immediate and unconditional eviction.
There will be a strict policy against all firearms or other strictly defined weapons. Getting caught on the premises with such a weapon leaves residents or guests subject to eviction.
Other than that, the projects will sponsor absolute freedom. No credit inquiry, no employment record, no background check. No one will be denied housing based on criminal history, and residents or guests evicted for drugs or weapons will be welcome to return after a one month probation.
POLICY
The policy environment is absolutely critical for the success of such a project.
First and foremost, such a housing project would only succeed in an environment with strong policing. If crime is allowed to run rampant, the housing will collapse.
Second, anyone serious about addressing homelessness must acknowledge the role of severe mental illness and drug addiction in the epidemic. This housing project serves to completely eliminate homelessness not caused by either of those factors. Which leaves those factors to be addressed explicitly.
There was once an infrastructure of asylums to address severe mental illness. These asylums had all sorts of problems: patient abuse, barbaric treatments, and so on. But eliminating the entire infrastructure did more harm than good.
The war on drugs has been a failure and led to immense suffering and injustice. I don’t know the solution, but I have heard good things about Portugal’s drug policies and rehab programs.
Mental illness and drug addiction are terrible afflictions. People who suffer from either or both ought to be helped rather than punished if at all possible.
But allowing them to live on the streets is the absolute worst of all possible options. Imprisoning the afflicted at the very least allows the rest of society to thrive. And society must be thriving before we will be able to find a way to actually help them.
Whatever other infrastructure and policies we are able to put in place, at a bare minimum, the homeless must not be allowed to camp in public areas.
CONCLUSION
I know there will be objections, reasonable and not, coming in from all sides. It is possible, though not likely, that I may not have thought everything through with perfect omniscience and wisdom.
But the thing about solutions to complicated issues is that they start with an idea, the simpler the better, and then they must face reality.
Bad ideas will be crushed by reality. But good ideas will be amended, improved, and strengthened by reality.
And either way, we have to start somewhere.
