A Solution to Homelessness

Good luck getting local business to fund that, especially the part about handing out drugs. Leaving aside the legal considerations, you'd have no reputation in the community, and no one would want your center located in their neighborhood. Your plan looks very much to me as though a great deal of magic wand waving will be required.

Its supposed to be a government funded rehabilitation project that sustains itself through employing its users. Local businesses will just employ the individuals the facility deems as "fit" to work. Its better than regular shelters that just provide food and shelter. Its like that saying "Give a man some fish, he'll have food for a day. teach a man to fish, he'll have food for life".

Secondly, there are already public facilities in canada that give drug users a safe place to use their drugs. The benefits of it are it reduces the risk to the user of spreading diseases through sharing needles.

What's the difference between this facility and the ones already located within the city? Why can this not take their place?

Instead of asking businesses to donate food to feed people. Don't you think its better to get the facility to produce its own food by having the people its serving work a little?

The problem with homelessness is how we are addressing it. We are merely putting a bandage over it and not actually trying to solve it. Now, if you're teaching them work ethic in exchange for food and shelter, then that's like preparing them to get into that working mindset.

what are the legal considerations?

So are you going to make the government fund it? Are you going to make local businesses employ the participants, especially those to whom you've been handing out drugs? Yeah . . . i can really see Harper and his crew signing up for this.

Are you aware that the prison in Kingston shut down its farms because they were losing money and they weren't even close to feeding the inmates with their produce? How are you going to get the homeless to sign up? Are you going to make them work?

What are the legal considerations ? ! ? ! ? Jesus Christ, you want to hand out drugs. Safe needle sites are not providing people the drugs they take.

As i said before, good luck. You're living in La-la land.

maybe the dudes just looking for folks to get high with

That seems a more likely explanation than that he really thinks this could work . . .

There is something a little bit like that in my city: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dignity_Village

I think what you're missing in your formula is that people who are homeless because they're down on their luck do not want to live among any concentration of addicts. Even if the adults could tolerate it they wouldn't want to expose their kids to that.

I think you also miss one of the big reasons for homelessness -- mental illness.

Do you really think that people drugged up will be able to do any sort of productive work?

And like said here:

Are these people capable of productive work?

I think in theory what you say makes sense and would work for those people wanting a way into a "normal" productive society.

But many of these people cannot or do not want to part of a productive society. I think ideally you find a place for such people and provide them help.

Maybe you could have those that need the mental help/drug addiction help separate where they could get assistance and once capable give small work items - like mopping the floor. Kind of build up.

I don't think these two groups are going to mix well.

and what about the big chunk of homeless people (particularly in western Canada) who are homeless simply because of housing costs? They're not unemployed or unemployable, they just can't afford decent places to live.

the physical component of addiction is only piece of it. another factor is emotional/psychological. you need to consider how that can be managed (and you'll win some kind of prize if it works).

I don't currently use drugs, but with this deal I would probably start.

The Beatles...Stones....Motley Crue, Whitney Houston... I could go on.... all did productive work, made millions and were fucked up the whole time practically. so it CAN be done

I will participate in this program if I also get free condoms. All those drug addict women will give it up quickly. Just need to bathe them first.

I think someone in Europe (a long time ago) once suggested this.

It is a nice idea, but there are some problems;
1. the centre could quickly become corrupted, with administrators abusing the residents, and degrade into a workhouse,
2. as someone on the board suggested, this might seem like a good deal, and some people might abuse the system,
3. the land and money needed to make this centre self-sustainable would probably be a major concern.

Programs similar to the kind you suggest are in operation in most major cities and some smaller ones (with the exception of the free drugs). The problem with trying to help some of them is that a lot of ones with even minor, marginal metal problems really don't want help. Some are homeless because they prefer homelessness to being forced into a group living situation which demands some responsibility. Like 12-step programs such as Alcohlics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous these programs all work only if the person being helped sincerely desires to be helped.

You're right mental illness is another factor to consider, so maybe it'll be a solution to some of the causes of homelessness.

See the problem I see with the drug counselling places and homeless shelters that exist today are ineffective because

1) They expect an individual to drop habit immediately without any gradual stages. This is a problem, because the individual is addicted to the drug and also developed this habit over time. Just imagine how hard it is to quit smoking or stop eating sweets. These habits can't be broken right away, at least not with a gradual decrease in use.

2) The bandage the problem without teaching the individual good habits, such as work ethic. Its like the younger generation who has their parents pay for their post secondary education. They often drop courses like it doesnt cost anything and approach school as if its free. With an endless supply of money sure its not a problem. So with regards to homeless shelters, if people know they'll be fed and have a place to stay without doing any work, of course they'll take it. They haven't developed the desire for the same wants that the general working population has. This is why you need to build them up in gradual stages.

Of course people will abuse things, people always do. Its human nature to do so. However, the large majority of society does not do this. So I think the percent of abuse would be small and also those abusing the system will be removed from the facility. You can't help everyone right?

Funding:

This facility should not cost much other than for regular maintenance and electricity, as the food used will be produced from a farm run by individuals who would like to stay on this facility. The funding for the facility will come from revenues generated by the individuals who have agreed to the facilities rules and will thus be employed by the revenue generating portion of the facility. Kind of like a work camp, without the killing.

For example (use mcdonalds corp)

Homeless individuals ->our facility -> Work in mcdonalds -> revenue generated -> facility.

it will be a graduated progression system where individuals go through stages in which their employability is evaluated and thus employed appropriately.

for example:

1) new entrant - assigned menial tasks such as cleaning , sweeping, etc.
2) trained entrant - assigned more complex tasks, maybe kitchen work or supervisory roles of menial tasks. Receives extra training for other jobs through courses etc.
3) able to take on more important jobs i.e administrative or security based etc. given more responsibility.
4) able to be employed at the corporation level. This is where they are moved into paid positions i.e at a franchises where revenues are generated. They are able to help generate more revenues which is put back into the facility.

initially you will need a base training staff, but overtime the training staff will be more used for teaching and supervising the whole facility. So its basically a self sufficient system.

So you intend to ignore the evidence that farms of that type don't work (see prison farms in the U.S. and Canada) and you intend to use slave labor. Send some boy out to Micky D's, then snatch his check away on payday. Charming.

good luck for you

What's that mean when one says it in English?