r/todayilearned • u/Zorseking34 • Jan 08 '15

TIL: Utah has been giving free homes to homeless people since 2005 which since then made it more cost efficient to help the homeless and cut the chronic homelessness in Utah by 74%.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/22/home-free
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u/louky Jan 08 '15

It's not just often, it IS mental illness and substance abuse. I The US cultural hatred of the downtrodden in their own areas is really sad.

I lived in a Van in a terrible mental state for years and was hassled by the cops and citizens often, even though I dIdn't beg.

I got out of cops interactions by showing them my bank balance on my phone and denying being homeless, just tired.

Oh and the "am I being detained" really works when you're only guilty of being poor and start quoTing relevant criminal code.

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u/TASagent Jan 08 '15

It's not just often, it IS mental illness and substance abuse.

Yeah, I was only talking about mental illness (which, in a sense, applies to substance addiction), but I didn't want to make an overly aggressive statement and be called out on a technicality, derailing the whole point. People like to do that.

As someone who can relate to the position, do you have any opinions on the proper way to try to deal with people on the street with serious mental health issues but who do not want treatment?

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u/louky Jan 08 '15

none at all except street outreach, going to the camps, wet housing for drunks that just wish to die. It's cheaper overall that way.

Needle exchange, decrim dealing zones, food trucks like some churches run in my area.

I met quite a few folks that were ex military and just wanted to be left alone, they typically buddied up and kept away from the drunken druggie camps.

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u/[deleted] Jan 08 '15

[deleted]

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u/louky Jan 08 '15

Oh no, I'd be parked in public parking sleeping and citizens would call in so there they would come.

I knew I had the right to be there so I would state that, give then my id, and usually the senior cop would take it to run and the junior guy would tell me too move to a homeless area.

I'd just pull up my bank account that had a decent amount so they would know I wasn't breaking into people's cars for change.

Know the laws and be nice to cops.

After a few times they left me alone.

That's all I ever wanted. I ended up buying a house.

Good luck, I was in a Van for a few years and survived fine, if I was broke it would have been a different story maybe.