Discovery Institute Center on Wealth and Poverty
America is suffering a complicated homelessness tragedy in myriad cities and rural areas. Huge sums of government money have been thrown at the problem, most notably in housing programs, but also indirectly in the criminal justice system (police, courts, and jails) and hospital emergency rooms. The homelessness epidemic also drains private charitable resources and suppresses economic growth and development in many communities. Lax enforcement of borders is allowing deadly drugs into the country, worsening the conditions found in homeless encampments.
Any efforts to address this web of interlocking crises are doomed to failure if they begin with an inadequate diagnosis of the causes. Though lack of housing is a major factor in what we call homelessness, it is erroneous to view homelessness as primarily— let alone solely—a housing problem that can be solved through a “Housing First” approach that ignores untreated mental illness, and with “harm reduction” projects that enable addicts to continue devastating drug habits.